If you’re thinking my Orange Julius cravings have ended, then I’m happy to report that you are sorely mistaken. I still can’t get enough of this creamy deliciousness. I bring to you the second in whats shaping up to be an orange julius recipe extravaganza! I haven’t put down the orange juice yet, and I’m not ready to stop. Here are some lovely orange julius popsicles. Mini orange Daisy popsicles. Creamy orange popsicles. Whatever you call them, they are yummy, and they have been piling up in my freezer. Not really piling up, because I eat them all. More like a rotating stock of creamy orange popsicles. I also have something else in my kitchen that will be the third… or fourth in this extravaganza.

Yes, you can simply pour our existing Frothy Orange Daisy mixture into popsicle molds, freeze and enjoy, but these Creamy Orange Popsicles have a bonus ingredient: heavy cream. They also use a higher milk to orange juice ratio. Yes that’s right, we are just fattening up and delicious-ing up our childhood favorite. The heavy cream makes them a bit more decadent and a bit more ice cream like. Spoilers! We’ll discuss ice cream in a few days.

Moving on. Since writing about my grandmother, I have not stopped thinking about her. She died in 2009. I was living in Washington at the time so I only saw her a handful of times during her decline. Her death was the first time I lost someone close to me, and I considered myself lucky to have gone 25 years without coming in close contact with loss. I shared many memories of my grandmother a few days ago, but here is one I didn’t share. I would venture to guess that anyone who ever knew my grandmother, and definitely anyone who ever stepped foot in her home, would count this as part of who she was: crossword puzzles. Grandma did crossword puzzles every day. Whether they were from the newspaper or one of her many giant crossword puzzle books. She worked crosswords constantly and she used pen. You can’t erase pen, people! I wonder when she made the switch from pencil to pen. I also wonder when crosswords became part of her daily life.

I picked up a crossword puzzle book the other day, randomly, as part of a project for work. As I was walking out of the store I told David about my grandmother and crossword puzzles. Later that day, after the project was finished, I opened the book to the very last puzzle, the challenge puzzle, and began working it, in pencil. Sorry Grandma, I second guessed my inherited abilities and shied away from the pen. I even said out loud to David, “My grandma would be so disappointed; I’m using a pencil.” I haven’t really thought about it until now, but I have always loved puzzles. Crosswords, Sudoku, logic, anything that requires putting pen (0r pencil) to paper and solving clues. My flight routine used to include going to the bookstore after airport security, picking up a bottle of water, a candy bar, and a puzzle book, then I would work on the puzzles during the flight. I think I still have a mini puzzle book in a suitcase. I guess I inherited this trait from Grandma. I like that.

Creamy Orange Popsicles

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Ingredients

• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit (or puree), optional

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until the ice is in very small pieces.
2. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and place in the freezer until frozen through, about 4 hours.

Notes

I have tested this recipe without the addition of ice (I know it seems strange to grind up ice just to refreeze it), and the pieces of ice give the finished popsicles a sort of shaved ice texture which I love. You can omit the ice, or use 1/2 cup water instead, and you will get a slightly different, but still tasty, consistency.