The Toad and a Blender

This sounds like the beginning of a bad, messy joke, doesn't it? But, seriously, The Toad, while suggesting fabulous gifts for everyone else, often intimidates those who would like to gift her. This year, my luck changed, though; I received a Vita Mix blender for Christmas.

You've probably seen the Vita Mix on food shows like Iron Chef, huge appliances making mincemeat out of whole steaks and reducing entire fields of greens to liquid in seconds. This is the mother of all blenders. There is nothing it can't pulverize. The thing can puree and cook soup in the blender itself. It can grind wheat berries into flour. It laughs at smoothies. I now make perfectly emulsified salad dressings of all kind in seconds (even a real Caesar dressing, with the, gasp, raw egg, because The Toad scoffs at salmonella). I'm trying to dream up new ways to incorporate Ms. Vita Mix into my everyday routine; more pesto seems to be in my family's future.

Here's the downside: the thing's expensive. Like, we're talking over five hundred bucks. It's an investment. Thus, if you're considering nuptials in your future, and are going to register for anything, put the Vita Mix at the top of your list. Perhaps five friends can buy it for you. Or perhaps a wealthy and generous benefactor who values good frappes. I would buy it over a Cuisinart in a hot minute (so much easier to clean and use). Check out the bells and whistles at Cooking.com. And learn how to blend.