Munchie Monday: Chocolate Pineapple Ice Cream!

 There was a recipe for Chocolate Dole Whip.  I know nothing about Dole Whips but heard they exist at theme parks around the country.

This is what we did:

In food processor put:

1 can crushed pineapple with juice
1/4 cup chocolate chips
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar
2 frozen bananas, slightly defrosted
Process until as smooth as you like it.

Dear One did like this.  It was my alternative to making oatmeal raisin cookies.  He first asked for some chocolate chip cookies then immediately changed his mind when I told him I would need to defrost some butter. He asked if I could use applesauce, then changed to oatmeal raisin cookies.  If anyone has such a recipe without butter or oil or shortening, I would love a copy.  I can deal with sugar, just not the fat.  Thanks.

Okay.  So the scoop is that this "ice cream" was pretty good but needed another frozen banana to tilth it up and also to be processed in the high speed blender.  There were still chunks of chocolate chips which Dear One perceived as nuts until I clarified for him.  They were not unpleasant in the slighted.

The actual recipe called for 2 cups of frozen pineapple and 1 cup oat milk.  I figured a can of crushed pineapple with juice would give the same effect.  It almost did...

More Knitting: Pineapple Scrubbie

 A friend asked for help with a pineapple scrubbie she had seen at Hobby Lobby.  It included both knitting and crocheting.  I knew I could help with the knitting end and figured I could also do the crocheting and teach it to her. WELL...the knitting was a simple "berry" stitch...cannot remember the actual name of the stitch but you knit 3 together then KPK in the next stitch or PKP in that next stich.

This is intended to have a cake of soap inserted through the leaves at the top.

The crocheting part had an indecipherable chart.  At least I could not grasp it until I had help and then it was a Duh! moment...so very clear. Oh well.  Now I know.

The pattern I am referencing does not want me to link to it but if you go to Hobby Lobby and look for Pineapple Scrubbie and Scrubology Yarn you will find it.

The crochet part of the pattern is also very simple.  Once you know how to read the pattern.

The crochet pattern was just a chart. I had not done crochet from a chart...so I asked a couple of ladies at church who gave me the word.  I smacked my forehead when the chart reader wrote it out in words. Of COURSE that was what the symbols meant.  Double Duh!!

Because I do not like the way the sewn edge looks, I am trying again and knitting with the Scrubology acrylic yarn again because I like the pineapple part.

  The next one I will use the scrubology cotton for the green leaves since the acrylic (which makes a great scrubbing fabric) makes terrible crocheted leaves.  At least I make terrible leaves with that yarn...

 Also, I could only do one row repeat (Row 1: K1, *K3tog, PKP in next stitch, * to end of row, K1, turn and Row 2: knit back across) at a time since the yarn wreaked a certain amount of havoc with my hands...took a lot of strength.  Well, I don't really know how to describe the situation, but trust me, only one of the 2-row repeats at a time, then a good rest.  Even knitting on the tiny needles for the Crayon Booties was much more comfortable.

Munchie Monday: 8-ounce Blendar Jar Smoothie!

Totally the main reason I finally purchased the Vitamix blender was because they had an accessory kit which had  an 8-ounce blender jar. I have used it multiple times.  This time I decided to make a smoothie in the jar.

This is what I did:

Into the jar I placed 2 larger frozen strawberries,  half a sliced banana, 2 tablespoons crushed pineapple and juice from a can, 1 tablespoon flax seeds.

Screwed on the top then placed on the Vitamix base and started it up, going from speed 1 up to speed 10.  I left it at speed 10 until the timer read one minute.

 It was a wonderful smoothie, according to Dear One. Well, he did not say it was wonderful, that was me because it worked so well,  but he sucked it up rather rapidly.

It was a nice accompaniment to Grapenuts with bananas and four ounces orange juice.  I had some kale salad.  next time I will make a small smoothie for myself, I guess.