Ginger-Cranberry Holiday Smoothie

It was too delicious. I drank it before I snapped a photo. I'll post a picture when I make more.

Yield: 1 serving
Prep time: 2 minutes
Perfect for: holiday parties, events in autumn or winter
Type of event: formal dinner, get-together, lunch (harder to prepare en masse)

Ingredients

• 1/3 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/2 teaspoon molasses
• 1 1/4 cup frozen cranberries
• 2 frozen strawberries, medium size (for sweetness and colour)
• 1 cup almond milk (or regular milk)

To make:

1. Put fruit in a blender cup (I used a single-serving blender, the Magic Bullet, but you could easily multiply the recipe and use a full-size blender for entertaining).
2. Add molasses and ginger powder* 
3. Add almond milk and blend until smooth.

*(it is important not to put the molasses in first if you are using a blender cup like I did, as the molasses will stick to the bottom of the cup and will not mix in. If you put the fruit in first, the molasses will "glue" the ginger powder to the fruit and ensure even blending.

Welcome to my blog!

Hi, I'm Sara.

I'm a twenty-something with a love of cooking and a love of entertaining. In my spare time, I make jewellery, grow my own herbs, blend my own teas, and host dinner parties. 

It is my personal mission to revive the dinner party as something that is 1) easy, 2) affordable, and 3) feasible for people of all ages to arrange. 

In my experience, there are a few kinds of dinner parties. I'll be sharing recipes for each category every so often.

Type 1: The Formal Party

"Formal" is not to say "dressy" (unless you're into that). The formal dinner party is your typical event in which you can expect to sit down at a dinner table and work through several courses of food. You've probably set up some decorations for this one, depending on the theme or closest holiday. Oh- and by the way, these are usually the parties that have a theme. 

The dinner itself is the main focus of the evening. There might be some mixing and mingling before the dinner, but people usually head home shortly after dessert.

Type 2: The Get-together

This one has a dinner table component, but you're probably moving around and doing other things throughout the evening before and after dinner. These are usually your Christmas, Halloween, birthdays, etc. parties in which another component, like opening presents, can take a lot of time.

These are the parties where you really want to focus on your munchies: appetizers, sweets, etc. As people snack both pre- and post-dinner. The dinner itself may be a bit lighter, and a sweet table may completely replace a dessert.

Type 3: The Hangout

This is one of the most common parties for twenty-somethings. This is an informal party, in which people are likely not having their dinner all at the same time or all in the same room. This can include birthday parties, big family events, or really any large-scale party where you might get the main course catered.

The main focus here would be things that could be left on a buffet table for the night and would be tasty  whether it is eaten by your earliest or latest arrival. Simplicity here is a must to stop yourself from going bananas as you mass-produce food.

If you're getting the event catered, side dishes and finger foods can be easily prepared to share down on the costs.

Thanks for joining me. I hope to hear from you soon!