Thank you to Sunkist® Citrus for sponsoring this post.

This powerful cocktail is coming in hot! Packed with Vitamin C from the sweet Sunkist® Cara Cara Orange, reposado tequila, lime and topped with bubbles, it’s juicy, refreshing and PINK! Sunkist® Cara Cara Oranges are in season from December-May so grab a bag next time you’re at the market and enjoy the sweet flavor of this fruit!

Watch my latest IG reel to see how I make this margarita and cheers to cocktails that are delicious and packed with nutrients. Scroll down for the full recipe or you can also find it at Sunkist.com/recipes.

Fizzy Cara Cara Margarita

By Brandi Milloy

Ingredients

• ¼ cup sugar or salt

• Zest from 1 Sunkist® Cara Cara Orange

• 2 oz. Sunkist® Cara Cara Orange juice

• 1 oz. Sunkist® Lime juice

• 2 ½ oz. Reposado or Silver Tequila

• Ice 

• Sunkist® Cara Cara Orange Wedge for garnish

Directions

1. Mix sugar or salt with the zest from the Sunkist® Cara Cara Orange. Rim margarita glass with a wedge of orange and dipping lip into sugar or salt mixture.

2. Pour all of the ingredients into an ice filled shaker. Shake ingredients together and strain into glass. Garnish with Sunkist® Cara Cara Orange Wedge. Cheers!

Thank you to Sunkist for sponsoring this post

If you’re like me, all of us are trying to find new ways to keep our kids busy and entertained this summer. I came up with some fun and easy recipes you can do with your children that is sure to keep them engaged and interested (and maybe buy you at least 20 minutes of calm) in your home!

Orange Cream Popsicles

One of my favorite recipes to make with my children are my Orange Cream Popsicles. They’re fun and playful and also a healthy treat. I always allow my daughter, Milly to juice the oranges for the recipe. Anytime I’m baking or cooking with citrus she knows her job is to juice the fruit!  Assigning her this simple task gives her a sense of purpose and ownership over the job! 

Featuring the summer orange, Sunkist Valencia Oranges are loaded with powerful Vitamin C, antioxidants and are the perfect juicy balance of tart and sweet. These popsicles are so easy to make and full of Vitamin C, protein from whole milk Greek yogurt and free of processed or unnatural sugars.

You can make these pops with or without a popsicle mold and I even keep a slice of the fruit on top of the pops for an added treat at the end! With all of the Vitamin C these popsicles provide they are an immunity booster which is so vital now more than ever. I like to make a few batches with my daughter and keep them in the freezer for a healthy treat to cool off all summer long.  You can find the full recipe at https://www.sunkist.com/recipes/orange-cream-popsicles/

Summer Cream Puffs

Mastering a new skill together is a lot of fun. My Summer Cream Puffs are a classic pastry but kind of a retro recipe many of us have probably never made at home before.  It’s a unique method because instead of cutting out dough or shaping it in a pan like traditional breads and pastries you pipe out the dough onto a baking sheet. 

These Cream Puffs feature a delicate pastry dough and Sunkist Valencia Orange Vitamin C packed cream filling. I love the Valencia Orange’s bold flavor. It’s the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Once you finish baking the cream puffs and allow them to cool, you pipe in the cream filling and enjoy!

These are great for a weekend brunch but would be perfect for a special occasion too. You can make a big batch of them and freeze too. Thaw on the counter for 30 minutes and you’re ready to serve! You can find the recipe here.

https://www.sunkist.com/recipes/orange-summer-cream-puffs/

 I’d love to see if you make either of these recipes. Post your photos on Instagram and tag me @BrandiMilloy and use the hashtag #SunkistSummers and for these recipes and more head to Sunkist.com/recipes

Thank you to Sunkist for sponsoring this post

I’ve always been a big Grapefruit person. I love the sweet tart flavor of it. I was part of the generation of kids who watched their parents dive into grapefruit for breakfast with a spoon. My dad loves them and since I wanted to be just like my dad growing up I grew to love them too.

Anytime I see grapefruit on a menu I have to get it. It’s such a unique citrus with so many character traits and can be used in a variety of ways. When I came up with this recipe I wanted to feature all the complexities of grapefruit. It’s sweet but tart, bold, juicy and has beautiful color. The Sunkist California Star Ruby Grapefruit is my favorite. I used rosemary as a way to bring some unexpected earthiness to this compote and then a little cayenne gives it a mild spice! I love to pour this compote over vanilla bean ice cream, pancakes or waffles. Grapefruit is an extraordinary healthy fruit. Packed with Vitamin C, antioxidants and a good source of Vitamin A and fiber, it’s one of those citrus I always have on hand. Head to Sunkist.com/recipes for the full recipe and watch my IGTV episode here.

Thank you to Sunkist Citrus for sponsoring this post.

People used to call me the dip queen cause anytime they would come over and wanted a snack, I’d whip up a full on appetizer, usually in the form of a dip. With little effort you can make one of my go to dips that is reminiscent of a party dip but healthier. It is full of flavor, creamy, herbaceous and has the brightness and tang of lemon. It uses the lemon juice and zest of one whole lemon and zero to little salt. If you’re looking to reduce your sodium intake without sacrificing flavor, add lemon to your meals. Lemons are available year round so they are a countertop staple in our house. We have a running joke around there that if something doesn’t taste right we say “did you add lemon?”. Lemons can completely transform a dish and take it from ok to AMAZING. The acid for me is like electricity through a dish. It’s just wonderful what the tart flavor can do. I always have lemons on hand because of this powerful property plus they are an excellent source of Vitamin C! You can get the full recipe for my Spicy Lemon Cheese Dip here at Sunkist.com/recipes or you can watch me make it on IGTV.

Thank you to Sunkist® Citrus for sponsoring this post.

I keep seeing this #WhippedCoffee trend on social. It started on Tik Tok but it’s really all over. I needed to know what all the hype was about. I finally decided to try it and let me tell you-it’s not that good. Instant coffee? Really? Well instead of just judging it-haha, I decided to try to make my own version that actually tastes good. And, I wanted to give it some flavor. I went with orange + mocha. The flavor is elevated, luxurious and it’s a winning combination and works really well with the coffee. These Sunkist® Navel oranges are such a classic and the orange zest adds so much amazing flavor! Citrus is something I always have in my house because it is so versatile and fun to cook with, but also because it can last up to 4 weeks in the fridge. It can really transform a meal. I’d love to know if you try this recipe and let me know what you think! You can find the full recipe here or by going to Sunkist.com/recipes

Thank you to Sunkist for sponsoring this post

We just love making cinnamon rolls around here….and I’m not talking about the kind that take forever to make cause you have to let the dough rest and rise and all that fun stuff. Those are great but they take a while and you gotta have yeast on hand. When I’m craving cinnamon rolls I want them now, not later. This recipe features store bought cinnamon rolls in the tube but with a fresh, bright orange twist! I love keeping citrus on hand not only for flavor but for their nutritional benefit. Sunkist Cara Cara oranges offer the most vitamin C of the Sunkist citrus varieties, with 100% of the recommended daily intake in just one orange. If you’ve never had a Cara Cara you need to get them asap. They are juicy and sweet and their seedless interior has a rich pink hue. I love making fresh Cara Cara OJ. It’s delicious. Once you try a Cara Cara you won’t be able to stop thinking about them. They are so good. Anyway-back to the cinnamon rolls. So these semi-homemade rolls are slathered in a homemade Sunkist Cara Cara orange cream cheese frosting that is tart and sweet and full of that bright citrus flavor. The recipe makes plenty so you can frost the rolls twice! I like to frost them once right out of the oven and then again right before serving. Head to Sunkist.com/Recipes or here to get the full recipe!

Thank you to Sunkist for sponsoring this post

I had to include the word “dream” in the name of this recipe because it’s such a dream the way these flavors all work together. This smoothie is simple, straightforward and oh so satisfying! It kind of reminds me of those frothy orange drinks we all drank in in the 80’s we’d get from the mall food court except the homemade version tastes way better and I know exactly what’s going in there. Plus this one is actually good for you because I’m using Sunkist Cara Cara oranges. They’re considered the power orange because just one Cara Cara provides 100% of your daily Vitamin C intake. It’s a no brainer for me that these should be in your daily rotation to keep your immunity up! They’re also a good source of fiber and rich in folate and if you’re like me-you start looking for them around December (they are available December through May). Sunkist Cara Caras are extremely sweet, with a slightly lower acidity level than navel oranges, super juicy, seedless and have a beautiful rich pink hue to them. In this recipe I include that you could add honey to sweeten but it’s totally optional since the Cara Cara is already sweet.

I just know you and your family are going to love this smoothie. GO watch my latest IGTV to see me make it with Sonny! The recipe is so simple, the flavor is straightforward- creamy, luscious, packed full of Vitamin C and feels like such a treat! Be sure to watch my latest appearance on KTLA where I featured my Sunkist Cara Cara Creamsicle Dream Smoothie as a healthy and easy activity to make with your children. And don’t forget to post your photos on instagram and tag me @BrandiMilloy and @SunkistCitrus

Sunkist Cara Cara Creamsicle Dream Smoothie Recipe

by Brandi Milloy

Serves 2

Ingredients

• Juice of 2 Sunkist Cara Cara Oranges

• 1/2 cup whole milk vanilla yogurt

• 1.5 cups ice

• 1 tbsp. honey or sugar to sweeten

Directions

1. Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses to serve and enjoy!

Brandon Kidd Photography

I love Arnold Palmers. It’s pretty much my go to every time I eat out unless it’s late and I’m worried about the caffeine (then it’s sparkling water extra ice with lime please). Anyway—I love when I go to restaurants and order an Arnold Palmer and they say that their Arnold Palmer is different. I’m always down. “It’s made with strawberry lemonade” or “we have it but we make it with peach tea, is that OK?” Ummm yes to all of the above. I love it all. It’s the perfect mix of sweet from the lemonade and the bite from the tea.

This recipe was kind of an accident one afternoon when I was craving an Arnold Palmer and instead of grabbing a lemon from my fruit bowl, I grabbed a few blood oranges and Cara Cara’s. The result was glorious! Citrusy, juicy, sweet tea (but not too sweet cause it doesn’t need it). You’ve gotta try this and might as well make a big batch to share with guests. Tastes even better with a slice of blood orange as garnish. It really hits all the sense, ya know? Cheers!

Brandon Kidd Photography

Blood Orange & Cara Cara Iced Tea

by Brandi Milloy

Serves 4

Ingredients 

• 6 cups water

• 2 Sunkist Cara Cara Oranges

• 2 Sunkist Blood Oranges

• 4 black tea bags

• 1/4 cup organic honey or agave

Directions

1. Into a large pot, heat 3 cups of water just until boiling. Remove from heat. 

2. Peel rind off oranges and place in pot. Add tea bags to steep for 5 minutes. Stir in honey.

3. Juice oranges and pour juice into pot and stir.

4. Into a large pitcher, pour 3 cups of cold water. Place strainer over pitcher and add tea and juice mixture. Serve with ice and slices of orange.

This post is sponsored by Sunkist

Photography Credit: @Ographr

These donuts are the sweet secret weapon you are going to want to add to your recipe arsenal.  Using only 5 ingredients you probably already have on hand, it’s the perfect treat to whip up any time of the day. And if you're as obsessed with Pantone's Color of the Year: Living Coral as I am, you'll love my trick to getting the perfect shade of glaze. I mean, even if you just want to make these for the insta-likes, you might as well, but the flavor of these donuts are bursting with bright citrus from the Sunkist Cara Cara Navel oranges. And because they’re baked instead of fried like traditional donuts, they are super light and fluffy but every bit delicious so let’s get started!

Here’s what you need: pancake mix, sugar, freshly squeezed Sunkist Cara Cara Navel orange juice, yogurt, and eggs.

(Your eggs don’t need to be blue or brown but I couldn’t help it because they’re so pretty!)

Preheat your oven to 355°F and then into a bowl, mix all of the ingredients until the batter is nice and smooth.

That’s it. Really. You toss 5 ingredients into one dish, give it a mix, and now we’re ready to pour the batter into our donut pan.

A quick tip to getting the filling in the donut pan easily is to create a homemade piping bag. Just place a gallon size plastic bag in a jar and pour the batter into the bag, snip one of the corners and fill each well evenly.

Tap the bottom of the pan to release any air bubbles and then bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and baked through.

Once the donuts are baked, place them on a wire rack to cool and then make your glaze. It’s just powdered sugar and some freshly squeezed Sunkist blood orange juice. Depending on how bold the color is of your blood orange will determine the color of your glaze. I love how mine ended up having this muted maroon shade! So pretty!

To frost the donuts, you can drizzle the glaze on top or spread some glaze around the top of the donut and let the excess fall. I love this “Homer Simpson” style look! If you’d like to add a garnish, do so while the glaze is still wet. I added a few sprinkles and a small segment of citrus on top of each!

I mean, if you haven’t already paused scrolling to check your pantry to make sure you have everything to make these….

Oh and by the way I should mention that Sunkist Cara Cara Navel oranges are available December through May so you can make these all season long! I’d love to see your photos of these donuts and how you gave them your own special touch so post your photos on Instagram and tag me @BrandiMilloy! Also, to watch the full video of me making these just go to my IGTV Channel! Then scroll down for the full recipe, I donut mind at all! :) And for more delicious recipes visit Sunkist.com/recipes

Sunkist Cara Cara Navel Orange Yogurt Donuts

PREPARATION: 10 minutes

COOKING: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups pancake mix

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/8 cup Sunkist Cara Cara Navel orange juice, freshly squeezed

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

• 2 eggs, large

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• Zest from 2 Sunkist blood oranges

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed Sunkist Blood orange juice

• Sprinkles, optional (these are the vintage rose gold sprinkles I used)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 355°F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix and sugar. Add in the orange juice, yogurt and eggs.

3. Stir well to combine. Batter should be smooth, but do not over-mix. Divide the batter evenly among the donut ring molds (a few tablespoons, depending on the size of the ring mold).

4. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes. (Cooking times will vary depending on your oven. Start checking at the 12 minute mark.) Donuts should be golden brown and dry to the touch.

5. Remove from the oven, and allow donuts to cool completely in the ring molds. 

6. Meanwhile, make glaze by mixing powdered sugar, zest and juice. If glaze is too thick, add 1/2 tablespoon of juice at a time until desired consistency. Frost donuts and garnish with sprinkles if desired.
   
   Note:
   • A donut pan is required for this recipe.
   • Before removing from the oven, test donuts with toothpick to ensure they are cooked through.