Dad always had a knack for influencing my senses. Once a babysitter’s sister smoked cigarettes while we were in a car. I loved the smell. Until I told Dad. Back then, no one knew about the dangers of second-hand smoke, but Dad (a former smoker, in which Mom beat the habit out from him) knew the smell was terrible, which led to his speech about the dangers of smoking cigarettes. It was the ultimate ‘do not smoke’ conversation. The following day, we rode in the back seat of the babysitter’s car. The sitter’s sister pulls out a cigarette to start puffing away. And, all of the sudden, my nose didn’t enjoy her smoke anymore. I rolled down the window. The sitter yelled at me to roll the window up, “…because the air conditioner is on!” In an attempt to filter the smoke from my nose, I used my hand to cover my nose, my head away from her and I buried my face into the car seat. The babysitter’s sister made jokes about my dislike for the smell of cigarettes as she continued to casually puff away. Thankfully, she didn’t light another one.
Smoothie Numbers
“Smoothie Numbers” is a series of quick postings listing the ingredients for making refreshing, healthy drinks in a blender.
#SmoothieNumbers 32: Green Ginger
Last year, I had the unfortunate experience of getting rid of a lingering cold that wasn’t quite uncomfortable, but it left behind a coughing fit that took weeks to go away. The coughing prevented a good night’s sleep, which made me irritable during the day. Eventually, I hacked cough my throat into a raspy sound. Not even my Ginger Lemon Tea couldn’t erase the cough away. Finally, a visit to a doctor confirmed my cough to be a viral infection, and as she recommended the proper medication to buy, she simply told me to be patient. The cough will eventually go away. Meanwhile, a co-worker sympathized with me and made a gingery juice that cut thru the mucus causing coughs like a sharp knife. Between, the gingery drinks and the medication, the coughing slowing went away. And, I finally returned to getting a proper night’s sleep.
#SmoothieNumbers 31: Spiced Pumpkin Coffee
Are temperatures starting to drop? The day is unusually warm for this time of year, while nights are a crisp chill. Global warming causes autumn — as well as the other seasons — to act funny. And, our new government is slowly dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). C’est la vie… but, it’s not normal. Fall for SmoothieNumbers 31: Spiced Pumpkin Coffee. It’s an energizing drink for staying ‘woke’ in a super-charged, political climate, while keeping the spice ‘real’ with pumpkin puree.
Smoothie Numbers 30: Rosewater Strawberry Milkshake Smoothie
Kid you not! This Rosewater Strawberry Milkshake Smoothie taste like strawberry milk straight from my elementary cafeteria days. And, it’s a refreshing drink after running a few miles or doing yoga. Of course, this is a healthier version, but I would like to think those of you with kids, would enjoy serving them a tall glass of this smoothie when there’s no time to cook, but there’s more time for you to work out.
#SmoothieNumbers 29: Orange Chocolate
When Meiko Drew of Meiko and the Dish and Aaron Hutcherson of The Hungry Hutch asked me to participate in her virtual potluck to celebrate Black History Month, I thought it was endearing to participate. I chose to write about a dessert. However, fancy sweets aren’t quite right right now. My thoughts are enraged with politics via podcasts, television news shows and office conversations. Needless to say, “Let’em eat cake…,” isn’t coming from this food blog.