Celebrate with a vanilla milkshake. Photo by
Inga Nielsen | IST.

June 20th is National Vanilla Milkshake Day, and we’ve got some delicious recipes.

A milkshake is a simple combination of ice cream, milk and syrup, combined in a blender and optionally garnished with whipped cream, a maraschino cherry or sprinkles (you can be more daring with chocolate-covered coffee beans, mini chips, etc.).

Adults can add a shot of whiskey or liqueur.

VANILLA MILKSHAKE RECIPE

Ingredients For 6 Half-Cup Servings

Preparation

1. PLACE ice cream, milk, alcohol and syrup/vanilla in blender. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth.

2. POUR into glasses. Garnish as desired and serve immediately.

More ice cream in the mix makes a thicker shake.

If you like cardamom, try this delicious vanilla cardamom milkshake shooter.

MILKSHAKE HISTORY

Most people know a “milkshake” as a cold beverage made from milk, ice cream and often, syrup, served in a tall, fluted glass with a straw (the classic milkshake glass is known as a Y glass).

The Random House Dictionary describes a milkshake as an American creation, “a frothy drink made of cold milk, flavoring, and usually ice cream, shaken together or blended in a mixer.” And it states that the word dates to 1885.

That’s when the word “milkshake” is first found in print. But that original milkshake was not suitable for children or teetotalers. It was an alcoholic drink, a “…sturdy, healthful eggnog type of drink, with eggs, whiskey, etc., served as a tonic as well as a treat.”*

By 1900, the whiskey and eggs were out, and the term “milkshake” referred to “wholesome drinks made with chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla syrups.”*

Yet, the milkshake still contained no ice cream.

THE MODERN MILKSHAKE

The modern milkshake was born in 1922, when an employee at a Chicago Walgreens, Ivar “Pop” Coulson, was inspired to add two scoops of ice cream to malted milk. Malted milk was a drink made by blending milk, chocolate syrup and malt (malt was invented in 1887—as a nutritional supplement for infants).

The malted milkshake shot to stardom nationwide. By the 1930s, soda fountains were known as “malt shops.” In 1937 two milkshake-worthy events occurred: A superior blender was invented by Fred Waring, and the flexible straw was invented by Joseph Friedman.

But not all milkshakes were malted milkshakes. Many people preferred their milkshakes malt-free.

By the late 1930s, the term “frosted” was being used to describe maltless milkshakes that blended ice cream and milk into one smooth drink, while a “float” had scoops of ice cream “floating” in milk.

Vanilla cardamom milkshake shooter with a whoopie pie. Here’s the recipe. Photo courtesy McCormick.

Soda fountain owners also came up with their own names. In New England, milkshakes were variously called frappes (Massachusetts), velvets, frosteds and cabinets (Rhode Island, referring to the freezer cabinet from which the ice cream was scooped). Someone in a drive-through restaurant in St. Louis invented the concrete, a milkshake so thick that it was handed out the order window upside down for a wow factor. (We’ve had a few, and would argue that the concrete is not really a milkshake, but ice cream that’s been blended with just enough milk to turn it into a malleable form. It needs to be eaten with a spoon: It’s so thick it can’t be drunk through a straw).

*Source: Stuart Berg Flexner, Listening to America (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1982) p. 178.

FOOD TRIVIA

In the 1950s, a milkshake machine salesman named Ray Kroc bought became the exclusive distributor of a speedier milkshake machine, the Multimixer. He inadvertently invented modern fast food with his vision of franchising McDonald’s hamburger stand in San Bernardino, California—in order to sell several Multimixers to each location.

FLOAT, MALTED, MILKSHAKE: THE DIFFERENCE

A float is a carbonated soft drink—cola, root beer, etc.—with a scoop of ice cream “floating” in it.

A malt is a milkshake—ice cream, milk, flavoring—with added malted milk.

Green iced tea with berries. Photo by Eugene
Bochkarev | Dreamstime.

To quench thirsts over July 4th weekend, brew up a special batch of red, white and blue iced tea.

Use red and blue berries and a white fruit to garnish:

White fruits can include:

 
If you don’t want to add a white fruit, default to a white straw!

ICED TEA TIPS

 
ICED TEA FUN

Take our iced tea trivia quiz.

Learn all about tea in our Gourmet Tea Section.

Talk tea like a pro: See our Tea Glossary.

Tart and terrific hibiscus iced tea. For a fourth of July drink, substitute red, white and blue fruits for the lime. Photo courtesy Republic Of Tea.

Dolce de bananas becomes a banana toffee
pie. Here’s the recipe. Photo courtesy
OurBestBites.com.

We went overboard at Trader Joe’s, buying too many bananas with the thought that we’d eat one or two each day. You can guess the outcome: a lot of overripe bananas.

So we headed to our mental archive of delicious things to make with overripe bananas:

Dolce de bananas (in Italian) or dulce de bananas (in Spanish) is a type of banana pudding. Some recipes are “wet”—the consistency of American chocolate pudding—or “dry,” like a bread pudding.

Here’s a basic “wet” pudding recipe from Dole, which slow-cooks the overripe bananas into a pudding consistency. Unlike American puddings, it uses no dairy. The recipe makes 4 servings. Prep time 15 minutes, cook time: 3 hours.

RECIPE: DOLCE DE BANANAS or DULCE DE BANANAS or BANANA PUDDING

Ingredients

Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a saucepan.

2. COOK slowly over low heat for 3 hours. If the mixture becomes too thick, thin with a little water.

3. COOL for 10 minutes. Garnish as desired; serve.
 
MORE RECIPES FOR OVERRIPE BANANAS

Dolce De Bananas Pie. Blogger Kate from OurBestBites.com fills a chocolate cookie pie crust with her own recipe for dolce de bananas, using sweetened condensed milk and cream, plus brown sugar, cream cheese and toffee chocolate bars. She calls it a “naughty, naughty pie that should only be eaten once a year.”

Pretty ripe but not really overripe (those bananas aren’t as pretty). Photo courtesy BakingLibrary.Blogspot.

But you can throw caution to the wind and have it more frequently. Here‘s the recipe.

Banana Chocolate Cake. This recipe, from BakingLibrary.com, turns those overripe bananas into a delicious cake.

Bananas & Sour Cream. One of our favorite childhood treats with ripe—but not overripe—bananas: Top them with sour cream and brown sugar. We still love this in adulthood. Try it for dessert or a snack.
 
No time to bake right now?

Mash the bananas and freeze them in cup or half-cup portions, in airtight containers. You can add the frozen bananas into a milkshake or smoothie when the mood strikes.

Or, blend in some sweetener and freeze the mashed banana in ice pop molds.

A spin on fries: tofu and coconut. Photo courtesy House Foods.

Most people have had french fries in some or all of their variations*, sweet potato fries, even zucchini fries. But how about tofu fries?

House Foods created this tasty recipe, which evokes coconut-battered shrimp:

CRISPY COCONUT TOFU FRIES WITH SPICY
APRICOT SAUCE

Ingredients

For Tofu Fries

*French fries in all their shapes—crinkle, curly, shoestring, steak cut, thick-cut, wedges and others—and recipes such as cheese fries, chili fries, poutine, etc.

For the Spicy Apricot Sauce

; 
†Sriracha is a hot chili sauce from Thailand. It is made from sun-ripened chile peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. It can be found in the Asian aisle of some supermarkets, in Asian grocery stores and online.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick baking spray.

House Foods makes conventional tofu and organic varieties. Photo courtesy House Foods.

2. SLICE tofu crosswise into 4 slabs. Line a plate with several layers of paper towels, arrange tofu in a single layer on the plate, cover with more paper towels and then top with a second plate weighed down by a heavy pot. Set aside for about 15 minutes to dry out, then slice tofu slabs into 1/2” sticks.

3. BEAT together eggs, salt, pepper and lime zest in shallow dish.

4. MIX panko and coconut in a second shallow dish.

5. DIP tofu in egg mixture, turning to coat; then toss in breading mixture pressing gently to help coating adhere.

6. ARRANGE in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp and golden, flipping the fries after 15 minutes.While the fries bake…

7. MAKE the sauce by melting the apricot jam with the lime juice, sriracha and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Transfer to a bowl.

8. SERVE the fries hot, with the warm sauce for dipping.

If your family loves potato salad, you can turn it into a main course—a “dinner salad.” Toss in some green beans, add a Caesar-type dressing, and you have an all-in-one dish. It packs flavor and nutrition and uses just five ingredients are needed to create this dish!

The recipe is courtesy of BeefItsWhatsFordDnner.com. It yields 4 servings; prep time 30 minutes; cook time 25 minutes.

RECIPE: BEEFY POTATO SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS

Ingredients

Protein and sides in one dish. Photo courtesy Beef It’s What’s For Dinner.

The salad close up. Photo courtesy Beef It’s What’s For
Dinner.

Preparation

1. CUT beef lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick strips.

2. COMBINE 1/4 cup dressing and beef in medium bowl. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes to 2 hours.

3. HEAT 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add green beans; stir-fry 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and potatoes; continue stir-frying 4 to 6 minutes or until potatoes and green beans are heated through and starting to brown. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

4. HEAT same skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef; stir-fry 1 to 3 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Do not overcook. Remove from skillet; add to vegetable mixture. Repeat with remaining beef.

5. ADD remaining 1/4 cup dressing to beef and vegetables; toss to coat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations

Steak: One pound beef top round steak, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick, or flank steak may be substituted for top sirloin steak.

Potatoes: Four cups leftover cooked potato wedges may be substituted for refrigerated/frozen prepared potatoes.

Fresh goat cheese is one of our favorite foods. We’re always looking for new ways to use it. Since it spreads and melts easily, that’s not hard to do.

It’s called chèvre (SHEV) in French, which is the word for both the goat and its cheese.

One of our favorite first courses: beet and goat cheese Napoleons. Here‘s the recipe. Photo courtesy Ile de France.

What’s better than a cheese soufflé? A goat
cheese soufflé! Here’s the recipe. Photo
courtesy Ile de France.

 
There’s much more, of course. Check out all the delicious goat cheese recipes from Ile de France.

We love the fun concepts of Lee Zalben, proprietor of Peanut Butter & Co. The man lives for peanut butter, and how to serve it in new and creative ways. He posts a different idea every day at the Nutropolitan Museum of Art.

Peanut butter and strawberry jelly. Cut the crusts off soft white bread. Spread with PB & J. Roll.

PEANUT BUTTER SUSHI RECIPE

Ingredients

Peanut butter and jelly sushi rolls. Photo by Andrea Hernandez.

 
*Here’s how to shave a cucumber to make a cucumber wrap.

Optional Inclusions

Go for “cucumber sushi” with peanut butter.
Photo by Andrea Hernandez.

Preparation

1. ROLL bread flat with a rolling pin.

2. SPREAD with a thin layer of peanut butter and jam.

3. SPRINKLE with 1/2 teaspoon inclusions and gently roll into a tight log. Slice into 2-inch “sushi rolls.”
 
MORE WAYS TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER SUSHI

SUSHI LOVER?

Check out all the types of sushi in our Sushi Glossary.

Chilaquiles with avocado. Photo courtesy
Avocados From Mexico.

Still looking for something special for Father’s Day breakfast? How about chilaquiles (chee-la-KEE-lace), a traditional Mexican breakfast or brunch dish.

While there are numerous regional variations, here’s a typical recipe: Corn tortillas are cut into quarters and lightly fried. Next comes green or red salsa or mole sauce, then fried eggs.

Pulled chicken can be added; the dish is topped with shredded queso fresco and/or crema, Mexican sour cream. Sliced raw onion, avocado or other garnish can be added. A side of refried beans typically completes the dish.

Don’t confuse chilaquiles with the Tex-Mex dish migas, scrambled eggs mixed with chopped green onions, shredded Cheddar and crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips.

This recipe is courtesy Avocados From Mexico, which has many delicious avocado recipes on its website.

RECIPE: CHILAQUILES WITH AVOCADO AND EGGS

Ingredients For 4 Servings

Preparation

1. HEAT oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas. Carefully stir and turn tortillas to coat them with oil until crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. FRY eggs in a separate skillet. As eggs are finishing…

3. RETURN tortillas to medium heat. Pour salsa over crisp tortillas, turning to coat until they are slightly soft but still chewy. Top tortillas with fried eggs, avocado and radishes.

Avocados are a delicious breakfast food: plain, on toast or with eggs. Photo courtesy Avocados From Mexico.

TIP: If you want the tortillas to remain crisp, hold the salsa and pour it over the other ingredients immediately before serving.

Save calories and carbs with a
“deconstructed” crab cake. Photo courtesy
Wild Mushroom Restaurant | Texas.

Crab cakes are a popular item on menus nationwide. The crab is good for you, but the fat for sautéing is less so.

You could place the crab cake(s) on a large bed of salad for a healthy offset. Or you could make these “deconstructed” crab cakes from Chef Jerrett Joslin of The Wild Mushroom Steakhouse in Weatherford, Texas.

Chef Joslin takes the components of crab cakes and works them into an uncooked crab cake:

DECONSTRUCTED CRAB CAKES RECIPE

Ingredients

For The Salad

Preparation

1. MAKE aioli, if desired (recipe).recipe)

2. PLACE crab meat in a bowl, chopping as necessary so that it can be easily mounded. Add fresh parsley to taste.

3. MIX 1 tablespoon of olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Use as needed to bind crab mixture so that it can be molded, using a metal mold, cookie cutter or table spoons.

4. TOSS arugula with vinaigrette, just enough to lightly moisten.

5. PLACE the crab cake on a plate, then top with He then arranges the ingredients on top of a bed of arugula that has been tossed with citrus vinaigrette.

The result is a new take and presentation on the favorite dish. You can save calories by substituting a spicy vinaigrette for the aïoli.
 
TYPES OF CRAB MEAT

You don’t need to use the costliest jumbo lump crab meat: Use what you can afford. From most costly to least costly, they area;

The most expensive crab meat, jumbo lump, is beautiful to look at. But if it‘s getting mashed in a recipe, save you money and buy a less expensive grade. Photo courtesy Miller’s Crab.

If you love to bake but want to use less refined sugar, consider honey as a substitute. Here are tips on cooking with honey from Honey.com, the website of the National Honey Board, where you can find every type of recipe plus beekeepers in your area:

SUBSTITUTING HONEY IN BAKING

Honey helps enhance browning, so it creates beautifully browned baked goods. The extra body provided by honey adds shape to cakes, pastries and other desserts. If you need to prepare baked goods in advance, honey gives them that “bakery fresh” taste, even days later.

Reach for the honey instead of the sugar. Photo courtesy Michael S. Richter | Morguefile.

 
SELECTING HONEY FOR BAKING & COOKING

Seabass with Aji Chile Honey Marinade.
Photo courtesy Honey.com. Here‘a the recipe.

GREAT HONEY COMBINATIONS