Drink Of The Month

Some good friends of ours (hi Gutsy family!) have instituted a drink of the month in their house.  Here in the Nystrom household, we think that's a pretty fantastic idea!  The idea is to try a fun drink recipe, preferably with ingredients that cost less than about $20 overall to make multiple drinks.  So after many months of thinking it's cool and zero months of actually doing anything about it, I present to you March's Drink Of The Month:

The Pina Colada!

Now I know you're thinking, "well that's pretty boring!"  Let me assure you, it most certainly is not.  We're not talking about a plain jane rum and colada mix drink here.  See, I recently was privy to a little pina colada secret that has changed my world as I know it and can be found in the canned goods aisle.  What makes the freshest, most delicious pina coladas on earth you ask? Canned crushed pineapple in it's own juices and a can of cream of coconut.  Best. Drink. Ever.  We didn't really measure, so I don't have specific amounts to give.  I'm sure you can just play with the amounts until you find what tastes good to you. 

Pina Colada
1 can cream of coconut
1 can crushed pineapple (use the juices it comes in too!)
1 banana (optional, though recommended)
dark/spiced rum
ice

We didn't use the whole can of either coconut or pineapple and we made 4 healthy sized pina coladas.  Blend together a good amount of ice, a few heaping spoonfuls of pineapple (with juice), a healthy amount of cream of coconut, some banana if you choose and a fair amount of dark/spiced rum.  Adjust accordingly.  If the cream of coconut has solidified a little, don't worry.  It does that anytime it's less than 80 degrees and you just have to set the can in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes.

Enjoy!