Smoothies -- Raspberry Raspberry DIY

Raspberry smoothies are delicious things. Everyone who has ever tried one knows that. Tart, sweet, cool, smooth -- a complex of tastes and sensations mark this sensational beverage out from just about everything else.

And you can make them yourself. DIY, dude.

Why go out to a store to get one and pay so much, particularly when they can conveniently be made right in your own kitchen. Raspberry sorbet is easy to come by and a container that holds enough for many of your own smoothies costs less than one store-bought smoothie. The other ingredients are also inexpensive, particularly when strawberries are in season. Just as importantly, you can vary what goes into the smoothie to suit your own particular desires.

A little force helps -- we'll see why below, and why that hammer pictured here (or something similar) comes in handy. But in fact it is easy as pie to make your own smoothies once you know how.

And don't forget: we are talking raspberries here; what could be better?

The battery of cuisine and the ingredients we need here is as follows:

* blender (there are specialized ones like the NutriBullet, but any good blender will serve)

* ice cubes (obviously)

* raspberry sorbet (use fresh raspberries if you prefer)

* frozen raspberries (ditto)

* strawberries (proportion to vary with taste)

* orange juice (get the house brand, it's cheaper)

* bananas (depending on how many smoothies we are making)

About a cup.

This is a pleasant and colorful task, of course. And the aroma is mouthwatering.

But just you wait -- wait till these are combined with raspberries.

A package of frozen raspberries is enough for three or four smoothies.

Raspberries are one of the fruits that take surprising well to freezing, and we are taking advantage of that characteristic here in our developing smoothie.

Here in our blender.

As mentioned above, specialized blenders such as the NutriBullet can be used here.

But we are using an old-fashioned one.

These slices look nice, but you can be more cavalier than this -- about cutting the banana up -- if you are in a hurry.

Or even put the whole thing in there in one big piece. Almost all blenders can handle that because bananas are so soft.

Can we make a raspberry smoothie without the banana? Please Comment below.

Just about ready to go.

The white and the red contrast nicely here, do they not?

We need some sorbet.

Several scoops.

There's a lot left for smoothies that will come in the future.

Actually, I can never resist just putting a spoonful or two of the sorbet itself into my mouth at this point.

All we need now is ice.

No, that's not right. We also need to pour some of orange juice in with these other ingredients.

Not a lot, but amount varies with your taste.

About six cubes.

The plastic bag, of course, is essential in keeping the ice pieces from flying about the kitchen. It also can serve as a sort of pitcher when we pour all this into the blender, although we are going to pour the pieces into a measuring cup first.

The ice in the measuring cup.

The ingredients in the blender -- all of the ingredients except the crushed ice (and the orange juice -- which we added just after this photo was taken).

Stop the blender and stir the contents about periodically.

A smoothie is supposed to be smooth, of course, and we can ensure that our smoothie is smooth by stopping the blender now and then and stirring the contents about.

Some people omit the hammer and just add the cubes directly to the blender. That can be done, but things go smoother if you use the hammer first.

Even just sitting there on the cutting board it looks perfect.

Which is more perfect? -- the colorful look of the drink, the taste of the drink, or the aftertaste of the drink?

Please Comment below.

A smoothie looks and even feels on the throat something like a milkshake, but the latter uses ice cream instead of the sorbet we have used here.

Smoothies started as a health food store sort of thing, but have long out-distanced that confining environment and today can be found in many outlets. This expansion does not make them any the less healthy -- and they are healthy for you.

There is a thing called a Green Smoothie. Think kale, of course. Think swiss chard and spinach. Even broccoli can appear on stage here. It would be unusual to make a smoothie composed entirely of these green ingredients, but it could happen. Much more commonly, the greens constitute less than a majority of the smoothy, say 40%, and the rest is fruit. Even raspberries, strawberries, and banana as we have here in what we prepared above.

Real Meal. Unlike fancy food mags, where images are hyped and food itself is secondary, all pix shown here are from a real meal, prepared and eaten by me and my friends. No throwing anything away till perfection is achieved. This is the real deal --- a Real Meal.