My kids love to change up the flavors to this yummy dessert. We usually use frozen yogurt because its a healthier choice than ice cream and tastes exactly the same. So easy, the kids can make it.

Purple Cow

3 c. vanilla ice cream (we substitute vanilla frozen yogurt)
1 c. milk
1/2 c. thawed frozen grape juice concentrate (undiluted)
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Place the ice cream, milk, grape juice concentrate in a blender and process until smooth. Serve. Yum!

One of the best parts of this recipe is that you can change the frozen concentrate to any flavor and just call it the color it is “Pink Cow”, “Yellow Cow”, etc. The real best part is, kids can actually make this by themselves!

Purple Cow Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on April 1, 2010.

My awesome smoothie maker I purchased last summer has been a blessing in disguise. We’ve created smoothies, slushes, ice cream drinks, shakes and so much more. We’ve experimented with different fruits and combination’s, flavors and syrups and just had a ton of fun. One of my favorite drinks we created is what we call the Sunny Hawaiian Smoothie because it reminds us of a hot summer day in Hawaii, and we’ve served it twice at two different Luau’s we’ve hosted. It’s a big hit and I’m usually asked for the recipe.

Sunny Hawaiian Smoothie

1 c. orange juice
1 can of crushed pineapple with juice
2 med. bananas
2 tsp. sugar
1 carton plain or vanilla yogurt (We found coconut cream yogurt once and tried it and yeah… wish I could buy it in big size because it was amazing!!)
1 c. ice
splash of grenadine syrup for color, if desired

Add the ice, pineapple, sugar and bananas in a blender; process until smooth. Add the orange juice and yogurt and blend. Pour into glasses, and add a splash of grenadine syrup for color if desired. Serve immediately. You can garnish the side of the glass with a pineapple slice for decoration.

Sunny Hawaiian Smoothie Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on March 28, 2010.

A great recipe for a hot day. And it’s super easy, the kids can help make it too. Plus, its healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast.

Banana Orange Pineapple Smoothie

1 banana
1 1/2 c. pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 c. orange juice
1 /2 c. milk
2 Tbs. honey
4 to 5 ice cubes

Place all ingredients into the blender. Blend until smooth. Serve. Delish!

Banana Orange Pineapple Smoothie Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on March 14, 2010.

We made these for the first time last night, and they absolutely rocked. I almost didn’t try them because I am trying to do with as little dairy as possible, but after one sip I needed another which eventually turned into a mug full! But I wasn’t actually on the banana diet thing anyway, so I enjoyed a really yummy cup of this delicious drink. My kids adored it and we figured out it could be made with lots of flavors of ice cream as well as extracts.

Hot Almond Cream Drink Recipe

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar, packed
2 c. vanilla ice cream
2 tsp. almond extract
3/4 c. boiling water/cup
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional)

On low heat, in a pot, melt the butter and mix in the sugars on the stove top for about 5-10 minutes stirring nearly constantly and careful not to allow it to burn. Pour the sugar mixture into a large bowl and add the ice cream and the almond extract. Using a mixer, beat until the whole thing is smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl frequently. Now you have your basic part done.

To make a cup of the delicious beverage:
Spoon 1/4 c. of the mix into a mug. Next add 3/4 c. boiling water and stir well. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve. My kids enjoyed it with some whipped cream on top but I opted out of that. This recipe makes about 3-4 mugs full out of it. So be sure to halve, double or triple to suit your needs. Hope you enjoy and let me know how you like it.

Hot Almond Cream Drink Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on December 10, 2009.

I absolutely adore Starbucks, and quite honestly could be dubbed a Starbucks-aholic. I could grab a cup of Starbucks  coffee every single day, possibly a few times a day, but if I did – my bills would definitely not get paid. Designer / Gourmet coffee might taste pretty and delicious, but it is extremely costly. It really isn’t worth it, especially if you use a little ingenuity and try it at home.  You can purchase a machine if you want, but it can be done without and get a similar taste. Doing it this way will save you  a lot of money and you can still enjoy your delicious coffee too.

This is how I make my special coffee at home, it is definitely the perfect coffee treat.

Pour your coffee into a fun mug or cappuccino mug. Add a little bit of french vanilla coffee creamer – add as much as you like until it tastes the way you like it, if you don’t enjoy really sweet, use less. Now, spray whipped cream all over the top. Taste to be sure it is made the way you like it. You can use flavored coffee’s to get different tastes, or different creamers too.

This might not be as good as real Starbucks gourmet coffee, but it sure tastes AWESOME and certainly cuts back the cost of grabbing that expensive Starbucks coffee when the mood strikes! I do it several times a week, and I change out my coffee creamers and coffee flavors often. Try the pumpkin spice in your coffee that way – in the fall it is simply heavenly. Oh yummy, now I want a cup!

You can also experiment with different flavored extracts, coffee syrups, herbs, spices, etc. Add loads of ice to make any coffee iced.

Do you enjoy gourmet coffee? Do you get out and get them much anymore?

Making Your Own Starbucks Coffee Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on September 16, 2009.