Orange Julius

Several months ago, I was talking to my hairdresser about homemade popsicles and desserts. He said his mom had been a bit of a hippie, and with him being the oldest child, she made the ultra healthy, homemade desserts that are reserved for the oldest child. The oldest child is really a guinea pig. You try out all of your ideas on him/her. By the time the last child rolls around, they get the full sugar popsicles from the grocery store because there are however many other people in the house to feed also. Or at least that's what I've been told. It's a different ballgame with twins. I've been hanging on for dear life! I'm finally starting to get comfortable with the fact that I have twins and I may survive the experience. Yes, as a matter of fact, they are five years old now! God help me through their teenage years!

Back to my topic! My hairdresser said his mother used to make him a dessert out of orange juice concentrate and plain yogurt. He said the frozen orange juice concentrate made little balls of flavor in the dessert. I didn't think about that dish until I ran across a recipe for an Orange Julius in this months edition of the Food Network Magazine. (I haven't figured out how to provide a link yet, but it's out there on the interweb.)

To make the Orange Julius, put 6 oz of frozen orange juice concentrate, 1 cup of milk (I used skim milk), 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 cup of regular sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla in a blender and then fill with ice. Blend to desired consistency.



Having never had an Orange Julius, it was an interesting taste. The husband enjoyed it. The blue eyed munchkin loved it, but I can count on him loving anything sweet.



So there I was in my kitchen, with half of a can of frozen orange juice concentrate. I thought of my hairdresser. I thought of the plain yogurt in my refrigerator. I added equal amounts of each into a bowl. It came out very smooth and a bit bitter. I was surprised the orange juice concentrate didn't make the yogurt sweeter. I thought about the powdered sugar I still had sitting out on my counter. 6 oz orange juice concentrate, 3/4 cup of plain yogurt, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, mix. The powdered sugar formed little balls of intensely sweet flavor in the dish. I think the Hippie Momma may have been trying to make an Orange Julius.






(Yes, I did threaten Blondie with bodily injury and poisoning and almost certain death if he didn't try the Orange Thing! He did survive the encounter.)


That all left me with too much orangy sweetness in my kitchen. It was good, just too much. I do, however, know what to do with leftover sweet things. I put the leftovers into my popsicle molds.