The end of Superbowl Sunday marks the beginning of a couple of dreary, cold, dark winter months – February and March continue to be cold in Jersey, with no sports to look forward to till the April NFL draft and no warm weather to look forward to till spring. So to cheer myself up, I’ve started treating myself to a weekend soda-pop treat – orange creamsicle sodas. The bright orange color and fizziness of the drinks offer a wonderfully zesty alternative to the snow and cold outside, and they are a cinch to make so you can enjoy them on a moments notice.

Get yourself some orange-flavored soda (I prefer Fanta, but Crush is easier to find around here), some heave cream, and a tall glass – that’s all you’ll need. The creaminess of the drink is balanced by the sweet, orangey fizz of the soda – and the white foam that forms magically on top is a thing of beauty to look at, and also offers a nice head comparable to some of the best draughts. Sit back, sip your creamiscle soda and wait for the warmer days of spring (and add a peg or two of vodka if you need a little more cheer!)

THE RECIPE: ORANGE CREAMSICLE SODA:

YOU’LL NEED:

• Store-bought Orange Soda, chilled
• Heave Cream

THE METHOD:

• In the bottom of a tall glass, put in 1/8 cup of cream (adjust according to taste)
• top glass with cold orange soda
• Mix gently with spoon without disturbing the foam head.

I’m notorious for being a late sleeper – I sleep late at night and wake up even later in the morning. Every weekday morning becomes a bitter fight involving multiple alarm clocks, hitting the snooze button a million times, and a pillow being thrown at me by the wife tired of hearing the constantly ringing alarms. Then it is a mad dash to get ready to head to work – and since I’d rather spend a few extra minutes in the morning picking out the perfect tie for my shirt than making breakfast, I used to grab a couple of bananas on the way out.

Then I discovered the perfect, quick way to get a variety of fruits into my system first thing in the morning: smoothies! I pick up whatever fresh berries / fruits look good at the local fruit stand over the weekend and throw them in to the blender with some skim milk and voila – my nutrient-packed, delicious, low-fat breakfast for the work week is ready. I also have bit more of an incentive to wake up now, given the tasty treat that awaits me.

I store the smoothie in a pitcher in the fridge, stir it up every morning and pour out a glass. When I get into a steady gym-routine, I even mix in some protein powder to up the muscle-building quotient of my morning treat – coz, you know, I still dream of being totally ripped.

Most weeks, the weekly smoothie starts with a base of berries with some banana, peach or orange juice added in for extra flavor. This week, I found good blackberries and raspberries, so it’s going to be a double blast of berry for me. The berries are still surprisingly sweet for this time of the year, so I won’t need to add any additional sweetening.

THE RECIPE

YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 pint fresh raspberries
• 1 pint fresh blackberries
• 2-3 Ice cubes
• 3 cups skim milk

THE METHOD:

• Throw the ice cubes into the blender and crush.
• Add the berries and milk, and process till smooth.
• That’s it! Taste it to check for consistency (remember it will thicken up a bit in the fridge) and sweetness, pour into a pitcher and store in the fridge.