Smoothie time?

I got a new blender for my wedding. It's a nice blender, actually. I was told I want/need a Vitamix. Although, it would be nice; I can't see why I'd pay for one when a friend offered me access to hers. I've tasted those milkshakes, and you better believe I'd be at the yard when she makes another.

Even so, I put some random things in the blender and here's what came out:

About a handful of spinach. Don't be picky with me now, guys.
A celery stalk
A carrot
As much ice as makes you happy
Some lemon juice (do you like lemons? Then use more. Don't like a lot of lemons? Then use less)
An orange
A banana
Enough mango nectar to getcha goin' to where you want to be

Granted, I just made a lot of smoothie. I'm considering adding toasted coconut leftover from when I garnished my lunch yesterday, but then I'd want to add nuts and chocolate and THEN just take a visit to Dairy Queen and..the cycle never ends. Besides, the noise of the blender made my cat go completely insane, and now I have a chair and a box of pens to clean up.
I love using mango nectar for smoothies because it's a bit thicker/more syrupy than orange juice. I get picked on because I don't really have an 'advanced palate' for textures, but there you have it. I don't want it to feel like water. If I want that, I'll drink water or coconut water. I actually have coconut water, and it'd likely be an interesting base to a smoothie. Must try that next time.

My end result filled the whole blender, so unless you want to give away about 5 glasses of the stuff, you might want to consider either storage options or cutting down the ingredients. I leave that to you, as this isn't my problem. :P

No dairy in this, no meat, no eggs, and not hard. Woo!

Summer Tomato Soup: Recipe

I wanted to make something that, A: matched the season a bit and B: could go with the temperature. I get a lot of comments about making soup over the summer. 'But, Mel, it's hot out. It's not soup season yet!' Why not? Because soup is supposed to be hot, heavy, full of things like beans and beef and potatoes?

Any how, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

It says it serves 4. I'm assuming it does.
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped.
1 carrot, chopped.
2 1/4 pounds ripe, quartered tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, chopped.
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
4-5 sprigs fresh marjoram, or 1/4 teaspoon dried (I might use a combination of dill and savory, because I ran out of marjoram and don't feel like buying more right this second.)
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons of creme fraiche, or sour cream, or plain yogurt, plus a little more for garnish
Salt and ground pepper

1: Heat the olive oil in a large, preferably stainless steam saucepan or flameproof casserole. Add the onion and carrot and cook over medium heat, or until just soft, stirring occasionally.
2: Add the quartered tomatoes, chopped garlic and herbs. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
3: Discard the bay leaf. Strain the soup, stir in the cream/yogurt and season. Leave to cool, then chill it in the fridge.
Note: it says here that you can use oregano instead of marjoram, and parsley instead of thyme.

Considering we're supposed to eat this in about seven hours, I think I'll get to it now to give it time to cool off. I hope it's good enough for dinner; it's supposed to be hot and stormy this afternoon, so I can't see why this wouldn't be a good idea. I think I may even do grilled cheese. =)