I love fruit and most vegetables although I will readily admit that cauliflower, unless it’s swimming in butter, lemon and herbs or covered with a luscious cheese sauce, leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t even get me started on the smell. Gross!
My grandma was a health nut when I was growing up. She bought off on every do-it-yourself or make-it-at-home heath trend and we were her willing samplers.
She always had cut up vegetables for us kids to snack on, although my dad and grandpa would be snacking on things she wouldn’t touch like Spam, Vienna sausages, deviled ham, pickled herring, creamed chipped beef, sardines, and really anything canned they could spread on a saltine or Triscuit cracker.
She bought a yogurt maker and fruit dehydrator but I think the amount of time it took to get a finished product, and the lack of enthusiasm her efforts were met with, led her to toss them into the garage with the other gadgets of brief interest.
One thing that she did instill in all of her kids and grandkids though was a love of fruits and nuts. Anytime we would be in the desert at one of their condos, a required stop was Hadley’s Fruit Orchard for nuts, fresh and dried fruits, and their specialty, a date shake. Made with the sinfully delicious Deglet Noor Date, it’s pretty much heaven in a cup.
Hadley’s Famous Date Shake
- 1/8 to 1/4 Cup Chopped Hadley’s Cooking Dates
- 1/3 Cup 2% Milk
- 1 Cup Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1 Ripe Banana, a sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon (if desired – additions on their menu, not part of the original recipe)
In a blender, combine dates with 1/4 cup of the milk. Blend to a creamy consistency. Add ice cream and the rest of the milk and blend to desired thickness. Serves 2.
I am now about 2 hours away from Palm Springs, which puts me 2 hours away from Hadley’s but thankfully Hadley’s has entered the information age and I can order their fruits and nuts online! Looks like I’ll be ordering some dates so I can indulge my need for a bit of memory refreshment. 😉
If you are on Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to, recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a page on Facebook you can visit too: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood
This Girl Loves to Eat! 