Frozen Fruit Pops

We are big fans of summertime treats at our house.  The freezer is always full of Popsicles and ice cream and other junk.  But interestingly enough, my kiddos prefer the healthier frozen treats.  Namely, these fruit pops.  And its easy to see why.  They taste fresh and really cool you off on a hot day, but most important to me is that they are much more healthy than traditional frozen treats.  These pops are a delicious mixture of fruits and juice.  And at about 12 cents each, they won't break the bank.

Frozen Fruit Pops
Makes about 50 3 oz. pops

2 (20 oz.) cans crushed pineapple, undrained
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed and mashed
1 (20 oz.) can fruit cocktail, undrained
1 (15 oz.) can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 (12 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
6 medium firm bananas
3 ounce plastic cups
Popsicle sticks

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix well.  Spoon into cups and insert Popsicle sticks.  Place on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid.

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Quick Fruit Salad

I can tell that summer is finally here!  Everything I make has to be quick, simple and light.  This fruit salad certainly fits that bill!  It has become another fast favorite around here.  Since it can be made ahead of time, it doesn't get in the way of all our summer activities.  I've started keeping it in the fridge so the kiddos will have a healthy snack alternative too.  They've decided they would rather have this salad than popsicles.  That's a success in any mom's book!

The secret ingredient is peach pie filling.  It really keeps the bananas from browning.  But the reality is that this salad won't last long enough for the bananas to brown anyway.

Quick Fruit Salad
Serves about 6

1 can peach pie filling (I think it was about a 20 oz. can?)
1 lb. fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
4 large bananas, sliced
Green grapes, washed

Place all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.  Chill before serving.

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Homemade Butterfinger Bites

With all my kiddos home for the summer, I'm always looking for fun things for them to do.  For them it usually involves food.  I swear, they are eating me out of house and home already!  I've taken to calling meal time "slopping the hogs".  Not because they have bad manners (that wouldn't be tolerated), but because of the copious amounts of food they consume.  Its insane.  But I'll bet every mom in America is going through the same thing right now, so I'm in good company.

Anyway.... I love food projects that don't involve any baking and only dirty 1 or 2 dishes.  Especially since my dishwasher seems to run non-stop lately.  We all had a great time smashing peanut butter between Wheat Thins then dipping them in melted chocolate.  You won't believe how good something so simple can be.  And it makes a lot!  We got between 50 and 60 little sandwiches.  They don't go very far when you're feeding 7 hungry kids, but since they are so easy and inexpensive you can just make more!  That's what we did!

Homemade Butterfinger Bites
Makes about 50-60 bites

1 (10 oz.) box original Wheat Thins crackers
1 cup creamy peanut butter
16 ounces dipping chocolate or almond bark

Sandwich about 1/2 teaspoon peanut butter between two Wheat Thins crackers; repeat until all crackers have been used. Melt chocolate in microwave at 50 percent power for one minute; stir. Return to microwave at 30 second intervals until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Dip cracker "sandwiches" in chocolate to coat. Set on wax paper. Place in refrigerator or freezer for 10-15 minutes to set completely. Store in an airtight container.

Source:  The Blogosphere

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Easter Noodle Nests

Its spring break and all of my kiddos are home from school.  Its sometimes a challenge keeping them all busy since there is such an age range between the oldest and youngest.  But I know that making treats is something kids of all ages love.  With Easter coming I thought it would be fun to do an Easter themed treat.

These Noodle Nests are a lot of fun!  Its hands on and very sticky and gooey--everything every kid wants in a treat.  We colored the marshmallows pink and filled ours with jelly beans for eggs and my 8 year old daughter set chick shaped marshmallow peeps on the nest for a mommy bird.  It was a fun time.

Easter Noodle Nests
Makes 5-6 nests

4 cups chow mein noodles
3 cups marshmallows
3 Tbs. butter or margarine
jelly beans

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.  Pour the chow mein noodles in a bowl and set aside.  Melt the butter in in saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth.  Pour the marshmallow mixture over the noodles and stir until well coated.

With buttered hands, divide mixture into 5 balls.  Make an indentation in each ball with the back of a buttered spoon.  Allow to cool, fill with jelly beans and eat!

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Piggys in a Blanket

These little beauties are better than your average pigs.  Most of the time these are made with crescent roll dough and hot dogs.  I love that this version is made with breadstick dough and lil' smokies.  The flavor of the smoked sausages just cant be beat.  My kids love making these, and we all love eating them.  Try using the cheddar cheese flavored lil' smokies for a new twist.  We love these dipped in BBQ sauce or honey mustard.

Piggys in a Blanket
Makes 36 appetizers

1 pkg. lil' smokies smoked sausages
1 pkg. Pillsbury bread stick dough
1 egg white
1 Tbs. water
Poppy seeds (optional)

Unroll the bread stick dough and cut into thirds.  Roll each sausage in a piece of dough.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Mix together the egg white and water and gently brush over the top of the bread dough.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

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Mini Biscuit Pizzas

I know these don't look like much, but to a kid its the end all in lunch!  We had such a great time making these little pizzas.  My kiddos had so much fun putting their own toppings on.  I love these personalized meals.  If you don't like something then just leave it off.  Like most kids, mine wanted sauce, cheese and pepperoni.  Another great thing about these is that they freeze well.  Just pop them in the microwave until they're hot and voila, instant lunch!

Mini Biscuit Pizzas
Refrigerated biscuit dough or make your favorite biscuit recipe
Pizza sauce
Your favorite pizza topping

Remove biscuit dough from the container and flatten with your hands or roll out.  Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and biscuits are cooked through.  To freeze:  Place on a lightly greased baking pan and freeze thoroughly.  Remove from the pan and store in a zippered freezer bag.  Reheat in the microwave until hot.

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Baked Cinnamon Chips

My friend asked me why in the world I'd start another food blog when I already have one that I post on everyday.  There are 2 answers to that question.  First, in January I'll only be posting on my dutch oven blog once or twice a week.  The second answer requires a picture.

This is the contents of what I call my recipe drawer.  It is a 6" high, colossal, unorganized mess!  As I sit here thinking, I have another stack in one of my kitchen cupboards that is almost as big.  And that doesn't include the 100+ pages of recipes I have on CD or the dozens of files I have saved on my computer.  I've never even tried most of these recipes!   See why I need another food blog.  I really need a way to organize all of this.  Whew!  That's going to be a big job.

But for today, I'll share one of my kids favorite treats.  I've been making these forever and my kids love them.  They make great after school snacks and are yummy additions to school lunches.  During the summer I make a fruit salsa to dip them in or a Strawberry Marshmallow Fluff dip.  This is also a great way to get your kids involved in the kitchen.  My 5 year old daughter, Brylie, helped make these.  She doesn't normally have a beard, but it happened to be Pirate Day in kindergarten and she didn't want to wash it off.  She is so funny!

Baked Cinnamon Chips

Flour tortillas (I like the 6" tortillas, but any size will work)

Melted butter

Cinnamon sugar mix

With a pastry brush, spread melted butter on one side of each tortilla.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.  Be generous with both the butter and the cinnamon, this is one case where more is better!  Cut into wedges or strips and transfer to a baking sheet.  Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.  The tortillas should be crispy and curl on the edges, but not browned.  Cool on a wire rack.

Marshmallow Fluff Dip

Strawberry flavored cream cheese

Marshmallow cream

Mix until it is uniform in texture and color and serve with these chips or fresh fruit.

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