Limeade

I haven't had Limeade in years. This recipe is in the July 2014 issue of All You magazine. It sounds so easy I made have to make a pitcher to go with these hot days we've been having.

Limeade

1 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
water

Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Remove from heat and add sugar. Stir until sugar has completely dissolved. In a large pitcher, combine 6 cups cold water and lime juice. Add the sugar-water mixture and stir well.

Serve over ice, or cover and chill to serve later.

Tip: If you'd like a green tint, add a few drops of food coloring.

Salted Peanut Butterscotch Bars

Once every quarter or so, the Coffee County Extension Office hosts a Crafting on a Shoestring Budget event. It costs $10 per person and we go home with some wonderful items we've assembled, painted, etc. And they feed us a snack. Like a mini-meal type snack. Super good. Really. This recipe is one of those snack items. I went back for seconds. It wasn't my fault. The pieces were just too small. LOL

We also had hotdogs on skewers. They'd taken crescent rolls, cut them into strips, and wrapped the dough around the hot dogs. Then they baked them. They didn't stop there. A triangle piece of cheese went on the top and upside-down cupcake holders went on the bottom. They were stuck upright in Styrofoam covered in bright red paper. The result? Rockets. My youngest nephews would LOVE this! Super good to eat too! As were the strawberries, blueberries, and marshmallows. Yes. In case you doubted at all, I've already got my reservation in for the next craft event.

Salted-Peanut Butterscotch Bars

15 whole graham crackers, broken up
3 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
One 11-oz. package butterscotch morsels (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing ends to overhang by 2 inches.

Process graham crackers with sugar and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Pulse in butter until moistened. Transfer to lined pan and press crumbs down evenly and firmly.

Place butterscotch morsels in a large bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and stir until smooth and creamy. (Continue to microwave in 10-second intervals if morsels have not melted. Do not overheat or mixture will seize up and turn into a stiff mass.) Stir in peanut butter and peanuts. Blend well and spread evenly over graham-cracker crust. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm.

Lift bars out and remove foil. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut into squares.

Makes about 36 1 1/2-inch squares

Brownie Ice Cream Sundae Cake

Some recipes have you wanting to rush right out, gather all the ingredients and prepare the recipe. This is one of them. Of course, it helps that it is a hot, humid Sunday afternoon in the Deep South. This recipe is in the June 2014 issue of Coastal Living. The only change I plan to make is to substitute pecans for the walnuts. Those of you who know me, also know I'll melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave. It's so much easier and takes way less time. Just be careful to check every 30 seconds, stirring each time, to make sure the chocolate doesn't burn.

Brownie Ice Cream Sundae Cake

6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Simple Butterscotch Sauce (recipe follows)
1 half-gallon container (8 cups) vanilla ice cream, softened
Simple Hot Fudge Sauce (recipe follows)
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9-inch round cake pan AND one 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Combine chocolate and butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until melted. Let cool to room temperature.

Stir sugar, eggs and vanilla into chocolate mixture. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into chocolate mixture.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 14 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center emerges with moist crumbs clinging. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Pour half of Simple Butterscotch Sauce over cake baked in springform pan. Spoon 4 cups ice cream evenly over butterscotch sauce. Remove cake from round cake pan, and place on top of ice cream, pressing gently. Pour over remaining butterscotch sauce; top evenly with remaining ice cream. Freeze about 3 hours or until firm.

Run a knife around edge of springform pan, and release cake. Place on a serving plate. Pour Simple Hot Fudge Sauce on top of cake. Sprinkle with huts.

Makes 8 servings.

Simple Butterscotch Sauce

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in cream; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until well-blended. Cool completely.

Makes 1 1/3 cups.

Simple Hot Fudge Sauce

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup sugar
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate,  chopped

Combine whipping cream, corn syrup and sugar in a small, heavy saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, 7 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until smooth. Let cool.
'Makes 1 1/3 cups.