Strawberry Milkshake

I didn't realize this would be the last shake my Osterizer blender would make . . . Here are my daughters and their friend enjoying a Fresh Strawberry Shake.

And here's the recipe from Lick It! so you can make your own.

Help me choose a new blender . . .

I'm missing my Osterizer! That thing would blend anything -- frozen fruit and/or ice in smoothies, grains and nuts, hummus; it was awesome -- in fact, I was unconvinced that even a Vitamix could do much more.

But now that I need a replacement, I'm torn. Should I spring for the Vitamix even though I can't imagine paying that much for a blender. Should I go for a Waring -- somewhat less costly but by no means cheap. Or get another Oster. I'm seeing mixed reviews on amazon.

Tell me -- what do you have and how do you like it? What do you recommend -- and please give specific models if possible. I see many kinds of Waring and Oster's all with different reviews.

Thanks for your help.

My blender died!

Twenty-two years ago, I was given my Osterizer Blender as a present. It has served my tirelessly all these years--making smoothies, baby food, grinding nuts and seeds, and lately mixing up batch after batch of ice cream mixes. It's survived seven moves and traveled with me across the country from Massachusetts to California. It had been slowing down lately. I noticed at my last few ice cream demos, it was struggling to break up those chunks of frozen fruit . . . but I wasn't ready to let go.

But yesterday . . . it blended its last smoothie. The glass canister, fell over in the sink and broke into pieces. Boo hoo! The end of an era.