The Slush Shop is Open
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Last weekend with the forecast predicting our first real heat wave of the year, I planned an icy surprise for my husband. One of his favorite summer refreshments is my mom’s citrus slush…and the past two summers, I’ve forgotten to make it until late summer. Used to be something I always kept on hand, in fact, my father-in-law who farms around us, would stop by unannounced once or twice a week to visit what he termed, “The Slush Shop”.
This recipe takes a couple of days to freeze and serve, so as I taught my girls how to make it, we planned to keep it a secret from daddy…to save it for the best possible moment when he’d appreciate it the most. Our moment came on Monday afternoon. We’d all been working on building a chicken house, and between the dust of old boards (we’re recycling) and the hot sun, slush was just the ticket. And did it ever make my dh’s day…
Here’s the recipe for you. My mom and dad taught Bible studies in the home of the lady who sometimes served this after class. Everyone loved her slush. I know you will too!
Slush
Mix this simple syrup and allow to boil until clear. Let set until cool.
- 4 cups sugar
- 6 cups water
Combine the following ingredients, add to the syrup mixture, and freeze 18-24 hours.
- 5 bananas, mashed to a pulp
- 1 large (46 oz) can pineapple juice
- juice of 2 lemons (or the equivalent of Realemon)
- 1 small can frozen orange juice concentrate
- 3 cans (from orange juice) of water
About an hour, perhaps two, before you want to serve the slush, remove it from the freezer and mash it into a slush. If you have frozen it overnight, it will require more time to become slush. Add 4 quarts ginger ale or 7-Up. Mix well. Serves 40.
The above instructions assume you are serving it all at once to a crowd. We actually keep our slush in a 5 quart ice cream bucket, already “mashed” and dip out individual servings–much as you would make an ice cream float. The initial mashing part sometimes means letting it thaw a little on the counter…then I criss-cross it with one of my long sharp cutlery knives and use a potato masher or a Pampered Chef “Mix and Chop” to finish the job. This way, at serving time, you can scoop it out effortlessly, rather than hacking at a solid bowl full of slush. Another tip, freeze it in a large bowl and after mashing, transfer it into an ice cream bucket. It makes a little too much to fit into an ice cream bucket…so you might want to serve up that extra immediately!
While I was at it, I filled a bucket for my father-in-law. Wish you could come to my slush shop too!
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Friday, May 23rd, 2008
Life as a railroad family can be a little hectic. My husband comes and goes with the trains, sometimes staying for as little as 6 1/2 hours before being called away again. And of course, somewhere in there he needs to get some sleep. It is his job that allows me to stay home with the children while also not having to worry too much about personal finances. Children, however, tend to be very concrete. They only know that the train is what takes daddy away. And daddy knows that “I love you” over the phone doesn’t mean as much as wrestling on the couch. While nothing can quite replace that, my husband has found ways to tell the children they are special and that he is thinking of them despite the separation.
