The best orange juice available in the refrigerator section of the grocery store, and quite possibly the best orange juice known to man. Perfectly sweet, perfectly juicy and perfectly delicious. This orange juice captures the flavor of a fresh squeezed orange better than any packaged orange juice I’ve ever tasted.
By the way, am I the only one that thinks fresh “squozen” would actually sound better than fresh squeezed? If only it were a word ; )
Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie
The way to a thick and creamy smoothie is to use frozen fruit, not ice, to achieve a desired thickness. You can buy frozen fruit at the grocery store, or freeze it yourself. Cut or break fruit such as bananas and peaches into pieces no larger than a strawberry before freezing — otherwise you may learn the hard way, as I did, that blender blades really do have their limitations.
The following smoothie recipe is a great way for kids and adults alike to get fruit, dairy, and protein all in one delicious gulp.
Fruit and Peanut Butter Smoothie
3 small frozen bananas, or 1-1/2 cups of frozen strawberries, peach or otherwise
8 ounce container of Yogurt (Vanilla or any other complimentary flavor)
1- 1/2 cups Milk
1/4 cup Peanut Butter (optional)
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend on high til smooth. Add extra milk if you find the smoothie to be too thick. Makes about 3 cups.
Perfectly mixed fountain drink are super delightful, but remarkably hard to come by.
Why don’t all fountain drinks taste alike? Drink manufacturers could surely fool proof the mixing process — since they obviously do not, consumers are left with either overly syrupy drinks, or overly carbonated drinks, or in the worst case scenario, drinks that taste like more than one flavor (i.e. Root Beer flavored diet Pepsi).
Although human error is surely to blame, water is another factor that determines the quality of the fountain drink. Take a road trip through rural parts of the country (where well water reigns) and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Finding a good fountain drink. At the height of my soda binging era, I knew exactly which soda dispensers within a 20 mile radius had quality fountain drinks. In my experience, fountain drinks at fast food restaurants, movie theaters, and amusement parks are almost always terrible and should be avoided.
Convenience stores typically do a good job, and can be counted on to deliver a pretty decent mix, often heavy on the carbonation, but I can definitely handle that.
Chain restaurants such as Chili’s, Famous Dave’s and El Torito are by far the most consistent when it comes to fountain drink quality. Sure, you’ll find yourself at the mercy of the waitress to get your glass filled 6 times during your visit, but if you are a true soda connoisseur, it’s well worth the inconvenience.
Other Things to Consider: Fountain drinks offered in paper cups are always better than plastic cups. When you get to the bottom 1/3 of your plastic cup, look for a weird taste, you’ll be sure to find it.
Lastly, in my experience, Pepsi products typically taste better than Coke, with Mountain Dew being the #1 most consistently best mixed. Special mentions go out to Sprite, 7-Up, Root Beer and Orange Soda (apparently Cola drinks are just easier to screw up).
The Fountain Drink Re-Mix. The availability of self serve fountain drinks has done a lot to improve the control the consumer has over their finished product. If you can’t find an existing quality fountain drink, take it into your own hands to create one. Try these time tested mix-ups:
50% Diet Pepsi + 50% Mountain Dew (super tasty)
25% Orange Soda + 75% Diet Cola (oddly refreshing)
50% Diet Cola + 50% Regular Cola (when trying to cut calories, but don’t want to cut all the flavor)
50% Sprite + 50% Cola (try increasing the Sprite ratio gradually to painlessly kick a bad caffeine habit)
