Shamrock Shakes

We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End last night. It was fun - we didn't find it hard to follow at all. Keira is adorable and has such clean, straight teeth when her face is 20 feet high. They could have stopped the rain at the end after 10 minutes though.

On the way there, we had stopped at McDoanld's for supper. Usually I get a Jr Chicken and/or Double Cheeseburger plus strawberry sundae but this time, instead of the sundae, I ordered the Shrek Minty Mudbath. It was similar to a Shamrock Shake but it also had chocolate mixed in.

We were out and about this Easter Saturday and remembered the Shamrock Shakes. The McDonald's at the Walmart didn’t do shakes but we had enough of the taste for it then that we hit a drive through on the way home and asked if they had any. The clerk had no idea what we were talking about but said she could check with her manager. We found it odd that a generation has grown up with no memories of the green minty goodness that was the Shamrock Shake. Luckily, with the internet, I was able to come across others who remembered it.

For more info about Shamrock Shakes including an online petition see:
http://www.tiktok.org/shamrock/

For another link with some of the old commercials, see:
http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0948/

After a week, the craving had built to the point where I searched out the recipe online, picked up the ingredients, and made some up for the kids. They were quite impressed.

In case I've sparked a craving, I'll save you the search.

Shamrock Shakes
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 1/4 cups 2% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon mint extract (I could only find mint/peppermint extract)
8 drops green food coloring (I had to use more like 20 drops to get a rich green color)

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. (The ice cream was soft and I didn't want to mess up the blender, so I just used a whisk and a bowl).
2. Pour into 2 12-ounce cups and serve each with a straw. Enjoy.

David