Coconut Cream Pie Dip

Another of our dips for dip night! This recipe I got from a friend at work who likes to help me out with ideas of things to make and bring in... This recipe uses cream of coconut which I find in the Asian food section at my grocery store.

 

Coconut Cream Pie Dip

15 oz. can cream of coconut

1/4 c. milk

1 large box instant vanilla pudding

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 c. flaked coconut

8 oz. tub Cool Whip

Using an electric hand mixer, combine the cream of coconut and milk in a medium bowl and mix on medium until smooth. Add the pudding mix (powder ONLY, do not make pudding) and sweetened condensed milk and mix until well combined. Stir in 1 c. coconut and the Cool Whip. Pour into a 9x13 pan and spread smooth. Toast the remaining 1 c. coconut in a frying pan over medium heat just until golden brown. Sprinkle over the top of the dip. Serve with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, animal crackers, etc.

Peach Jam

We love homemade jam so when peaches went on sale really heap here I had to buy some to make jam. I got up this morning to make it with lots of cheering from the boys. All of them wandered in and out of the kitchen to see what I was making and to express their delight with peach jam. I conscripted #3 to help me out with some stirring and offered to teach him how to make jam so he could make it himself one day. He declined the offer, but offered to let me make it for him when he no longer lived at home - and offered me $50 a jar! Score and sold! Now I have to hope he remembers this offer!

 

Peach Jam

4 c. peeled, chopped peaches

2 Tbsp. lemon juice 

5 1/2 c. sugar

1 box (1.75 oz) Sure Jell

I blanch the peaches to peel them. It's much easier and faster than trying to use a peeler. To blanch peaches: boil a pot of water and add your peaches. Boil them for 30-45 seconds, then plunge them immediately into an ice bath (a bowl of ice water). This stops them from cooking. Once the peaches are cool enough to touch, rub them and the skins slide right off. You can then pit and chop them.

Measure out 4 cups of peeled, chopped peaches and put into a large pot. Add the lemon juice and Sure-Jell, stirring constantly over medium-high heat. Measure the sugar into a bowl and have it ready. When the jam comes to a rolling boil (doesn't stop when stirred), add the sugar all at once and stir. Continue to stir constantly until the jam returns to a rolling boil and boil for one minute. Ladle into prepared HOT jars, cover with a hot rubber lid, screw on the screw band, and process for 15 minutes. If you want or need a more detailed description of my canning process, including the jar preparation, you can find it here. This recipe made 3 pint jars for me.

***For spiced peach jam, add about 1 tsp. of a combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to the fruit before boiling. 

S'mores Bars

One of the doctors at my hospital (she has since left) liked to cook. She brought in some really amazingly good things and this is one of them. I LOVED it, so I had to get the recipe from her. Now, my whole family loves it - except my husband who has to pick out the marshmallows. Well, you can't win them all!

 

S'mores Bars

4 Tbsp. butter

10 oz. bag of mini marshmallows

12 oz. box of Golden Grahams cereal

12 oz. bag of milk chocolate chips

This works better if the chocolate chips are cold, so put them in the freezer until you need them. Put the butter is a large pot and melt it. Reserve 1 c. of the marshmallows, add the remaining marshmallows and stir until they are melted and smooth. Stir in the entire box of cereal and stir to coat. Add the reserved marshmallows and all the chocolate chips, stirring to coat. Pour into a greased 9x113 inch pan or into a 9x9 inch pan if you want thicker bars. Press firmly and allow to cool.

*** One way to alter this a little is to add half the chocolate chips in with the marshmallows and melt them. Then add the rest as above.

*** Another alteration is to put additional marshmallows on top of the treats and broil until golden brown.

Cherry Pie Dip

Another of our dip night dips. Yum! Who doesn't love cherry pie? This would make a delicious filling for a graham cracker crust as well....

 

 Cherry Pie Dip

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff

8 oz. container Cool Whip, thawed

1 can cherry pie filling

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese and marshmallow fluff until well mixed. Stir in the Cool Whip. Spread the mixture into a 9x9 square pan and smooth. Top with cherry pie filling. We serve this with graham crackers, animal crackers, and vanilla wafers.

Banana Pancakes

Another use for some of those bananas that sit around for too long and go bad. You can never have too many old banana recipes! I swear, one of these days I am going to get the banana thing right and only buy what gets eaten! Maybe. If I get really, super lucky!

 

Banana Pancakes

2 c. milk

1 c. mashed banana

2 eggs

3 Tbsp. melted butter

2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

In a large bowl, combine the milk, banana, eggs, butter, and vanilla.  Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda and stir. The batter will be lumpy- do not overmix it. Cook over medium heat in a frying pan using about 1/3 cup batter for each pancake or you can use a griddle at about 150 degrees. Turn when bubbles rise to the surface and pop. Cook each side until golden brown. Top pancakes with bananas, blueberries, or maple syrup.

Strawberry Brownie Kebabs

I made these for my son's return from his missin to Brazil! They were a hit and disappeared really quickly. Plus, they are really simple to put together and you don't even have to heat up your kitchen!

 

Strawberry Brownie Kebabs

16 skewers

16 store-bought brownie bites

16 large marshmallows

32 large strawberries

1/4 c. milk chocolate chips

You can use the store-bought brownie bites or you can make your own using your favorite recipe, but I opted for store-bought since I was making a LOT of food for the party and  didn't want to heat up my kitchen more than I had to. Wash your strawberries and take the hull out. On each skewer, put on a strawberry, hull-side down so it will be against the marshmallow. Add a marshmallow, then the brownie bite, then another strawberry, hull side toward to brownie. Place the kebabs on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and put into a baggie. Snip off one corner and drizzle the chocolate over the kebabs. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

Red, White, and Blueberry Pie

This is the pie I make every year for the 4th of July.  I love the colors and the fresh fruit!

 

Red, White, and Blueberry Pie

4 oz. white chocolate

8 large strawberries, cut in half length-wise

1 deep dish pie crust

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1 small package white chocolate instant pudding

3/4 c. milk

1 c. fresh blueberries

Bake the pie crust at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes until the crust is baked and beginning to turn golden brown. Allow to cool. Melt white chocolate. Dip the strawberries in the chocolate then place cut-side down on waxed paper and refrigerate until chocolate is set. Spread the remaining white chocolate on the bottom of the pie crust. Set aside. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add in the milk, beating constantly until smooth. Add pudding and beat until it begins to thicken. Spread the mixture in the pie crust and smooth to the edges. Place the strawberries around the edges, stems out. Pour blueberries in the center of the pie. Press fruit lightly into the filling. Refrigerate until serving.

Yogurt Pops

My kids love popsicles in the summer. Well, they love them anytime, but I make them in the summer. Most of the time I do the super easy frozen Kool-Aid popsicles, but sometimes I opt for a healthier kind. Yogurt and fruit. The kids don't care - it's a frozen treat and that is all they really want.

 

Yogurt Pops

1 c. vanilla yogurt

1 c. fruit

Put the yogurt and fruit in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the small, bathroom-sized Dixie cups and freeze. For these, I used blueberries, but you can use any fruit you like. You can use regular yogurt or Greek yogurt, but you will need to think the Greek yogurt with some milk or it is too thick. I use regular yogurt since it has to be thinned with Greek. Enjoy!