Hello Friends and Fellow Americans!

Happy Independence Day!

I love America! I’m proud of our heritage and grateful to be able to celebrate another day of freedom! We are so incredibly blessed to live in this Country despite the challenges we sometimes face as citizens.

So, my friends, on Tuesday I hope you take the time off of work to celebrate with your friends and family. I hope you get to have a barbecue or block party. I hope you get to watch a parade. I hope you get to see some fireworks. I hope you take a minute to reflect on what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America.

And most of all I hope you give thanks to God for the many who sacrificed to make sure we have the freedoms we enjoy!

Rudyard Kipling once wrote: ““All we have of freedom, all we use or know -- this our fathers bought for us long and long ago.”

Happy 4th of July my Friends!

In July, we and our neighbors traditionally have a fireworks block party. It is something we look forward to every year. We grill up hot dogs and everyone brings food to share.

My husband and I always make up a big batch of icy cold root beer. After eating, we light up a bunch of fireworks. At the end of the evening, we send leftover root beer home with whoever wants some. It is such a fun tradition!

Here is the recipe for the root beer. I hope you make some up this Independence Day!!

Homemade Root Beer

Makes: 5 gallons (But you can half or even quarter this recipe)

• 4 gallons (room temperature) water
• 2 ounces root beer extract (I usually add 1 or 2 more ounces because I like a strong root beer flavor)
• 5 lbs. sugar
• 8 lbs. ice
• 5 or 6 lbs. dry ice*

Directions:

• In a 10-gallon container, mix water, sugar and root beer extract.
• Stir mixture regularly for 2 hours until sugar is dissolved.
• Add the 8 lbs. of ice and stir the mixture until ALL the ice is melted.
• Using a glove, tongs or large ladle, add the dry ice a few small chunks at a time and stir until melted. (Do not touch the ice with your bare hands. It could burn your skin!)
• Continue adding dry ice chunks until it is all added in. It will bubble and create a fog.
• Stir until all the ice is dissolved and the mixture is cold, slushy and carbonated.
• Serve immediately.

* Note: You can buy dry ice at most (but not all) the grocery stores. Make sure you call ahead to see if your local grocery store carries it.

Delish Thursday is a KDXU weekly feature written by local St. George culinary expert Laura Squires. Laura doesn't have a restaurant or bakery, but if you've ever tasted her food, you know that she is one of the best food artists in the world! Laura has been a resident of Southern Utah for  more than 30 years.