Tasty Tuesday: Mock Shamrock & Mint Oreo Shakes

March is a wonderful month. The weather warms up. The ground starts to thaw. The birds return and chirp. The flowers begin to grow.  Green shows all around. My little girl celebrates her birthday.

Yes, all those things are wonderful. But the best part though? Shamrock shakes. It's true. I love them. The creaminess, the mintiness, the yumminess. Mmmm. What I don't love is that McDonald's never seems to have them. Oh, sure, they have the picture on the menu, but every time we go, they're out. Do you know how frustrating that is?!? We don't even eat at McDonald's but a couple times a year!  We've made special trips in the month of March though for the beloved Shamrock Shake. Do I want to substitute it for a strawberry shake? Nooo. How about a vanilla? Nope. Not even a chocolate shake can compete with my Shamrock. Sigh, we don't even bother anymore. 

What's a girl to do???

Why, make her own, of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner? We make our own shakes all the time. It's one of the kids' favorite treats on Sunday nights after church. We buy a big tub of cheap ice cream from the store for practically the same price as a single shake from a restaurant. Each one gets to choose which flavor he'd like. Some nights, I make 4 different flavors. It's quick, cheap, and makes everyone happy. Oh, yeah, they're delicious, too.   

So, the moment you've all been waiting for . . . the homemade Shamrock Shake ~ always in stock, always worth the price.

1. Dump all ingredients into a blender.
2. Place lid on blender (unless you'd like a show with your shake.) 
3. Blend.

Following me so far?

Pour into a glass, garnish, and enjoy!

Oh. My. Goodness. Soooo yummy! No longer do I have to wait for March. No more do I needlessly venture into McDonald's. Never again do I have to be disappointed at the lack of minty shakes! I now have my own mock shamrock. (Or maybe I should call it a sham shamrock? Or just a sham-sham shake. Say that 10 times fast!)

I wasn't sure if Jake would like it. He's not too keen on minty things. Let me tell you, he loved it! He has told me multiple times how yummy it was and asked when I can make it again. The other 2 kids gobbled it up as well. Their daddy, on the other hand . . . he liked the initial flavor, but not the aftertaste. Don't worry, I'm not offended. He's also not a big fan of mint. He'd rather use vanilla or orange toothpaste. Now, that's weird. And lest you think I deprived him of a shake just because he's weird and doesn't like mint, I'll tell you that I made him a fresh strawberry shake instead. 

Anyway, the only thing that could make this mock shake better is to turn it into my all-time favorite shake/ice cream -- mint Oreo. (Now do you see why I don't let my kids eat the mint Oreo cookies when I buy them???)  Another place we go maybe twice a year is Dairy Queen. (Are you starting to get the picture that we don't go out much? 'Cause we don't.) I don't know why I bother to look at the menu. Maybe to see if something else catches my attention. Maybe to make the employees feel good about the yummy pictures behind them. Maybe because it's what I'm supposed to do. It doesn't matter. I always get the same thing - mint Oreo blizzard. Such a risk-taker I am.

To make your own, back up to step 1 in the Shamrock directions and add crushed Oreos (even better if you use homemade ones.) Proceed as directed, lid on and all. Then, after you pour it into the glass, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to soften the cookie pieces.

Perfection. 

You know what makes this shake better than one you can buy? No, it's not the convenience. No, it's not the price. No, it's not even that you know what ingredients are in there. It's because you can add as many cookies to the mix as you want. And nothing is better than that.

* I do not use measurements when I make shakes. I just pour, plop, blend, taste, adjust, blend, taste . . . Below are the amounts I used to make these shakes. Our ice cream was pretty soft, so I didn't need much milk. Adjust the amounts according to your personal consistency preference.

Mock Shamrock Shake

Ingredients: 

4 scoops vanilla ice cream                                        

1/2 c milk

1/4 tsp mint extract

8-10 drops green food coloring

Directions:

1. Blend ingredients until smooth. Adjust ingredients, as desired.

2. Pour into 2 glasses. 

3. Garnish.

Mint Oreo Shake

Ingredients: 

4 scoops vanilla ice cream                                        

1/2 c milk

5 crushed Oreo cookies

1/4 tsp mint extract

8-10 drops green food coloring

Directions:

1. Blend ingredients until smooth. Adjust ingredients, as desired.

2. Pour into 2 glasses. 

3. Freeze for 30 minutes.

4. Garnish.