4th of July Firework Fruit Kabobs

I was given fruit to bring for the family reunion over the 4th of July weekend. Instead of mixing a bunch of fruit together and hearing the kids complain that they are all "touching" I figured I'd make an assortment of fruit kabobs. That way they could pick the one that looked best for them.

I found some red/white/blue star shaped marshmallows at the store and threaded a few of those on for a sweet touch. The kabobs were pretty quick to assemble and then I pushed them into the top of the watermelon I had cut up earlier. It ended up being a nice centerpiece for the food table and a huge hit with the kids (and grown ups too).
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Contains:
Bamboo Skewers (marshmallows slide on better if you soak the skewers in water first)
Strawberries (hulled)
Blueberries
Marshmallows
Watermelon end
Grapes (cut into portion segments)

Raspberry Cupcakes

I have so much to be thankful for today. Easter for me is about new life, fresh starts, and gratitude. I spent the day celebrating with family and friends the amazing gift that Jesus gave of his life and by his resurrection.  I've been singing this song all day long.

For our family gathering today I wanted something fresh and new too. I instantly thought of raspberries. To me they taste like summer, and at this point I am so ready for warmth and sunshine.

I really LOVE the flavor of raspberries. I can eat a whole carton of fresh berries in a flash and frozen berries make excellent ice/flavoring in water or a punch. I have a bunch of berry canes that I can't wait to plant as soon as the thaw comes (courtesy of kind neighbors).

I topped these raspberry cupcakes with raspberry frosting a fresh raspberry with a white chocolate chip inserted into the opening. I mean I topped the ones that we hadn't already eaten as a "muffin." Face it, the difference between a muffin and cupcake is pretty much the frosting...

RASPBERRY CUPCAKES
1 c butter, softened
1 1/4 c sugar
4 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
2 1/2 c flour, sifted
1/4 t salt
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 c milk (cow, nut, rice, etc)
1/2 - 2/3 c raspberry puree*

Line muffin tin with baking cups. Beat butter and sugar with mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk, mixing well after each addition. Mix in raspberry puree. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 22-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from pans and cool on racks. Makes 21-24 cupcakes

RASPBERRY FROSTING
1/2 c shortening or softened butter (I used palm shortening)
1/4 c raspberry puree*
2 c confectioners' sugar, sifted
dash of salt
1/4 c white chocolate chips + 1 t shortening

In a microwave, melt chocolate chips with shortening. Mixing after every 30 seconds until just melted. With a mixer, cream together shortening and sugar and salt. Alternate adding in puree and white chocolate while mixing until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate slightly to stiffen frosting before pipping onto cupcakes or frosting with a knife or spatula. Frosting is light and fluffy, but will become very soft if left in the heat.

* Raspberry puree was made with 12-16 oz of fresh raspberries. I ran them through the blender and pushed the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds.

A Jedi Birthday - Part I and Part II

My Star Wars fanatic turned 9 and of course had dreams as big as the galaxy about what we could do to celebrate. In the end, we had two simple parties - one for family and one for school friends. I referred to them as Episode I and Episode II. Time and money were at a premium, but the end results were simple, fun, and well enjoyed by my young jedi.

Birthday Party EPISODE I - Family
MENU- Taco Bar with seasoned ground turkey, sauteed peppers, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, tortilla chips
CAKE- Green light saber cupcakes & vanilla ice cream
DECORATION - black plastic table cloth (dollar store) using a white paint pen to draw a galaxy on, birthday boy's spot with labelled for Jedi Ryan, Lego Star Wars creations & figures

Birthday Party EPISODE II - School Friends
MENU- Pizza, Yoda Soda (label around a green bottle of soda or juice box), baby carrots & celery
CAKE- Blue light saber cupcakes & vanilla ice cream
DECORATION - black plastic table cloth (dollar store) using a white paint pen to draw a galaxy on, each child's spot with labelled for each Jedi (their names), Lego Star Wars creations & figures
PARTY BAGS - found little Lego Star Wars kits on clearance a month ago and stashed them away. Bags were tied together with a glow stick light saber with a character picture threaded on it
ACTIVITIES - outdoor light saber/blaster battles, glow in the dark light saber battle,balloon light sable battles, general chaos

A little bit of electrical tape around the bracelet connector was a quick job and so much fun for the boys Okay, it was fun for too. I saved the two pink ones in the pack for the "Mom Sabers" and broke them out when the boys were getting a bit out of control. That way I was int he middle of it and could keep an eye on things. I may or may not have added to the chaos and my husband may or may not have made me stop before the other parents showed up to pick up their kids.

I took balloons for making animals and wrapped duct tape around the end to make a saber handle. This was chaos, but my living room and all the kids survived. Lots of laughter involved. The kids each took one home with them.

It doesn't get easier than a light saber cupcake spread. Covered a paper towel roll with tin foil and electrical tape and lined up colorful cupcakes. Super easy to slide in a gluten-free cupcake and everyone else gets a regular one.

Kindergarten Valentine Recap

I was the lucky mom to get to plan the Valentine's Day party for my son's kindergarten class. Everything went really well despite a last minute round of food poisoning that I came down with the night before the party. Ugh. I'm so glad that I had all the activities planned and to the teacher ahead of time so all I had to do was make some brownies and marshmallow pops. Both simple enough to do while you are not feeling well.

While I was really happy with the results, I was more pleased with how easy it was to pull together.

I adapted my usual Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows when I found heart shaped marshmallows. I melted semi-sweet and white chocolate chips with a bit of palm oil shortening. After I put the heart marshmallow on the end of a coffee stir stick, I dipped one side of the marshmallow in chocolate and then dipped them into sprinkles. Laid out on a cookie sheet, I stuck them in the freezer for a couple of minutes to harden. I put them on display in a mason jar so the kids could easily grab them, but the moms in class ended up plating up the snacks and serving them to the kids.

Brownies taste even better when they are shaped like a heart right? I under-baked the brownies (half with sprinkles and half without) just slightly and when they cooled I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to make these sweet treats. The bonus is all the scraps were left over to be eaten later when I felt better.

I took pictures of the kids before the party peeking through a heart shaped cookie cutter (that thing got a lot of use). The kids used the pictures to make cards that said "I spy with my little eye, someone that I love."

The kids played site word bingo - Valentine style.

I'm not quite sure when the white conversation hearts were replaced by blue... Our candy counting sheets were a little bit off, but still worked.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Trifle

I had a cookie baking incident this weekend. I was making my favorite chocolate chip cookies for the cake walk at our church carnival. So, I discovered halfway into mixing the dough that I had not oatmeal to use (except for my gluten-free oats that are expensive and used carefully/sparingly). So I substituted too much flour and ended up with some very dry cookies. So I couldn't use them for the cake walk, but weren't so bad that I couldn't bring myself to through them away. And I couldn't bring myself to waste calories on something I didn't really love...

So what's a girl to do? Invent a new dessert. My mind went to the Pumpkin Toffee Trifle that I enjoy (okay, I love). The finished product is moist and amazing melding of flavors creating something greater than the sum of it's components. Could the same be true with cookies and as with cake?

So enters the Chocolate Chip Cookie Trifle. I crumbled up 2 dozen cookies and layered it with pudding mixed with whipped cream and chocolate chips.  I tested a batch right away and it tasted okay, but the cookie bits were still a bit solid and dry. However, letting the trifle set overnight made the cookies moist and tasty. The extra chocolate chips and added a bit of texture to the mix. Next time I think I would use miniature chocolate chips in the mix.

Not a bad way to redeem a baking failure.

2 Dozen chocolate chip cookies
2 lg boxes of pudding (vanilla or chocolate), prepared
1/2 c Chocolate chips (I'd prefer mini chips)
4 c Whipped Cream (about 2 c heavy cream whipped with 1/4 c powdered sugar)

Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Fold in gently to prepared pudding. Set aside. Break cookies into small bite size pieces. Take a third of the cookies and line the bottom of a glass bowl. Spread half of the pudding mixture on top of the cookie pieces and sprinkle with half of the chocolate chips. Top with about 2/3 of the remaining cookie pieces, and then the all of the remaining pudding mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cookie pieces and chocolate chips. Refrigerate 4-18 hours before serving.

NOTE: This makes a lot of trifle. Make sure to bring it to a party, or have a large hungry family waiting. If not, I would suggest you half the recipe.

Fruit Pizza Toast

I hosted a Christmas brunch for friends and served a variety of dishes that were red and green - including this lovely. It can easily be adapted to most dietary restrictions.

Bread (French, Gluten-free, etc.)
Butter, Palm Shortening, or Vegan Spread
Cinnamon-sugar
8 oz Cream cheese (or vegan alternative)
1/4 c Powdered sugar
2 T Milk (cow, nut, rice, hemp)
Fruit sliced thin

This simple tasty treat is a great way to use up bread (gluten-free or regular) that is starting to go stale. Spread a thin layer of butter, vegan spread, or palm shortening on small slice of bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake in a 300 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on top of each piece of toast. Top with your favorite slices of fruit and enjoy.

No Bake Energy Bites

I found this recipe for No Bake Energy Bites and adapted it. These are great for breakfast and a quick snack. They are rich and strong flavored. I listed what I used in red.

* 1/2 c Nut butter (almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut or seed butter)
* 1/3 c honey
* 1 c old fashioned rolled oats
* 1 c shredded unsweetened coconut (or wheat bran/germ, oat bran, some ground flax seed, ground nuts or sesame seeds.)
* 2 t vanilla
* pinch of sea salt
* 1-2 t your favorite spices or spice combination (optional - I used 1/2 t cinnamon)
* 1/2 c other add-ins (roughly chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc)

Mix together the nut butter, honey, vanilla and salt if needed. Then mix in the remaining ingredients. I used
equal parts sesame seeds, coconut and mini chocolate chips. Mix well. Allow to chill slightly and then roll dough into 1-2" balls.

Keep refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to use. Makes approximately 18-24 depending on size.

Vegan Buttercream Frosting

Here's my go to frosting right now. Note, if you refrigerate the left over frosting, be sure to leave time for it to warm up before you need to use it. It hardens significantly after refrigeration, but will warm enough to use again. It tastes great.

1 c Palm oil shortening
3 c Powdered sugar
1 1/2 t Vanilla extract
1/4 c Almond Milk
1/2 t Cinnamon (optional) of 2 T Cocoa Powder (optional)

Blend all ingredients together until light and creamy. Works well for cake frosting (pipping bag or spatula), on crackers, with fruit, stuffed french toast, or straight from the bowl.

Caramelized Banana Sundaes

Oh this little piece of heaven. Please forgive the rotten picture, but I was so excited to eat this little treat tonight that I didn't have the patience to get a decent picture of this sundae. I only use this less than stellar picture so that you can see the caramel on the bananas. This is similar to a Bananas Foster but without the liquor and expensive price tag in a restaurant.

1 T butter or coconut oil
2 T brown sugar
1/4 t vanilla or vanilla powder (optional)

In a non-stick skillet heat ingredients until smooth and bubbly. Add in 2 bananas split lengthwise (I also cut mine in half), cut side down and do not move them so that the sugar can caramelize to the banana (1-2 minutes). Remove and serve immediately with ice cream. Pour any remaining caramel in the pan over top.

I may regret trying one out. So much for a healthy banana.

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

I had forgotten all about this cake until last week when I was scanning through pictures from 2 years ago.

My youngest son wanted an ice cream cake for his 3rd birthday (summertime). I had seen something about making a flower ice cream sandwich cake in a birthday idea book at one point and tried to come up with a way to make it un-girlie for my little man.

What I cam up with was cutting the sandwiches in half and laying them into a springform pan, cut side towards the center. Then I let my little guy pick what ice cream he wanted to fill the center. I was happy to oblige with some cookie dough ice cream. Allow the ice cream to warm up just a bit so it is soft enough to spread and fill. Cover and re-freeze.

If you look at it, it still kind of looks like a flower, but not so much that it was an issue. You will want to pull the cake out of the freezer about 5-10 minutes prior to using so it can warm up to cut and eat easily.

TIPS: After this experience I would recommend lining the bottom with some wax paper, and removing the sides of the pan before it warms up. Make sure you have a crowd to help eat it or serious damage to your waistline could occur.

Summer Strawberry Pie

This gluten-free version of strawberry pie was a HUGE hit at a backyard party last week - with all the people that COULD eat gluten. The combination of oat flavor and texture was wonderful.

I also wanted to find away around using products with artificial flavors and colors. I think that it is pretty close to the original, and darn tasty.

CRUST:
1 3/4 c Oat flour*
2 T Flour or Potato Starch or Corn starch
1 T Sugar
1 stick of Butter

In pie pan, melt the butter. Mix in the oat flour, starch, and sugar and pat out in the pan and around the edges. The crust will slide down a bit in the pan as it bakes and consolidates so push it as high up the sides of the pie pan as it will go. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool.

* I pulsed gluten free oats in an coffee grinder until fine flour was produced.

FILLING:
1 c Sugar
2 T Corn Starch
1 c Water
1/4 c Mashed Strawberries
1 t Unflavored gelatin (about 1/2 a Knox packet)
1 1/2 lb Strawberries

Mix sugar and corn starch together in a saucepan. Add water, stir often and bring to a boil. Stir constantly and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add jello powder and mashed berries. Cool until lukewarm but still pliable.

Place cleaned and cut strawberries in the cooled pie crust. Pour cooled (but not cold) filling over the berries. Refrigerate and allow to set. Serve with whipped or ice cream.

Strawberry Pie - Traditional

This is the strawberry pie that I grew up with. It was one of my favorites and I loved when my mom would make it for us. This was the recipe that I picked to add to our class 5th grade cookbook (which 90% were desserts - go figure).

CRUST:
1 stick of Butter
1 1/3 c Flour
1 T water

In pie pan, melt the butter. Mix in the flour and water and pat out in the pan and around the edges.  Prick holes in the pie crust with a fork. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool.

FILLING:
1 c Sugar
2 T Corn Starch
1 c Water
4 T Strawberry Jello mix
1 qt Strawberries, cleaned & hulled

Mix sugar and corn starch together in a saucepan. Add water, stir often and bring to a boil. Stir constantly and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add jello powder. Cool until lukewarm but still pliable.

Place cleaned and cut strawberries in the cooled pie crust. Pour cooled (but not cold) filling over the berries. Refrigerate and allow to set. Serve with whipped or ice cream.

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie Option

Ice Tea Slushies

On a hot summer day it is really hard to beat the taste of an icee/slurpee/slushie (whichever term you use for a blended ice drink). However, I am not a fan of the super sweet/artificially colored and flavored syrups from which the are made. I've made lemonade slushies before with good results from the kids, but I thought I'd make one from one of my own summer time favorites - lemon sweet tea.

Can I just tell you that sweet tea is a weakness for me? I know the vast amount of calories that they can contain, so I usually make my own to try to control the calorie count - which is better but not great. So this slushie idea is great because I get the volume without sacrificing flavor, and the taste without all the calories. Win-win.

I started with about 2 c of ice in a blender and poured in 1 1/2 cups of tea (pick your favorite brew). I blended until it reached the right consistency (about 90 seconds on mine). I did end up adding a bit more tea to get it right, but that was more for the sake of my cheap blender than it was for the drink.

I filled a large sports bottle with me and hit the road (hence no picture - I'll try next time). It lasted far longer than an actual tea would because my mouth could only handle so much cold before needing a break. The slushie lasted the road trip to bring a meal to a friend recovering from surgery and made it for a nice summer drive.

This one is DEFINITELY going in the stack to make again. Now if I could justify a better blender...

Zucchini Bread Pudding

Why did I never think of this before? I love zucchini bread and I love bread pudding. Why not put them together and feast on their team effort? I broke a loaf of zucchini bread out of the freezer and made my plan. This plan is one that I'll be repeating for sure.

1 loaf of zucchini bread
4 large eggs
1 c milk
1 t cinnamon

Cube up the bread and put it in an 8" X 8" or 9" X 9" pan. Double the recipe for a 9" X 13" pan.
Wisk together eggs, milk, and cinnamon. Pour over bread cubes and use a piece of plastic wrap or the back of a large spoon to push the bread down into the custard mix. Allow to sit for 30 minutes - up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and back for 35-40 minutes until the top starts to brown slightly and appears to be dry. Serve warm or cool. Great topped with whipping cream or ice cream. Delicious on it's own.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Ooooooo, another yummy smoothie favorite. It added a bit of tropical hope to the long, cold days of winter. The flavors just invoke thoughts of warms and sun. It's been a LONG and COLD winter so I'll take any piece of warm happiness that I can get.

2 c Frozen Strawberries

1 Mango

1/2-1 c Orange Juice (or Apple Juice)

1-2 T Strawberry Jam (to taste if strawberries are a bit tart)

Protein Powder (optional)

Throw it all in the blender and let it rip. Love this for a snack.Maybe I should get some of those little umbrellas for my smoothies and have a little tropical party? Nah, last time we had the umbrellas my boys used them as spears against each other.

What's your favorite smoothie combination?

Caramel Corn

 This is one of my all-time favorite Christmas treats that really is an anytime treat. WARNING: once you start eating this you may curse the day that you read this post and decided that it was a good one to try. This is like the crack of popcorn. Best if eaten with others to reduce the likelihood that you eat the whole thing.

I was also excited to find that I could make this for my son by using a soy-free vegan spread (butter substitute). It was still really good.

7 qt  (28 c) Plain popped popcorn
2 c  Dry roasted peanuts (optional)
2 c  Brown sugar
1/2 c Light corn syrup
1 t  Salt
1 c  Butter
1/2 t  Baking soda
1 t Vanilla extract

Put the popped popcorn into two greased baking pans (I like to use disposable foil pans or roaster pans). Add nuts to the popcorn if you would like.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 250. In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt. Stir to mix over medium heat, bringing to a boil. Then boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

Once you've removed from the pan from heat, add the vanilla and baking soda. This will cause the liquid to bubble and expand. While hot, pour the mixture on the popcorn and toss to coat.

Bake for a total of 60 minutes while stirring every 15 minutes which will make the caramel distribute more evenly. Put parchment or wax paper on the counter and spread out the hot caramel corn on it to cool. Immediately use a spatula or spoon to break up the caramel corn into bite-sized pieces. Let it cool and then store in airtight containers or resealable bags. Wrap it up and it makes a great gift for teachers, bus drivers, or friends.

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

I mentioned this in the 25 Tips of Christmas and thought I'd give you a glimpse at them with a few more details. This is about as easy and quick as it gets for a treat. It was a hit with my oldest son who we've had trouble trying to find Christmas treats that fit his multitude of food allergies.


Stick a toothpick or plastic coffee stirrer in a large marshmallow. Allow of couple minutes for the stick to adhere to the marshmallow. While you wait, melt 3/4 c of chocolate chips and 2 t of butter or shortening. Dip and roll the marshmallow in the melted chocolate, lightly wiping the excess chocolate off the bottom of the marshmallow on the side of the bowl. Rest the chocolate coated marshmallow on wax or parchment paper on cookie sheet. Refrigerate to harden chocolate.

For an added bit of fun, sprinkle chopped nuts, toffee bits, chopped up pretzel bits, or sprinkles all over the chocolate.

25 Tips of Christmas - Day #21

For a quick fix treat - stick a toothpick in large marshmallow and dip it in melted chocolate and add some sprinkles or chopped nuts. Place on parchment and refrigerate to harden chocolate. Yummy. More details on making these to come soon.

Cheesecake Quesadillas

I know I promised this recipe a while ago, but it is finally here! Think of this as more of a method to fill as your heart desires. This is a nice dessert treat or a decadent brunch goody.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Quesadillas

Strawberry Cheesecake Quesadillas

Filling - Spread on a bit of cream cheese and add with your favorite topping.

• Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake - 1 T soft cream cheese mixed together with 1 t of powdered sugar, 1 T of pumpkin pie puree/filling, a dash of cinnamon & nutmeg
• Strawberry Cheesecake - 1 T sweetened cream cheese, 1 T strawberry jam
• Nutella - 1 T soft cream cheese, 1 T nutella
• Sprinkles - 1 T soft cream cheese, sprinkles/jimmies
• Almond - mix a 1 t of almond extract with a block of cream cheese & 1/4 c powdered sugar. Spread 1 T of mixture and top with a few chopped almonds
  

Tortillas - lightly spray with cooking oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

On a medium-high heat, slightly grease a griddle. Heat until filling is melted and sugar starts to caramelize. Be careful no to over heat. The sugar will burn easily.

Amazing Cornflake Cookies

Our friends who are working in Thailand training pastors shared this recipe with me years ago. I set it aside when my son's peanut allergy was diagnosed - focusing on numerous other fabulous recipes.

With the addition of so many other allergies, this recipe bubbled back up as a great one to tweak a bit and make it allergy safe. Oh my goodness have I missed these little treats.


1 c Sugar
1 c Peanut Butter (or Sunbutter)
1 c Light Corn Syrup
1/2 t Vanilla
1 T Butter (or vegan butter)
7-8 c Cornflakes

In a large pot, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter vanilla, butter, and then cornflakes. Drop onto wax paper/parchment, press into 9 X 9 or a 9 X 13 pan for bars, or press into a muffin tin. Makes 24-30 cookies.

Warning: You may not want to be left alone with these little bits of heaven.