Lime Creamsicles

Original Recipe HERE

 

These were great popsicles...and there isn't anything besides that to say.  They were both tart and sweet - actually, almost too sweet.  Next time I will add a few more ounces of regular milk and cut some of the condensed milk.

 

Ingredients

1-2/3 cups nonfat milk [I used 1%]

1/2 cup fresh lime juice [I used 5 limes]

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

 

Directions

(1) Whisk all ingredients together until well combined.

(2) Pour into popsicle molds; freeze 6-8 hours or until solid.

 

Kid Participation:

* Whisk ingredients

* Pour into molds (if you don't mind half of it ending up on the counter)

Sweet Fried Plantains

 

Original Recipe HERE

 

I grew to love plantains while living in South Florida.  There were several amazing Cuban restaurants in our town, and fried plantains were served with almost every meal.  No complaints here.

 

I've found recipes that talk about serving them with salt, or garlic, or other non-sweet accompaniments.  But I can't give up my sweet versions.  While they can just be fried in a little butter or oil and are wonderful as-is, I wanted more butter! more sugar! more flavor! more fat! 

 

I served these with dinner because they are fruit - which was a stretch because they really classified as dessert.  They would be awesome with some vanilla ice cream.  The melt-in-your-mouth plantains with the slightly crispy outside and sweet butter sauce were to die for.  I may or may not have literally licked my plate afterward.

 

Ingredients

3 ripe (almost black) plantains

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

 

Directions

(1) Peel plantains.  Slice in half lengthwise; slice in half widthwise (so you have four equal sized pieces).

(2) Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add plantain slices in an even layer

(3) Allow plantains to saute until dark golden.  Flip.  Repeat saute.

(4) When plantains have become golden and slightly crispy on each side, remove from heat.

(5) Add remaining tablespoon butter to pan along with cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar. Scrape bottom of pan to remove any plantain bits.  Stir sauce; remove from heat when sugar is dissolved.

(7) Serve plantains with sauce drizzled over top. 

 

Kid Participation: None, besides gobbling them up.

 

Cranberry & Apple Crisp

Original Recipe HERE

 

While I would happily have every dessert I ever make be chocolate-based, I know not everyone shares the same obsession.  So if it's not going to be full of my VIP ingredient of choice, I like to go in the opposite direction and include fruit: if it's not going to be obviously bad for you, why not pretend it's masquerading as something good for you?

 

Per the recipe, I used granny smith apples and found the final product to be too tart for my liking.  Next time I'll substitute some sweeter ones.  Also, because the apples were in the back of our fridge and went through an unfortunate freeze/thaw cycle, I had to throw out a few and use pears in their place.  I don't know how much of a difference they made; everything got mixed in together so I never identified a definite bite of apple or pear either way.

Ingredients

* For topping:

1 cup flour

1 cup old-fashioned oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cold butter

* For fruit layer:

8 to 9 apples

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen) [I used fresh]

1-1/4 cups sugar

7 Tablespoons flour

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg (optional)

7 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9x13" baking pan (I used glass).

(2) Mix dry topping ingredients together until well combined.  Add cold butter; mix with fingers or pastry cutter until it resembles coarse meal.  Put in refrigerator while preparing fruit layer.

(3) Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/4" slices.

(4) In large bowl, mix apples, cranberries, sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Add butter; toss to combine.  Transfer mixture to baking dish.

(5) Crumble topping over fruit.  Bake for about 1 hour, or until apples are desired tenderness.  Cover with foil after 30 minutes to prevent browning.

(6) Cool slightly and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

 

Kid Participation:

* Mix dry ingredients

* Make apple mixture

* Crumble topping

* Expect to have whipped cream squirted into your mouths during the entire process

Apple Bundt Cake with Brown-Butter Vanilla Glaze

Original Recipe HERE

 

Don't let the length of the ingredient list or number of directions deter you.  This was actually really easy to make and turned out fabulously.  I liked how it was hearty (does it make a cake sound less appetizing if you call it "hearty"?) but not so dense that it sat like a rock in my stomach.  The apple flavor came through but wasn't overpowering.  And, in theory, this could be made in a regular baking pan - especially if the glaze was made thicker. I made it when hosting a family for dinner, and ever member (from age 2 to 33) ate their piece.  I liked it so much, I posted it on Facebook to show it'd earned my stamp of approval.  A friend subsequently made it and concurred with my opinion.

 

However, we both thought a few tweaks would've improved it a bit.  The "mistakes" I made:

(1) Used apples that were too juicy.  Next time I'll use "drier" ones or drain shredded apples thoroughly (actually, probably wring them out in a dishtowel or cheesecloth as I do with zucchini).

(2) Didn't make my glaze runny enough.  It was more like a goopy frosting.  Which was fine, but aesthetically it didn't look as nice.

(3) Paid a crazy amout for a jar of two vanilla beans.  I can't see how they made that big a difference in the taste.  Next time I'll just use the extract.

 

I think this would be a great contribution to a potluck or brunch or just to bring to a friend's house.  It's hard to find a reason it wouldn't be nearly-universally liked.

 

Ingredients

* For the bundt cake:

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

flour [for preparing the pan]

4 medium apples

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1-1/3 cups white sugar, divided

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon mace [I did not use]

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

4 large eggs

1/2 cup apple cider

2 teaspoon vanilla

* For the vanilla glaze:

2 to 3 Tablespoons half-and-half

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

vanilla bean seeds scraped from 1/2 a vanilla bean (split bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds)

4 oz unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Directions

* For the Bundt cake:

(1) Peel and core apples.  Shred using large holes on grater to make about 3-1/2 cups shredded apples.

(2) In a small mixing bowl, stir apple with lemon juice and 1/3 cup white sugar.  Set aside.

(3) Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan [I used silicone] with butter.  Dust with several tablespoons of flour; tilt and tap pan to coat.

(4) In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

(5) In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), thoroughly combine remaining 1 cup white sugar, brown sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, apple cider, and vanilla.

(6) Add flour mixture; mix well.

(7) Add apples; mix until the apples are evenly distributed.

(8) Pour into prepared Bundt pan.  Bake 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto drying rack or serving platter.  If glaze is going to be used, begin making it immediately while cake is still warm.

*For the vanilla glaze:

(1) Pour half-and-half into small bowl; set aside to take the chill off.

(2) In medium mixing bowl, combine sifted powdered sugar and vanilla bean seeds (if using).  Set aside.

(3) In large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm butter until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. It should smell toasty but not burnt.

(4) Pour browned butter into powdered sugar and vanilla bean seeds, leaving darkened butter sediment behind.

(5) Add 2 tablespoons half-and-half.  Add vanilla. Stir vigorously until smooth. Glaze should be pourable; if it's too thick, add remaining half-n-half.

(6) Pour glaze over cake while both are still warm. Serve immediately or allow to cool; store covered on counter or in refrigerator for several days.

 

Kid Participation:

* Whisk dry ingredients

* Mix wet ingredients

* Pour glaze if appearance doesn't count

Apple Cider Milkshakes

Original Recipe HERE

 

Why didn't I think of this on my own?  It's brilliantly simple.  The dairy helps tone down the tartness of the cider, but the cider kicks the boring old vanilla ice cream into "yes, this is worth blowing a good portion of my daily caloric allotment on."  My kids love these, and I'm going to have to freeze some cider so we don't have to wait until next September to have these.

 

If you want your milkshake rather thin but don't want such a strong cider taste, I'm sure some milk could be added for consistency purposes.

 

Ingredients

vanilla ice cream

apple cider

ground cinnamon [optional]

 

Directions

(1) Add ice cream and cider to blender in whatever ration you prefer.

(2) Blend.  Adjust consistency by adding more ice cream or more cider.  Repeat until desired thickness is reached.

(3) Add cinnamon to taste.  Blend.

 

Kid Participation: Ask for one every day after getting home from school.

 

 

Chickpea, Peanut Butter, & Chocolate Chip Bites

Original Recipe HERE

I was eager yet apprehensive to try these.  Eager because I was intrigued by the chickpea element; apprehensive because I was scared I would like them a lot and eat them all and go back and make more.  I am nothing if not self-aware.

The original writer insisted that they were better warm and would be too chickpea-ish if eaten at room temperature.  I didn't have that experience.  All I tasted was the peanut butter with a nice hint of honey.  Most were eaten the night they were made, but 24 hours later the remaining ones were delicious and still ever-so-slightly gooey in the center.  They will remain soft after baking; don't wait until they get crispy.  Mine had a barely detectable crust on the top when I took them out.

Update: I made these again, and they DID taste too chickpea-ish (FYI, when something has chickpeas in it and I don't like it, I refer to them as garbanzos because that awkward, alternate name seems to fit my impression better than the benign "chickpea").  I eyeballed the amounts and probably didn't put in enough peanut butter or honey.  Next time I'll also try a bit of ground cinnamon in my quest to perfect this recipe.

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed & patted dry

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons peanut butter [I used Smart Balance creamy}

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt (if peanut butter doesn't have salt in it)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350°F.

(2) Combine all ingredients, except for chocolate chips, in a food processor.  Process until very smooth.

(3) Add chocolate chips.  Process until just combined. Mixture will be very thick and sticky.

(4) With wet hands or a mini scoop, form dough into 1-1/2" balls. Place onto Silpat or piece of parchment paper lining a baking sheet.  They can be close together; they do not expand much.

(5) Bake 10 minutes. Yields about 30 1" bites.

Kid Participation:

* Add ingredients to food processor

* Operate processor

* Use scoop to place dough on cookie sheet

* Eat too many of them because they're so small that Mama would allow, "OK, just one more."

Orange-Glazed Orange Cookies

Original Recipe HERE

I'm not normally a fan of orange-flavored...anything.  Except Sunkist.  I would have put that stuff in an IV and mainlined it as a child if an adult had let me.  Probably because my parents only let me indulge on special occasions, and "Thou most desires that which thou canst not obtain" - or something like that.  Anyway, I wasn't sure whether to proceed with the orange in the original recipe or switch it to lemon.  I stuck with the orange and was glad I did.  It was noticeable but not overpowering.  Husband brought these to work and received raves for them.  I'm glad to have added another recipe to my small-but-growing arsenal of Cookies That Don't Involve Chocolate and Aren't Incredibly Dense (I Mean Satisfyingly Filling).  Broadening my horizons and all that.  This recipe made about 30 cookies.

I also am excited to have learned the trick of infusing the sugar with the zest.  It may have been in my head, but I do think it made a difference.  I've subsequently used the technique a few times with lemon.

Ingredients

* For cookies
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons orange zest
1 cup [2 sticks] unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 egg

* For glaze
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 Tablespoon orange zest
Fresh orange juice

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

(2) In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

(3) In  small bowl, combine sugar and zest by rubbing them together with your fingers until zest is completely incorporated into sugar.

(4) Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and zest-infused sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).

(5) Add juice and egg; mix until combined.

(6) Reduce mixer speed to low.  Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. If dough seems slightly soft, refrigerate it for up to 30 minutes.

(7) Using a medium cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoonfuls), scoop dough and roll into balls.  Place them 2" apart on cookie sheets.

(8) Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until very lightly browned around edges but still pale in the middle. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the cookie sheet.  Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

(9) To make glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, orange zest, and enough orange juice to achieve the desired consistency (less juice for a thicker glaze, more for a thinner one). Spread glaze over top of cooled cookies; allow to set at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Store at room temperature in an airtight container (divide layers with wax paper so the cookies don’t stick together).

Kid Participation:

* Whisk dry ingredients

* Rub sugar and zest

* Scoop dough balls

* Drizzle glaze if thin; spread glaze if thick (and you don't mind losing a few broken cookies to a heavy-handed spreader)

Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Original Recipe HERE

I was looking for a frosting recipe that was more interesting than a basic buttercream and thought this was seasonally appropriate.  Poor Husband; his birthday always is the guinea pig one where I try recipes I've never made before.  Luckily this one turned out well.  It's not sweet, so pairing it with the chocolate zucchini cake (which also wasn't very sweet) was a good match since I wasn't looking for a traditional sugar-laden dessert.  And if Husband didn't like it, there's always next year to try something new.  I'm sure he's already anticipating it with dread excitement.

I doubled it for a 9x13" sheet cake and it was more than enough.

Ingredients (for non-doubled recipe)

8 oz Philadelphia 1/3 fat cream cheese (do not use fat free)

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

5 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

Directions

(1) Allow cream cheese to soften to room temperature.

(2) Add pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar to cream cheese.  Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth.

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Original Recipe HERE

These were really easy and really tasty.

I will give this recipe an extra shout-out for durability.  It was brought to a BBQ held on a day when the heat index was well over 100 degrees.  I was in a pool up to my neck and my head was still pouring sweat.  These were put out on a picnic table in direct sunlight, and my heart sank, knowing they'd be a melty mess within minutes.  Surprisingly, they held up really well.  Some condensation-type beads appeared on the top, but they stayed firm until I was able to move them into the air-conditioned kitchen.  I had ice-filled ziploc bags underneat the pan, so I'm sure that helped them stay cool...but the lesson is to not let the idea of cream cheese scare you from making these for a summer event.

Ingredients

2 cups finely crushed Oreo-type cookies
3 Tablespoons butter, melted

3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened [I used low fat]

1 14-oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 oz of chocolate, melted [I used semi-sweet chocolate chips]

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 13x9" baking pan with foil or wax paper.

(2) In bowl, combine crumbs and butter and press firmly into bottom of pan.

(3) In another bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; mix. Pour half of the batter evenly over cookie crumbs.

(4) Stir melted chocolate into remaining batter; mix well. Spoon over plain batter.  Use a knife to swirl batter to make a marble-like design.

(5) Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Cool, then chill for a couple hours or overnight.  Yield: 24 bars.

Kid Participation:
* Crush cookies
* Stir chocolate into batter
* Marbelize batter

Glazed Lemon Bars

Original Recipe HERE

I love the refreshing taste of a good lemon bar, but often they're too sour or too sweet and don't strike the right balance between the two.  This recipe is being saved to make again, so it's the closest I've found.  I'd have liked the lemon flavor to be a little more pronounced, but that can be remedied by adding more grated lemon zest or a little lemon extract.

Ingredients

* Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
* Filling
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice, strained of pulp and seeds [2-3 lemons]
1 teaspoon lemon zest [optional]
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
* Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
(1) Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray 9×13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
(2) Whisk together flour and powdered sugar.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is crumbly.
(3) Lightly press mixture into pan and bake 15-20 minutes or until light golden around the edges. Remove from oven.
(4) Mix eggs, lemon juice, flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for 3 minutes. The mixture should be frothy and very pale yellow.
(5) Pour mixture over warm crust.  Return pan to oven for another 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top (begin checking at 15 mintues).
(6) Remove pan from oven and allow to cool completely on drying rack.
(7) When bars are cool, whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth.  Gently spread over bars. Refrigerate at least 2 hours (preferably more).  Cut into squares before serving. Makes about 36 bars.

Notes: (1) I couldn't get the crust dough to stop sticking to my fingers, so it was tough to make it an even thickness.  Maybe letting the dough sit in the refrigerator, then rolling it out into large pieces and "patching" them together in the pan would work.  (2) While I let the glaze sit on the bars for the two hours it recommends, it was still pretty runny when I cut the bars.  I assume this would be fixed by letting them sit in the refrigerator longer (probably overnight).  However, the glaze would crack and the appearance might not be as nice.  An option is to cut the bars before applying the glaze, then drizzle the glaze over each individual bar and letting it run down the sides. (3) Directions say to bake the lemon topping for 20-25 minutes, but I checked at 17 and it was already pretty browned.  Next time I'll check earlier.

Kid Participation:

* Whisk dry ingredients

* Add wet ingredients to bowl

* Operate mixer

* Pour glaze over bars

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Original Recipe HERE

These cookies were a great autumnal treat.  I would've eaten them all (with *N* gladly offering to assist) if I hadn't sent them to work with Husband.  He emailed me a few hours into the day to say they were a hit and that the recipe had been requested.

One thing to keep in mind when baking these is that they may not look or feel done - the tops will be very soft.  But watch for browning on the bottoms.  The end result is a very lightly-textured, "airy" cookie that means can easily find yourself consuming mass quantities because they aren't dense, fill-you-up-type treats.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened [or margarine or shortening]

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking soda

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice [can be substituted with nutmeg and cloves]

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

2) In stand mixer or using a mixing bowl with electric mixer, combine butter, brown sugar, eggs and pumpkin until smooth.

3) In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pie spice, and salt.

4) Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix on low until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

5) Spoon batter onto greased cookie sheets in tablespoon-size drops. Bake 9-11 minutes. Remove from sheets and let cool on cooling rack.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation:

* Measure wet ingredients

* Crack eggs

* Measure dry ingredients

* Whisk dry ingredients

* Spoon dough onto baking sheet (likely resulting in dough smeared all over the sheet and a burned-cookie smell from your oven)

Apple Crimble

I don't know if this dish is technically a "crisp" or a "crumble."  So for now, I'm dubbing it a "crimble" until I can research further.

I came across a baked apple recipe that was super easy.  I thought I bookmarked it, but when I went back to make it that night, it was nowhere to be found.  Luckily I remembered how to make it, so I did.  It was really good.  But it involved halving apples, scooping out the seeds, and baking in the skin.  It got the pan messy with the juice the apples released, some halves fell apart, and the topping came off in one big piece.  So I tweaked it to be easier to both prepare and eat. 

Below is listed how to make a good-sized crimble for an individual.  The amounts are easily adjusted depending on how many apples you're using and how big you want the servings to be (and if you want to double the topping but keep the apple portion the same...).  This could be tweaked a bit, like using wheat flour instead of white and adding nuts. The type of apple used, and whether it's peeled, is variable as well.

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small apples

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

4 Tablespoons quick-cook [or old-fashioned] oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon [or to taste]

Directions

(1) Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

(2) Peel each apple and cut into 8 slices.  Toss with cinnamon if desired.  Place slices in a 2-cup ramekin.

(3) In bowl big enough to hold all additional ingredients, melt butter in microwave.  Add flour, sugar, oats, and cinnamon [if not already used] and combine well.

(4) Spread topping over apple slices.  Bake 25 minutes, or until topping crisps (but does not brown) and apples are easily pierced with a fork.  Serve with whipped cream or Cool Whip.

Kid Participation:

* Arrange apple slices in ramekin

* Mix ingredients into butter

* Spread topping onto apple slices

Vanilla Coconut Mini-Muffins

This recipe comes from the Clay Corner Inn of Blacksburg, Virginia.

I love the combination of chocolate and coconut, which is why both usually end up in my morning oatmeal.  The original recipe didn't call for chocolate chips, but I thought they'd be too bland without (1) chocolate, or (2) adding more intense coconut flavor.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup shredded coconut

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease mini-muffin cups or spray with non-stick spray.

2) In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, coconut, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips.  Whisk until thoroughly blended.

3) In small mixing bowl, combine butter, egg, milk, and vanilla.  Whisk until thoroughly blended.

4) Add milk mixture to flour mixture.  Stir by hand until just combined.

5) Fill each muffin cup half-full.

6) Bake for 11 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of muffin comes out clean (do not allow to brown on edges).  Remove muffins from cups immediately and cool on rack.  Yield: 36-44 muffins.

Notes: I baked the first batch for 12 minutes (per the original recipe), and they were slightly too crusty.  Next time I'll bake for 10-11 minutes.  Also, the coconut flavor was not as pronounced as I thought it would be, so I'll substitute 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract for some of the vanilla.

Kid Participation:

* Pour dry ingredients

* Whisk dry ingredients

* Pour wet ingreidents

* Crack egg

* Stir wet ingredients

* Stir combined batter

* Scoop batter into muffin cups

Creamy Fruit Freeze

Original Recipe HERE

Summertime, with its abundant fresh fruit, makes me want to take advantage of nature's bounty.  However, my family doesn't always consume mass quantities (of the size that makes a pick-your-own outing worthwhile) quickly enough, and some goes bad.  Except blueberries.  *N* can eat those by the truckload; I should've named her Veruca.  I know I can freeze it, and I sometimes do - but usually in pureed form to add to plain yogurt or smoothies later on.  Those options were getting a little old, so I thought I'd try this recipe.

I didn't have enough fresh fruit varities that seemed like they'd combine well, so I used a frozen bag of mixed berries and cherries from Trader Joe's.  The end result was a lovely treat.  It didn't have the "airy-ness" of good ice cream, but it had a melt-in-your-mouth quality that I really liked (because, obviously, it's frozen, so it's going to melt...but I couldn't think of a better description).  I added a few spoonfuls to some smoothies, and it gave them a richer texture - funny, since I had been feeling burned out on smoothies-made-of-frozen-fruit.  This isn't healthy, but it's super easy.  And at least you know it's not full of scary-sounding additives, artificial flavors, and suspicious colors.

Ingredients

2 cups berries or diced fruit, fresh or frozen (thawed)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1) Combine fruit and sugar in a food processor or blender.  Process until smooth.

2) In mixing bowl, whip heavy whipping cream until soft-medium peaks form.

3) Gently fold whipped cream into puree just until combined.

4) Place in a freezer safe container and freeze until firm (about 2-4 hours). Scoop into bowls for 6 small servings.

Notes: Next time I'll combine the puree and cream more thoroughly.  It had a marbelized look before being frozen, so I'll go for a more uniform appearance.

Kid Participation

* Pour fruit and sugar into food processor

* Mix puree and whipped cream together

Cream Biscuits with Blueberry Topping

Original Recipe HERE

My mom brought several pounds of freshly picked blueberries on her most recent visit, and my first instinct was to made them into a dessert.  Without much time to spend on making them, and not wanting to go to the store to buy ingredients, I tried this recipe.  Without any butter in it, I was concerned that they'd be too light - fine for some occasions, but I prefer a denser biscuit for shortcake.  These were a great solution.  It yielded 7 biscuits that were 3" each and one mini-biscuit for *N*.  To serve, I split it in half, scooped mascerated blueberries on top, and added an unhealthy amount of Redi-Whip (yes, taking the lazy route).

Ingredients for Cream Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Ingredients for Blueberries

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1) Add blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice to small sauce pan.  Allow to simmer until some blueberries begin to burst and reach a thick syrup-like consistency (leave some blueberries whole).  Taste-test and add more sugar or lemon juice if desired.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2) Preheat oven to 425°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

3) Sift two cups flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into large bowl.

4) Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream. If dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in remaining 1/4 cup cream, little by little.

5) Turn dough onto floured surface, mound into a ball and, using your hands, press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch.

6) Cut into rounds approximately 2.5" diameter and arrange on baking sheet at least 1" apart.  Gather dough scraps and continue to make rounds.

7) Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Notes: None!

Kid Participation:

* Add dry ingredients

* Whisk dry ingredients

* Measure and add blueberries (watch for kidnapped berries)

* Press out dough

* Cut biscuit rounds

Watermelon Sugar Cookies

Original Recipe HERE

Can you tell which one she decorated?

We made these on a whim after seeing their picture in a blog sidebar.  We had all the ingredients, and it seemed like something *N* would enjoy doing because don't all kids like food-that-looks-like-something-it's-not?  They were somewhat time-consuming, but they can be broken up into steps throughout the day: 1) make dough, 2) make cookies, 3) glaze cookies.  The two difficulties I had were that rolling out the dough between two sheets of parchment made it slide all over the counter.  Perhaps there's a better method, but I didn't bother figuring it out - just held the paper steady with one hand and awkwardly used the roller with the other.  Also, I worked as fast as I could when cutting out shapes and applying chocolate chips, but the dough still got somewhat soft and a little tricky to transfer because I didn't put the cookies on the baking sheets until after the chips were on.

I used the sugar cookie recipe listed in the original recipe, I'd think any other could be substituted.  I doubt it's possible to make healthy sugar cookies, but the amount of butter and sugar in these things had me on the phone to pre-arrange a triple bypass for next week.  Still, they were a nice treat and a fun "novelty food" to bring to a summer party.  Husband brought most of them to work, and he emailed me to tell me comments included, "These are very good," "Bakery quality!," and "Can I have another?" The recipe yielded approximately 36 cookies.

Ingredients for Cookies

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 Tablespoon slices

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 drops red food coloring

1 cup miniature semi-sweet morsels

Ingredients for Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 1/2 Tablespoons milk

15-20 drops green food coloring

Directions

1) In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2) Add butter slices, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and red food coloring to mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until incorporated (don't be concerned if there are small lumps of butter still visible).

3) Turn mixer to low and gradually add flour mixture. Mix until incorporated and no traces of flour are left. Gather all dough together using a sturdy rubber spatula.

4) Remove dough from bowl and separate into two batches. Place one batch between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4" thick. Repeat with other batch. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

5) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and have baking sheets (lined with silicon baking mat or parchment) ready.

6) Remove one batch of rolled dough from refrigerator. Cut out circles with cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, then cut each circle in half.

7) Place halves on baking sheet about 1" apart.  Gently press chips into each half to resemble seeds.

8) Bake 6-8 minutes, checking after 6.  Cookies should be slightly puffed but not browned at all on edges.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.  Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

* For each batch of dough, after cutting out the circles, gather the scraps together and reroll them, place back in the refrigerator. Repeat until all dough has been used. [I didn't put dough back in the fridge because I needed to get them all done quickly]

9) In small bowl, whisk together all ingredients to form glaze.  Add drops of milk to thin glaze if too thick.

10) Cover counter with wax paper and place cooling racks over paper to catch drips. Roll round end of each cookie in glaze, allow excess to drip off into bowl, and place on cooling rack.  Allow glaze to set before transferring.

Notes: I used a drinking cup (because our cookie cutters seem to have been misplaced since we moved) that was about 3.5" diameter to cut out the shapes.  Next time I'll use a smaller one.  Also, I used 10 drops of green food coloring - approximately, since *N* squeezed the bottle so fast I couldn't count.  The green looked vibrant enough in the bowl, but on the cookies it wasn't bright enough.  Next time I'll use more.

Kid Participation

* Whisk dry ingredients

* Crack eggs

* Roll dough

* Cut out shapes

* Apply chips (watch for grabbing handfuls of chips at once and ending up with a mess of half-melted chips in each palm)

Biscuits with Strawberries and Ricotta Cream

Original Recipe for Biscuits HERE

Original Recipe for Ricotta Cream HERE

During a recent visit, my mom thought that the strawberries from the grocery store weren't good enough.  So she drove to a new farm stand nearby and bought a ton of just-picked ones.  She insisted that we eat them fresh - no freezing allowed (that would be reserved for the sub-par ones I bought).  There's only so many times I could put them in yogurt or make a smoothie or just eat them plain.  So I made them into a dessert that was universally complimented: a biscuit sliced in half, a generous scoop of strawberries on both, and each finished with a big dollop of the ricotta mixture.  I had some Redi-Whip getting geriatric in the fridge, so I may or may not have squirted some of that on top...

I made the biscuits, but that's not necessary.  Storebought ones can be used, or pound cake could be substituted.  Or the strawberries and ricotta could just be layered together in a glass (maybe add some slivered almonds? granola?). 

STRAWBERRIES & RICOTTA CREAM

Ingredients

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (16 oz) container strawberries, hulled and sliced

Sugar (approximately 1 tablespoon)

Directions

1) Put ricotta, honey and vanilla extract into small bowl of a food processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

2) Put strawberries into non-plastic bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Allow to mascerate in refrigerator, gently stirring several times.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

* Be sure to read the tips in the original recipe for how to maximize your results.

Ingredients

1 cup (5 oz) all-purpose flour

1 cup (4 oz) cake flour [can substitute with 1 cup all-purpose flour and increase buttermilk by 2 tablespoons]

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes

¾ cup cold buttermilk

Directions

1) Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2) Place flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl [hand]or workbowl of a food processor [processor] fitted with the metal blade. Whisk together or process with 6 1-second pulses.

3) Hand: use two knives, a pastry blender, or fingertips to quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Processor: remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and process with 12 1-second pulses.

4) Hand: stir in buttermilk with a rubber spatula or fork until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball.  Processor: remove the cover and pour the buttermilk evenly over the dough. Process until the dough gathers into moist clumps, about eight 1-second pulses.

5) Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and quickly form into rough ball (careful not to overmix). Pat the dough into ¾-inch-thick circle.

6) Cut out dough rounds with a biscuit cutter [I used a small drinking glass with the rim dredged in flour]. Push together the remaining pieces and repeat until no dough is left.  Place the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet (sheet can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 hours).

7) Bake until biscuit tops are light brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Notes: None, other than maybe making the full "strawberries and balsamic" recipe in the original one linked to above.

Kid Participation:

* Add ingredients for cream mixture

* Push buttons on food processor

* Add dry ingredients for biscuits

* Pat dough

* Cut out biscuit rounds