Root Beer Float Slushie

Well it has been pretty warm around these here parts. Some might even say TOO warm, but it is definitely warm enough to find some new refreshing treats to help everyone stay cool out there. My girls love root beer floats and I was wondering if we could use our ice cream maker to create some kind of root beer float slushie.  Fast forward to a few ingredients later, and I think we found ourselves a winner!

Cool, creamy and frosty, behold the root beer float slushie

So all you need is your Cuisinart 2-quart electric ice cream maker, and a chilled inner canister.  You will need the following three ingredients:

4 1/2 cups of your favorite root beer
1 cup of heavy cream
3/4  cup of sugar

Pour the 4 1/2 cups of root beer into a measuring cup.

Add the 1 cup of heavy cream and the 3/4 cup of sugar into a larger bowl. Once they are mixed together and the sugar is dissolved, pour the entire concoction into your chilled inner ice cream canister for your machine, place the stirring paddle, place the lid on securely, and turn on the machine for 22 min.

Churn baby Churn!

Once finished, turn the machine off and start scooping the frosty goodness into the nearest glass...

The consistency of a Slurpee, the awesome taste of a root beer float

The heavy cream and sugar have mixed together during the spin time, to give it that mock ice cream flavor, and the carbonation in the root beer stays bubbly and fun.  Hand these off to some near by small fry and you will have some happy smiles... Oh, here are some small fry now.

They lovely ladies had almost finished theirs before I could even snap a picture

Here's some close ups of our root beer-y goodness

Frothy, root beer and cream flavors come shining through

We just loved the way this turned out.

You know you want a root beer slushie right this minute, don't you!

Oh and by they way, after we had our fill, we still had a bit of this deliciousness left over.  So I put it in a container with a lid and put the whole thing in the freezer for later, when hubby and my other daughter would be home.   The thing that makes this different than freezing ice cream, is that it never really hardens into a scoop-able ice cream, the soda factor makes it freeze almost as is.  So when they came back later, I could just scoop and scrape out more into the cup and it still had the texture of a slushie.  
Now if you are saying to yourself, darn, this looks delicious, but I don't have me one of them fancy 2-quart ice cream makers.  My question to you is... WHY?  You need one of these handy dandy machines, like now.  We made ours a gift for my hubby for father's day three years ago, and we have made so many homemade ice creams and treats using this bad boy since.  I seriously have not bought ice cream now in years.  We make it fresh, we know all the ingredients that go into it (often using seasonal fruit and fruits from our own garden), and we are always experimenting with new ideas and flavors, and now refreshing beverages. Hence, the birth of the root beer slushie.    
Enjoy!!

Hot Mulled Apple Cider

Need a warm drink to serve to family and friends this season?  Our gated community has this annual tradition where one night in December there will be some porches throughout the neighborhood that hand out holiday beverages and snacks. Everyone walks around visiting and admiring each others Christmas displays. The snacks on each porch are different.  Some have eggnog and treats, some have cocoa and gingerbread.  Santa photo ops, candy, and cookies are yet on another porch, and my porch is now famous for my mulled hot apple cider.  People come back year after year saying how they've been looking forward to my cider, so that makes it a sure-fire winner in my book.  We also love to make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas when the family is together.

Hot mulled apple cider - always a crowd favorite

This recipe is great for a large gathering or party because it simmers for a few hours until serving time, and as people start to drink it, you can add more juice as you go along, thus stretching it out to serve more people.  You can make this in a big pot on the back of the stove or in a crock pot to save counter space.  Gather the following ingredients: (Full printable recipe at the end of the post)

2 large containers apple juice (96oz 3 full quarts each)
3/4 cup brown sugar
cheesecloth
cinnamon sticks
whole all spice berries
whole cloves
2 oranges

Start with one 96oz container of apple juice and pour it into your pot.  You want to fill it up about 1 1/2 inches from the top.  Depending on the size of your pot you can add more juice from your second container.  I keep the extra juice on hand to refill the cider and also to cool down any kid's cups.

This recipe is very kid friendly as well - apple juice is the base

Next add 3/4 cup brown sugar and stir together

The creepy dark blob at the bottom is the brown sugar slow spreading out

Next you want to cut off a section of cheesecloth about 12 inches long.  Cheese cloth can be found in the baking and sometimes cookware sections of most stores.  I have also found it randomly hanging in aisles as a bonus display item throughout the store, so keep your eyes peeled.  If I find some I stock up and grab a few because when it comes time and I actually need them, they are no where to be found.  Get your 12 inches of cheesecloth wet, wring it out, and lay it on the counter.

Cheese cloth.  See-through mesh that lets you add flavor without chunks in your food!

Next, take four medium cinnamon sticks and break them in half and lay them in the middle of the cheesecloth.  Add exactly thirteen whole allspice berries.  Not twelve, not fourteen.  Thirteen.  I don't know why this exact number is true, but I have added more one time on a whim and the cider takes on a weird strong spice taste, so thirteen is the magical number.

This will make your house smell wonderful, by the way

Next you want to roll up your spices in the cheesecloth.  Try to seal them into the center of the cloth.  Then tie up the long sides in a simple X knot.  Place this spice packet into the apple juice in the pot.

The cheesecloth will let the spices "mull" into the juice, changing into cider

Next you want to grab two oranges and some whole cloves

Two more lovely smells that add to the holidays

Take whole cloves and push them into the peel of the orange. Put a clove about every 1 inch all the way around.  Sometimes the tops of the cloves are sharp, so I use a paper towel to help push them in without hurting myself.  Once there are cloves all the way around I will cut the orange in half, and then cut each side into three slices

Your hands will smell delicious after this by the way

Do this for both oranges.  Now as you put each slice in the pot, squeeze out some of the orange juice and try to throw the slices in clove side down.  They will roll around no matter what you do, so don't worry about it too much.

Once all the oranges are in (and your spice pack is totally submerged underneath them in the liquid) turn on your burner to medium low and keep an eye on it.  It's okay to bring it to almost a boil then back it off to medium low.  If you have a crock pot, set it on low.  You don't want this to boil, or even simmer, but to just get warm and toasty for at least three hours as the spices start to spread througout. Feel free to stir from time to time.

After about 3 hours of mulling, your house will smell fabulous and your cider is ready to serve.  Like I said, as people start to scoop out mugs you can slowly add more juice in.  I keep the pot on "low" for the whole party.  If it's too hot for kids, cool it off with some extra apple juice.  After the party you can save the left overs in a pitcher in the fridge and heat it up for single servings the next day in the microwave. Toss the used bag of cheesecloth with the spices away, but here's a tip: Save the left over orange wedges and put them in your garbage disposal to make it smell nice. Here are some shots by the way of the last four years of our porch during the neighborhood "Holiday Happenings".

We would have Christmas music playing on the radio, and I would keep the mulled cider warm on the side burner of the BBQ. People would come and visit for a few and move on to the next house.  It was a great way to meet new people in the neighborhood too.  All in all it has been a a very nice holiday tradition.  Enjoy the cider!  Full printable recipe found here.