A 35-year-old dream fulfilled
Pirate and I went to the Alameda County Fair on Saturday with a goal in mind (beyond "garlic fries and a corn dog", that is), which we accomplished.
I am now the happy owner of a Vitamix. [Pirate: WE. We are now the happy owners of a Vitamix.]
I've wanted a Vitamix since I was six or seven years old. My grandparents had a booth at the Oregon State Fair* every summer - apparently they sold enough pianos during the fair, or possibly got enough solid leads they were able to follow up with after the fair, for it to be worth having a booth. The easiest way to entertain the visiting grandchild (because OF COURSE one's visit to one's grandparents is timed to coincide with the State Fair) is to give her $20 and send her off to look at the other booths in the Commercial Building.
Punch needle embroidery! Fried rosette cookie irons! Vitamixes!
So I've been wanting one for almost 35 years now. But it's a chunk of change, and we were doing our best to muddle along with inferior $40 and $80 blenders... and destroying them. Literally. The Oster we bought based on Consumer Reports' recommendation literally sheared off at the place where the drive shaft met the container. And the KitchenAid I got as a replacement SUCKS. (Omigod does it suck. Picking collard fibers off one's teeth while drinking a green smoothie is unpleasant. It will be going back to Bed, Bath & Beyond tomorrow.)
The first thing we tried, to inaugurate it after getting home from the Fair, was a blended† margarita. Quite nice, but not what you'd call a serious test.
For dinner tonight I made a raw blended soup, or savory green smoothie if you prefer. Fresh tomatoes, lemons (peeled), celery, collard greens, carrots, a gypsy pepper, and a beet, with a bit of miso and a couple of dashes of Tapatio hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Plus ice. Turn it on at the lowest speed, increase the variable dial up to 10, then switch to High and blend for a couple of minutes.
Wow. Smoooooth. I'd tried doing a raw soup with beet in it in the Oster and found it unbelievably pulpy. Not pleasant at all. (Drinkable when strained through a nutmilk bag, but that's a hassle.) So it's lovely to have it come out this smooth and even and emulsified.
So, so pleased. We're going to be drinking a lot of smoothies in the days to come, I think. Plus the cookbook that came with it actually has a number of recipes that sound worth trying, so trying those out should be fun.
* Not the Oregon Country Fair, which I don't think would really have been Grandma & Grandpa's scene.
† We both prefer our margaritas on the rocks, in general. Use decent tequila and triple sec (note, "decent" is not synonymous with "expensive") and fresh citrus juice and you don't need to turn it into a slushy to mask the taste of harsh ta-kill-ya or nasty sticky cheap triple sec and "sour mix" (a.k.a. "evil in a bottle").
I am now the happy owner of a Vitamix. [Pirate: WE. We are now the happy owners of a Vitamix.]
I've wanted a Vitamix since I was six or seven years old. My grandparents had a booth at the Oregon State Fair* every summer - apparently they sold enough pianos during the fair, or possibly got enough solid leads they were able to follow up with after the fair, for it to be worth having a booth. The easiest way to entertain the visiting grandchild (because OF COURSE one's visit to one's grandparents is timed to coincide with the State Fair) is to give her $20 and send her off to look at the other booths in the Commercial Building.
Punch needle embroidery! Fried rosette cookie irons! Vitamixes!
So I've been wanting one for almost 35 years now. But it's a chunk of change, and we were doing our best to muddle along with inferior $40 and $80 blenders... and destroying them. Literally. The Oster we bought based on Consumer Reports' recommendation literally sheared off at the place where the drive shaft met the container. And the KitchenAid I got as a replacement SUCKS. (Omigod does it suck. Picking collard fibers off one's teeth while drinking a green smoothie is unpleasant. It will be going back to Bed, Bath & Beyond tomorrow.)
The first thing we tried, to inaugurate it after getting home from the Fair, was a blended† margarita. Quite nice, but not what you'd call a serious test.
For dinner tonight I made a raw blended soup, or savory green smoothie if you prefer. Fresh tomatoes, lemons (peeled), celery, collard greens, carrots, a gypsy pepper, and a beet, with a bit of miso and a couple of dashes of Tapatio hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Plus ice. Turn it on at the lowest speed, increase the variable dial up to 10, then switch to High and blend for a couple of minutes.
Wow. Smoooooth. I'd tried doing a raw soup with beet in it in the Oster and found it unbelievably pulpy. Not pleasant at all. (Drinkable when strained through a nutmilk bag, but that's a hassle.) So it's lovely to have it come out this smooth and even and emulsified.
So, so pleased. We're going to be drinking a lot of smoothies in the days to come, I think. Plus the cookbook that came with it actually has a number of recipes that sound worth trying, so trying those out should be fun.
* Not the Oregon Country Fair, which I don't think would really have been Grandma & Grandpa's scene.
† We both prefer our margaritas on the rocks, in general. Use decent tequila and triple sec (note, "decent" is not synonymous with "expensive") and fresh citrus juice and you don't need to turn it into a slushy to mask the taste of harsh ta-kill-ya or nasty sticky cheap triple sec and "sour mix" (a.k.a. "evil in a bottle").