So, I got an invitation from the lovely folks at got milk? (still the most genius ad campaign EVER, but that's not important right now) to attend an event in Los Angeles.
For me to drive to L.A. there must be a huge incentive. (I know. Shallow. Don't judge me.)
Pros and Cons:
Pros…
1) they had commandeered the very chi-chi BLD Restaurant on Beverly Blvd.
2) they were offering free valet parking (I'm a very strong believer in valet parking whenever I can get it).
3) they were going to be making milkshakes.
Personal and totally irrelevant fun fact: milkshake is one of those words I automatically translate into Spanish. Don't know why. Personal quirk. The Spanish word is batido. (Now isn't that fun to say?)
Cons…
1) we had to drive to L.A. (Monday afternoon. But then again, how much traffic could there be on a Monday afternoon?)
The Pros take it. =D "Batidos? Count me in!"
The event was called "What kind of milkshake are you?"
I think that if I was a milkshake, I would certainly have some sort of caramel sauce dulce de leche. (Oh yes, I would.)
Anyway, I drag Amy Kikita along with me because well, she's unemployed and available and she's always game for stuff like this.
Tables were set up with lots of different ingredients you could ostensibly put into a blender and turn into a personal milkshake. How cool is this?
Not to mention the trays of mini-shakes that were getting passed around… (this photo makes them look really big, but they were just shot glass size. These were frozen chocolate Mexican ones. And yes, they were a whole lot of creamy-chocolaty fun. =D
But my absolute favorite. The hands-down winner for me was the Salted. Caramel. Milkshake.
That's right.
Salted.
Caramel.
Wait! Salty and Sweet all in one icy glass of awesomeness? Did I die and go to heaven??
Here's the recipe….
Salted Caramel Milkshake
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce (Sure, you can call it "caramel sauce." But I like to call it by its real name: Dulce de Leche.)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp. salt
Combine all ingredients in a blender…
Gratuitous photo of the caramel sauce dulce de leche being added. ๐
Press the button on the blender…. okay, I had had it with standing idly by while someone else was mixing stuff. I just had to get involved. (I know. Shut up.)
Divide into two glasses and top with whipped cream. It just doesn't get any better than this…
…except for when it was time to leave and they gave us these fabulous got milk? goodie bags.
They include (among other got milk? type goodies for making milkshakes – batidos!) an ice-cream scooper. (Which I'm already in love with and yes, I've already used.)
Wait! It gets better. IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!
They were generous enough to give me an extra got milk? goodie bag. And because I am sooo feeling the got milk? love here, I will give it away!
So please, leave me a comment on this post and tell me a milkshake story or leave a recipe. Or the name of your favorite "batido."
Or better yet, tell me…."What kind of milkshake are you?" ๐
I'll do a drawing on Friday, August 7th at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.
Come on. Talk "milkshake" to me. =D
Kiki Bacaro says
Ok, that sounded delicious! My favorite shake is the batido de trigo…but if I have to BE a shake, I would be a batido de mamey, just cuz it’s cute and pink and sweet…completely UNlike me:)
Regi says
Well, my favorite meelk chake (as my abuelita calls it) is coconut. Hands down.Mamey is definitely second.
Although, dulce de leche sounds pretty intense too, girl.
Angela says
Marta, you are living the dream, darling! Can your week possibly get any better?As far as Batidos go, I fell in love with my husband while sharing a batido de guineo (or banana milkshake) in the Dominican Republic back in 1981. It was our second date… we sat on the malecon and sipped and chatted about our families. That’s when I knew I would marry this handsome Cubano!
class factotum says
You got new glasses!Batido de guayaba. Yum. Every time I go to Miami, I get a medianoche and a batido de guayaba.
Ivis Suarez says
I don’t have a cute or funny batido story. And while I’d like to say I am a Mamey, or a Trigo, or, forget the milk, just-give-me-a-Guarapo, I AM A CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER MILKSHAKE.Although the Salted Caramel might change all this…..
Looks like you had a blast!!
Ody says
I think it would have to be a batido de Mango! or de Guanavana, or de mamey…… LOL!!!!
BFF says
So, you know I’m releated to the “got milk” people?:-DThey should have had the meeting here closer to the Happy California Cows! But, alas, there is no “chi-chi” resturant here. There is one owned by the Indians, does that count? I WANT TO WIN!!!!!!!!! Kisses!
jana says
Yummy! The Carmel one sounds amazing! I love Milk! I am definitely the salted carmel- a little sweet and a little salty.
Catherine says
DELICIOUS! Even though I have to stay true to my Cubanism and by some sort of unspoken law vote for batido de Mamey, I CANNOT deny that a peanut butter milshake is my absolute favorite. I’ll skip a meal (or two) to enjoy one.
Yanka says
OMG, batido de mamey! that’s a good one. If you find mameys anywhere, please shout. I’d love to have a batido de guanabana. that’s heaven!
Cubanita says
My favorite batido?Guanabรกna and chirimoya.
I know mamey, mango and guayaba are the staples at any given Cuban kitchen, but this to fruits combine make a really unique flavor.
And, according to my abuela Paula, yes, you always have to add a pich of salt (same with the cafรฉ con leche) to have the sweet flavor settle in. ๐
Jessica says
How about this Chilango Batido?1 pt Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
2 Tbsp Cajeta
1 handful buenuelos
2 coffee mugs
Place 1 c ice cream in each mug. Heat the cajeta until syrupy. Using a hand mixer, blend until gentle streams of cajeta flow. Crush buenuelos on top and serve. Eat them both or share.
mario says
I’ve ben having major cravings for a batido de trigo for months now and you are not helping matters, Mrs. Darby!And may I also add that you are looking much like Miss Ann Wilson of Heart in that last photo. Oooooooo barracuda!!
Erika (mrserika) says
Well, that salted caramel milkshake just made my mouth WATERRRR….ay mama!The best milkshake story I have comes from a family tale.
My mom has a HUGE sweet tooth. (But that comes with the territory for being a Cuban woman, isn’t it?!) Anyways, on the evening my mother’s water broke with me, she enjoyed a LARGE triple chocolate milkshake at Swensen’s in Miami. (Yummy ice cream and milkshake parlour in South Miami.) Anyways, my dad says that my mom drank so much that the reason I turned out to have such tanned skin is because I was born with the chocolate milkshake all over me!!! Naturally, the chocolate color stuck. ๐ LOL
I believe this story for years and years. LOL It’s a cute story, I think.
And, that is my best milkshake story. ๐ haha
nickie says
On the first date with the man I would later marry, we stopped to get a strawberry milkshake (at my insistence, I thought we could share it and be cute). He gladly shared that shake with me but then cut the date short and dropped me off at home. I thought he didn’t like me anymore ๐ Months later he admitted that he is lactose intolerant and reluctantly drank the milkshake because I really wanted to share it together and he wanted to make me happy! He had to cut the date short to deal with the soon-to-follow stomach upset!
Ziva Sahl says
I don’t have a story, but I have a recipe! I have this thing for Mango, and coconut, and pineapple. Try this, it is wonderful.1 cup Haagen-Dazs pineapple-coconut icecream
2 cups diced mango
3 tbs sugar
a couple of drops of vanilla extract
blend and enjoy.
openid.aol.com/sho48time says
Mom!!! That sounds like quite a fun day.Dude, everyone’s leaving all these Cuban milkshake flavors that I can barely pronounce, let alone translate into English… Personally, I’m a fan of Harbor House’s Oreo milkshake. I don’t have any interesting related stories though.
-Shosh
Kristen Benson says
Coffee. Hot, iced, or in a milkshake…always the best! Robert, however, would be all over salted caramel!
Carolyn G says
I love your Got Milk giveaways! They always have such great stuff. I have to say my favorite batido is cantaloupe. Yes, they are so tasty. I also like a mango abtido as well. My abuela used to alway smake these for us when we visited her in Costa Rica. YUMMO
Val Prieto says
Im a mamey milkshake por que yo soy mameeeeyyyyy.
jwpcliff says
No idea what shake I’d be, but my fave has got to be an oreo shake. Old school and boring I know, but since we cant get them here its one of the first things I want when I get to California. In fact I like em enough that it if theres a choice I always go for jack in the box as a burger joint so I can get one ๐
Susi . says
that’s great Marta – now you have me sitting here drooling all over my keyboard laptop wishing I had a batido!!!!! thanks a lot ;)ok, here is what milkshake I think I am. It’s not easy, but I’ll give it a try
I was born in Germany and grew up there – so that means we need to add some German ingredient, I suggest German Chocolate Cake (can’t get more German than that!!!) [this will add coconut flavor]
I lived and worked in Switzerland for a while, so let’s throw in some Swiss chocolate! [we are obviously getting some chocolate flavor here..]
My house was minutes away from France, so why don’t we add some French Toast? [cinnamon, baby!!!]
I then spent a year in Alabama as a foreign exchange student – this calls for some grits to be added! [ yall, this will give us some thickness. and fiber!]
Then I moved to Miami! Since this is technically in the United States but practically just an extended part of Cuba – let’s add some dulce de leche.
After a year in Miami came 2.5 years in New York City, which means without a doubt we have to add New York Cheesecake!! (with strawberries, to add color!)
Then back to Miami, which we will honor by adding some tropical fruit, and my tropical fruit of choice happens to be pineapple.
Recently I spent quite some time in Amman, Jordan – so let’s throw in some camel milk.
so put the lid on the blender, make sure it closes really well.
Then let’s blend….
And here it is. My batido!! the Dulce de Leche – Coco-Chocolate-Cinnamon-pineapple-cheesecake-camel milk-shake!
Delicious!!!!
(if you happen to think that this is quite a long name – I am only 31 years old. I am hoping to add a LOT of flavors in the years to come!!!!)
(ok, ok, it IS really long. so let’s call it the DCCPCC-shake)
(hm, sounds stupid. so let’s give it a name: the SUSI SHAKE)
Susi!!!!
Kikita says
**DISCLAIMER****I AM NOT ENTERING THE DRAWING**
Susi,
You’re adorable!!
And your shake sounds . . . delicious?
Ok, it sounds weird, but I love it!
I decided that, since I’m a Gemini, I am either a chocolate milkshake or an orange-mango shake depending on the day.
=D
Thank you all for entering the drawing!
Amanda says
I hope I’m not too late…My Cuban side favors batido de mamey, particularly if it’s made by my grandmother.
The gringita in me favors cookies and cream shakes. I love the taste of the cookie crumbs and milk or ice cream mixed together. And, when the shake is all done and you still have bits of cookie on the bottom of your glass/cup/mug/whatever, it’s spoon time!
Happy Friday, Darby family! MUAH!!!