Root Beer Float Punch Bowl

Warning!

The following photo does not show this delicious treat in the best light.....

But trust me, this is delicious! It is also fun and a great way to have root beer floats for a large group. I have offered this treat at work during out tenant lunches. It is the first thing gone from the buffet table. Ignoring the photo, because it is a fact, brown is not a good color to photograph, but check out the easy directions below!

Root Beer Float Punch aka "Ugly Mutt" Punch!

by the seat of my pants!

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, let soften a bit for easy scooping

2 2 liter bottles of root beer

whipped cream, if desire

Gently pour one of the bottles of root beer into your punch bowl. Top with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Carefully add the remaining bottle of root beer.

Ladle into glasses, add a straw and some whipped cream for a festive touch, then enjoy!

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Garden Harvest Swiss Chard

Let's make some dinner,

Garden Harvest Swiss Chard
by the seat of my pants!

1 bunch of Swiss Chard
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, sliced or 1 thick slice of regular onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil
sea salt and fresh pepper

De-rib the chard. Cut ribs in thin slices, and green leaves in 1' squares (I prefer square pieces to shreds)

Saute the ribs, red pepper, onions and garlic in olive oil. When fragrant, add the green leaves and 1 T water. Cover and let steam 2-3 minutes.

Remove cover, turn up the burner to cook off any excess liquid and serve immediately with salt and pepper.

Yum!

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Not a Fancy Name No Bake Cookies!

I love these cookies, but I don't make them all time. The reason? They are my secret weapon. Yep, this is the recipe I pull out when I need something delicious NOW. We should clarify, I don't need them personally like a craving (but they are definitely crave-worthy!). No these I save for those times I need something for the family to enjoy and I just don't have the time to invest in a complicated recipe.

tip:  Put a thick towel down and then the wax paper. You won't leave white marks on you wooden table top. These cookies are hot right after dropping on the wax paper. 

Not A Fancy Name No Bake Cookies

adapted from: a recipe found in a magazine so many years ago. Original author/creator thanked many times over!

Makes 2 1/2 - 3 dozen drops

Prepare the wax paper, before beginning to cook the cookies. 

2 c sugar

1/2 c butter

1/2 c milk

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa

1/2 c peanut butter

2 t vanilla

1/2 c coconut

1 c chopped walnuts 

3 c rolled oats (I do use quick oats for this treat)

2 c mini marshmallows

Bring the sugar, butter, milk and cocoa to a boil, boil 1 minute. 

Remove from heat, stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the dry ingredients, until mix thoroughly, then stir in the marshmallows. 

Quickly drop on wax paper in mounds (about 1 T). Let cool. 

Then the only thing left after washing the pan, is to enjoy enjoy enjoy!

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Julia's Beans

This is another recipe from my little binder of recipes. The ones good enough to make again and again. I found this recipe in a magazine article about Julia Child, so many years ago, I no longer recall the publication. One of my first cookbooks that I needed to "own" was Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Now truth be told, I never cooked from that book as the food itself did not call out to me at that time. I was a very young bride, with an even smaller understanding about food from different countries and cultures.At that point all the food I had eaten had been "American". It took many years to understand that all along my folks enjoy food from many different countries. Many of the recipes and dishes of food on our own table each Sunday was in fact from another country.

But these beans were from her years after retirement when she had a good time simply being Julia Child. They are classic American food, and the plus is that they are easy to make as well as delicious to eat. In this household we enjoy cold beans along side our sandwiches or just as a side dish. My husband most of all, so these being a bit on the sweet side is a plus. Think Pork and Beans, but better....

Julia's Beans
adapted from: a magazine article with this recipe, sooo long ago
serves 8-10

1 pound small pea beans (great northern work nicely also) soaked overnight, drained well
1 T salt ( I usually cut back on the salt and add a little ham base)
2 T molasses
6 T sugar
1/2 pound salt pork cut into small chunks ( I have never used this and have never missed it....)
4 c water
1 onion left whole

Place beans and onion in a large pot, add the water. Bring to a boil, simmer 1 hour.

Transfer to a crockpot, add remaining ingredients, stir well. Cool on low 8 hours, or until done.

 Before serving discard the onion. Enjoy!

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Simple Roasted Pepper Salad

We love peppers, and we love grilling. It is no coincidence that we also love roasted peppers. When they hit the market in the winter and the price is fair, we roast up a batch of peppers. Frequently they are best, when dressed in a simple fashion.

Roasted Peppers dressed in lemon, olive oil and green olives
Cafe Created
serves 2 or 3

3 peppers roasted, peeled and cut into strips
1 - 2 T lemon juice
2-3 T olive oil
4-6 green olives, cut in half and sliced thin
Salt and Pepper to taste

Layer peppers in a flat dish. Add slices olives. Drizzle with the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Serve at room temperature.

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Whole Wheat and Honey Sandwich loaf

This was not the bread I was going to write up, praise and post about today. But kitchen life has moments that one does not have control over, and when that happens, redirect, focus, use your resources and move forward......

I love bread. Love it! I have so many cookbooks about bread, I could write nothing but a bread themed blog. Years ago I baked all of our bread. We were a farm style white bread family at that time. And still I make that type of loaf today, especially at the holidays. You cannot beat cinnamon toast on rich egg bread, not to mention french toast or a bread pudding when the end of the loaf is in sight.

Always through the years I had a strong desire to use whole grains as the primary flour in bread making. But whole wheat flour in a bag, on the shelf, in the grocery store tasted bitter to me. This alone was a big factor in not baking from whole grains. But I never gave up on the desire to use whole grains, and I am so glad I did not.

The flour grinder was worth the investment. Also through the years I have purchased and played with just about every piece of kitchen equipment and gadget. But until now, never a grain mill. Why did I wait so long? Yes price was an issue, a good mill can cost hundreds of dollars, and my concern in the early years was that the investment would not pan out........

I am so happy I was wrong. Bread baking is a joint effort in this home. We enjoy the entire process and partner in the kitchen to get it done. Good times and great food. And now let me present this easy Whole Wheat and Honey Sandwich loaf, and next time I will use a longer loaf pan. These sandwiches would not fit in a standard sandwich bag.....

Whole Wheat and Honey Sandwich loaf
adapted from:  Noble Pig
makes 2 loaves

61/2 - 7 c whole wheat flour - divided (we use spelt flour)
2 1/2 c lukewarm water
2 T or 2 packages yeast

1/3 c oil
1/3 c honey
1 T salt
juice of 1/2 medium sized lemon

In a large mixer bowl, add 4 c of the flour, water and yeast. Mix until smooth.

Add oil, honey, salt and lemon juice.

Add 2 1/2 c more flour and mix until smooth, adding the final 1/2 c flour if dough seems too wet. Knead for 10 minutes.

Prepare 2 large loaf pans, divide dough (it is sticky) equally. Let rise 30-45 minutes or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, bake 30 minutes or until done in your oven.

Loaves should should sound hollow when tapped with a knuckle.

Enjoy!

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5 Minute Brownies, revisit an old favorite!

I have been making these brownies for ages! They originally came from the side of the Hershey's can, I think, but no matter they are delicious, easy, economical and we made them again last night. They aren't much more difficult than a box mix, so, make some already!

I have them titled in my aging recipe binder as 5 Minute Brownies, which leads me to believe they were part of a recipe series. Not too long ago I shared a delicious 5 Minute Chocolate Cake. And they really don't take much more time than that. All mixing is done by hand.

Brownies
adapted from Hershey's (I think)
makes 1 9X13 pan
350 degree oven

3/4 c cocoa
1/2 t soda
2/3 c oil - divided
1/2 boiling water
2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

1 c broken walnuts - if desire


In a large bowl, combine cocoa, soda and 1/3 c of the oil.

Add boiling water. Mixture will foam up.











Add the remaining 1/3 c oil, and sugar beating well. Add eggs and vanilla, beat again.  Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in until mixture is smooth and no dry pockets remain.

Turn into a prepared 9X13 pan, sprinkle with nuts.

Bake 35 - 40 minutes or until done in your oven. Let cool, cut into bars.

Enjoy!

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

For more great recipes, come and visit us at Our Sunday Cafe!