Homemade Rootbeer Floats~ Simple Saturday with girlichef

Yes, I know it’s a million times easier just to buy a bottle of root beer, but it’s a million times more fun to make your own at home!! And very, very simple…fun for the whole family. Really 🙂

Easy Homemade Root Beer Floats
straight from the McCormick‘s Root Beer Concentrate Box
makes 6 cups

1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Root Beer Concentrate
1 bottle (1 liter) cold soda water, seltzer or club soda
Vanilla Ice Cream (or another flavor if you prefer)

Bring water to boil in medium saucepan. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add concentrate; stir until well mixed. Pour into a container and refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready to serve, pour reserved root beer mixture into a pitcher and slowly pour in the soda. Stir slightly to blend. Serve immediately over vanilla ice cream in a glass. Or drink as is!

*originally posted at girlichef

What simple food and drink have you made this week?

Lemon Pudding: What Did You Bake Today?

My husband brought 3 bags of lemons back from Florida and we are coming up with all sorts of fun ways to use them. Some of them are the size of large oranges!

This old fashioned recipe is a good way to eat them. As it bakes, the top becomes a sponge cake and the bottom forms a rich, creamy pudding.

Lemon Pudding (from 1980 edition of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
4 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 cups milk
3 tabespoons flour
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Beat the butter and sugar. Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks. Beat in the flour and then add the milk and lemon juice. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until they form stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the lemon mixture. Pour into a 3 quart baking dish. Put that dish into a bigger dish and fill it halfway up with water (the fancy term for this is a bain marie). Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve chilled.
What Did You Bake Today?

Turkey Day is on the way…


Thanksgiving will be here before you know it! Have you made your grocery shopping list? Check out the Vons ad for your local store here. I did and found some wonderful sales! I am saving a bundle on preparing our feast. We are going to have a house full for several days and I want to make it special for everyone! There is also a helpful Meal Planning Guide.

Hurry, the FREE turkey with minimum purchase offer ends Monday, 11/23. I’m doing my shopping this week to avoid the crowds. I found everything I needed from yams and pumpkin pies to wheat thins and bread for turkey sandwiches the next day to prepare a terrific feast for my family easily and most of it was on sale. Using your club card will increase your savings even more.

One of the most amazing items they have is the recipe for their 2-Hour Turkey. It is a very simple recipe with excellent results. The whole crowd will think you spent the entire day in the kitchen!


You will also find some wonderful decorating ideas.

Not sure what to do with all the leftovers? Check out their recipes at the Leftovers Lounge.



I can’t wait to try the Warm Turkey Bacon Salad and the Garlic Lover’s Turkey Enchiladas.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

wildatheart

FULL DISCLOSURE: In the interest of full disclosure I was contacted and asked to voice my opinion and Vons grocery links in exchange for a Vons gift card to use towards my shopping. I did this because I believe in the company and not for the payment.

Avocado Citrus Salad

Unfortunately our scheduled guest host became unavailable so you’re stuck with me! I hope you enjoy this refreshing salad.


AVOCADO CITRUS SALAD
2 medium ripe avocados, peeled & sliced
2 medium oranges, peeled & sectioned
1 medium pear, cored & thinly sliced
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup snap peas, halved
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
8 cups torn salad greens
1/2 cup peanut oil
Juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

  • Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and salt until sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
  • Pour the dressing mix over the avocados and let sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  • Toss remaining ingredients in salad bowl.
  • Pour the dressing over salad and gently toss to coat well.
  • Serve immediately.

wildatheart

Would you like to be a guest host at Our Krazy Kitchen? We are selecting guest hosts for our new Thursday meme Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner. If you have a good recipe to share let us know!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Asparagus and Garlic Herb Butter Sauce

What do you make for dinner when nothing sounds refreshing enough?



BACON WRAPPED SCALLOPS with ASPARAGUS and GARLIC HERB BUTTER SAUCE
1 pound large fresh sea scallops
1/2 pound bacon (not too fatty)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons safflower oil
Fresh ground pepper

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Mix oil, lemon juice, vinegar and pepper in small bowl.
  • Pour over scallops and marinate in refrigerator for about an hour.
  • Wrap each scallop with 1/2 strip of bacon. Keep together with toothpick or put 3-4 on each skewer.
  • Bake 7-10 minutes or until cooked through and bacon is crisp. I would normally broil them, but MIL’s broiler decided to quit on me.

CREAMY GARLIC SAUCE
2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic, jar
4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

  • In a small skillet cook garlic in butter over low heat until garlic is golden.
  • Put in blender or food processor.
  • Add mayonnaise and pepper; process until smooth.
  • Great on ALL fish and vegetables!

I use the left over sauce to roast potatoes another day.

STEAMED ASPARAGUS

  • Place water in the bottom half of a steamer pan set. Add salt and butter, and bring to a boil.
  • Trim the dry ends off of the asparagus. If the spears are thick, peel them lightly with a vegetable peeler.
  • Place them in the top half of the steamer pan set.
  • Steam for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus, or until asparagus is tender.

wildatheart

Thursday 13


Thursday Thirteen

I know everybody and their brother got this email, but it was too fun to pass up for a Thursday 13.
1. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
7. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
8. Bad decisions make good stories.
9. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
10. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes – to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
11. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!),but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?
12. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
13. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet, on any given Friday or Saturday night, more kisses begin with Bud Light than with a Kay jewelry product.

wildatheart

Save Room for an apple fluff pie recipe

Here’s a recipe from my Joy of Desserts archives. Apple sauce is available year round and apples are in season, even if they are also available year round these days, so it’s a nice recipe to bring back to the surface. I like to dig into other blogs’ archives too, because there are so many great things just waiting to be discovered. If you don’t already do the same, give it a try sometime.

Apple Fluff Pie Recipe

2 cups well-sweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon flour
2 eggs
Few grains of salt

Combine apple sauce, lemon juice, salt, flour, and well-beaten egg yolks. Cook over hot water until thick and smooth. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake in hot oven (425 F.) until crust is brown and filling is firm.

RUM RAISIN CARROT CUPCAKES with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING



Save Room for Dessert is hosted by Joy at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN
Vintage Recipe Thursday is hosted by Joy at Joy of Desserts
hosted by Kristen at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN

I just found an awesome new bakery, Just Cupcakes. I bought a couple of cupcakes for hubby and I as a treat for the week and they inspired me to make this recipe.

RUM RAISIN CARROT CUPCAKES with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
CUPCAKES
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
3 Jumbo eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup golden rum*
3 cups grated carrots
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

  • Pour rum over raisins and set aside for at least an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease and flour cup cake tins or line with papers.
  • In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugars.
  • In another bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and 1 egg. Add additional eggs and beat until well creamed.
  • Add dry ingredients gradually until well blended.
  • Add carrots, pineapple and walnuts until well blended.
  • Drain raisins and fold in last.
  • Pour batter into prepared tins.
  • Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool 10 minutes.
  • Cool completely.

*As an option you could soak the raisins in orange juice instead and then substitute 1 teaspoon maple flavoring for the rum.

FROSTING
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

  • In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  • Add lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until blended.
  • Add powdered sugar gradually until well blended and smooth.
  • Ice first layer and then add 2nd cake top and ice again including sides of cake.
  • Refrigerate 1 hour to set icing before serving.
Would you like to be a guest host at Our Krazy Kitchen? We are selecting guest hosts for our new Thursday meme Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner. If you have a good recipe to share let me know!

wildatheart

Garlic Sauce Chicken ~ Dieter’s Delight

Garlic Sauce Chicken

OK, you have to be a garlic lover to like this one, but I promise it rocks!

6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
1 cup whole peeled garlic
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Brown chicken in a nonstick skillet.
  • Remove chicken and add rice vinegar and chicken broth to pan. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes.
  • Put the garlic cloves into a 11 x 13 baking dish. Place the chicken on top and pour sauce on chicken.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Mash the garlic into the sauce and pour over chicken.
Serves 6
Calories – 171
Fat – 3 grams

This one is so simple and does not taste like diet food!

What’s feeding your diet this week?


Cheeseburger Cups ~ Monday Munchies

hosted by Martha over at ThEKrAzYkItChEn


CHEESEBURGER CUPS
1 pound ground beef
1 small bunch green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 ounce tube buttermilk biscuits
12 2×2 slices of sharp cheddar cheese

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • In a large skillet brown ground beef and green onions.
  • Drain off fat.
  • Stir in ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
  • Grease a each cup of a muffin tin.
  • Press a biscuit into each muffin hole and upp the sides.
  • Spoon beef mixture into each cup.
  • Top with a slice of cheese.
  • Bake 14-16 minutes or until golden brown and done.

wildatheart

Beef & Broccoli

BEEF & BROCCOLI
1 pound flank or round steak cut into thin strips
3 cups broccoli florets
3/4 cup snap pea pieces
1 Jumbo egg, white only
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 teaspoon Better than Beef Bouillon

  • Slice meat into thin strips.
  • Whisk together the egg white and cornstarch.
  • Pour over meat and toss to coat well.
  • Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or so before preparing the meal.
  • Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok.
  • Saute’ broccoli pieces for several minutes until crisp, but tender and then add garlic and onion slices.
  • Remove with a slotted spoon and add more oil if necessary.
  • Stir fry meat pieces for several minutes until cooked through.
  • Whisk together the hot water, bouillon, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and red pepper flakes until well blended.
  • Add broth mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until glaze forms/
  • Add vegetables back in and heat through.



wildatheart