When I heard that David Bowie passed away 10 days ago, I was in disbelief. How could he be gone? To echo the phrase I kept reading others lament, “I didn’t know he was even mortal!” His creativity and talent seemed superhuman. Even though I didn’t know David Bowie personally, I was incredibly saddened by his death. I grew up listening to his music, as my parents were fans of his. I was hooked at a young age. Like a lot of 80’s kids, the Labyrinth was one of my favorite movies and it got a lot of air time at our house. Through young adulthood, I went through many different Bowie phases. Space Oddity was a favorite in high school, and in college I played Just Dance and China Girl constantly. As a single girl living on my own post-college, I loved listening to my Best Of David Bowie CD as I cleaned my tiny studio apartment. In the last few years I’ve gotten into some of his earlier works. His songs were, and always will be, some of my favorites of all time.

Last week, I listened to my favorite Bowie songs on repeat as I was cooking and working on recipe ideas. My daughter and I had a lot of kitchen dance parties. I don’t write or play music, but I wanted to do something, in my own little way, to celebrate his life and what his music meant to me. These days, I tend to express my creativity through food, the colors and flavors, and I found myself inspired by the music I’ve loved so much over the years. I’ve been planning on doing a smoothie series in January, and these are the creations that were inspired by my favorite songs. It’s my foodie way of honoring the memory of one of my biggest music heroes. I hope you enjoy them.

This Pretty Things smoothie is named for the song “Oh You Pretty Things” (1971), a track I just love and is often stuck in my head. This smoothie is a pretty thing to look at, and full of things to make you feel pretty inside and out.

Pretty Things Smoothie

• 1.5 cups water or coconut water
• 1 navel orange
• 1 blood orange
• 1 small raw beet, peeled
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen strawberries
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp of lime juice
• a handful of ice or frozen watermelon

Instructions: Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. I like to blend everything but the frozen ingredients first until smooth, then add those and blend again, for a nice cold smoothie.