Do you have a Magic Bullet? Well, I have a Magic Bullet knockoff that I purchased for half the price and I’ve only used it once to make daiquiris. This morning, I felt inspired to create a smoothie recipe with some of the fruits bought at the farmer’s market. Offering a blend of sweet and sour sensations, I introduce you a satisfying fruity breakfast smoothie recipe.

Cherry-Apricot Smoothie Recipe

• 1 large or 2 small apricots
• 10 cherries
• 2/3 cup sherbet
• 1/3 cup low-fat milk

1. Take the pits out of the apricot and cherries.

2. Cut apricot into chunky slices and add the fruit to the blender container.

3. Add 2/3 cup of sherbet and 1/3 cup low-fat milk to your blender container.

4. Pulse until it reaches a consistency to your liking.

Note: You can use any sherbet flavor you like, which will affect the final outcome of your smoothie. I chose a combination of raspberry, pineapple and orange. I used 1% milk in this recipe. I also blended the ingredients just enough to where I still had a pulpy consistency – so that I would feel like I ate something substantial for breakfast.

According to my new book, the Good Housekeeping A to Z Stain Removal Guide, you can remove tomato sauce, tomato paste, and tomato juice from fabric with cold water, liquid laundry detergent, and white vinegar. The book suggests the following steps for tomato stain removal from fabrics, upholstery, and carpets:

Fabric

1. Working from the back of the stain, flush with cold water.

2. Pretreat with a liquid laundry detergent, tamp the stain, and let stand for several minutes.

3. Rinse well.

4. Sponge with white vinegar.

5. Rinse well.

6. Repeat Steps 2 to 5 until you have removed as much stain as possible.

7. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover.

8. Launder.

9. If the stain remains, rub with a liquid laundry detergent, and then soak in warm water for up to 30 minutes.

10. Launder with fabric-appropriate bleach, if necessary.

Upholstery

1. Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent with 2 cups of cool water.

2. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent solution.

3. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears.

5. Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

Carpet

1.  Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent with 2 cups of cool water.

2. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent solution.

3. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears or is no longer absorbed into the cloth.

5. If stain remains, mix 1 tablespoon of ammonia* with ½ cup of cool water.

6. Sponge the stain with the ammonia solution.

7. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

8. Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

* When using ammonia to remove stains, keep in mind that ammonia can damage silk and wool fibers. Do not use sudsy or scented bleach for stain removal. Never mix chlorine bleach and ammonia – the fumes are toxic. Since ammonia can cause some dyes to run, always test a hidden part of your fabric, carpet or upholstery before using on your stain.

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Doesn’t the name just pique your curiosity? Well, I found a recipe for pumpkin soup in Holly Clegg’s Trim & Terrific book and previously wrote about the recipe on my old blog. I’d like to share it with you today.

I must admit, before the ingredients were allowed to simmer – I thought I had wasted my time. An early sample of the unheated soup proved unappealing. However, in the end, the spiciness and thickness of the soup is satisfyingly warming and filling. The pieces of onion and occasional burst of garlic is also a welcomed addition to the soup.

There are plenty of advantages to adding this soup to your list of dinner favorites because it is relatively inexpensive, as well as very easy and quick to make.

Below you will find a six-serving recipe for Holly Clegg’s pumpkin soup, which I did not follow to the T. Instead, I added about 3 teaspoons of hot sauce and a bit more pepper. No salt for me. I also did not finely chop my onions, but cut them up in small pieces. I think larger pieces add a bit of dimension to the dish. Another plus about this soup – it is only 45 calories per serving – hard to believe!

Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Ingredients

1 (15 -ounce) can of canned, solid-packed pumpkin filling
2 (14 ½ -ounce) cans of fat free, chicken broth
½ teaspoon of minced garlic
½ cup of finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon of hot sauce
½ cup skim milk
Pepper and Salt (to taste)

Directions

In a non-stick pot, sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until tender. This takes about five minutes. Add in the pumpkin, and then gradually add the chicken broth and milk. Add the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper. Cook the soup until heated all the way through, which takes about five minutes. As for me, I simmered the soup a bit longer. Enjoy!

Coolness Alert: When I first wrote about this recipe on the now-defunct Doodle-a-Day Reviews, Holly Clegg herself left a comment. She said:

“So glad you let your creative juices flow. Sometimes different combinations of ingredients come together for a great blast of flavor. I love the natural sweetness of pumpkin or sweet potatoes with a contrasting bit of heat! Remember, how we love sweet and salty? So, this is the same concept. I am going to put one of my favorite recipes which I think you will enjoy: Southwestern Roasted Vegetables. As all my recipes are made with few ingredients and are pantry friendly, this recipe every time becomes an instant favorite. You have the natural sweetness of the yams contrasting with the spicy taco seasoning. There are other vegetables in the recipe and feel free to toss in whatever you have around. This is a great fall recipe and remember to line your pan with foil for easy clean-up. Enjoy and remember when you eat Trim & Terrific, you stay trim & terrific. The recipe is on http://www.hollyclegg.com“

The last time I went to Applebee’s, I fell in love with a fruit salad made out of apples and pears. I was determined to replicate it when I got home. I knew the salad had a dried red fruit that I suspected was cranberries or most likely cherries. They added celery, but I don’t care for that taste too much in a fruit salad, so I omitted that ingredient. The base of the fruit salad was either an extremely watery vanilla yogurt or sour cream – I opted for the sour cream.

I also inserted extra pizzazz to the recipe with a few of my own modifications, like adding chopped walnuts. I also used an assortment of dried berries. Here’s my version of the fruit salad. Hope you enjoy. It’s a flavorful treat with both crunchy and soft textures enhanced by the tasty variety of the berries.

Fruit Salad Ingredients

• 3 Pears and 3 Apples
• About 10 Ounces of Light Sour Cream
• Fit & Active Berries Mixed Dried Fruit (or something similar)
• Walnuts

Directions

1. After removing the seeds and unappetizing middle parts of the apples and pears, cut into small cubes. Add to a large bowl (or 10-ounce Tupperware container like I did).

2. Add a couple of spoonfuls of light sour cream at a time. Mix. Keep adding until there’s enough to your liking. I estimate that I used about 10 ounces of a 16-ounce container.

3. Sprinkle enough chopped walnuts to your liking and mix throughout.

4. Add dried berries in the same manner as the walnuts, BUT keep in mind that dried fruit is packed with sugar so add with caution to avoid a sweetness overload.  I probably added about three finger-pinchfuls.

This recipe roughly makes 7 cups of fruit salad.

Quaker Rice Cakes seem to have been around forever, and I vaguely remember turning my nose up at them as a kid. What’s a child to do when Oreos are calling her name? However, as an adult – I’ve grown to appreciate the low-calorie, filling snack that helps tide me over until lunch or dinner. Today, Quaker supplies a wide-range of flavors that surpasses the once plain rice cake. From Apple Cinnamon to Peanut Butter to Chocolate Crunch to Cracker Jack, flavors tempting enough for a kid to fall in love with now line grocery store shelves.

I absolutely love Quaker White Cheddar Rice Cakes, especially when I get a hold of one that is dusting over with the powdery flavoring. It’s a good sitting-at-the-computer-typing snack. I’ve also sampled the Caramel Corn (decent) and Honey Vanilla (a big disappointment) varieties. Spread peanut butter on a plain rice cake to enjoy a quick energy-boosting snack. To me, nothing compares to the White Cheddar flavor.

Quaker also makes it easy to expand upon the rice cake and turn it into a “mini” meal or dessert. Each package comes with a recipe to follow, but an interesting collection of ideas is found on the Quaker Rice Cake website. My brother tried one that used basil pesto, roasted peppers, and light cream cheese. He said it was pretty good. I’m interested in trying out the Guiltless Pizza and Taco-y Tostado Cake.

Ever wonder just how a rice cake is made? Click here for the lowdown.

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For my first time trying couscous, I chose a recipe that’s got ‘kick’ (due to the black pepper) – courtesy of Eat Better America (one of my favorite recipe sites). Orange Couscous Salad is pretty satisfying. The green onions mixed with the mandarin oranges create a satisfying combination.

While the recipe calls for kalamata olives, I decided not to add. The recipe also states to serve immediately after preparing (which only takes about 10 to 15 minutes) and I see why. The dish suffers when served cold.

On a side note, I have completely fallen in love with Eat Better America’s ‘Healthified’ section, which takes popular recipes and tests out ingredient substitutions that manage to maintain flavor, texture, and appeal. The result is recipes that offer fewer calories, less saturated fat, less sodium, and sometimes more of the good stuff – like vitamin C. A sample of ‘healthified’ recipes includes:

• Blueberry Lemon Tart – uses sour cream instead of cream cheese
• Homemade Pizza – cuts calorie content from 340 to 190 per serving
• Turtle Ice Cream Cake – takes the calorie content from 440 to 240 per serving

While browsing Riding with No Hands, I learned that Ritz has come out with a Brown Sugar and Cinnamon flavor. Of course, I had to bring a box home and sample. I’ve been told that when I was younger, my parents tricked me into thinking that the original Ritz cracker was a ‘cookie’ – so Ritz and I go way back.

They look like a wheat cracker because of the specks of cinnamon, but turn it towards the light and you’ll detect a few sugar crystals. Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Ritz Crackers offer an appetizing treat with an aftertaste that slightly resembles a graham cracker. Some people will be disappointed, as they might expect something heavier and sweeter, but I’m fine with the lightly sweetened cracker. To me, anything more would ruin the qualities that make a Ritz. Since they lack an overload of sugar, I think the crackers make perfect snacks for kids.

On the back of the box, there’s a recipe for Raspberry Apple Danish Spread (made with cream cheese) for the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Ritz crackers and it looks delicious:

Ingredients

1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese (softened)
1 apple, chopped
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup granola

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spread cream cheese onto the bottom of 9-inch pan plate or 1-qt casserole

3. Combine apples and jam. Spread over cream cheese. Top with granola.

4. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with crackers.

After reading a Yahoo Health post on 4 Ways to Help You Look Years Younger, I zeroed in on the Balsamic Carrots recipe because it sounded pretty tasty. Serving as a decent source of the antioxidant beta-carotene, carrots help renew the skin and discourage wrinkles by fighting off free radicals, which can speed up skin aging. Carrots also help maintain your vision, protect cells, regulate metabolism, and boost your immune system.

To make Roasted Balsamic Carrots, the recipe calls for 1 pound of peeled carrots (cut into 1/2-inch wedges). Spread the carrot pieces across a large sheet of aluminum foil, and sprinkle on ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, 2 cloves minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon paprika, salt, and pepper. Drizzle carrots with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and then fold the aluminum foil over to create a tightly sealed packet. Transfer the foil packet onto a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 25 minutes or until the carrots are cooked.

This is the first time I used balsamic vinegar for cooking. I did not have all the ingredients above, so I improvised by replacing the rosemary, minced garlic, and paprika with dried cilantro, garlic powder, and garlic salt with parsley. In the end, I was left with a savory take on carrots. The aftertaste offered a hint of ‘meatiness.’ I’m now encouraged to experiment with recipes involving baked vegetables.