Category: Recipes

When searching for some back to school lunchbox ideas, I came across these two smart ways to include fruit into lunch.

Come Together Kids shared banana writing! Simply use a toothpick to write a message or draw a picture on a banana. By the time lunch rolls around, your message will appear on the peel. Such an easy way to add fun to lunch.

My kids loved sliced apples, but they won’t eat them after they begin to brown. I’m going to try this idea from At Home with Real Food. Sliced apples with no oxidation issues because you cut it apart and put it back together until they are ready to eat. Now I’ll just have to figure out how to keep them from shooting the rubber band across the lunch room.

Tonight we made up a new soup. Most people would probably just call it vegetable soup, but if we did that, our girls wouldn’t touch it. So we named it Christmas Soup. It turned out quite tasty so I figured I better jot down what we made so I could make it again.

The girls decided Christmas Soup was pretty good and ate it right up.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground sirloin

1 onion – diced

6 Cups of water

1/2 Cup of red cooking wine

3 beef bouillon cubes

2 cans of petite diced tomatoes

1 can peas – drained

1 can cut green beans – drained

2 carrots – diced

2 potatoes – diced

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

2 Bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat and onions in a pot until cooked. Drain the meat and onions. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer until the veggies are cooked (approx 45 minutes).

Enjoy!

We had this for dinner last night and it was an easy way to serve french toast to my family without me having to stand in front of the stove forever. This was also very tasty.

To make this you will need:
1 loaf of french bread

8 eggs

3 cups of milk

6 Tablespoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons of butter

Preheat the oven to 350.

Directions:

1. Spray a 9×13 inch dish with cooking spray. The butter flavored kind works great for this recipe.

2. Cut the french bread into cubes, about 1 inch apiece. This will give you approximately 10 cups of cubed bread. Place the bread in the baking dish and spread evenly.

3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, vanilla extract and 2 Tablespoons of sugar.

4. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread and let it sit while you prepare the topping.

5. Cut butter into small pieces and place over the top of the bread.

6. Mix together the remaining sugar (4 Tablespoons) and cinnamon (1 teaspoon). Sprinkle over the top of the bread.

7. Bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

8. Top with syrup, powdered sugar or fruit, if desired.

This would make a delicious breakfast for Christmas morning.

I had a craving for peanut butter cookies. I had one of those package mixes and was going to whip them up really quick before the girls got home from school. I realized that I had some leftover chocolate chips and thought it would be fun to add to some of the cookies. Who doesn’t like chocolate and peanut butter together? Then all of a sudden I came up with the idea to make the cookies look like pumpkins and add some chocolate chips to create a jack o’ lantern look to some.

These were really easy to make and turned out cute. The girls thought they were fun to eat.

To make them, I mixed up the batter and took just a bit out and dyed it green. I did use a bit of orange coloring in the dough for the pumpkin part, but then decided it really didn’t need any and I didn’t mix it through all the way, so that’s why the pumpkins look a bit colored. I liked the way it turned out anyway.

Then I made balls out of the dough. Instead of pressing them two directions with a fork, I just pressed the fork one direction, all the way across the cookie. Then I took my finger and thumb and smooshed the top and bottom together just a bit so the cookie wasn’t so rounded looking. I added the green stem dough to the top. For a few, I used the chocolate chips to make a face. Then I baked them according to the directions.

Here are the cookies ready to go into the oven.

These would be fun for a fall or Halloween party, as long as none of the guests are allergic to peanuts.

We tried this recipe this week and we were quite happy with the results. We made it with strawberries, but any type of fruit would be great. It would be a much healthier option than ice cream for adding fun flavors like Oreo cookies or something too. We used our indoor ice cream maker and it makes 1.5 quarts at a time. After pouring the mixture into the maker, I poured the leftovers into a couple of popsicle molds. In the end, the popsicles may have been my favorite way to eat it since it gets so hard from sitting in the freezer. I read reviews about it getting icy after being in the freezer, but we haven’t had that problem. It has a creamy texture and we can’t wait to try more flavors.

I love that it was fat free and tasty!

You will need:

2 cups fat-free plain yogurt

2 cups pureed fresh strawberries

1 (14 ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 cup fat-free milk

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.

Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze.

Allow to ripen in ice cream freezer or firm up in refrigerator freezer 2-4 hours before serving.

Remove from the freezer 30-45 minutes before serving. This is why the popsicles worked so well!

You gotta love AllRecipes.com!

So frozen yogurt is making my Friday magical….

What is making your week wonderful? What has added that spark of magic to your life recently? Link up here to show me or tell me in a comment!

Today I tried out a new recipe. I’m a sucker for Dr Pepper and I’m trying to quit drinking so much of it. I am trying to find something that is refreshing, tasty and not so bad for me. That’s why I thought about trying this blueberry soda idea. I used Alton Brown’s recipe:

Ingredients

4 Cups of fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained (I used frozen…they were on sale for cheap and already in my freezer and I don’t always follow the rules so well)
2 Cups of Water
7 oz of sugar (I used 1 Cup…don’t know why he had to put that in ounces, but I didn’t feel like dragging the postal scale out of the desk to measure sugar!)
1 lime, juiced (I used a couple or 3 tablespoons of lime juice from the fridge)
Carbonated Water

Directions

1. Place the blueberries and the water into a medium saucepan, set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth that is set in a large bowl. (if you don’t have cheesecloth, you can cut up a clean, old sheet from your fabric stash…just sayin’)
3. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the skin and pulp.
5. Return the blueberry juice to the saucepan along with the sugar and lime juice.
6. Place over medium high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof glass container and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, until completely cooled.

To Serve: Combine 1/4 cup of the liquid with 8-ounces of carbonated water and serve over ice.

It’s refreshing and different. It’s not Dr Pepper, but it’s also fun to try new things! Aren’t blueberries good for your memory? I can’t remember. Seriously!

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with wooden spoons to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
- READ John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put I teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink,
- READ John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life.
- READ John 10:10-111

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers and the bitterness of our own sin.
- READ Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add I cup sugar. Explain that the sweetness part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him.
- READ Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat the mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
- READ Isaiah 1: 18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.
- READ Matthew 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet I the oven. Close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape to seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.
- READ Matthew 27:65-66

Go to bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

- READ John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.  Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.  The cookies are hollow!  On the first Easter, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.  Read Matthew 28:1-9.

While out searching for a great apple crumb pie recipe, I came across this cute idea for cupcakes. The original recipe was to use red in the middle for Valentine’s Day, but these were made green for St Patty’s day. This would be cute for that too since it’s just around the corner. Me thinks I may have to make these and have the leprechauns leave them behind while the girls are sleeping.

I also thought this would make a cute idea for announcing a new baby’s gender. I never came up with any creative ways to spread the word since our family was so spread out, but this would be fun. You can make white cupcakes with a neutral colored icing, like green, yellow or white. Then on the inside they can be blue or pink. It would be fun for a baby shower too. Then when you hand out the cupcakes, the person will know of a baby boy or girl is on the way.

To make the two toned cupcakes, use white cake mix to put into the cupcake liners. Save some of the batter and dye it with food coloring. Place the remaining batter in a pastry bag or  into a plastic bag. Clip the corner of the plastic bag to allow the batter to come out. Push the tip of the bag into the center of each cupcake and squeeze a couple of tablespoons into the center of the white batter. Bake as usual.

As another option, you can bake the cupcakes first and dye icing to go into the middle. It makes a yummy treat inside the cupcake. I do this from time to time and it’s always a hit with the girls. To do this option, bake the cupcakes as usual. Once they are cooled, place the dyed icing into a pastry bag. Press the tip into the top of the cupcake and squeeze in the icing. Ice the cupcake with neutral colored icing.

Enjoy!

I got popsicle molds the other day and I have been busy experimenting with different recipes. I am looking for good and healthy ways to stay cool this summer.

The first ones I made were watermelon. They weren’t too good. They looked pretty though.

Then I made some orange flavored ones. I took frozen orange juice and let it thaw a bit. Then I mixed it with vanilla yogurt. They were really good. I like these the best so far.

Today I made chocolate pudding pops. I had some fat free, sugar free pudding in the pantry. I accidently bought it one day. It ended up being taste free too. The girls seemed to really enjoy them though.

Up next is blueberry!

Oh yum!

I was trying to get my last $100 from ChaCha tonight and I got a question about a girl scout cookie movie quote. It lead me to bakingbites.com and this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!

Homemade Samoas Bars
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Note: You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if you’re looking for yet an easier way to finish these off. You won’t need quite as much chocolate as noted above, and you won’t quite get the Samoas look, but the results will still be tasty.