I am feeling much better, thanks. Yep, the flu hit me and I am on the mend. I really appreciate all the support that I received from all of you. Monday's are set aside for recipes and today I wanted to share a beautiful food moment from last week.
Friday was a PA day (no school) so my girls were home. Unfortunately, Friday morning I was right in the thick of the flu. My youngest daughter climbed into bed with me around 8 o'clock. She kept to the far side of the bed and closed her eyes. A few minutes later, I heard my older daughter's footsteps in the hallway and then heading downstairs. Too tired to ask what she was up to, I just lay in bed and waited to hear what would happen next. I heard the cupboards open, the stool moving around, bowls being pulled off the shelf, the fridge open and close, spoons clanking. Sounded like breakfast was being served in the kitchen. I felt so happy that my girls were growing dependent...especially on a morning like that one.
When I heard her little feet climbing the stairs I assumed she was all done and ready to wake us up. I was wrong. My youngest daughter jumped out of bed and they met on the stairs...whispering their little plans back and forth. The bedroom door opened and there in the light, stood my girls with my breakfast. They used a cutting board as a tray, a bowl of cereal and a bowl with 2 clementines and a banana. Big smiles on both their faces...such pride. It was like someone swept the flu away for a few minutes. I sat right up and placed the tray on my lap. So thoughtful...so loving. I will never forget that morning.
No, I did not eat the entire breakfast. I did eat the clementines, a little vitamin C. Which got me thinking about a sweet, Vitamin C rich treat that I could make for my girls.
Clementine Granita
(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)
2 cups clementine juice (approximately 20 clementines)
zest of 2 clementines
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
1. Zest 2 clementines, place the zest in a 9"x 9" glass dish.
2. Juice about 20 clementines - 2 cups of juice, pour into the glass pan with the zest.
3. Add the sugar and the water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and dissolve the sugar.
4. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat and let cool completely...about 20 minutes.
5. Whisk the sugar syrup into the clementine juice.
6. Cover the dish with a piece of plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 2 hours.
7. Remove from the freezer. Use a fork to gently scrape the top layer of ice....creating fluffy ice. Return to the freezer for another 30 minutes.
8. Remove from the freezer and scrape the ice again. Repeat every 30 minutes, until all of the ice is fluffy and soft.
9. Serve.
My daughters loved this sweet treat. I love the icy, soothing effect this had on my sore throat. Clementine's area packed with Vitamin C, so this is a pretty healthy little snack. This is a great hands on dish to make - the girls did all the juicing of the clementines. We will have to try making this with other fruits in the future...pomegranate, pineapple, apple, etc.
