banana ice cream

Have you ever tried putting a frozen banana in the food processor or blender and blending it until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream? Because if you like bananas, you really should. Especially if you are living in one of those crazy areas where it is 105* outside (not here-- it is incredibly gorgeous in S Oregon today. muahahaha).

If you are like me and think no way is this 'healthy alternative' going to quash my freakin ice cream craving then adding a scoop or two of French Vanilla ice cream to the food processor will make ultra-creamy banana flavored soft serve. Chocolate banana might be even better. Garnish with a crispy almond cookie.

5-minute Banana Ice Cream

-one banana, peeled and frozen

-at least one scoop ice cream (any flavor)

Put the banana and ice cream in a food processor. (A blender MIGHT work but no promises). Process until smooth and creamy. Mmmmmm.

the hair

My hair is big. And red. 

I like it a lot, except when it is humid outside. 

It can be straightened (only with a CHI), but I hardly make the effort. I have been cutting it myself for over a year now, maybe two, because I don't trust stylists and I am too cheap. I think I finally have the layer thing down. 

It can only be tamed with copious amounts of mousse; and very few brands carry the right formula (the secret: Herbal Essences, orange bottle). I can give up as many chemical products as possible, but I can't imagine giving up the mousse addiction. It took me 17 years to figure it out.

In the dry air of the central west the curls relax and look almost perfect, which might be the main reason I don't want to leave this region.

austin adventures

I absolutely love going to a place that lives up to every stereotype you had in mind, which is how I felt from the moment I saw longhorn cattle on the side of the highway driving into Austin. Texas really does feel like its own country, and everything there is somehow more epic than it is everywhere else. The heat, the giant Capital, the barbecue, the weddings, Whole Foods, the music scene, the enormous university, the state pride, etc etc etc. Also, the bus drivers are very friendly, and the last Harry Potter movie is my favorite of the rest. It was a fun weekend, but I am glad to be back where the air is dry and life is a little more serene and calm. 88 degree weather never felt more like springtime.