The mister was telling me all about his aches and pains, an every day conversation, where he covers everything from his big toe, which hurts him when he walks, to his elbow, which hurts when he talks, apparently, because the mister never stops talking and his elbow never stops hurting. I try so hard to listen, I really do, because I do care, it's just sometimes my mind drifts off and then he'll say something that will snap my head back into the game, for example: "It started hurting in my scrotum." Now there's a word one doesn't hear every day! The mister had my full attention, and he was serious as a heart attack when, while pointing to his CHEST he said it again, "Right here, it hurts in this area, isn't this the scrotum?" Look, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but I do know the difference between a STERNUM and a scrotum...I told the mister his new development was probably very serious and he should call the doctor immediately!! I mean, if his scrotum has moved up into his STERNUM then we've got ourselves, at the very least, a Lifetime Movie!!! Had myself a good laugh over this...all at the mister's expense, which made it even more funny. He was not amused.
On a hot summer night, nothing beats granita! Nothing! When the cold, fruity ice-crystals melt in your mouth with a burst of flavor - then you will know true happiness. Amen. Granita is easy to make, but it does take a bit of time to set - so plan ahead - you will need at least 4 hours for the granita to set. You can make any kind of fruity granita you want, too, raspberry, strawberry, mango, lemon - you name it! I chose blackberry because I had them on hand - and it was the best decision I made all week!
Once the simple syrup is made (by boiling sugar and water) it's just a matter of blending everything together - the syrup, lime juice and berries - that's it. Even someone with his scrotum in his sternum can do this! Then it's poured into a bread loaf pan and put into the freezer to set.
Ice cream, popsicles, Klondike bars and Granita...just part of a well-balanced diabetic freezer. Every hour the Granita need to be stirred/scraped, creating the "shaved-ice" effect. If you forget and your granita freezes solid before you can stir it, no worries, you can't screw this up, just let it stand at room temperature for 15 to 20, and then scrape it with a fork and all will be good to go!
This is de-WISH-us! A 5-danger to be sure - it's cool, refreshing, full of flavor and when you're sitting on the deck on a hot summer night, it'll keep you from nodding off when someone is telling you about their aches and pains for the umpteenth time. Promise.
Blackberry Granita - Pots and Pins
You will need a blender and a bread loaf pan.
2 cups fresh blackberries (you can use frozen)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (you can use bottled, but fresh is best)
1 1/2 cups Simple Syrup
Simple Syrup: In a small saucepan combine 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring, and boil for one minute, making sure all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.
In a blender, combine blackberries, lime juice, one cup cold water and 1 1/2 cups simple syrup. Process for 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour into a bread loaf pan. Freeze 4 to 5 hours or until ice crystals form, stirring every hour. Serves about 6.