bananas & pears with a dash of lobster

Arghh, sorry I know I’ve been kind of lazy with the updating. It’s just that it’s AP exam week and that means CRUNCH TIME.

I took my Calculus test today.. I hope I did alright.. That one was my biggest priority/concern. But now that that’s over with, I have more free time to blog. Huzzah!

Well I also have that research paper due next week… Dangnammit.

But a bit of good news… I KNOW WHAT COLLEGE I’M GOING TO!!! An admissions officer from Hamilton College called me on Monday to tell me that I had been taken off the waitlist and accepted into Hamilton! I was so happy, it was ridiculous; it felt like all the work I put into high school had paid off, you know?

I’d already deposited to Dickinson College, but after discussing it with my parents we all decided that Hamilton was a much better investment. So I confirmed my acceptance yesterday, and I just got the official mail package today! YAYYY!!! :D

Haha, I guess you could call it a ray of sunshine in my week. Anyways, I blogged today because I realized I was getting lazy. AND because  I wanted to share an easy way to make banana ice cream with you guys. It’s seriously really easy. As in, easy peezy, lemon squeezy.

All you do is get some frozen bananas:

'ello mssrs. bananas

Bananas contain lots of vitamin B6 and C, and potassium. Potassium helps replenish your body’s electrolytes and helps in the building of muscle, so I often make this for my post-workout snack.

A lot of people use blenders to make their smoothies, but since I’m only making one serving I’m gonna be using my handy-dandy bullet mixer.

comfy fit

Then I add a little bit of milk:

hi calynn (:

Lowfat milk.. That’s somewhere in between 1% and 2%. I’m thinking about making the switch to 1% grass-fed milk though. I got it last time, and Calynn and I both thought it tasted really good. A little bit more expensive, but it’s better for you and for the cows. Plus I get my Organica employee discount on it :D

milk bath

And today I experimented by adding some seeds:

sesame seeds, and some other kind.. i forgot

I could use the extra protein.. Plus, black sesame is my favorite ice cream flavor, so why not?

poooour

‘Bout a scoop and a half goes into the mix.

Then..

TA-DAHH

THE BULLET MIXER!! It’s actually an Asian version, but very convenient for making small amounts of juices, smoothies, sauces and the like.

After blending until smooth…

the finished product

It came out a little looser this time, probably because the bananas melted while I was taking pictures. But if you take bananas right out of the freezer and toss them in with a little less milk, it really becomes a soft-serve consistency. Perfect for the summer – ice cream without the fat!

glooooop

Yeah, it definitely came out too loose. Next time, I’ll take a better picture! But doesn’t change the fact that it was really tasty (: I think I might add a little less of the seeds next time.. I think they kind of overpowered the ‘nana flavor.

And then I had a pear:

you look lonesome mr. pear; care to join mr. banana in my stomach?

A D’anjou pear. I don’t really eat “American” pears all that often, because Asian pears are my absolute favorite. They’re crisper, juicier, and easier to cut. But since those are out of season, I’ve been experimenting with different types of these smaller oblong  guys. I got 2 more varieties, and I’ll tell you how they taste after I try them.

After eating this guy, I think I actually might eat more non-Asian pears. Mr. D’anjou over here was perfectly ripe – nice and juicy. And I actually like their softer texture; it kind of goes smoosh when you bite into it, but it’s a very yummy squishiness.

zee inside

And I got a new food book from Barnes & Noble!

"tasty tidbits about the science of food and cooking."

Why Do Lobsters Turn Red When You Cook Them? by Hervé This. It was in the sale section – I think I paid like $7 for it. Considering how much I’m interested in food, I think it was a pretty good deal. I haven’t started it yet, but flipping through it, I’m curious to see what food mysteries this answers (:

And I’ll leave you with the answer to the book’s title:

“Shellfish like lobster and shrimp contain a red-colored molecule called astaxanthin, the color of which does not appear in living animals. When seafood is cooked, it breaks up the bonds shielding the astaxanthin, and the red color (or pink, in the case of shrimp) appears.”

Huh, bet you didn’t know that. Welll, neither did I, so you can see why I’m excited to read this. And every time I read and interesting factoid, I’ll post it up here!

That’s all for now, because I really should get to work on that essay…