Fruit Smoothies

I started making this recipe in about first grade. When I went to my aunt’s house, she would make me a banana drink which is pretty much the same thing as a smoothie. It became kind of like a tradition: whenever I went to my aunt’s house, I knew that a smoothie would be included.
After a while I realized that I could make smoothies at my own house without her. And I could also alter her original recipe which included yogurt, orange juice, milk, bananas, and any frozen fruit she had in her freezer to create smoothies of my own. The two recipes I’ve included here are two of my favorite drinks. I drink them a lot during the summer when my friends and I are hot and thirsty. I also drink them after school and for breakfast sometimes because they are so healthy.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 whole banana, peeled
4 large strawberries, stems trimmed
1½ cups milk
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup orange juice

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender. Whirl until smooth and combined.
2. Taste to see if you want to add anything else.
3. Drink and enjoy.

Makes about 4 glasses
My own recipe

Frozen Mango and Raspberry Smoothie

2 cups frozen mango chunks (from Trader Joe’s)
1 cup frozen raspberries
2½ cups milk
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender. Whirl until smooth and combined. Sometimes the frozen fruit gets caught in the blender blades. When that happens, stop the blender and stir everything with a spoon. Continue blending. You may need to do this a few times before the mixture is combined.
2. Spoon into glasses or dishes. You’ll probably need to eat this with a spoon.
3. If you have any leftover, transfer from the blender into a container and place in the freezer. If you put it in the refrigerator, the liquid will melt and still be delicious.

Makes 6 glasses
My own recipe

I-Search

I made this blog for a school project called the I-Search. I-Search gives us the chance to research something that interests us instead of just following the regular school curriculum. This project is for my History and English classes and counts for a large part of my grade.
Because I love cooking so much, I decided to do my I-Search on cooking. My teachers told me that cooking something would not be enough to last me for a few months so I added the idea of a blog.

Plain Vanilla Cupcakes

2 cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoons salt
7 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
¾ teaspoons vanilla
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, and salt in a electric mixer. Slowly pour in ½ cup milk. Whisk the milk, eggs, and vanilla. Combine with the dry ingredients in the electric mixer but be sure not to over mix the batter. Pour the batter into the cupcake holders. Make sure the cupcake holders are only 2/3 full so there is room for the batter to rise. Bake in the over preheated at 325’F for 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Frosting
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ sticks butter softened
¾ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup milk
Beat the sugar, butter, and cocoa together in a electric mixer until it mixes up pretty well. Add the milk and mix until it gets fluffy and light.

Adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook