I have a Ninja Pro System 1100 and love it. I didn't want to put the money out for a Vitamix when all I really needed was a more powerful blender, and the Ninja was a HUGE improvement over the blender I was using. I decided on the Ninja after watching videos on YouTube and I'd suggest taking advantage of those. I have both the 72-oz. pitcher and the 40-oz. bowl, which also sold me on the unit, plus the blades for whipping, a dough blade and dough paddle along with the 6-blade assembly for the tall pitcher. I use the Ninja more than any blender I've ever owned, and I've owned blenders since 1970. The first chapter in the 216-page Ninja (150 recipes) Cookbook is all about juice blends and smoothies, and the second chapter is frozen drink specialties; and I'm sure you would find either great recipes to try or inspiration for your own concoctions. We're whole foods people, so I don't make much effort blending and juicing so no personal experience. I needed an up-grade for using with recipes in "No Wheat Grinder Wheat Recipes" by Cindi Van Bibber where you blend cooked whole wheat berries in a blender + other ingredients to make a wide variety of recipes (including breads, cookies, main dishes, etc). It's more than powerful enough for this use. -Grainlady

My first pastry blender was the wire one, which was much better than using two knives or a fork. The wire pastry blender was similar in shape/size to the one Diana posted a picture for above, but the wires bent easily. I now use one like the one in the picture and it's much better. A food processor will also do the job, but use a gentle finger on the pulse button. Avoid hands for blending fat into flour. Hands tend to be warm enough to melt the fat, and that's not what is needed for pastry. There's also a pastry blender that looks like a potato masher that is supposed to work great because of the way it's held and a little bigger work surface. Another advantage is that you're hand is farther away from the mixture. I haven't had any personal experience with it. Check out the Amazon.com link below for a huge selection of pastry blenders, including the "potato masher" style. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Pastry Blenders

First, thank you all for your input. Really appreciate your comments and suggestions. Second, my answer: Why do I wear black while working with white flour? Simple. My mind is warped. Have you heard of Mr. Abby Normal? I have his brain. :-) If I wear black, the white flour will show up better. I will know exactly where to dust them off. You canâÂÂt do that if you wear white. (Applause! Applause! Applause!-- :-). Yes, this method uses very little dry flour, and the serving tray idea makes it better. You will notice that even when I flip the entire tray upside down, there was no problem. LetâÂÂs face it, pizza is the easiest thing to make. There is no skill involved. Make/buy the dough, make/buy the sauce, spread the sauce and dump some toppings, use a correct pan, and bake it at the correct temperature. A ten year old kid, as many have, can make a very respectable pizza the first time. I have been observing the home pizza making âÂÂindustryâÂÂ. The biggest challenge for most people is in the shaping of the dough. I feel that a properly shaped pie will add to the enjoyment. Many people can somehow maneuver to get some kind of malformed pie if they are making a small one. But to make a full size commercial pie, it gets very tricky. With this method, as you can see from the video, there is no skill involved. 4 minutes for a well shaped full size pie is not too bad. I can actually get one done in a little more then two minutes. My record was ý hour for 8 full size pies (two baking cycles, 40 minutes) for a backyard party. Used lotâÂÂs of wax paper to stack the dough. Ann is correct that a rolling pin is used often as well as many other methods. There are thousands of instruction videos out there. Except the real profession techniques which all require lots of practicing, and I have yet to come across quick and easy ways to make a good size pie with good results by an inexperienced pizza maker. Using a silicone bake matt, again you can see from the video, unlike using a bare rolling pin very little dusting with flour is needed. Especially I like wetter dough for my pies. And if you use a serving tray like I did, very little counter space is needed for a full size pie. Try turning a large pie on your kitchen counter. Clean up is a snap with the tray. A restaurant size serving tray is a great thing to have for many other uses. BTW, you can also do a Sicilian pizza with this method. ItâÂÂs a dumb azz, a no pizzazz, no jazz pizza making method with Finezze (Applause! Applause! Applause!-- :-). dcarch Oh, Teresa, the tattoo is not a rocker. It is a skull design with this caption âÂÂBORN TO RAISE DOUGHâ arlinek, I didnâÂÂt see your post until now. I will answer later. Just got back from work. I need to eat first.

Madonna, for you I'll also pray for no snow, so you can get to your DH without any driving issues. Dave, my mechanic/son-in-law assures me that if your vehicle runs OK, just ignore the light until you can conveniently deal with it. It can be anything from the gas tank cap not being on tight to a loose wire in the radio. If it runs OK, just go see DH and get to the Jeep repair when you can. I was hoping you would get to go south, but with DH in the hospital, I guess that's on hold. (sigh) You'll both be in my prayers, stay strong, I'll be thinking of you. I really like the Nathan's Never Fail pastry recipe, but that other poster was having such an issue with home rendered lard that I decided to haul out the most basic recipe I had, one that specifically called for lard, and use it. The recipe actually made enough for three crusts, as I tend to roll my pastry somewhat thin, so I have an extra in the fridge right now. Maybe coconut cream... LindaC, you're right, I'm not worried about my driving, I'm worried about everyone else's, snow or not. And don't even get me started on those people who need to be talking on the phone or texting while driving, and can't even get through the pharmacy drive-thru without holding up the line behind them because they're busy texting instead of watching where they're driving! As for the pie crust, I usually don't measure the fat very carefully, I plop it in. About half a pint jar of lard in the fridge? That's probably a cup, or at least it's close enough, LOL. I remember Grandma used to use a two cup measure, add a cup of water then fill with lard to the 2 cup line. She'd then use some of the water for the crust, and didn't have a greasy measuring cup to wash because the fat floated in the water, so I know she was more careful than me! Annie