Shamrock Shake Anyone?

Got this e-mail from my brother today:

As you all know, St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us. While this is an important day for me (my birthday, as you all should know by now) this email is not about me (believe it or not).

It is to draw attention to a seasonal phenomenon that few are aware of. I am speaking of course, of the Shamrock Shake at McDonalds.

What is the Shamrock shake you may ask? Well it's simply the best thing ever at McDonalds. It's available for usually less than a month for the week or two up to and after March 17th. Think of this, a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie in a shake. Any questions?

I have spent a good portion of the past 10 years trying to institute this as a "regular" flavor, in much the same way Arby's has jamocha and Checker's has banana, but to no avail. Letter writing campaigns, sit-ins, petitions, and nothing. I have come to peace with this.

However, I felt that I would be remiss if I did NOT let you all on a little secret with a great BIG taste.

If you do not like chocolate and mint, then I apologize, this email is not for you.

Coincidentally, I has just came upon the recipe from the Top Secret Restaurant Recipes website:

McDonald's(r) Shamrock Shake(r) - March 17, 2003

You'll find it very easy to recreate the flavors of McDonald's annual St. Patrick's Day shake using only four ingredients. The two that make this holiday shake unique are the mint extract and green food coloring. Make sure your extract says "mint" and not "peppermint." And if you don't want shakes that are green like the real ones, you can certainly leave out the food coloring. Happy St. Patty's Day, kitchen cloners!

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1 1/4 cups low fat milk

1/4 teaspoon mint extract (not peppermint)

8 drops green food coloring

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Stop blender to stir with a spoon if necessary to help blend ice cream.

2. Pour into two 12-ounce cups and serve each with a straw.

Serves 2.