By Lisa

This is an unlikely and unpractical post for the middle of winter if, like me, you’re cold in any state but Hawaii.  But it’s not wholly inappropriate if you’re like my kids, and are not ever bothered by the cold, even in the middle of blizzard.  In an effort to keep my hungry kids out of trouble while I was cooking dinner on Saturday, I had Finn put together a plate of snacks (cheese, crackers, turkey, olives) and let Ella make the kidtinis. The problem was we had no bubbly water and no juice. She concocted a kind of smoothie with milk, ice, and mango and coconut syrups.

I was a skeptical, but the drink was really pretty, and–because she somehow found just the right proportion of milk and ice and syrup–perfectly light and not too sweet. In fact, it was a lot like shave ice.  It melted in the mouth.

Also, it reminded me of first snow. And the blizzard we experienced over vacation. Which was also a beautiful, serendipitous, icy mess.


Tropical Blizzard Smoothie

1 part low fat milk to about 3 parts ice

Equal parts mango and coconut syrups, about 2 T each

Blend in a blender. Adjust syrups to taste.