Homemade Orange Julius (Crazy Cooking Challenge Fruit Smoothie)

Last month in my wanderings around the internet, I came across the Crazy Cooking Challenge.  The deal is that once a month on a designated day, participants are supposed to post a specific type of recipe that they found on someone else's blog.  Each month has a different type of recipe.  Past months have included mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, chocolate chip cookies, and spaghetti.  While I'm very sad to have missed out on all the previous months, I let out a sniffle and wiped my tears away in preparation for this month's challenge: fruit smoothies!  I love smoothies.  Who doesn't, really?  You can toss pretty much any combination of fruit (and some veggies!) in the blender and wind up with something delicious.

After combing the internet for smoothie recipes and coming across such delights as Raspberry Chocolate smoothies (among others), I settled on a great looking Orange Julius recipe from a little bitty baby blog that just started in April.  The blog is called Daisy Chubb's Tea and Treats and has all manner of interesting recipes and posts already.  You should definitely check it out!  But let's back pedal a little.  Ever had an Orange Julius?  If not, it's an orange-vanilla-cream flavored slightly slushy, frothy delight.  I've loved 'em since I was a little kid, in spite of my intense hatred of all things orange cream flavored, thanks to a medication I had to take once as a small child that apparently scarred me for life.  The first Orange Julius was made way back in 1926 and nowadays you can find Orange Juliuses (Juli-i?) in mall food courts all over the country.  If you're like me and live thousands of miles away from the closest Orange Julius, want to save money, or want to know exactly what goes into your treats, look no more!  This recipe is a close match to the real thing, takes less than 5 minutes to whip up, and- most importantly- is completely delicious.  It's super frothy and orange-y and creamy and vanilla-y and just all around a total winner.  I actually made the recipe the day I found it, then made it again the next day for a refreshing treat after planting my garden!  I liked it THAT much.  You won't be disappointed if you try this recipe.  Way to go, Daisy Chubb!

Homemade Orange Julius

1 C orange juice (I used pulp free)
 1/3 C dry milk powder
1 T sugar (original calls for 2 t but I added a smidge more the second time and it was perfect)
1 t vanilla extract
8 ice cubes

Place everything but the ice in a blender and blend for about 30 seconds to combine the ingredients and get some froth going.  The longer you blend it, the frothier it will be.  Then add the ice cubes and blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

Yield: Two 10 ounce drinks