Orange and cantaloupe combine to make this refreshing creamsicle smoothie with a delightful tang. It'll bring back childhood memories! (Skip to recipe.)
Orange Crush was my favourite soda pop flavour when I was a kid. That heavy glass bottle, frosty-cold and dripping with condensation on a sweltering summer day. The sweet, citrusy nectar slipping down my parched throat, followed by the delicious burn of the carbonation . . . oooh, so thirst-quenching and absolutely heavenly.
The reality is, I probably drank less bottles of Orange Crush in my whole childhood than I could count on all my fingers and toes - soda pop was a very rare and special treat, reserved for birthdays and holidays - and usually shared (one bottle amongst several of us sisters). My father kept a large nail in the glove compartment of our car - not for car emergencies, but for special thirst emergencies. On long trips in the summer time, when he pulled into a gas station to tank up, my younger sisters and I would hold our breaths in anticipation, not daring to ask, but oh-so-fervently-hoping that he would zip into the station to return with a dripping Orange Crush bottle he'd pulled out of the ice-filled cooler.
Giggles of anticipation accompanied his ritual of placing the nail-tip on the top of the metal bottle cap, giving it a sharp whack with his hand, or a tool (or even a big rock) if he had one handy, and handing us the bottle of orange ambrosia, with a perfect drip-less hole in the top. That was his clever pre-sippee cup adaptation. All was quiet in the back seat as we passed the bottle back and forth, rationing the sips and making the pop last as long as possible, until the last warmed-from-our-hands and fizz-less drops were drained from the bottle.
Smart guy. That one bottle kept us as quiet as the built-in movie screen on the seatbacks do nowadays - and much cheaper, too.
I think that's why I've always loved the zesty flavour of oranges, and in those years, if I got to choose a frozen treat - it was always a Creamsicle. The bright combination of citrusy orange pop and creamy vanilla ice cream transported me right back to those Orange Crush days.
In my teen years my love affair with orange continued. To get more of my fix, I made my own special version of a Creamsicle as an ice cream float - a big frosty glass beer mug filled with several scoops of vanilla ice cream, then topped up with pure unsweetened orange juice (usually made from frozen orange juice concentrate). I devoured a lot of those. That kind of orange juice float is so much better than a soda pop float, I think - less sweet and with much more real orange flavour.
This Cantaloupe Creamsicle Smoothie came about from those memories of Orange Crush in a nail-holed bottle, and my teenage orange-juice-float addiction, and an overabundance of sweet ripe cantaloupe on my counters one day this spring. The touch of cream cheese adds just the right amount of tang and creaminess. . . a fresh, velvety creamsicle in liquid form.
This smoothie has now become a much-requested favourite of my teenage son. Maybe some day it will be the taste he remembers with a fond smile . . .
What are the treats you remember from your childhood?
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Kitchen Frau Note: Next time you have a nice sweet cantaloupe (because we all know that sometimes we do get those flavourless duds!), quickly squirrel away half of it to cube and freeze, before anyone knows it's missing. (Just tell them it must have been an awfully small cantaloupe.) Spread the cubes on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Remove the cubes and store them in a heavy duty freezer bag. If you make more than enough you can keep them in the freezer and have them ready to make a cantaloupe creamsicle smoothie whenever the urge strikes, or your family begs you for it.
I use frozen orange juice, reconstituted with water according to the directions, to make my smoothies, but freshly squeezed orange juice would, of course, be great.
If you need it a bit sweeter, add another drizzle of honey.
Cantaloupe Creamsicle Smoothie
- 3 cups frozen cantaloupe cubes (375 gms/13 oz.)
- 1½ cups (360ml) orange juice, plus a little more if necessary
- ¼ cup (65gms) cream cheese (¼ of a 250gm/8oz block)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Place all ingredients in a blender and whirl until smooth.
If the mixture is too thick, add a drizzle more orange juice until it blends freely.
Makes 3 to 4 servings (about 4 cups).
Guten Appetit!
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Rosalinda
Another 'lump in my throat' post with memories of dad. Thank you for the gift of helping me to remember him so fondly at this time. I can't wait to try this with the boys but I'll have to conveniently leave out the fact that I used cream cheese until they gush about it (which I'm sure they will - well gush is probably too strong of a word!) and then tell them to give credit to their amazing Tante who should be the 'next Top Chef Canda'!!
Baby Kato
I second that recommendation.... amazing recipes ....
Margaret
Thank you - you gave me a lump in my throat, too. Dad was always the one ready to stop for a treat for us, wasn't he? I hope your boys like this - they really won't even taste the cream cheese - it just adds a smoothness to tie it all together!
Baby Kato
Another wonderful recipe Margaret, thank you so much for sharing your treasures with all of us. I love cantaloupe drinks and this little beauty does not disappoint. Quick and easy to make with terrific results. So happy I tried this, I will be enjoying this often come the summer. Can't wait for fresh Canadian produce.
Margaret
Thank you so much for visiting my blog. It's readers like you that make it all worthwhile! (And I love cantaloupe too, especially when you get a luscious, sweet one! Nothing better.)
Mary Pat (aka twissis)
I've been following Baby Kato's attention to your recipes & this 1 got my immediate attention. My fondness for cantaloupe is life-long & I was glad to see it used in such a tasty smoothie treat. While cantaloupe isn't a "real crop" here in Iceland, it is grown in hot houses & we enjoy it year-round. It was a pleasure to start my day w/this easy-fix smoothie ... A pleasure I expect to have often. Thx for sharing it w/us. 🙂
Margaret
How nice to hear from you. I agree with you - when cantaloupe is sweet and perfectly ripe, there is no tastier fruit. I've tried to grow a hardy variety here in our northern Canadian garden, but no luck. It produced fruit but didn't have time to ripen. Thanks for visiting my site. I love how food connections make the world such a small place where we all can come together and share!