San Francisco was having some cold weather last month, so I was super excited to pack my bags and head to Hawaii for Christmas vacation. Okay, it was only like 40 degrees here... but that is COLD for California. I was ready to relax in the warm, Hawaiian sun.

All I wanted to do during my stay in Hawaii was lay out by the pool and go to the farmers market to get some delicious, tropical fruit. On the flight there, my mouth was watering as I thought about sweet, juicy papayas and creamy avocados. I couldn't wait to go to the farmers market. We ended up buying two dozen papayas and a 30 pound jackfruit, amongst other fruits and veggies.

Seven papayas for $2... how could we pass that up? My mom was concerned that we wouldn't be able to eat all the fruit we bought before we had to fly back to California. I picked up a bottle of Appleton Estate V/X from the store and told her not to worry... there were plenty of boozy smoothies to be made.

To keep my smoothies thick and creamy, I freeze the fruit in advance so I don't have to add any ice- the consistency is similar to a milkshake. I froze the flesh of a few papayas and made this Papaya Rum Smoothie to enjoy poolside. If you are in need of a tropical escape, give this recipe a try!

Papaya Rum Smoothie

2 cups Frozen Papaya

½ cup Pineapple Juice

¼ cup Soy (or Almond) Milk

2 oz. Aged Rum

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!