A root bear float

Anywhere, USA

Nothing expresses summer fun, family, and good times quite like a root beer float.

On summer nights, when my dad was out at sea, my mother would sometimes let my siblings and me have root beer floats for dinner - much to my dad's dismay when he heard about it years later.

When I had to return to work sooner than I wanted after the birth of our second son - my husband was a graduate student - I needed something to look forward to at the end of the work week. We came up with the plan of having a Friday dinner of grilled hamburgers, barbequed potato chips and, for dessert, root beer floats. This September marks the 24th year of the same Friday night menu - and the dessert may surprise our guests but never fails to delight.

Debra