Homemade Slushy: Cran-Raspberry with Strawberry Slushy

Summer means icy drinks like this cran-raspberry with strawberry slushy.

 This past weekend my daughter asked if we could make slushies. We searched for a machine that might assist us in our efforts, but came up empty.

Isabella then remembered an As-Seen-On-TV slushie shaker that she had seen at our local Walgreen's. They have two shelving units full of As-Seen-On-TV products (wait, I noticed yesterday that they've replaced this section with back-to-school items, even though it's still July). We purchased a Slushy Magic cup and went home to give it a go (we paid only half the price that was listed on their site).

The cup comes with some "magic" ice cubes (whose ingredients I decided against investigating) that you put in the freezer for a few hours. Then you pour juice into the shaker cup, add the "magic" cubes, cover and shake.

It seems that we didn't leave the cubes in the freezer long enough. And, I think it would take about forty minutes of dedicated shaking to get the Magic Slushy cup to create a nice smushy iced beverage.

We went to plan B: use my drink blender, with the juice, some whole strawberries and ice. We blended several batches, poured them into some red Solo cups (Isabella sang the song while we worked, the "Glee" version) and put them in the freezer for two hours.

They were great. When we got to the party, we poured them into smaller cups, added some ginger ale and a sprig of mint.  A great standard kid-friendly drink was born!

Cran-Raspberry with Strawberry Slushy

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice
• 10 strwberries, hulled and cut into chunks
• 8 to 10 ice cubes
• 1 cup ginger ale
• 10 mint sprigs for garnish

Method:

1. Put juice, strawberries and ice into a blender. Mix until ice has become crushed and strawberries are just past being chunky.
2. Pour mixture into several plastic cups.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for two hours.
4. Remove from the freezer, pour into individual serving cups.
5. Stir in a splash of ginger ale into each drink. Garnish with the mint.

Aquaboulevard: Two Years Ago, Paris

Original post can be found here.

It hit 92 degrees today (yes, still measuring in American). We knew this was coming, so we headed out to 

Aquaboulevard

on the outskirts of Paris.

It only took us two trains and 35 minutes to get there. Essentially, it’s an indoor and outdoor water park. The place is like a little city. There is a sports club, a sporting goods store, restaurants and a movie complex.

When we arrived, we went straight to Decathalon, the sporting goods store. My swimsuit was very much the worse for wear, and we had read you needed a swim cap for the pools in Paris. There were more suits than I’d seen in one place. Mine cost only 9,9euros, Isabella’s was 4,5euros. Really some of the best fitting suits we’ve had, as well. We also got swim caps, goggles, a towel and a pair of flip flops for me. Thus outfitted, we set out to find the entrance to the pool.

We got to the dressing room and found pandemonium. I never thought I had a problem with crowds, but I guess I do. Though, there maybe a difference between European personal space and American. There was some unknown bagcheck system which took us 45 minutes to master.

Then we headed out to the pools in Aquaboulevard. Oh man, it was great. There was a wave pool that activated every thrity minutes or so, with teenagers mobbing the deeper end and kids, parents and grandparents on our end. We went down two water slides each and tried for another one, but it was way too crowded.

There was a professional photographer making souvenir photos. I noted his lens and camera set up and thought we’d give it a go. The results were very good, actually, and Isabella is very happy to have our three commemerative shots as a keepaske.

After the dressing room, we needed to eat. The food available was not great, and so, sadly, we ended up at McDonald’s. They have a fourth course to their Happy Meals here, fruit. And, an alternative to french fries, potatoes deluxe. We ate, got our pictures taken care of and left.

Outside, a thunderstorm had been brewing and so, we walked back to the train in the rain, dealt with rushhour on the Metro and recounted the fun we had along the way!

A Little Romance: Repost From Paris, 2010

Originally posted on my blog from our Paris trip, 2010.  You should really watch "A Little Romance". It's available on Amazon Instant Video or you can purchase it here. 

Anybody who knows me at all, knows one of my all time favorite movies is “A Little Romance”. It takes place here in Paris and in Venice and is the story of a 13 year old rich American ex-pat girl who meets a 13 year old working-class French boy.

When my mom and I went to Venice in 1989, we spotted many of the locations the movie was shot in. As of today, I have found two or three of the key spots in Paris. The main one, is their second meeting at the Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel, near the Louvre, pictured at right.

Isabella has commented many times over the past two weeks how much romance she is witnessing and how nice it is. I have to agree, being a die-hard romantic, it is nice to see how Parisians show their passion. There is sometimes just a gesture or a hand on a back, but you can see the connection in a way I’m not sure I’ve seen in the US.

Keep in mind, I’m a sucker for flowers, little notes of admiration or your day-to-day romance. But, this is different and I hope to see the kind of romance we’re seeing here back home. It would be nice to live in a place where romance triumphs.

By the way, in the Luxembourg Gardens, we saw a man and his friends unfurl a banner in front of a huge crowd of people and then cheering. As it turned out, he was asking his lady to marry him. She said yes, as I’m sure most of us would!

Below is one of the sweetest dialogues from the movie (which I own, and is also available on Netflix via mail or instantly, in case you have a need to see it):

Lauren King: I used to think, maybe a long time ago, like… like in the time of the pharaohs or Louis the 13th that, there was somebody, made just perfect for me. I mean, when you think about it and consider that your feelings of love, begin when you’re about ten and if you live to say 70, well that’s pretty limiting because, what chances there that he’ll be alive at the same time you are? You know?

Daniel Michon: I feel the same things. I mean, even if she lived in my lifetime. What if my perfect woman lived in India or California or Brazil? What chance is there that I’d meet her when I live in La Garenne?

Lauren King: It’s incredible isn’t it?

Daniel Michon: Absolutely… incredible. [holds her hand]

Re Post from Paris: Croque Madame, Versailles Gardens

Please enjoy this repost from our Paris trip in 2010. The nice weather here in SF keeps bringing me back to Versailles with its lovely gardens and hidden groves.

I will admit that up until this point, I was afraid of the cheese aspect of the Croque. But, last night, Kristen ordered one and assured me it was just a mild cheese, so today, I ordered one.

To be honest, I didn’t realize that the croque madame came with an egg on top. It never occured to me to ask what the difference was between the monsieur and hte madame. Boy am I happy I did.

There are probably better specimens of the croque madame, but this made my day! The oozing egg over the ham and melted cheese was divine.

I am totally going to make these as often as my waistline will permit. What a treat!

Here is a link to a great croque madame recipe.