I was SO excited about these three beverage recipes that they were the tour de force that led me into buying a blender for my kitchen this summer!

Magic Milk Shakes – Think Wendy’s Frosties, think chocolate and cool, think you won’t believe that you can actually make these at home. Seriously.

Fruit Smoothies - When I have a batch of homemade yogurt in the fridge, I love making this recipe. My only warning is that they are quite filling and a blender full is WAY too much for three people. Now I know to halve this one when it’s just the kids and I, though the excess of that first batch made nice flavoured frozen yogurt!

Slushies – The children’s latest favorite after school snack when they come in panting and dehydrated. Makes a ton for practically nothing. Pretty soon I’ll be the favorite mom on the block for this one.

My blender is well loved and was a worthy investment. Thanks Susanne!

For a mayonnaise sized jar, one tea bag will do. For one of those gigantic jars you get bulk ketchup or pickles in, try four tea bags. While there are fewer jars to clean with one big jar, I’ve often found the 5-gallon jars difficult to fit inside the refrigerator as well as tricky to pour from. Having just come into a small inheritance of 1-L canning jars via Freecycle, I’m giving them a try.

Bring your jars inside to chill in the refrigerator. Once that’s done, you need to add sugar obviously and probably lemon juice too. Fresh lemons sliced and placed in the jar while the tea is cooling is my favorite, but failing that a few drops of concentrate will do. As for an amount of sugar, start at a 1/4 cup and add until it’s at your sweetness level.

There’s even room for experiments! For instance, to enjoy mint from the garden, I clip a fresh sprig and add it with the tea bags at the beginning. The same can be done with any lemon flavored herbs – lemon grass/lemon balm – instead of adding the lemon juice.

You’re so lucky. I learned this precious method after years of back-breaking and arduous study at the right hand of my father in the backyard vegetable garden.

2c vanilla ice cream
1 ¼ c milk
¼ t mint extract
8 drops green food coloring

Blend until smooth.

Make another batch because the first will be gone before you can blink.

Note:
I have no idea where I got this recipe, but I did go looking for it on purpose because Mecandes remembered very fondly these St. Patrick’s Day treats as he used to get them from McDonald’s. Does anyone know if they still serve these up?

2 bottles red wine
1 cup sugar
2 cans Fresca® grapefruit soda
sliced apples, oranges, limes and lemons

We substituted Mountain Dew for the Fresca and just sliced up one whole orange as that’s the only fruit we had. It all went into a pitcher and chilled in the fridge. Both of us thought that adding sugar to the already sweet Mountain Dew was over the top. We’ve had to water down each glass we pour with water and are planning to leave it out in the next batch. We think too that lots of different carbonated beverages would go well… any kind of lemon-lime soda or ginger ale. Now if you used club soda, you might need that added sugar.

Ha, have I confused you enough?! I think this is one recipe that you’ll have fun playing with and it’ll always come out nicely. Make it as simple or exotic as ya like. The oranges were so cute though, floating around the top of the pitcher. Mecandes gets an A+ for this one. The man does have good ideas!

In an unofficial Star Wars encyclopedia, you find:

Jawa juice – this mixed, alcoholic drink was popular at the Bantha Traxx establishment on Lianna, during the height of the New Order. The origins of Jawa Juice can be traced to Dex’s Diner, on the planet Coruscant, more than twenty years before the Battle of Yavin. It was considered by many beings to be an acquired taste, being bitter and sharp. It also provided a boost of energy when consumed, an effect that seemed to increase as a being drank more.

Yet the recipe calls for this:

Jawa juice -
6 oz espresso coffee (only instant if you have to)
1 shot chocolate syrup (dark chocolate is best)

I don’t know, but if anyone is having an after-watching-Episode III-party at their house, don’t miss the entire Jedi drinks recipe page. There’s one for whomever your favorite lightsaber wielding fellow or gal might be. lol

Smallest jar of instant coffee
4c sugar
4c boiling water

Mix (will store in fridge for weeks)

12 quart milk
½ gallon chocolate ice cream
½ gallon vanilla ice cream

Mix and add to coffee mixture

Served cold, of course.