We don’t know why it’s called Ninja. but it does a great job. Photo courtesy Euro-Pro.

If you make shakes, smoothies and cocktails, you need a blender. But if you’re going to buy a blender, get one that excels in more than blending.

In these days of overcrowded kitchen counters, a blender needs to earn its keep. In addition to blending, it should do a great job of puréeing (for soup, vegetables and other recipes), chopping and grating. A high-functioning blender can multitask for people who don’t cook enough to need a food processor.

Months ago, we gave away our 20-year-old-blender and got a $99 Ninja. The old blender was built to last (solid chrome base, glass pitcher), but technology has changed.

What attracted us to the Ninja was the “six blade technology.” Instead of one four-pronged blade at the bottom of the blender, the Ninja has a seven-inch “blade pole” running through the center: three sets of two blades whirring, approximately two inches apart.

That’s why the Ninja purées so quickly, and why it can easily turn ice cubes into “snow” for snow cones.

More of what we like about our Ninja:

Just as we were about to publish this review of the Ninja Blender NJ600 XL, the July issue of Consumer Reports named the more modest version of the Ninja as a favorite.

Consumer Reports tested the Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004, at $60, and named it a Best Buy, citing smooth blending for drinks, the best blender tested for chopping, and puréeing and grating capability nearly as good as the top-rated blender, the $450 Vita-Mix 5200.

So if there’s a blender on your shopping list, consider the Ninja.

Why Is It Called A Ninja Blender?
We don’t know.

A ninja was a mercenary agent in feudal Japan (1185–1868), when life was dominated by powerful regional families (daimyo) and the military rule of warlords (shogun). Experts in martial arts and stealth, ninjas were hired for covert ops, ranging from espionage to sabotage and assassination.

You don’t need to fear your Ninja blender. But you can’t use it to spy, sabotage or assassinate, either.

While he chose it as a novelty, it turned out not to be very good Russian vodka. But a vodka bottle with all-cyrillic lettering was gift enough.

We decided to fill the Russian bottle with better vodka, and were wondering if we should simply pour the firewater down the sink.

Then, we received an email with “green” household uses for vodka. Here are 12 alternative uses for vodka besides drinking it.

Check out these nifty uses for vodka you don’t want to drink. Our favorites: keeping cut flowers fresh and making vodka mouthwash. You can also spray it as an insect repellent.

Who knew?

If you’d rather drink the vodka, here are cocktail recipes.

Trivia napkins break the ice or stump your
friends. Photo by Jaclyn Nussbaum | THE NIBBLE.

Trivia Party Starters prints cocktail napkins that entertain your guests and get them to interact.

We chose Beer and Wine versions, but there are 12 subject categories that include Baby Shower, Celebrity, Christmas, Comedy Movie, Sports and TV Sitcom, among others.

While they’re a bit pricey, at $5.99 Canadian/$6.23 U.S. for 20 napkins and 40 different questions—two questions per napkin—you only need one pack to get the party started.

You can also make a game out of it, playing “Napkin Trivial Pursuit.” The person who collects the most napkins wins…a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer.

Check ‘em out at Trivia Party Starters.com.

P.S. What vitamins does beer contain?

Answer: All of the important B vitamins, plus vitamins A, D and E. More about beer nutrition.

It isn’t chocolate syrup, which is chocolate-flavored corn syrup.

It is a thick chocolate sauce that’s the consistency of fudge at room temperature. When you heat it up it becomes pourable—hence, “hot fudge sauce.”

July is National Ice Cream Month. We’re starting our Top Picks this month with America’s favorite ice cream topping: chocolate sauce.

These are the best we’ve had, and include milk chocolate sauce, dark chocolate, white chocolate—even milk chocolate caramel sauce.

In one word: Yum!

Check out the best chocolate sauces: four stellar brands including The King’s Cupboard, Robert Lambert, Sassy Sauces and Somebody’s Mother’s.

Chilled barley salad is a healthful summer
dish. Photo courtesy Zabars.com.

It’s extremely healthful (details below). And it’s a whole grain, part of the group of cereals recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (at least 3 servings of whole-grain foods per day).

It’s extremely high in fiber. A cup of oatmeal: 3.98 grams. A cup of barley: 13.6 grams of your DV of 48 grams of whole grain.

Barley is as versatile as any cereal grain (corn, rice and wheat, for example). It has a rich, nutty flavor and a chewy consistency (like pasta).

You can substitute barley for rice, potatoes or other starch as a side with dinner. Or enjoy a chilled barley salad with lunch or dinner.

Try this barley salad recipe, with toasted pine nuts, dried cherries and goat cheese. It can be served at room temperature, chilled or warm.

For maximum nutrition, select whole or hull barley (with the bran intact). The prettier pearled or hull-less barley has its outer bran and husk removed, leaving only a small white “pearl” of endosperm.

See the recipe for the health benefits of barley.