A project by Nina Jones​

I glided to a stop on that dark night, my sharp exhales briefly painting the air with puffs of white. My feet ached against the mold of my skate, but this was not nearly what concerned me the most. In the happy blur of the game, I had just watched my older brother, Sam’s hockey stick fly up high, meeting my oldest brother, Daniel’s smile with a wham! Daniel had fallen on the ice, grimacing as a swelling lip grew similar to an irritated pufferfish, but the spikes - pinpricks of blood. And then there I stood; up high on skates like stilts, a spectator to the scene unfurling before me. As Daniel looked up and began to angrily tell Sam off, a tooth could be seen dangling from his gums and another completely missing.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he yelled with a lisp. Our concerned parents rushed over, each comforting an upset child. As my mom ushered Daniel to the car, soon to the dentist, he mumbled towards a teary eyed Sam, “What a Christmas Eve…”
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The next morning, I tiptoed down the stairs. It was so calm, so still, but there, just around the corner stood the opposite: a dazzling Christmas tree surrounded by gifts. As I silently inhaled the pine tinted air, a sudden blaring hum from the kitchen interrupted my beautiful quiet. I made my way over to it, and when I found the source, I found Sam too. He stood facing a blender and an array of glasses, each filled with varying shades of yellow-white drink, rimmed with pineapple; Daniel’s favourite fruit. He was making a gift for his brother - who now struggled to chew. A wide smile blossomed across my lips.
Picture
Sam woke his brother up that Christmas morning with a present. I imagine he delivered him the drink in silence, a wordless act of a brother’s guilt, and love too. But I suppose Sam decided that apologies should not be one-offs, and so the following morning, he made another smoothie. The next day, another. And for weeks, he professed his mistake through action, long after Daniel had forgiven him. Today, Sam still makes smoothies, but always a little extra for the whole family to drink. In the happy blur of our mornings, we each grab our pineapple rimmed drinks and smile. We smile with our teeth, and for some of us, our fake ones. We smile for apologies and family and overcoming anger. We smile as a promise that family grows together.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       A demo of Sam's gift for Daniel

The recipe

Ingredients (serves a healthy family of 5):

*All ingredient quantities are approximate; Sam measures by heart
○ 3 medium bananas
○ 1 cup pineapple juice
○ ¼ cup mango juice
○ 1 tablespoon apple juice
○ 1 cup tropical frozen fruit blend (½ pineapple, ½ mango)
○ 1 tablespoon of protein powder (ideally vanilla flavoured or non flavoured)
○ 6 ice cubes
○ ⅓ cup of vanilla yougurt
○ ⅓ cup pineapple kefir
○ 2 teaspoons of mango kombucha
○ 1 ring of fresh pineapple - used for garnish

Instructions:

1. Place all of the ingredients, except the sliced pineapple meant for garnish, in the blender, leaving the ice cubes for last. It is important not to damage the blender’s blades by putting the ice cubes at the bottom.
2. Blend for 30 seconds, then stop in order to test the consistency. If needed, add either a splash of pineapple juice to make the smoothie less thick, or approximately half a banana to make the smoothie more thick. (Note: Ideal consistency is to personal preference, but Sam makes them on the thicker side to match Daniel’s preference.)
3. If you did not add any additional ingredients to adjust the consistency, pour the smoothie into desired cups. If you did, blend for an additional 15 seconds, then stop the blender and pour into desired cups.
4. From your ring of fresh pineapple, slice vertically a 3 centimeter thick section. Then, lay this piece down and thinly slice enough pieces of pineapple to garnish each drink. On each individual piece, make a slit from the point of the pineapple, to the centre of it. Lastly, place each pineapple slice on the rim of each cup containing smoothie.
​5. Serve and enjoy!