Orange Juli-ish

"Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes."

 ~Gloria Naylor

I grew up drinking Orange Julius. There was a location in every mall in Orange County it seemed like, (this is before they joined DQ) and I grew up at the mall. I thought every body did. Now that I live in rural Western Washington where the nearest mall is about 45 minutes away, (and it's not even a good mall)  I see how naive and ignorant I was in my thinking.

 

Orange County, California does have the best malls around I must say. South Coast Plaza being the best, still after all these years. As a child I rode that Merry Go Round. As a teen I shopped for school clothes in it's stores, and as a young adult I drank in it's bars.

 

And why not spend time at the mall? Especially in the Summer when school is out and it's 95 degrees outside. There is the movie theater, shopping, restaurants. In fact something my dad and I frequently did on weekends was eat at a restaurant in a mall, and then walk around the shops. Sometimes an inside mall, sometimes an outdoor mall, like Fashion Island or Irvine Spectrum. And like a good dad he would go with me in the stores and act interested in whatever I showed him. That is in fact one of the things I miss most about living in Orange County, the mall times with my dad. On this Fathers Day, I wish I was spending time with him doing something he wants to do! Happy Fathers Day, Dad. I hope to see you soon!

 

This drink is a spin off of an Orange Julius, but it's much creamier, and I think much better. It reminds me more of a 50/50 bar, or a creamsicle. A delicious and refreshing Summer drink, whatever you call it.

Make it an adult drink by adding a few shots of rum or vodka. Vanilla Absolut would be divine.

A little birdie snacking on my lettuce

Orange Juli-ish

makes 2 drinks

inspired by this recipe from Food.com


Ingredients

6 ounces (177 ml.) frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup (250 ml.) milk
1/2 cup (125 ml.) water
1/3 cup (67 g.) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125 ml) whipped cream, or cool whip
1 cup (138 g.) ice, (if you don't have a strong blender like a Vita Mix, you may need to crush the ice first.)

2 shots of alcohol, vodka, rum, or vanilla Absolut. -optional


Instructions

Add everything to the blender except ice. Blend well. Then add the ice and blend until smooth.