“I’m melting! melting! Oh, what a world! What a world!”
Wicked Witch of the West, The Wizard of Oz
We’ve been in the midst of a heat wave here in our parts. Today the thermometer on the side of the house read 102 degrees – in the shade! With power and water use advisories in effect we are all simply trying to make do.
We stopped watering the lawn and are beginning to wonder how much we can get for itty bitty little bales of hay.
We are taking shorter and colder showers.
We are keeping blinds and windows closed. We are staying on the first floor. We are using oscillating fans both in place of and to boost the effectiveness of the air conditioner as much as possible.
We’re cooking on the grill, or heating up in the microwave as much as possible to avoid heating up the kitchen.
We are changing into our lightest clothing choices once we are home for the evening.
But, even that isn’t always enough.
When heads begin to throb, or when emotions run just as high as the mercury it is time for a mom to pull something special out of her back pocket.
Tonight I made the girls milkshakes. Its quick and easy and is so soothing when walking into the outside world feels like walking into your oven. Or when a long day at a summer camp that lacks a swimming pool makes your head feel like its going to pop off your neck like a pimple.
Blueberry Milkshakes
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries
1-3 tsp extra sweeetner (if needed)
4-6 frozen cherriesPut milk in blender.
Add ice cream in tablespoon fulls.
Add vanilla extract and blend until ice cream is completely incorporated into the milk.
Add blueberries a little at a time, then cherries.
Add extra sugar or other sweetener at this point only if you feel you need it (some batches of cherries/berries are sweeter than others)
Serves two very hot and cranky kids a very hearty serving.
A cool shower, a dose of Advil, and a milkshake later my Sephoni was back to her smiley summer-girl self. And Reya got to reap the benefits as well.
Feel free to customize this to meet the needs or tastes of your family. You can replace the ice cream with Greek style yogurt, add a bit more fruit and allow it to take the place of a meal when its simply too hot to think about eating anything more substantial. You can replace the frozen berries with other frozen fruit, or make do with drained canned fruit, or fresh fruit, depending on what you have on hand. Just be sure to toss in a couple of ice cubes to keep your milkshake from turning into more of a smoothie consistency.
Stay cool, stay safe, stay well.
Blessings
Jia
