Cherry Chipotle Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce

 I love going to a BBQ!  Who doesn't really!?!  Great food, fun friends and did I mention, great food!  We were invited  to a friends house on the 4th so I decided to make some BBQ ribs that I had in the freezer from a recent sale!

I personally like a sweet barbecue sauce.  I remembered a sauce that I had made a year ago but I couldn't find the recipe anywhere....on-line or in my recipe files.  Of course, that never stops me.  I decided to whip up my own recipe.  And I must say, it turned out spectacular. 

I am really in to creating sauces, salsas and dips lately.  They are so versatile and can totally change a meal from boring to spectacular.  While this sauce was spectacular on our ribs, I can't wait to try it with chicken, pulled pork or even steak.  I have an idea to turn it in to a dip or spread too (consider that recipe coming soon).

I knew that the recipe I had used in the past used canned cherries and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, so that is where I started.  

As a general rule, barbecue sauces consist of an acid, spice and sugar.  With that I in mind I developed a sweet, fruity and tart sauce with a subtle, smoky heat on the back side.  I love giving sauces a unique depth of flavor that progresses as you eat it.  Here is the recipe I came up with...

CHERRY CHIPOTLE DR. PEPPER BBQ SAUCE

4    cans Sweet or Tart Pitted Cherries with liquid

1   7oz can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

2    cups Ketchup

2    cups Dr. Pepper

1   cup Apple Cider Vinegar

½  cup Lemon Juice

1   cup Brown Sugar

3   Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2   Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1   Tbsp Finely Chopped Garlic

1   Tbsp Nutmeg

1   tsp Cloves

1   tsp Cumin

Bring to a boil.  Turn down to a medium simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, stirring occasionally.  Liquid should have a thick syrup quality that richly coats the back of a spoon.  Using an immersion blender, purée the sauce until all cherries and peppers have been combined into the sauce. 

  

If you do not have an immersion blender, get one!  They rock!  Otherwise, you can use a regular blender.  Since you are blending a HOT liquid, only fill the blender half full (or less) and hold the lid on with a dish towel. The hot sauce can burn you if it splatters so proceed with caution.

This sauce can be canned by placing in jars with ¼” head room.  Using a water bath, process for 20 minutes. The recipe made 12 half pint jars.  {Friends - you know who you are - these jars have your names on them!}

 

For the BBQ today, I made some ribs in the slow cooker - low and slow all day - and then through them on the grill with some of the BBQ sauce.

The ribs were amazing.  They melted off the bones and the sauce was a huge hit.  Just the right amount of sweet and heat.  I should have brought more jars with me to the party!!

Mmmmm, mmmmm good!

Pineapple & Habanero Sauce Knock-Off

I can not even tell you how excited I am to share this recipe with you today.  Recently we tried the Rothschild Farm Roasted Pineapple Habanero Sauce from Costco and it is amazing.  Looking at the ingredients, I knew it was something we could totally recreate.  And if you know Costco, just when you fall in love with something, they stop carrying it so I was totally on a mission.  (Note:  They still carry it, however it was so easy to make it doesn't matter.)

We LOVE Costco at our house and sometimes you can find the most amazing foods there that you can not find anywhere else (well, maybe online but I am not a big online shopper).

This sauce is absolutely amazing!  So far we have tried it on grilled chicken, pork chops, shrimp tacos, poured over a brick of cream cheese as a dip and straight up salsa with chips.  I swear, if you like sweet and spicy - this sauce is the bomb!

The bottle from Costco, while large (37 oz), is around $8.  Not a cheap condiment.  Looking at the ingredient list, I knew it was very doable.  There is absolutely nothing I wasn't familiar with so I headed to the store.  Grabbed my ingredients and set out to develop my recipe.  I don't have an exact breakdown of cost, but I am certain I spent no more than $8 and I was able to get over 4 pints of sauce.

Honestly, I thought it would take me a couple tries but it turned out amazing, right out the gate!  So here it is.


Pineapple Habanero Sauce

Ingredients:
4 cups sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup pineapple juice
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp cornstarch (mixed with a bit of water to create slurry)
1 medium to large pineapple, roasted, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 yellow pepper, finely chopped
1 mango, finely chopped
5-6 habanero peppers, roasted, finely chopped

Create a simple syrup in a large pot by whisking the sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice and lemon juice over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let sit while you prep the remaining ingredients.

Roasting the pineapple and habaneros will bring out their inherent sweetness and richness.  This can be done on your grill outside or using a grill pan on your cook-top.  (I chose to use my George Foreman since it was pouring rain outside when I was working on this recipe.)  Slice the pineapple in rings and grill until the sugars begin to caramelize and creates grill marks on both sides.

Note:  Before finely chopping my pineapple I trimmed away the outer rind.

Lightly char the skins of the habanero peppers over an open flame or on a searing hot grill pan.  Do not grill your red and yellow bell peppers in order to maintain some crunch and texture in the sauce.

Make sure the habaneros are super finely chopped. If you want to tone down the heat slightly carefully remove the seeds.  (I used my chopper so that I would not have to touch the peppers - I have a habit of getting hot pepper oils on my fingers and touching my eyes.  The pepper oils not only make your hand tingle but burns like crazy on your face.  NOT FUN! Additionally, the chopper allowed me to make sure the peppers were in super tiny pieces so no one bites into a large piece of super hot pepper.)

Next, finely chop all fruit, peppers and onion into 1/4" pieces (or smaller).  Stir the remaining ingredients into the simple syrup you prepared earlier.  Stir in the cornstarch (mixing with a few tablespoons of water first to create a slurry).  Bring the mixture to a boil and the turn down the heat to simmer for 5-10 minutes.  The consistency should be syrupy and chunky.

This recipe makes 4-5 pints of sauce.  The sauce may be canned using a water bath for 15 minutes. Or placed in jars and frozen.  Sauce should remain fresh in the fridge for approximately 2-3 weeks (if it lasts that long).

As with the store bought sauce, it is the perfect pairing with so many things including chicken, pork, fish and seafood.  It makes a great appetizer when partnered with cream cheese or goat cheese and used as a dip or a topping on crackers or croutons.  We love it to just dip tortilla chips (alongside a margarita and life is good).

I am going to take a small jar and pour it over a few pieces of chicken in the crock pot for dinner tonight.

I just love the versatility of this sauce.  The sweetness is awesome when paired with the heat of the habanero.  Plus, the vinegar offers just enough tang to help cut some of the heat as well.

I hope you enjoy!

Linked up with:  House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, The Frugal Girls, Nap Time Crafters, eighteen25, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, I Heart Naptime, A Crafty Cook, Under the Table and Dreaming

Dessert Shooters

Last night we hosted a small Christmas party at our house for one of my husband's business groups.  I made an awesome machaca with fresh tortillas and all the fixings.  Machaca is a spicy shredded beef that is popular at nearly every Mexican restaurant here in Arizona.  It is by far one of my favorite foods!  One of these days I will share my recipe, but today, I am here to talk dessert.

Last summer I was wasting time perusing Pinterest and came across a number of photos of dessert shooters - decadent desserts, served in shot glasses.  These mini dessert delights give you a small taste of a yummy dessert.  Generally, you would serve several different varieties which would give your guests a small taste of several yummy treats.  Think about it, how often are you at a party or event and feel you have to choose between the cheesecake, pie, cake, etc. because there is no way you could eat an entire piece of more than one?

I spotted some nice, clear plastic disposable shot glasses at The Dollar Tree and new immediately that we would be serving dessert shooters sometime soon.  Well, last night was the night.  Since this was going to be a small group, I decided on doing two simple mousse desserts!  Mmmmmmm!

A dessert shooter is really just a method of serving a dessert.  Feasibly, most any dessert can be presented in a small cup.  You can layer pie, shortcake, pudding, fillings, etc. for a fun and unique presentation.  I decided to keep my first attempt somewhat simple with a couple of mousse desserts.  Besides, the dark chocolate mousse recipe has got to be one of my favorites - amazingly delicious and simple.  I partnered it with another classic holiday flavor - a pumpkin cheesecake mousse.

A friend of mine shared this delicious dark chocolate mousse recipe with me last Christmas when I was looking for a light, but decadent dessert to pare with our holiday feast! These small bites were perfect - although, I will admit, I ate several.  Two bites is just not enough!

Dark Chocolate Mousse

5 1/4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
14 ounces heavy cream
3 large egg whites
1 ounce sugar
sweetened whipped cream, for garnish (optional)
shaved bittersweet chocolate, for garnish (optional)

Place chocolate in a large bowl set over a Bain-marie or in a double boiler at a low simmer.  Stir chocolate until melted.  Turn off the heat and let stand.

Beat the cream until it forms soft peaks.  Set aside.  With a clean mixer, whip egg whites to soft peaks.  Gradually add the sugar and continued whipping until firm.

Remove the chocolate from the Bain-marie and using a whisk, fold in the egg whites all at once.  When the whites are almost completely incorporated, fold in the whipped cream.  Cover the mousse and refrigerate for approximately 1 hour or until set.**  Serve in goblets topped with more whipped cream and shaved chocolate if desired.

** I skipped this step of letting the mousse set up.  Using a piping bag, I filled my individual shot glasses with the mousse and then refrigerated.  Just prior to serving, I piped on some sweetened whipped cream and shaved a little chocolate on top.

I was serving a variety of chocolate candies and treats so I knew I wanted a non-chocolate dessert to provide some variety.  Since pumpkin pie is a classic holiday dessert I offered a twist using these flavors with a pumpkin cheesecake mousse.  I did a Google search and came across a few different recipes but ended up modifying this no-bake pumpkin cheesecake recipe from Kraft Foods and Philadelphia cream cheese.  Here is my version:

Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 ounces) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
14 ounces heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
Sweetened whipped cream, for garnish (optional)
Fresh grated nutmeg, for garnish (optional)

Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar and pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Gently fold in the whipped cream.  Refrigerate until set, 2-3 hours.  Serve in goblets topped with whipped cream and nutmeg, if desired.**


** Like the chocolate mousse, I skipped this step and placed the mousse in a piping bag to fill my shot glasses and then refrigerated until set.  Just prior to serving, I topped them with whipped cream and grated nutmeg.


*** While this recipe was good, I will try blending the pumpkin, spice and an egg or two over low heat to help develop the pumpkin flavor and offer a richer texture.  The pumpkin tasted "raw", unlike the pumpkin pie flavor I was hoping to achieve.  Let me know if you try this and what you think.

 The dessert shooters where a huge hit and will most definitely be served again.  While I used disposable shot glasses, I did try to salvage as many as I could and washed them up to use again.  I may have to keep my eye open for a bunch of shot or cordial glasses in the future.  I know I have seen a variety of sets of cordial glasses at the thrift store.


If you are looking to serve these at a party, I would plan for your guests to have 3-4 desserts (or one of each kind, depending on how many varieties you are serving) each.  


Also, depending on the glasses you are using, you may need to find some small demitasse spoons so that you can get all of the dessert out of the cup.  My cups were wide enough that I was able to use a teaspoon for my desserts (I used plastic).  If regular spoons would not have worked, I was planning to hit the party store or restaurant supply to find a small sample spoon much like you find at ice cream shops.


This was such a fun dessert for a fun event.  I look forward to trying other dessert shooters in the future.  Truly, the options are endless.

{31 Days to a Functional Kitchen} Day 21: Freezer cooking

I know I skipped a day yesterday but I was so, so tired the other night, I just couldn't finish my post and get it ready to go.  I will admit, this series is taking a lot out of me but it really truly has been fun looking at what makes my kitchen function for me.  I hope you have enjoyed some of the tips I have shared - 10 more tips to go!

Freezer cooking is a great way to bring efficiency to the kitchen.  Stocking your freezer with pre-prepared meals and prepped meats and vegetables is wonderful.  Recently I have been introduced to a couple of programs that offer bulk purchases of a single ingredient (i.e. tomatoes, peaches, ground beef, chicken, etc.) at an amazing price.  I have really enjoyed the opportunity to stock my freezer and pantry with some great, healthy ingredients.

The key with freezer cooking is prep, prep, prep!  I may spend a few hours prepping 20 lbs of ground beef (like I did here), but it has saved me valuable time at meal-time.  This prep gave me the following:

• 3 meals of Italian meatballs
• 30 hamburger patties
• 5 packages of pre-cooked ground beef base (for chili, tacos, pizza, spaghetti, etc.)
• 8 one pound portions of ground beef

This week I was able to get 40 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast for just $1.49 a pound.  These were not your typical chicken breasts either - they were beautiful, large butterflied breasts.  With these, I simply spent a couple of hours prepping them for the freezer.  I know 2 hours sounds like a lot of time, however it was 40 lbs - I ended up with 36 individually portioned breasts!  YIKES, that is over 1 pound EACH!!! 

I trimmed a little fat, cut them apart into individual breasts, wrapped them in plastic and laid them out on baking sheets.  I then placed them in the freezer overnight.  After they were frozen solid, I placed them in Ziploc bags and put them back in the freezer.  I can now pull out just what I need for a meal and not worry about having too much.  Once they are thawed, they are ready to use!

What have you stocked your freezer with to make meal time prep easier?

Freezer Cooking: Ground Beef

I love being able to go to the freezer at the spur of the moment and have it loaded up with a variety of dinner options.  As hard as I try, meal planning generally doesn't happen until after 4pm and the kids are complaining that they are hungry.  If I am especially lazy, we end up eating spaghetti or quesadillas because they are quick easy and great go to meals.  I love when I go to the freezer and can pull out a chicken dish or beef dish that has a bit more panache!  You know, cuz we are fancy!  hee hee!

This past week I loaded my freezer up with ground beef.  We were able to get 40 lbs of lean ground beef through a local food distributor that brings a variety of fresh form the farm items at a great price.  This is the same place we got the peaches the week before.

So here she was, 20 pounds of 93% lean ground beef...2 HUGE chubs!  Yikes!  I knew I better get to work because we were having refrigerator issues so I knew I needed to get it into the freezer.

Ground Beef:  First thing I did was cut one of the chubs in half and wrapped up 6 equal portions (just under a pound each) to have available for a recipe.  In order to avoid freezer burn, I double wrap them in plastic wrap and then place them inside a Ziploc freezer bag.  (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this step.) 

Whew, 1/4 of the way done!  That was easy!

Base:  The other half of the chub I popped into a pan along with a cup of water and browned it up to create a ground beef base.  To this base I also added 2 finely chopped onions and green peppers.  That was the only seasoning I added.  This base will be great for a quick meal of tacos, sloppy joes, pizza, etc.  All I need to do is throw this already cooked meat into a pan along with some seasoning and serve.  This will save a big step on a busy evening.

After I browned up the meat, I spread it out on a large baking sheet to cool.  Once it was cool, I divided it into 1 pound portions in Ziploc bags.  I squeezed out any air and then laid them flat and placed the in the freezer.  Once the bags were frozen, I placed them in a larger gallon size freezer bag to further protect it and to keep them organized in the freezer.

Meatballs:  Next, I cut off about a third of the 2nd chub and placed it in a large bowl along with a pound of spicy pork sausage (what I had on hand).  I added a few eggs, bread crumbs, seasoning and onion.  I mixed it up and formed it into meatballs.  I laid these out on a baking sheet, popped them in the freezer until they were frozen (a couple of hours) and then put them in a Ziploc freezer bag.  Again, I laid these plat in the freezer bag so they can be stacked easier and the bags take up less space.

Hamburger Patties:  Okay, more than 2 hours in and I looked up and there sat 7+ pounds of meat that I still needed to deal with.  I was exhausted.  Yet, I forged on.  The remainder of the meat was made into quarter pound patties.  I again, laid them out on baking sheets, froze them and then placed them into large Ziploc freezer bags.

Overall, it was a great day and I am so excited to have all this great meat ready for our busy school and activities schedule.  Now I hope I can come across a great sale on chicken so I can put together some go to chicken meals too!

A {Peach} of a Day!

Today was an awesome day!  A few friends and I got together and canned peaches.  I am not a huge peach person but was very excited when we decided to try making some peach salsa and peach barbeque sauce.  Both recipes were new to me, but sounded wonderful.  Honestly, I can't wait to make chicken or pork chops to use one of our awesome sauces.  I am sure it would be great on fish too, however we are really not fish eaters at my house.

We started the morning by blanching our peaches and getting them all peeled.  This went relatively quickly since there were 4 of us.  We also prepped our ingredients for the salsa and barbeque sauce.  This was a bit more time consuming since everything needed to be finely chopped.

One HUGE lesson we learned - wear gloves when working with jalapenos.  My fingers still tingle hours later and I only cut up the last 2.  My friend will be feeling the burn for a couple of days for sure.  We spent every chance we had soaking our fingers in milk, which offered some relief but not completely.

Our first recipe was the Peach Salsa.  This recipe came from Food.com.  It is very tasty!

PEACH SALSA

(Food.com)

Ingredients

     6 cups chopped peaches ( about 3 pounds)
     3 large fresh tomatoes
     1 1/2 cups chopped red onions
     4 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
     1 large sweet red peppers, seeded and finely chopped
     1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
     1/2 cup white vinegar
     2 tablespoons liquid honey
     3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
     1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
     1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
1.  Sterilize eight (8) 1/2 pint jars, then place upside down in a 325 F oven for about 15 minutes.  (We used the warming drawer which was perfect for keeping our jars warm and sterile.)
2.  Blanch peaches, cool in cold water, peel, pit and chop to measure 6 cups.  (We used a pasta pot with a strainer insert which was great for dropping the peaches in and simply pulling them out of the water.  We had 48 lbs of peaches so this was definitely a process.)
3.  Blanch tomatoes and cool with cold water, peel, remove seeds and cut into chunks.
4.  In a large stainless or enamel cooking pot, combine peaches, tomatoes, onion, Jalapeno peppers, sweet red pepper, cilantro, vinegar, honey, garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper.
5.  Bring to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If the mixture is too sloppy or soupy, boil for a few minutes longer so that some of the liquid evaporates and the mixture thickens.
6.  Adjust seasonings to taste. Add more cayenne pepper if you desire a spicier taste.

Canning Process
1.  Ladle salsa into hot jars to within 1/4 inch of top for headspace.
2.  Remove air bubbles by sliding a rubber spatula between the glass and salsa.
3.  Re-adjust the headspace to 1/4 inch.
4.  Wipe jar rim to remove any stickiness.
5.  Center lid on top of jar; apply screw band just until finger tight.
6.  Place jars in a hot bath in a canner and process for 10 minutes.
7.  Remove jars and place on a towel, then cover with another towel to cool slowly.
8.  Jars are sealed when the lids pop and are curved down, (concave).
9.  Label jars and store in a cool, dark place.

NOTE: You can substitute and use 6 cups of fresh, chopped pineapple or mango for a different flavor.  I would love to try mango as that has got to be my favorite salsa at La Salsa - well aside from the cranberry salsa which is amazing but only available at Thanksgiving and Christmas!  I will be sharing my homemade version of that in a couple of months!

We made a double batch of the salsa which yielded us 12 pints.  This is a bit more that the recipe states, however I can honestly say, the recipe was a guide as we were not completely accurate on our measurements.

Next on the agenda was the Zesty Peach BBQ Sauce. This recipe came from the Ball Fresh Preserving website.  I will admit, I wasn't sure about a barbecue sauce but it is amazing and I totally want to go out and get more peaches so that I can make more of this for a quick fruity addition to chicken or pork!  It is definitely zesty, sweet, peachy and delicious!!!

Zesty Peach BBQ Sauce

Ball's Fresh Preserving Website

Ingredients
     6 cups finely chopped pitted peeled peaches (about 3 lb or 9 medium)

     1 cup finely chopped seeded red bell pepper (about 1 large)
     1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 large)
     3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic (about 14 cloves)
     1-1/4 cups honey
     3/4 cup cider vinegar
     1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
     2 tsp hot pepper flakes
     2 tsp dry mustard
     2 tsp salt
     8 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:
1.   Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2.  Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens to the consistency of a thin commercial barbeque sauce, about 25 minutes.
3.  Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
4.  Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Here it is simmering!  We used
an immersion blender to give
it a smooth texture.

This barbecue sauce was amazing!  I can't wait to use it!  I was planning to make chicken or pork chops tonight for dinner until I did the bummer part of the day...I splashed boiling hot water on my neck and chest and boy does it burn.  Fortunately, it wasn't bad enough to have to go to see a doctor but it made me decide that it is an "order pizza" kind of night.  I have already set out pork chops for tomorrow night.  I will share pictures tomorrow along with a review from the hubby and kids.
 
Finally, we did actually can a few peaches as just peaches! 
 

 
For the canned peaches, we used a cold pack method with a light syrup on it.  After slicing the peaches, we filled the jars to the top.  We made a light simple syrup using 2 cups of white sugar dissolved in a quart of water and poured it over the peaches, leaving a 1/2" head at the top of the jar.  Using a spatula, we pushed down the sides of the jars to release any air pockets.  After this process, we poured a little more syrup on top to make sure the jars will filled adequately. 
 
We then wiped down the rims of the jars, placed our lids and began to process the peaches.  We processed the jars by covering them in a large pot of boiling water for 30 minutes for the quart jars and 20 minutes for pint jars.  Note:  If you have any jars that do not seal properly, clean them off and repeat the processing.  If they do not seal the second time, open the jar and eat them.  Mmmmm!!!
 

It really was a peach of a day!

Linked up with...

Todays Creative Blog

House of Hepworths

Somewhat Simple
Chic on a Shoestring
The Frugal Girls
Nap Time Crafters
Tatertots and Jello
Under the Table and Dreaming
I ♥ Naptime

Home Savvy A to Z
Ask Anna
Skip to my Lou
Polly Want A Crafter?
Tip Junkie
Sugar Bee Crafts
Funky Polkadot Giraffe
The Tattered Tag
Not JUST A Housewife

Happy 4th of July!

Our yummy breakfast!

"Red" Blueberry Pancakes with Whipped Cream, Strawberries & Blueberries!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

** I know they were more pink than red but it was the thought that counted!

Mini-Cupcake Shooters

Happy 4th of July my fellow Americans!  What a fun time of year.  I can't wait to see some fireworks tonight - although I don't think I would be disappointed if they were RAINED out!  With the drought as bad as it is in Arizona right now and the heat absolutely scorching, a nice rain shower would beat fireworks everyday of the year!

To celebrate the 4th I decided to try making some cake push-ups.  Ever since I saw this fun twist on a party treat from My Cake School on Tip Junkie, I had to order some of the push-ups.  Of course, I had to wait until JB Prince got them back in stock.  I split the order with my friend Heather over at No Business Like Sew Business.  We both are very excited to try a variety of treats using these fun, reusable push-up containers.

Aren't they just so fun on the dessert table.  Here is what I did...

Baked up some mini-cupcakes without liners.

Assembled my push-ups and punched the stems into a 1" thick piece of Styrofoam lined with foil. 

This worked fine although they wobbled every which way.  I need to come up with a push-up holder - ah, I am feeling a DIY project coming on!  Watch out!

I cut my cupcakes in half.  I then placed a dollop of frosting in the bottom of the cup, followed by the bottom of the cupcake, frosting, top of cupcake, frosting and finally, sprinkles.

They were a big hit with kids and adults alike!

We had just got out of the pool, that is why the kids are wearing their pool ponchos.

I can't wait to try more fun treats in these great push-pop containers!

Linked up to...

I ♥ Naptime: Sundae Scoop
Under the Table and Dreaming: Sunday Showcase

Ask Anna Weekend Warrior
The Frugal Girls Chic and Crafty
Polly Want A Crafter
Sugar Bee Crafts: Take-a-Look Tuesday
Todays Creative Blog: Craft Link Party
Funky Pokadot Giraffe:  Too Cute Tuesday
Tip Junkie Tip Me Tuesday
Not JUST A Housewife: Show Me What Ya Got
Confessions of a Stay At Home Mommy
Pressed Down, Shaken Together: Cupcake Month Party
Sugar and Dots: What I Whipped Up Wednesday
Skip to My Lou Made By You Monday
Sweet Peas and Bumblebees
We are THAT Family

It's Hot!: {Root Beer ICEE Floats}

Yep, it is hot again. I know, broken record - 110 today in Tucson and I heard it hit 118 in Phoenix - scorcher!  But today, no more cooking in the car, today we decided to cool off!  To celebrate Independence Day (and our baby's birthday which was yesterday) we had a pool party and BBQ with some awesome friends.  We topped off the night with a fun, all-American treat - the root beer float - with a "It's Hot! Hot! Hot! Summer Series" twist!

My daughter loves root beer (as do I) and on a hot day, what is better than an ice cold glass of root beer with a scoop of ice cream.  A while back I came across a fun post for a DIY Coke ICEE at Bake at 350 and just knew I had to give this a try.

So I pulled out the ice cream machine and 4 cans of root beer, poured them in and 20 minutes later we had very tasty root beer ICEEs.  Mmmmm.

*** Must use full sugar soda for this as the diet soda will not get slushy.  I tried, it simply froze to the edge of the tub and almost burnt out my motor!

Of course, they are MUCH better with a couple of scoops of ice cream inside.  I especially loved this treat as my favorite part of a root beer float is when you get the icy root beer crystals around the ice cream.  Starting with the root beer ICEE base brought back the memory of those yummy, creamy crystals.

Some fun variations to try would be...

* Brown Cow, which is essentially a root beer float using chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla. 

*  Add some whipped cream on top for some extra flair.

*  Add a shot or two of root beer schnapps to the ICEE mix could be fun for a "grown-ups" party!

*  Try other sodas.  I am thinking orange soda with vanilla ice cream would be like a dreamsicle.  Dr. Pepper and cherry ice cream sounds yummy too!  Oh, the possibilities.

Hope you are finding a fun way to keep cool this holiday weekend. 

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Linked up to...

I ♥ Naptime: Sundae Scoop

Under the Table and Dreaming: Sunday Showcase
Ask Anna Weekend Warrior
The Frugal Girls Chic and Crafty
Polly Want A Crafter
Sugar Bee Crafts: Take-a-Look Tuesday
Funky Polkadot Giraffe: Too Cute Tuesday
Todays Creative Blog: Craft Link Party
Not JUST A Housewife: Show Me What You Got
Tip Junkie Tip Me Tuesday
Confessions of a Stay At Home Mommy
Sugar and Dots: what I Whipped Up Wednesday
Lady Behind the Curtain Cast Party Wednesday
Sweet Peas and Bumblebees
Skip to My Lou Made by You Monday
We are THAT Family