Summer refreshment ~

SUMMER HAS BEEN EXTREMELY HOT THIS YEAR...




We are in a drought here in the Midwest. Day after day, it has been 100 degrees and more! The sky hasn't released any moisture in weeks!  We're doing whatever it takes to stay cool this year. Even the neighbor's over-sized golden retriever has a buzz cut for summer...looking more like a lab.


Finally, yesterday the heatwave broke and it was as if it was SPRINGTIME all over again!  People coming out of their air conditioned "hibernation";  kids riding their bikes again, mom's pushing strollers, families taking long walks with their four legged friends... 



I WANT TO CAPTURE EVERY MOMENT...

SITTING OUTSIDE UNDER THE CLEAR BLUE SKY...

ENJOYING SUNSETS OVER THE LAKE...

Listening to kids laugh as they splash in the water, reminding me of my own childhood summertime fun, causing me to reminisce about all the wonders of childhood summers...swimming pools, watermelon, the ice cream truck, and Orange Julius!  Do you remember Orange Julius? I haven't seen an Orange Julius store in years! 


As my craving intensified, I decided to make my own...and since I'm off of dairy right now, I used coconut milk and came up with a pretty close likeness to those frothy citrus shakes! 

PUT AN ORANGE

IN THE COCONUT

AND BLEND IT ALL UP!  ;)
  

I wasn't precise with this recipe because I made it up as I went along...
(had fun tasting my way to the finish)

• squeezed two fresh oranges into my blender, 
•  added about a cup of ice, 
• 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk

*(I make my own coconut milk to drink, by opening a can of pure organic 100% coconut milk and placing it into a tall plastic container, adding enough water to make it the consistency of cream or whole milk and shaking very well)*                                  

(I refrigerate whatever is left and use it as cream in my morning coffee)

(the reason I do this, is because many of the pre-packaged coconut milks have additives that I don't want.  This is pure and it's also more creamy)

o.k. back to the "julius" ...

• then I added one to two tsp. coconut sugar               

(more or less as you desire)     

                       



http://www.coconutworld.biz/product.html



• and about 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• and blended really well

Yes, it's summer ~~ my time of year!



I hope you are enjoying summer...

 with your frothy drink...


relaxing 

 under your clear blue sky!