Korean Cucumber Salad

As a pre-teen, I had the benefit of being introduced to a whole new culture as well as a different cuisine.  When I was just ready to leave my K-6 elementary school a new family moved into Parker Ford.  The mother of the family was Yu Shin, a post-Korean War bride from South Korea.  Our families became close friends over the years, and the experience opened up a whole new world for us.  Anytime we shared a meal, new experiences were expected.  Water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, tempura shrimp and vegetables…these were not commonplace in the sixties, but after all this was someone who bought soy sauce by the gallon.

I can still remember the first time I ate seaweed.  It was served as thin sheets wrapped around rice, and it was actually delicious.  Yu Shin taught us how to use chopsticks, and when my two brothers and I found out that belching is a way of complementing the meal in Korea…well, we were in heaven!

Dad was always game to try anything new, and the kimchi that Yu Shin would make was his obsessive favorite.  Kimchi is a type of pickled cabbage and is very spicy.  Dad loved it, so much so that when we attended the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City, he sought out the Korean pavilion just for a side of the stuff.  Even the Koreans looked at him strangely that day!

One dish that Yu Shin introduced to us was a simple cucumber salad.  It makes a great side dish, has a unique refreshing taste, and is perfect for hot weather picnics.  The sesame oil is optional, but it does give the dish a deeper dimension.

KOREAN CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients:

2-3 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1-2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon of sesame oil (optional)

dash of ground (cayenne) red pepper

Peel and remove one end of the cucumbers.  Retaining one end provides a “handle” that can be used while slicing.

Slice the cucumbers thinly, about 1/8” thick, using a sharp knife.

Place the sliced cucumbers in a sealable plastic container.

Combine all ingredients.  I only use 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar.  Some like to add a few diced onions and/or a dash of ground black pepper, too.  Toss to coat the cucumbers.  You may have to play around with the ground red pepper until the amount suits your personal preference.

While some people like to serve the dish immediately, I’ve found that it improves if allowed to sit, refrigerated, for a few hours, permitting the cucumbers to marinate.  Look at the difference of the cucumbers in this picture with the post's lead photo, which shows cucumbers that have marinated for a couple of days.

Zucchini Crisp

Everyone has been there.  You get out of your car in a parking lot.  It could be at work or at church.  It could even be in your own driveway.  You see a flash of color and hear the rustle of a plastic grocery bag.  You pretend not to notice.  Deliberately keeping your head down, you move toward your targeted destination.

“Hey!  Dave!  I have something for you!”  You look up and accidentally make eye contact.  It’s too late.  You are doomed.

“Would you like a zucchini from my garden?” the assailant cunningly proposes.  You agree, hoping that taking one will satisfy, but the affirmative response only fuels their salesmanship.

“Oh, have two…they’re small,” they say, as two green squash the size of sea manatees are thrust into your empty hands.  “In fact, take all three!”

By this time I had made the fatal error of being next to a flat surface, and even though I was out of empty hands, the third emerald gourd was laid at my side quicker than a rattlesnake strike.  Just as rapid was the retreat of my produce-purveyor friend.

“Thanks, Deb,” I mumbled, as I mentally admitted defeat.

Let’s face it.  There is really no avoiding these scenarios at this time of the year.  Home gardeners all over our region are growing zucchini and they’re checking them twice:  in the morning and in the afternoon.  That’s because these insidious squash are growing explosively right now.  They love the heat.  To compound the problem, home gardeners are invested in what they produce.  They simply cannot just throw them away.  They have to give them to someone.  Yes, we’re doomed.  Don’t think that you can throw them away, either.  Someone I know tossed several zucchini in his compost pile and he was cursed with his own bumper crop!

The purpose of this blog post, a public service announcement of sorts, is to give you new and creative ways to deal with the attack of the zucchini.  This week is #1.

ZUCCHINI CRISP

Farmer Jay, at Renninger’s Farm, gave me several leads for zucchini recipes, and this one comes from Linda Fryer, Royersford.  She was excited to give me a couple of recipes, but this got my immediate attention.  “It tastes just like apple crisp,” she wrote in her email.  I had to try it.  I decided to use Linda’s method of “apple-izing” the zucchini and my own favorite combination for the crumbs.

Ingredients:

8 cups of peeled, de-seeded zucchini cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup sugar

¾ cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the crumbs:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup oatmeal

½ pound cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes

To obtain 8 cups of zucchini, I used two squash:  one was about a foot long, and the other, a whopping 15 inches.

Peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler and cut off the ends.

Cut the zucchini in half, lengthwise.

Scrape out the entire core, with the seeds, using a spoon.  Scraping works.  Don’t try to gouge it out in one piece.  Scraping a little at a time worked the best.

Slice each half of the zucchini into long strips and then into bite-size pieces.

Place the zucchini, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and cook on medium to medium high heat until tender.  Stir occasionally.  (It’s already starting to smell like apple pie!)

Preheat your oven to 350°.

While the apples, I mean zucchini…while the zucchini is cooking, make the crumbs.  Combine ingredients in an electric mixer, food processor, or just cut in the butter with two forks until crumbs are formed.  If you only have salted butter, don’t add extra salt.  I made the crumbs combining everything except the oatmeal and then added it after the crumbs formed.

I halved the recipe and used an 8"x8" pan.

Place about two cups of the crumb mixture in a 9”x13” baking dish and press the crumbs into place.  (I used the flat bottom of my measuring cup.)  Bake this bottom layer for 7-10 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn brown.  While still hot, and while the zucchini is still hot, spread it over the baked crumb “crust.”  Distribute the remaining crumbs on top and bake for another 30 minutes.

Just out of the oven

Unbelievably, the zucchini does indeed taste just like apples.  I sincerely believe that in a blind taste test no one could tell the difference.  Now if I only had some vanilla ice cream….

My initial attempt was made using Linda’s crumb recipe, (see below for the ingredients).  Linda's crumbs are more traditional and didn’t readily caramelize.  When it came out of the oven, the top was only slightly browned.  I put the broiler on for about 3 minutes to brown the top (see below).

LINDA FRYER’S ZUCCHINI CRISP CRUMB MIXTURE

The crumbs from this recipe are of a more traditional variety.  They are drier and
don't brown as readily.  I put the broiler element on for a few minutes and browned the crumb topping.

Ingredients (for 9"x13" pan):

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3 Tablespoons butter*

Make the zucchini in the same manner as above.  Place about half of the crumb mixture in a 9"x13" baking dish and press it into place.  Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.  Pour the zucchini on top of this and add the rest of the crumb mixture, spreading it on top.  Back for another 30 minutes at 350°.

*You may want to try at least a ¼ lb. of butter.

Cantaloupe Soup

Okay, I admit it.  I needed a super easy recipe this week.  Preparing for Vacation Bible School at PFC has taken up just about every minute.  So here it is:  Cantaloupe Soup.

I hope your reaction doesn’t match my uncle’s.  I picked him up at the doctor’s office this week and he asked what recipe I was working on.  When I told him, not one to mince words or hide his emotions, he replied, “Cantaloupe Soup?  That doesn’t sound good!”

I explained that it was served cold and that it is very refreshing, but he was not to be swayed.  “That’s as bad as trying to make bread out of zucchini!”

I wasn’t about to tell him that Zucchini Bread is a future post.

All you need this week is a cantaloupe (obviously), a little orange juice, lime juice, and ground cinnamon…and a blender or food processor.  And that’s about all you need to know, but here is the recipe, adapted from allrecipes.com.

CANTALOUPE SOUP

1 cantaloupe, de-seeded, and cubed

1 cup orange juice

1 Tablespoon lime juice

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

If you want to serve the soup immediately, the cantaloupe should be chilled.  Combine the cubed cantaloupe and ½ of the orange juice in a blender or food processor.  If it doesn’t all fit in one blending, use the remaining orange juice for a second blending.  Pour into a large serving bowl and add the lime juice and cinnamon.  Stir thoroughly and serve topped with fresh mint leaves, if desired.  Keep chilled until served.

We first had cantaloupe soup at a restaurant in St. Michael’s Maryland several summers ago.  It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s refreshingly delicious.  Try it.  If you like cantaloupe, you’ll love it!

Bits & Pieces

This week rolled around quickly.  It’s not that I haven’t cooked or even had a plan for a post, but preparations for our upcoming Vacation Bible School at Parker Ford Church have been a little consuming.  Our theme this year is “Hometown Nazareth, Where Jesus Was a Kid.”  The week will focus on providing the kids with experiences from Bible times that will help them identify with Jesus as an actual kid.  One of those experiences will be…you guessed it:  food!  The children who attend will experience some of the same foods that Jesus ate…not 2,000 years old, of course.  I think that the only food that Jesus actually ate that would still be edible is honey.  It’s true.  Honey has no expiration date.  It’s an incredible food, and deserving of its very own post…but not this week.

Today I’m going to throw together a bumper crop of bits and pieces.  For those of you who have a touch of ADD, this will not be a problem.  For the rest of you, hang on.

STRAWBERRY PIE UPDATE
(click on any picture in blog to enlarge)

Third time’s a charm, right?  That’s how many times it took me to get it right.  I’m now convinced that when I doubled Grammy Renninger’s recipe, I did not double the cornstarch.  The result was a landslide…literally…of strawberries cascading from any semblance of slice-shaped piece of pie.

Attempt #2, (in addition to the correct amount of cornstarch), also included my first attempt ever at piecrust.

Not too shabby, but there is room for improvement.  It wasn’t quite moist enough necessitating several “crust repairs.”

The finished pie was much improved, but still a little “loose.”

Time was of the essence for try #3, so I reverted to a store-bought crust.  I increased the amount of cornstarch in the original recipe (3 Tablespoons), by adding an additional teaspoon.  That seemed to do the trick.  However, when filling the baked crust, I misjudged the amount of berries and the pie filling began to run over the sides.  I did what any pastry chef would have done.  I started to eat strawberries!

The pie was saved and the result was just right.

PATRIOTIC PARFAITS

I had this dessert all ready to go as a July 4^th post, but miscalculated by one week, so here it is.  (It seemed convoluted to save it for Labor Day.)  It’s incredibly simple and a perfect summertime dessert; not too heavy and filled with in-season fruit.

Mix 2 parts Cool Whip to one part unflavored or vanilla yogurt.  Whip until well-blended.  Layer fruit and mixture, topping with fresh fruit.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

KEEPING PICNIC FOOD COOL IN THE SUMMER

In a previous post, I told you about my friend, Don Trauger, who has a unique way to keep cold any picnic food that requires refrigeration.  Don invited his Sunday School class to his house for a picnic several weeks ago, and Don and his wife, Sandy provided an amazing spread.  

Check out the picture of Don and his application of two old sand or water tables from a pre-school.  They are lined with plastic and filled with ice.  Perfect!  And what a great idea!

PICKLED RED BEETS

Red beets are available now and will continue to be fresh through early winter.  Simply cooking the beets and serving them with a little butter and salt is a great way to enjoy them.  My mother has a great recipe for Harvard Beets, but that is more of a fall or winter dish.  Pickling them is incredibly easy, and if you throw in a few hardboiled eggs to pickle along with the beets, you’ll make friends.  I try to usually have pickled beets and eggs available for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas.  The beets above look huge, but are only slightly larger than ping pong balls.  They came from Renninger's Farm and were delicious.

Ingredients:

Equal parts of water, white vinegar, and sugar (start with 1 cup of each)

2 small bunches of fresh red beets (approx. 6-8 beets)

whole cloves

hardboiled eggs (optional)

Start by cutting off the tops of the beets.  Some people like to cook and serve beet greens, but I’ve never tried it.  Cut the leaves off just above the top of the red beet.  Put the beets in a saucepan and cover them with cold water.  The tops of the beets should be covered by about an inch of water.  Heat the beets to boiling, then reduce the heat, allowing a gentle boil.

While the beets are cooking, prepare the pickling solution.  A good starting point is one cup each of water, white vinegar, and white sugar.  Bring this to a boil, stirring occasionally to make certain the sugar is dissolving.  When the liquid is clear, turn off the burner and allow the liquid to sit.

 Occasionally test the beets with a cake tester.  When the tester pierces them without resistance, drain the beets and allow them to sit and cool.  After red beets have been cooked and allowed to cool, they can be peeled easily.  

Never use a vegetable peeler or knife to peel red beets.  Simply squeeze and rub the beet in your hands.  The outer skin will just come off, and the beet top will detach cleanly and effortlessly.  Cut the fibrous top off of the beets as well as the root tip if still attached.  You can pickle them whole, halve them, or slice the beets, depending on their size.  Place the beets in the container you’ll be using for pickling.  (Remember to allow sufficient space for hardboiled eggs if you desire.)  Pour the pickling solution over the beets and add 6-8 whole cloves.  If the liquid is still hot, that’s fine.  Refrigerate and wait at least 3-4 hours before serving.

Hard boiling eggs is one of those inexact sciences…at least to me.  Many people have given me insights, tips, and tricks, but I haven’t found one method that works all the time.  This is the best I have.   Give it a try if you’d like to include pickled eggs with your beets.

HARDBOILING EGGS

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover them with at least one inch of cold water.  Bring the water to a boil and almost immediately, reduce the heat to “low.”  Allow the eggs to sit in the hot water for an additional ten minutes.  During this time, prepare an ice water bath.  Use a slotted spoon to place the eggs in the ice water for one minute.  Remove the eggs and begin cracking them all sides by gently striking them on a cutting board or paper towel on your counter top.  Return the eggs to the water bath for an additional five minutes.  Pour off the ice water.  The eggs should peel without difficulty, and the yolks will be bright yellow and not discolored.

It seems as though whenever I attempt to use eggs from our chickens I have difficulty.  The shells just don’t want to come off.  However, if I use store-bought eggs, they generally hard-boil well.  Someone told me that this is because eggs in the grocery store have “been around” for a week or two.  In essence, the permeable membrane that an eggshell is, allows some moisture to escape and the eggs actually begins to slightly dry out.  If you’ve ever placed raw eggs in water and noticed that they stand on end, it’s because the air space has positioned itself at the top of the egg and is somewhat “locked” in place.  Check it out!

Refreshing Summer Beverages

When you think of being outside at this time of the year, either sitting on the patio or lying in the hammock, what makes the experience complete?  Your favorite book in one hand, right?  But what’s that in the other hand?  Your favorite beverage, of course!  This week I’m rolling out a slew of recipes for beating the heat.

Francine Latshaw was a lifesaver in the summertime…at least to those of us who worked at Mowrey-Latshaw Hardware Company.  This was in the seventies, before an air conditioner had been installed in the Spring City store.  I began to work at “The Hardware,” as we called it, shortly after my parents’ bakery closed in 1974.  I came home from college on weekends in order to work in the store on Saturdays and also worked there in the summertime.  It was on those hot, 95°+ summer days that Francine would often rescue us.  She’d stop by the store to check in with “Dickie,” her husband and one of the Latshaw brothers.  Richard Latshaw was very business-like, and was also the president of Spring City Borough Council.  No one else called him “Dickie.”

Mowrey-Latshaw Hardware Company, Inc., 77 N. Main, Spring City, PA
Photo courtesy William C. Brunner, Spring-Ford Area Historical Society

“How can you boys stand it in here?” Francie would ask us, not really expecting an answer.  “It’s sweltering!”  She would disappear for about an hour and a half and return with a wide mouth jar filled with icy homemade lemonade.  She used the same jar every time.  It was squarish with a wide mouth and a green screw-on lid made of metal.  It was extremely difficult to pour from, but we were always careful not to lose a single drop.  I don’t have Francine Latshaw’s lemonade recipe, but I do have two I like for pink lemonade.  I can’t help but think of her and those hot days at “The Hardware” when I drink it.  It tastes even better if you’ve worked up a sweat.

PINK LEMONADE I

Ingredients (makes about a gallon):

1¾ cups granulated sugar

2 cups water

2 cups fresh lemon juice (approx. 4-6 lemons)

2 cups cranberry juice

8 cups of ice water

Directions:

In a saucepan, heat 2 cups of water and 1¾ cups of sugar until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.

Fill a half-gallon container (8 cups) with ice cubes, topping it off with cold water.

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher.  Garnish with lemon slices.  Adjust the sugar if you like your lemonade sweeter or more tart.

The origin of pink lemonade is shrouded in mystery.  I found at least five stories.  They included everything from red cinnamon hearts accidentally finding their way into a pitcher of lemonade to the first pink lemonade actually being grapefruit juice.  It was renamed, so goes this legend, because no one wanted to buy what they thought would be sour grapefruit juice.  My favorite goes back to 1857 when Pete Conklin, a man who operated the lemonade and peanut concession at a circus ran out of water for making lemonade.  The only water on hand was found in a tub that the bareback rider used to wash her red tights.  The pink tinge didn’t faze Conklin. He just called the result “Strawberry Lemonade,” effectively doubling his sales.

This recipe uses actual strawberries.

PINK LEMONADE II

Ingredients (makes about a gallon):

1¾ cups granulated sugar

2 cups water

2 cups fresh lemon juice

1 to 1½ cups of strawberries (fresh or frozen)

8 cups ice water

Directions:

Place the strawberries in a saucepan and mash them thoroughly.  Add the sugar and two cups of water and heat to boiling.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer for five minutes.  Allow to cool for about ten minutes.

Fill a half-gallon (8 cups) container with ice cubes, topping it off with cold water.

Strain the cooked strawberry mixture through a sieve, discarding the pulp.  Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher.  Garnish with lemon slices.

DAVE’S LO-CAL DECAFFEINATED ARNOLD PALMER

One of the biggest problems with summer beverages is the amount of sugar they contain.  While my two recipes for pink lemonade contain a lot of sugar, the concentration is still less than typical soft drinks.  Another problem for me is caffeine.  I don’t drink much that contains caffeine, with the exception of iced tea.  However, drinking it with dinner or later in the evening will often keep me awake at night.  My Arnold Palmer recipe contains no caffeine and no sugar, and is about 5 calories a glass.  If you have a problem with a little aspartame, skip this one.

The story of Arnold Palmer, the beverage, is a short one.  Palmer liked to mix iced tea and lemonade, half and half.  In fact, that is what it was originally called:  “Half and Half.”  He liked it so much, word spread from clubhouse to clubhouse.  Eventually they named the combination after him.  I don’t think it’s copyrighted, but he does now market the beverage.  It’s known as “Arnold Palmer Tee,” and that’s an official trademark.

Because I make this beverage all year long, I like to vary the flavored herbal tea bags I use so that my taste buds don’t get acclimated to a single flavor.  Favorites include:  Trader Joe’s Mango Black Tea and Pomegranate White Tea, Bigelow’s Perfect Peach, and The Republic of Tea’s Ginger Peach.

Ingredients:

2-4 flavored herbal tea bags

8 decaffeinated tea bags

1 packet of Stevia Extract

1 packet for making 2 quarts (64 oz.) Crystal Light Lemonade

water and ice

Directions:

Heat a half gallon of water to boiling.  Remove from heat and add tea bags.  Allow to steep for at least 20 minutes.  Fill a gallon pitcher about half full of ice cubes.  Add one pack of Stevia Extract, (an organic sweetener), and one pack of Crystal Light Lemonade mix (to make two quarts or 64 oz.)  Remove and drain the tea bags.  Pour the tea over the ice.  If necessary, add additional ice cubes to bring to a full gallon.

Stevia Extract is more concentrated than sugar and a single packet packs the punch of a half cup of sugar.  I didn’t know this the first time I used it, and put 8 packets in my Arnold Palmer recipe.  Whoa!  Arnold would have flipped his golf cart.  It had to go down the drain.

SMOOTHIES

Now for some fun…not that Arnold Palmer and lemonade made with wash water isn’t.  Smoothies give you the chance to be the mad scientist you’ve always wanted to be in the kitchen.  You almost can’t ruin a smoothie.  If the ingredients sound like they’d be good together, they will be.  For this portion of this week’s post, I consulted another "Dad in the Kitchen," and the King of the Smoothies, Chad Neiswender.  Although, according to Chad, his most recent smoothie-making has consisted of baby formula and water.  Chad is the physical education instructor at Royersford Elementary and was always game to try anything.  One day for morning announcements I asked Chad to go outside with a microphone and do a fall foliage report.  He didn’t bat an eye, and proceeded to report on the one tree that was in view of the camera.  I thought it was the funniest thing ever, and I’m sure I enjoyed it more than anyone.  Chad also helped me run over a gingerbread house with my car, but that’s a story for another time…maybe Christmas.

Upper left:  Making a smoothie live on the set of the RES Holiday Morning Show;
Below:  Chad and fellow teacher, Heather Weise, getting ready to try out Heather's Easy Bake Oven
(I think the infamous bottle of peppermint extract is on the counter in front of them!)

Speaking of Christmas, on the last school day before Christmas break, we’d usually broadcast a holiday morning show using the school’s closed circuit television system.  The show featured a variety of holiday segments including gift ideas, crafts and recipes.  Chad would always come through with a smoothie recipe.  One year, he planned a peppermint smoothie but misplaced his measuring spoons.  As a result, the smoothie was significantly overindulged with peppermint extract.  I was the recipient of a taste test and had fresh breath for a week!

One of Chad’s smoothie recipes follows, but here is how to make a basic fruit smoothie.  Following the same basic ingredients and adding the fruit of your choice will almost definitely yield positive results.

BASIC FRUIT SMOOTHIE

(Strawberry-Banana)

"Before"

Ingredients (make a large serving):

½ cup orange juice

1 cup strawberries

½ to 1 banana

½ cup milk or ½ cup of yogurt or ½ cup vanilla ice cream

1 cup ice cubes

"After"

Put everything in a blender and blend.  In the words of Ron Popeil, “It’s just that simple!”

CHAD NEISWENDER’S FRUIT SMOOTHIE

Ingredients (makes about 4 servings):

Smoothie Ingredients:

1 banana

1 cup frozen peaches

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup frozen cherries

4 ice cubes

½ cup orange juice

¾ cup vanilla yogurt

½ teaspoon honey (optional)

           

Garnish Ingredients:

3 pieces of honey dew

3 pieces of watermelon

3 pieces of cantaloupe

           

Directions:

           

Place the banana, strawberries, peaches, cherries, and ice cubes into a blender. Pour in the orange juice, vanilla yogurt, and honey. Puree until smooth. Using a melon baller, garnish smoothie with a fresh fruit kabob of honey dew, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

Here are two more quasi-smoothie recipes for those hot summer days.  I say “quasi” because they don’t contain fruit.  We can’t always be good.

OREO SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

5 Oreo™ cookies

½ cup milk

2 scoops of vanilla ice cream

Finely grind the Oreo cookies in a blender or food processor.  In most blenders, you can only grind two or three cookies before the bottom starts to clog.  The fun part is revving up the blender and dropping the cookies, one at a time, through the hole in the lid.  Cover the opening immediately as Oreo pieces have been known to launch  Put the ground Oreos aside, (about ½ cup), and add the milk and ice cream to the blender.  Blend until just mixed together and then add the Oreos.  Again, blend until just mixed.  Serve with a straw.  This is like drinking an Oreo cookie!  Try adding some Crème de Menthe for a mint Oreo smoothie.

ROOT BEER FLOAT SMOOTHIE

The history of this summer beverage goes back to the days when I was working alongside my dad at Latshaw’s Bakery.  I found a blender in the kitchen equipment of what had been the family seafood restaurant.  The restaurant had operated for many years along with the bakery.  (Guess where the dinner rolls came from?)  I knew nothing about blenders, so I tried adding 8 oz. of Coca Cola, (still in glass bottles at the time), and two scoops of Nelson’s vanilla ice cream, (which we also sold at the bakery).  The result was heavenly, and when working beside a hot “bake oven,” very refreshing.  This one is made using root beer, so there’s no caffeine.  I can still hear my dad saying, “Daver, make me one of your special shakes.”

Ingredients:

1 bottle (12 oz.) root beer

2 scoops of vanilla ice cream

Put the root beer and then the ice cream in a blender.  After an initial blending, you may have to shake or stir to allow the two ingredients to fully blend as the ice cream has a tendency to float on top.  (That’s why it’s called a “float.”)  This is also delicious, and “goes down” very easily.

There are many more summer beverages, but this post is already too long.  Happy Fourth of July!