Licuado de Platano

One can't drink papaya lassi every day, can one? This is my other favorite breakfast drink, the perfect fill-me-up at about 11am.

LICUADO DE PLATANO

2-inch piece of canela (Mexican or Ceylon Cinnamon)
6 or so almonds
1 very ripe banana
1 cup Lori and Dan's homemade goat milk yogurt, or your good local unsweetened yogurt
1 teaspoon excellent quality honey
3 ice cubes

Put cinnamon and almonds in blender first, then add banana, yogurt, honey, and ice cubes. Zap on high until very smooth.

*You really need canela (also called True Cinnamon or Ceylon Cinnamon) for this. It has a softer and looser bark than Cassia, its cousin that we usually see in grocery stores in the US, and therefore will blend into the licuado, giving it a heavenly scent and taste. Try your local Latin market.

About that pottery...Beautiful, isn't it? The large piece in the back is Guanajuato-style mayólica made by local master Gorky Gonzales. The small cup is the work of Gene Byron, a Canadian woman who lived here in Marfil from the 60s to the late 80s. Gene was a prolific artist in many forms -- painting, sculpture, designing lamps and lighting fixtures of punched tin, brass, and copper. She also painted somewhat whimsical designs on tile and pottery, many of which adorn this house, which she and her husband built. But that's another story for another day....