Happy Labor Day!

by Andrea Renee Cox

Today is Labor Day, so tell me:

How are spending Labor Day?

Are you having a barbecue?

Is your day being shared with friends or family?

Are you able to enjoy a day off from work?

July Celebrations... and a Recipe!

By Andrea Renee Cox

The first week of July is always exciting for me. My sister celebrates her birthday, and our country celebrates its independence. Cake and fireworks. Celebrations don’t get much better. Since we live in town, we decided to try something new this year. On the fourth, we drove out to the country and found a great spot to pull off the road where we had a great view of several different bursts of fireworks. It was practically a panoramic view. Oh, they were beautiful! We were far enough away where we couldn’t hear the loudness of them, which is my least favorite part, but the variety of colors took my breath away.

On the fifth, my family had a barbecue and invited a family who are great friends of ours. Chicken and hot dogs, pasta salad, healthy cheese-less mac & cheese (trust me, it’s delicious!), fruit salad, and several desserts were laid out and enjoyed. Conversation flowed through our living room, along with laughter. We had a great time.

The reason we had our party on the fifth was because our town held its fireworks show that day. After we ate and the sky grew dark, we sprayed with bug spray (crucial in this summer of chiggers!) and sat in chairs in the grass by the railroad tracks. (Don't worry. There weren't any trains coming.) From there, we had a great view of the fireworks the city shot off from the high school. It was another beautiful show. There was a new firework I hadn’t seen before. It appeared to be a small white cloud when it burst. Very cute but kind of puzzling.

Getting together with friends for any celebration, or even just because, never gets old. Fun times and happy memories are always to be had. I like this new tradition we’ve started, having a barbecue for the Fourth of July (this year, on the fifth) with another family in town. Hopefully we’ll be able to continue these fun times for many more years to come.

I tried a few new dessert recipes this year. I’ve already shared my root beer float cookies with you. Here’s another one that my family and friends really liked. It’s definitely a keeper. Not only that, but it may be adapted for nearly any celebration with just a few alterations.

RED, WHITE, ’N’ BLUE SALAD

Red, White, 'N' Blue Salad

Ingredients:

1 (3 oz.) package berry blue gelatin

2 cups boiling water, divided

2 ½ cups cold water, divided

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 cup heavy whipping cream

6 tablespoons sugar

2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (3 oz.) package raspberry gelatin

1 cup fresh raspberries

Whipped topping and additional berries, optional

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve berry blue gelatin in 1 cup boiling water; stir in 1 cup cold water. Add blueberries. Pour into a 3-quart serving bowl (a clear bowl works well so you can see the beauty of this dessert). Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over ½ cup cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Add the cream and sugar; cook and stir over low heat until gelatin and sugar are completely dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla. Spoon over the blue layer. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

3. In a large bowl, dissolve raspberry gelatin in 1 cup boiling water; stir in 1 cup cold water. Add raspberries. Spoon over white cream layer. Chill until set, about 1 hour. Garnish with whipped topping and additional berries, if desired.

This recipe will quickly become a favorite among your family and friends. To create a similar dish for holidays or parties other than the Fourth of July, simply use different flavors of gelatin with fruits that compliment them. Examples: grape gelatin with halved grapes or whole blueberries; orange or lemon gelatin with mandarin oranges; strawberry gelatin with quartered strawberries. Play with it and have fun!

If you’re not making a mess, you’re not really cooking.

Readers, it’s your turn. What are your family’s Fourth of July traditions? Do you ever try new recipes for your family get-togethers, or do you stick to your favorites? Care to share any?

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Summer Has Arrived!

By Andrea Renee Cox

Well, it’s official. Summer has arrived. Maybe not by the calendar, but the temperatures reveal the truth. With temps nearing closer to triple digits by the day, north Texas is warming quite nicely. Which means air conditioning, ice in my water, and sunglasses at all times when outdoors. Sunblock, lighter meals, bug spray, and sand volleyball.

The thing I’m looking forward to most this summer is my family’s Fourth of July barbecue. It might be a small affair with only one other family in attendance, but we make fun memories every year and share lots of food and conversation, squeezing in a cool movie of some sort. And, of course, there’s fireworks. Not my favorite part of the night, never has been, but we can usually see two or three different sets of fireworks from our front yard. Since we live in town, that’s a nice little luxury that comes as a surprise.

Since fireworks isn’t my favorite part of the Fourth of July, would you like to know what is?

Trying new recipes.

Not just any recipes, either. Typically, I test out new dessert recipes around this time of year. This year is no exception.

One I tried just last week, in preparation for the Fourth, is Root Beer Float Cookies. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth delicious! My dad said these cookies bumped up into his top five cookies of all time. I’ll take that compliment. Everyone who’s tried them so far has absolutely loved them. Not only are they great for family barbecues, but they also make great tips for furniture movers, a great barter for a ride (especially if you’re broke and can’t afford gas money), treats for children’s birthday parties, and so many more events. These cookies have been such a great hit, I thought I’d share my recipe with you. Trust me, if you make these cookies once, you better be prepared to make them often… and in large batches!

Root Beer Float Cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon root beer concentrate

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

Filling Ingredients:

¼ cup butter, softened

1 ⅓ cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon root beer concentrate

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and root beer concentrate. (I used my standing mixer, and it worked great, especially during step two.)

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well. (The batter will get pretty thick. That’s why I recommend using a standing mixer. It seems to be able to handle the thickness better than a handheld mixer.)

3. Shape dough into ¾-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

4. In a medium bowl, beat the filling ingredients until smooth. Spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies. (I spread a bit of filling on the bottom of one cookie, then immediately topped it with another cookie. This method worked well for me. You could also put filling on ten or so cookies, then top them, continuing this pattern until all the cookies are used. Feel free to try different methods until you find one that works best for you.)

This recipe yields about 2 ½ dozen cookies. When I made it, I doubled all the ingredients, which worked really well. Since it’s so popular, I might even consider tripling it next time.

Now it’s your turn: What summer plans does your family have? Are you planning anything special for the Fourth of July? What recipes do you especially enjoy making during the summer months?

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