Copy-cat Jamba Juice Orange Dream Machine Recipe

One of the most addictive things for me is the Jamba Juice Orange Dream Machine smoothies. You probably know the ones -- extremely overpriced but oh so nom-nom-nom. Anyway, I found a copy-cat recipe for this marvelous drink and thought I'd post it here for both myself and anybody else who'd like to try it. (They're fab!)

Orange Dream Machine Smoothie Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 scoops frozen vanilla yogurt
2 scoops orange sherbet ice cream
1/2 cup low-fat milk (soy or rice is fine)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 cup - 1/2 cup of ice (not too much is needed)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to blender and, well...blend.

Difficulty: Easy
Prep/Cook: 5 minutes
Serving: 1

Living Lebowski

It's been particularly spare eating this week. I've been, as usual, too busy, too rushed, too pressured, too a lot of things. I don't prepare "real" dinner meals Monday through Friday, not for myself or anybody who lives with me, God bless them. We eat fruit or cereal or toast at night. Sometimes I'll have a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and a chunk of smoked Gouda. It's always sufficient. It also seems completely practical to me; there's no rule that we have to eat huge platefuls of casserole each evening, is there?

But I digress. This week, because I've been eating sparingly, I decided that instead of a good Cab, I'd have one ice cold White Russian in the evening as my cocktail of choice. More filling, you see. I'd forgotten what a good drink it is. I can't drink them in large quantities; the milk and the sweet can be overpowering if consumed too enthusiastically. But every once in awhile, like this week, a White Russian is right up my alley. My grade: A+++

The Classic White Russian

2 ounces quality vodka, like Grey Goose or Effen
1 ounce Kahlua or coffee liqueur
Cream (or half-and-half, or milk)

Cheers!

Sinfully Good Mexican Hot Chocolate

I see a can of Swiss Miss and I have a certain reaction. Real chocolate lovers never use mix, of course, and why in the world would they? How can there possibly be real sinful chocolate in that blue can? There isn't.

And so it takes more time, more materials. And sometimes it takes creativity. How do you make a pot of chocolate better? By using real chocolate of course, and real cream, and real vanilla beans. How do you make it more debauched than even that? Just egregiously fabulous? Well, you make that pot of chocolate Mexican, thus rendering it Mexillent.

All you Swiss Missers out there, please stop being Philistines and try this instead. Enjoy! My grade: A+

Ingredients:

2 cups half-and-half
2 cups milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 ounces milk chocolate (or white chocolate, or semisweet, or a mix of your favorites)
1 vanilla bean, seeds from
2 cinnamon sticks
cinnamon sticks or vanilla beans for garnish

Instructions:

Warm half-and-half and milk in pot. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder, seeds from vanilla bean and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously to blend well (clumped spices are no fun!). When completely blended, add 2 cinnamon sticks. Continue heating.

When mixture is steaming and hot to the touch (make sure not to boil!), add 8 ounces of your chosen chocolate. Melt and blend. Serve immediately, garnishing each mug with a cinnamon stick or vanilla bean, or with whipped cream.

Feeling more grown up? Add two to four tablespoons of dark rum for something extra special.


Serves 4