Coffee Punch

I hosted a small baby shower (a sprinkle) in my home for a friend last week and served this punch for the first time.  I have had this punch over the years at Christmas parties, weddings, and other events and was always intimidated to make it.  My pregnant friend LOVES coffee and the sprinkle was in the morning, so we had breakfast foods and I wanted a special drink to serve that the honored guest would especially like.  I asked a church friend for her recipe and found some on Pinterest that I ended up combining to come up with this creation, which if I do say so myself, was delicious!  It was so easy to make also!  When I have looked at recipes for this in the past I feel like they have had numerous time consuming steps, but that is not the case with this one.  The ice cream melts during the party and serves as the ice to keep the punch cold.  One of the main recipes I got ideas from was this one.

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon whole milk

2-3 pints vanille ice cream (I use Bluebell, of course)

1 pint coffee ice cream

1/3 cup powdered instant coffee

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/4 cup chocolate syrup

Directions:

1.  In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the water, coffee powder, sugar, chocolate syrup until all ingredients are dissolved and well mixed.

2.  Allow mixture to cool to room temp.  Refrigerate in airtight container until ready to use. (at least 4 hours, can be stored overnight)

3.  Before guests arrive, pour chilled syrupy mixture in punch bowl. Pour milk over and stir.

4.  Add all ice cream by scoops and stir to mix.

Keep in mind I served this to a small group of ladies.  Most of the time the recipe would probably need to be doubled. 

Broccoli, Cheese, and Potato Soup

Our family loves soup this time of year, and on Saturdays I usually try a new soup recipe.  We enjoyed this one last weekend so I'm adding it to my list.  It's one of those warm and cozy, fill you up type soups and pretty easy to make.


Ingredients:
32 oz box chicken broth
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tsp onion powder (or throw in some fresh diced onion)
2 small broccoli heads, cut into small pieces
3 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic pepper
lots and lots of bacon, cooked and chopped (because you can never have enough)

Directions:
1.  In a large pot, bring your potatoes, carrots, broth, and onion powder to a boil, then cover and simmer about 10 minutes.
2.  Add broccoli, cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
3.  While simmering, melt butter in a large saucepan.  Whisk in flour and cook for about a minute until it turns brown.  Whisk in milk, and cook an additional 5 minutes until it thickens. 
4.  Add cheese to milk mixture and stir until melted.  Add salt and garlic pepper.
5.  Pour cheese sauce into large pot of vegetables.  Add milk, salt, and pepper if needed.
6.  Garnish with bacon pieces.


We are trying to not eat as much bread, but this soup is really good with some homemade bread!