Fun Recipes to Make With Children

 
1 pkg instant pudding
1 1/2c milk
2c cool whip.
Dissolve pudding in milk, whip in cool whip. Spoon into 3 oz Dixie cups and insert Popsicle stick. Freeze.

Chocolate Banana Pops

Combine:
2 c. milk
1 package (4 serving size) chocolate pudding mix.

Gently stir in:
1 c. Cool Whip
1/2 c. mashed bananas.

Spoon into Popsicle molds. Freeze.

Graveyard Gelatin Dessert

2 1/4 c. finely crushed chocolate wafer cookies
Measure 1/4 crumbs and set aside.

Mix crumbs with

1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
press into bottom of 13 x 9" pan. Refrigerate.

Beat:
1 8 oz. package, room temperature cream cheese

Stir in:
1/2 container, 8 oz. Cool Whip
Spread evenly over refrigerated crust.

Reserve & refrigerate remaining cool whip.

Boil:
2 c. water
Add:
2 3 oz. packages orange flavored Jello
Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved

Add ice cubes to:
1/2 c. cold water
measuring 1 1/2 c. ice cubes + water
Stir into gelatin and continue stirring until gelatin thickens.
Remove any unmelted ice and spoon gelatin over cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate 3 hours until firm.

Spread remaining Cool Whip over top of gelatin. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

Use Pepperidge Farm "Milano" cookies or similar type cookie as tomb stones. Stand these on end in the dessert. You might choose to decorate one end of each cookie with some epitaph, such as RIP, before sticking them into the dessert.

Bunny Salad

For each serving place:
1 lettuce leaf on plate
1 chilled pear half
2 raisins for eyes
1 red cinnamon candy for nose
2 blanched, slivered almonds pieces for ears
1 scoop cottage cheese for tail

Leg of Lamb

leg of lamb
2 - 4 (more will be needed if you have a large leg of lamb) garlic cloves, peeled and slivered
crushed rosemary
salt & pepper
melted butter

Make tiny incisions with a sharp knife and insert garlic slivers all over the surface of the meat. Rub down with rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
Place in oven and bake at 350 degrees, fat side up, until meat reaches 135 degrees for rare, 140 degrees for medium. Or longer, if desired. Occasionally brush with melted butter.

Chai Tea Mix (Yield: 8 or 9 cups)

 

3/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder
1 1/4 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 1/2 cups French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 cups instant tea (do not use the sweetened and/or lemon flavored instant tea--use plain)
2 teaspoons ground ginger

 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Combine all spices in food processor or blender, blend until fine powder. Combine spices and all other ingredients in large mixing bowl or pitcher. Run entire mixture through the blender. (This step can be omitted if you do not include the brown sugar) To serve, mix 2 heaping teaspoons Chai mix in mug of hot water.

Note: you may omit sugars and sweeten mixture to taste with your favorite sweetener when preparing it

If making a lot of Chai you can mix the spices separately in volume and just add 1/4 cup of spice mix to each batch of tea.

Note from Dan Lathrop: "...You need to run the whole mixture through a blender if you include the brown sugar (I don't normally use the sugars). It is hard to mix in. I drink a lot of this Chai and I mix the spices in large volume (easier to measure) and just add 1/4 cup of spice mix to a batch of tea rather than mix the spices each time.

Blueberry Betty, NYT Cookbook, 1990

Filling:
1 qt. fresh blueberries
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. cinnamon

Wash berries & drain. Place in 1 1/2 qt. casserole. Sprinkle with lemon juice & cinnamon.

Sift together:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar

chop/blend into flour mixture until crumbly:
1/4 lb. butter
Sprinkle over berries.
Bake 375 degree oven, 45 minutes

Serve hot, topped with vanilla ice cream

Chocolate Cheesecake

 Crust:
18 Oreo cookies, finely crushed, about 1 1/2 cups, or equivalent crushed, dark chocolate cookies
2 T. butter, melted (might need a little more for plain chocolate cookie crumbs)

Mix cookie crumbs and butter, press firmly into bottom of 9" springform pan.

Filling:
3 pkg (8 oz. each) cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
1 (generous) t. vanilla
six ounces melted semi-sweet chocolate, cooled slightly
3 eggs

Beat together sugar and cream cheese until fluffy; add remaining ingredients and thoroughly combine. Pour over crust. Bake 350 degree oven until center is just barely set, about 1 hour. Allow to cool.

Topping:
1/4 c. melted, seedless raspberry jam
1/2 c. sour cream

Spread melted jam over top of cheese cake; top with sour cream and gently spread evenly over jam.

If desired, add white chocolate shavings

Easier method:

Purchase 2 pre-made chocolate cookie or Oreo crusts and divide filling evenly between the crusts. Bake until set. Finish as directed above.

Cranberry Cream Mold

 

Cranberry Cream Mold

2 c. cranberry juice cocktail

1/4 c. sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/4 c. cold water

1 1/2 T. lemon juice

1 c. whipping cream

Combine cranberry juice and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil until juice is reduced to 1 cup. (I usually stand a spoon in the juice before it boils and see where it rises on the spoon and then measure it that way--eyeballing it until it is reduced to half its former volume.)

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water, let stand 1 minute. Add gelatin mixture and lemon juice to cranberry mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat. Chill until the consistency of egg white.

Whip cream until stiff. Beat gelatin mixture at medium speed until light and fluffy. Fold into cream. Spoon mixture into lightly oiled 4 cup mold. Cover and chill until set. Quickly dip mold in hot water to loosen, place serving plate on top of mold, invert and serve.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

 Pumpkin Cheesecake                            Cuisine at Home, December 2007

For the crust:

about 24 small Crisp Ginger Cookies (enough to make 1 c. crumbs) (recipe below)
4 graham crackers (enough to make 1/2 c. crumbs)
1/2 c. pecan halves or pieces, toasted
3 T. butter, melted
2 T. sugar

Spray bottom of 9" springform pan with cooking spray. Process ginger cookies in food processor until fine, transfer to bowl. Process crackers until fine, add to cookie crumbs. Pulse nuts until chopped fine. Add to crumbs. Stir in butter & sugar until sandy. Press into bottom and 1" up side of springform pan. Bake 10 minutes in 350 degree oven, or until golden. Remove & cool.

For filling:

3 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese at room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 (generous) t. vanilla
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 - 2 T. juice)

Beat cream cheese & sugar in bowl until fluffy. Add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, spice & lemon juice. Beat until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl periodically.

Pour filling over crust and bake 50 - 55 minutes or until sides are set but center is still slightly jiggly. Remove cheesecake from oven, but leave oven on.

For topping:

1 1/2 c. sour cream
1/3 c. pure maple syrup

Whisk sour cream & syrup together in small bowl. Carefully spread topping over cheesecake, return to oven. Bake 15 minutes, or until set. Turn off oven. Crack oven door & leave cheesecake inside for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool to room temperature, then cover loosely with plastic wrap & chill over night.

Crisp Ginger Cookies                    Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1989 edition

Combine together:
1/3 c. Grandma's Original Unsulphered Molasses
1/4 c. shortening
2 T. packed brown sugar
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
heaping 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
heaping 1/4 t. ground ginger
heaping 1/4 t. ground cloves
dash of nutmeg
dash of allspice

Mix molasses, shortening & sugar together. Add remaining ingredients. Combine with hands and shape into balls. Place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Mash balls with bottom of flat cup or glass which has been covered with thin layer of shortening & dipped in sugar. Bake 350 oven about 8 - 10 minutes. If rolled with rolling pin into thinner cookies, bake 5 minutes. Cool.

(This is the recipe I use for gingerbread houses)