When I was growing up there weren’t many perks around home. We had everything that we needed but not much extra. One thing that was rarely in our home was pop or ice cream unless Dad and Mom decided to make a special Saturday night treat.
We used to have game nights long before it was the thing that everyone recommended for a closer family. Dad and Mom would take out the Monopoly, Trouble, or Scrabble game and we would play for a few hours. The closer it got to bedtime Mom and Dad would say we needed to finish up our game and then we would have a bedtime treat. They would make Root Beer Floats. They were the best way to end a perfect family evening.
Last evening my husband and I were in town picking up some new works shoes for my husband and a few other necessities. While we were eating our dinner I saw a stack of stainless steel glasses and I remembered what I had in my basement. It was something my sister gave me a few years ago that I had forgotten about. I told my husband that I wanted to stop by a grocery store to pick up a few ingredients to make something special for the girls, grandson Jack and the new boyfriend who was over for a visit.
When we got home I headed to the basement passed the family room where they were all watching a movie and asked if they were up for a treat. They said yes and I proceeded gather my ingredients for the treat.
One of my early jobs in my life time was working at a Bridgeman’s Ice Cream shop as a cook, waitress and soda jerk so I am qualified to operate one of these machines. I began to get a bit nervous and feared ice cream sprayed all over my kitchen as my husband began turning the knobs on the top that adjust the speed. Of course for him, the race car driver, faster is better for everything. Not so with malts.
I began mixing the ingredients for the Chocolate Malts. Here is the end to my perfect Saturday Night.
Flying Gma's Blog 
nrhatch
January 16, 2011 at 10:17 am
How fabulous and fun!
Root beer floats, ice cream sundaes, malted milk, milk shakes . . . definitely a fun way to enjoy a family treat! 😉
flyinggma
January 16, 2011 at 1:56 pm
It brought back so many memories of growing up and my job at the ice cream shop.
writerwoman61
January 16, 2011 at 10:27 am
Thanks for the memories, Jeanne! We didn’t usually have much pop around our house either, so I’d make my root beer float at my grandparents’ house when we visited them! Here’s a post I did last summer about food memories from when I was growing up:
http://writerwoman61.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/tastes-of-the-past/
Wendy
flyinggma
January 16, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Love your post on foods. We share so many of the same things including the fact that we both had paper routes with our brothers. How cool is that? I still love Root Beer Floats and the memories that come with them.
Patricia
January 16, 2011 at 2:29 pm
I also remember those special treats. I wonder what kids today will remember as their special treats?
flyinggma
January 16, 2011 at 2:55 pm
My grown kids special treat is Buffalo Wings. There is a local restaurant that has a Wednesday evening special that the kids around here flock to each week. I think my kids will remember the ding of the microwave the way I remember the whistle of the teapot when my mom used to make us hot chocolate.
Carol Ann Hoel
January 16, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Chocolate malt! Yes, a wonderful treat to end the day. I love chocolate malt. Shakes are good but malts are better! Blessings, Jeanne…
flyinggma
January 16, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Malts are definitely better. My kids are not used to the malt flavor that I added last evening. They haven’t had it before only the shakes that are served at McDonald’s and other fast food places.
Thomas Stazyk
January 16, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Sounds fun–and looks great! My first job was at an ice cream store–everyone was always happy.
flyinggma
January 16, 2011 at 3:48 pm
I never thought about the fact that everyone was happy at the ice cream store but I remember them to be happy as you do. They didn’t mind waiting for their ice cream cone because the ice cream shop was air conditioned long before many other places were. It was definitely a place to get out of the heat and have a treat.
Diane
January 16, 2011 at 8:20 pm
Super yum! My favorite soda is root beer, but a chocolate malt is totally acceptable too. Delish! :O)
flyinggma
January 16, 2011 at 8:39 pm
I love both but my favorite is a chocolate malt. The only thing I forgot to buy last evening is the wafer cookies that we used to stick in the top of the malt at the ice cream shop. I didn’t think about that until today.
sunshineinlondon
January 17, 2011 at 5:27 am
Can I order one too, please? Looks wonderful, and made with such love and nostalgia!
Sunshine xx
flyinggma
January 17, 2011 at 9:01 am
It was fun and brought back all my memories of working in the ice cream shop. Sticky fingers from scooping ice cream and the flavor of the month for ice cream. Pumpkin flavored ice cream for November was not my favorite but it was liked by some.
Booksphotographsandartwork
January 17, 2011 at 11:11 pm
What a great treat to get at home! Wish I lived close to you.
flyinggma
January 18, 2011 at 12:30 am
It was a special treat for sure. My girls keep reminding me that my husband and I used to make popcorn after we sent them to bed. They said “How were we supposed to get any sleep smelling popcorn? Not fair!”