ICE CREAM SODAS By Christy Rost   When I was growing up, one of my favorite summertime treats was an old-fashioned ice cream soda. My sisters and I would perch on tall, round stools and spin around to entertain ourselves at the counter of an ice cream shop, while the soda jerk worked magic to create frothy, ice cold chocolate sodas. At other times, a strawberry ice cream soda was the reward my mother bought me after a particularly lengthy doctor’s appointment. My older sister, Lynn and I loved making our own version of ice cream sodas at home, but they were nothing more than ice cream floats made from a combination of root beer and vanilla ice cream. They were bubbly and delicious, but not quite in the same league as the honest-to-goodness ice cream sodas I still adore. It would be many years later when I finally learned the secret to mixing the real thing. I was visiting my parents’ Freeport, Illinois farm with our sons, who were middle school age at the time. One day, my mother suggested we all go for ice cream treats at the Union Dairy, an old-fashioned ice cream shop in town. Entering the shop was like a step back in time. From the long Formica-topped counters, edged in shiny metal, to the stools that spun around and around, it was like the shops of my youth. Behind the counter, metal seltzer dispensers with black handles shared space with freezers full of endless flavors of ice cream, containers full of gooey hot fudge, chocolate, strawberry, and butterscotch sauces, whipped cream whippers, and stacks of tall metal cups used to whirl thick, creamy milk shakes. I ordered a chocolate soda and watched carefully as the soda jerk made it for me. First, he pumped two inches of dark, rich chocolate sauce into the bottom of a soda glass. He added a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some milk, stirred the mixture vigorously with a long-handled spoon until it was smooth, added a little seltzer water, and stirred it again. Next came another generous scoop or two of ice cream, more seltzer water, a swirl of whipped cream, a dash of sprinkles, and a cherry. It was a glorious, chocolaty, frothy creation, perfect for nostalgic, summertime sipping. If this sounds like heaven to you, then you’ll love this week’s recipe for an Old-Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream Soda. It’s one of the many recipes in my cookbook, The Family Table: Where Great Food, Friends, and Family Gather Together (2004, Capital Books, Inc.), and I’m sharing it just in time for summer enjoyment. Now, you can enjoy authentic ice cream sodas without leaving home. It’s the stuff summer memories are made of. Note: Christy Rost is the host of the Fort Worth, Texas television cooking/lifestyle show, “Just Like Home”. Please visit her website at www.easyentertain.com  for more recipes and ideas on entertaining. Old-Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream Soda Ingredients: 1/3 cup frozen sliced sweetened strawberries, thawed 2 tablespoons milk 2 generous scoops vanilla ice cream (divided) Chilled seltzer water Whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and sprinkles, for garnish In a tall glass or mug, combine strawberries, milk, and 1 scoop of ice cream. Using a spoon, mash strawberries into the ice cream and milk, until mixture is very smooth. Add ¼ cup seltzer water and stir well to mix. Add remaining scoop of ice cream and fill the glass with seltzer water, stirring gently to mix. Top with a swirl of whipped cream, a cherry, and sprinkles. Add a straw and serve. Recipe makes 1 soda. Old-Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream Soda If you crave chocolate ice cream sodas in the summertime, substitute 1/3 cup Hershey’s chocolate syrup for the sweetened strawberries. It’s a chocoholic’s dream come true! Get more of Christy Rost's recipes in her archives. Click here. Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com