Potato Pups
8 Hot dogs
2 c Mashed potatoes
1/2 ts Dry mustard
Split hot dogs the long way not quite all the way through. Fill split opening with mashed potatoes mixed with dry mustard. Sprinkle the top with paprika. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until heated through and slightly browned on top. Can also be topped with some grated cheese (cheddar or parmesan).
Peanut Butter Turtles
Apple
2 tb Peanut Butter
5 x Grapes
Slice an apple in half. Make several slits in each half. Fill with peanut butter or sesame butter (available in health stores.) Attach seedless grapes with toothpicks (remove before giving to very young children) for the head and legs and stick a carrot shaving on for a tail (tuck it in 1 of the slits) Nice to serve as a lunch treat.
Peanut Butter Caterpillars
Banana
Grape
2 tb Peanut Butter
Peel and slice a banana. Spread slices with peanut or sesame butter and connect the slices. Add a grape up front for the head (“gluing” with more peanut butter.)
Peaches with a Sunshine Smile
1 cn Of peach halves
2 To 3 cups cottage cheese (low-fat)
Lettuce leaves
Arrange lettuce in a bowl or plate. Spoon a layer of cottage cheese “sun rays” on lettuce. The peach half is placed round end up. Press raisins gently into peach to form a sunshine face. Sprinkle
extra raisins on cottage cheese.
Octopus Dogs
6 Hot dogs
6 Hot dog buns
1 cn Chili
About 1″ from one end of a hot dog, start a slit in the hot dog that goes vertically to the other end. Turn a quarter turn and make another slit. Keep making slits until you have eight “legs” for the hot dog. Boil and the hot dog will look like an octopus. Serve with head up and legs spread out over an opened hot dog bun that has chili on it.
Jello Aquarium Recipe
1 pk Jello Berry BLUE jelly powder
1 c Boiling water
2 c Ice cubes
Gummy fish
Dissolve jelly powder in boiling water. Add ice cubes, stirring until jelly thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove any unmelted ice. Spoon jelly into to clear sided bowls. Poke 3 or 4 gummy fish into each dish of slightly thickened jelly. Refrigerate 30 minute to set. Serve with 1-1/2 hours.
Funny Face Carrot Salad
2 carrots
1 small can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
Raisins
Peel carrots. Roll up a few long shavings and save them for “hair” on a final salad. Grate carrots with a grater. Be careful of your fingers. Drain can of crushed pineapples in a strainer, using a spoon to push out the juice. Toss pineapple with carrots, then add vanilla yogurt. Spoon some salad onto a plate. Make a smiling face with raisins. Style carrot “hair”, and serve with a smile.
Fish in the River
2 Celery stalks
1/4 c Cream cheese; or other cheese spread (tinted green if desired)
8 Goldfish crackers
Trim and wash celery and fill with cheese. Top with crackers and serve.
Food for a Hobo Hike
4 cn Tuna (3 oz each)
4 cn Baked beans (6 oz each)
4 Oranges
4 Plastic
4 Bandana clots
4 Children
Place 1 can tuna, 1 can beans, 1 orange, and 1 fork on each banadana. Bring up corners and tie securely. Tie end to children’s belt loop or attach to a stick and send them off on their hobo hike.
Pack another hobo pouch for yourself and go along. Make sure someone has a Scout knife with a can opener attachment to open cans (much more fun struggling with one of these things than to
take a conventional can opener). The oranges serve as both a drink and a dessert. Poke a hole in one end and after all the juice has been sucked out, open it and eat the flesh. The tuna and beans, of course, are eaten just as they come from the can. The bandanas serve as little tablecloths, napkins, and kerchiefs to be worn back home. Children love this hobo picnic–it’s easy for you, nutritious, filling, and fun from them.
Eyeballs on Ritz
Eggs; hard boiled
Black olives
Ritz crackers
Red food coloring
Cut hard boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and make filling for deviled eggs. Cut out small hole from bottom center of each egg (about 5/8″ diameter.) Poke a black olive partway through each hole and hold in place by filling eggs with yolk filling. Place each egg, olive side up, on a ritz cracker. Paint red lines, resembling blood veins, with a toothpick on the eye.
Easter Mints Kids Can Make
1/3 c Soft butter
1/3 c Light corn syrup
1/2 ts Salt
1 ts Flavoring
3 1/2 c ( 1 lb ) sifted confectioner’s sugar
Large bowl
Wooden spoon
Paper plates
Pencils
This is a no-cook recipe the children can mix with their hands. Flavor it with any of the liquid flavorings in the supermarket, such as strawberry and lemon. If you want, you can instead divide it into three portions and add a few drops of food coloring to tint it yellow, red, and green. The knead a small amount of flavoring into each one. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 lbs of candy.
Help the children measure all the ingredients into the large bowl. They can take turns stirring it with the wooden spoon until it becomes too stiff. Then they can knead it with their hands. They should continue kneading until the dough is smooth.
Give each child a paper plate and a pencil. Tell them to turn their plates OVER and write their names on the Bottom to prevent pencil lead from getting on their mints. Help them hold their pencils correctly. Make sure they use upper and lower case letters.
Give each child a portion of dough on his or her plate. The children can pinch off pieces, roll them into balls, and press them lightly with a fork to make a fancy butter mint. Children who cannot roll the candy into balls can make snakes, cut the snakes into pieces, and press the pieces with a fork. They might eat the pieces with the fork, but that’s ok too. Leave the mints on the plates and refrigerate them for 30 minutes, until they become firm. Easter Mints taste even better the second day, if you can keep everyone from eating them all on the first
day. Cover with plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator.
Dirt Cups
2 c Milk
1 pk Chocolate Pudding, instant
3 1/2 c Cool Whip
16 oz Oreos
8 Gummy Worms (opt)
8 Plastic flowers (opt)
Pour milk into medium bowl, add pudding mix. Beat until well blended, 1 -2 minutes. Crush Oreos and set aside. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cool whip and half of cookies. To assemble: place 1 Tb crushed cookies in bottom of 8 oz cup. Fill cups about 3/4 full with pudding mixture. Top with remaining crumbs. Optional garnish: place flower in middle and put gummy worm halfway out of “dirt”.
Daisy Apple
2 Tbs. raisins
2 Tbs. crunchy or creamy peanut butter
1 Mcintosh apple
Peanuts, for garnish (omit if making for small child)
Set aside a few raisins for face. Stir remaining raisins into peanut butter. With apple corer or paring knife, remove core and seeds from apple. Using a small knife, push peanut butter mixture into center of apple. Make a happy face on top of peanut butter using reserved raisins. Arrange peanut halves around edge of peanut butter forming a circle. Chill before serving.
Clown Faces
Large Pancake
3 x Orange Slices
2 x Poached or fried Eggs
1/2 Cherry Tomato
Make the pancakes in advance and set them in oven to keep them warm. Poach or fry the eggs. To assemble the faces, place the pancakes on a plate, with eggs for eyes, orange slices for ears and
mouth, and a tomato half for the nose.
NOTE: For a lighter meal, omit the eggs and use apricot or peach halves for eyes and half a fresh cherry for a nose. Or, omit pancakes, assemble eggs directly on plate, and add a smile made from chopped, sauted potatoes.
Chocolate Spiders version #2
12 oz Twizzlers; chocolate flavor
4 oz Milk chocolate candy melts
Cut twizzlers into 1 1/2″ pieces. Slice each piece in half lengthwise. On waxed paper place 4 legs (pieces) on each side and then drop 1 tsp melted candy in middle for body. Use a toothpick to smooth to uniform circle and connect all candy pieces. Cool completely before removing from waxed paper.
Chocolate Spiders version #1
4 cups semisweet chocolate baking chips
Melt chocolate chips in top of double boiler. Let stand over the water until water is cool, about 10 minutes. Place wax paper on cookie sheet. Pour chocolate into a pastry bag that is fitted with a 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch tip. Squeeze chocolate onto wax paper in the shape of spiders. If chocolate is runny it needs to be cooled longer. Chill the spiders for about 10 minutes. When hard peel off wax paper. Store in refrigerator laid flat.
Brownies with Chocolate Pieces
These are especially fun for children to bake with you.
1 tbs. Butter for the pan
1 tbs. Flour for the pan
1 ½ cups flour
2/3 cup of good quality cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon of baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted and cooled to look warm
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of brown sugar (either light or dark)
4 large eggs beaten
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
12 ounces of any type of chocolate pieces you like. This could be white or dark, bittersweet , milk or white — cut or broken into smallish pieces
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and dust with flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Butter the pan and dust it with flour.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, and sugars together at a medium speed until it is light in color.
Add the eggs one at a time to the sugar mixture and beat for one minute.
Scrape down the sides when necessary.
Add vanilla and mix.
Slowly add the flour mixture.
Very carefully fold in the chocolate pieces.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and put it the oven.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges are set and the middle springs bake when touched.
Cool and store in a cookie tin between layers of wax paper for up to one week.
Fruit Dessert Pizza
Easy and fun to do with children.
1 roll Pillsbury® slice and bake sugar cookies
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese–softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Assorted fruit such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi
1/2 c. orange juice
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1. Slice sugar cookies 1/4-inch thick.
2. Place in 10 or 12-inch pizza pan.
3. Press to form crust.
4. Bake until brown (according to cookie instructions).
5. Blend and cream cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.
6. Spread on cooled crust.
7. Top with assorted fruit.
8. In a saucepan, combine orange juice, sugar and cornstarch.
9. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
10. Cool mixture slightly and spread over fruit pizza.
11. Refrigerate.
Serves 5
Coffee Can Ice Cream
Great for backyard camp outs with the kids!
1 large (2 lb. 7 oz.) coffee can with lid
1 1-pound coffee can with lid
1 pint half-and-half or light cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Crushed ice (6 to 7 cups)
Rock salt (about 1/4 cup)
• In the smaller coffee can, combine half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla; stir well.
• Put the lid on tightly.
• Place a thin layer of crushed ice on the bottom of the larger coffee can.
• Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon rock salt.
• Place the small can inside the large can.
• Pack the area between the cans with crushed ice and rock salt using about 2 tablespoons rock salt for every cup of crushed ice.
• Put lid tightly on the large can.
• Roll can back and forth for about 10 to 15 minutes (protect countertop or floor with a towel, or roll on a cement floor).
• Lift out smaller can and carefully remove lid.
• Scrape down sides and stir all the ice cream together.
• If the ice cream is too soft, repack large can with fresh ice and rock salt; replace lid.
• Roll back and forth a few minutes more or until firm.
Yield: five 1/2-cup servings.
Chocolate Spiders version #1
4 cups semisweet chocolate baking chips
Melt chocolate chips in top of double boiler. Let stand over the water until water is cool, about 10 minutes. Place wax paper on cookie sheet. Pour chocolate into a pastry bag that is fitted with a 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch tip. Squeeze chocolate onto wax paper in the shape of spiders. If chocolate is runny it needs to be cooled longer. Chill the spiders for about 10 minutes. When hard peel off wax paper. Store in refrigerator laid flat.
Cat’s Eyes
1/2 c Peanut butter
8 Ritz crackers
1 Banana; cut into 8 slices
8 Raisins
Spread peanut butter on crackers and top each with a slice of banana. Place a raisin in center of each banana to form a cat’s eye and repeat for all banana topped crackers.
Butterfly Bites
2 Stalks of celery
12 lg Three-ring pretzels
6 tb Peanut butter or cream cheese
About 18 raisins or currents
12 Slivered almonds or enoki mushrooms
Wash the celery. Using plastic knives, cut the celery into thirds. Fill each celery stalk with one tablespoon of either peanut butter or cream cheese. For the wings, gently push 1 pretzel into the filling, running parallel to the length of the celery stick. Do the same on the celery’s other lengthwise side. Arrange the raisins or currents as the eyes, nose and mouth. For antennae, push the slivered almonds or mushroom cap into filling. If using mushrooms, arrange the spaghetti-like mushroom tips upward, like an antenna.
Bunny Salad
1 Chilled pear half
2 Raisins
1 Red cinnamon candy
2 Blanched almonds
-cottage cheese ball
Place crisp lettuce leaf on plate. On top of it, place pear upside down. Make bunny, using narrow end for face. Two raisins for the eyes, 1 red cinnamon candy for the nose and 2 blanched almonds for the ears. The cottage cheese ball makes the tail.
Apple Smiles
1 Red medium apple; cored & sliced about 1/3″ wide, not skinned!
Peanut butter (creamy works best)
Tiny marshmallows.
Spread one side of each apple slice with peanut butter. Place three or four tiny marshmallows on top of the peanut butter on one apple slice. Top with another apple slice, peanut butter side down.
Squeeze gently. Eat right away..makes 8-10
All-Star Fudgy Baseballs and Bats
1 c Carob powder
1 c Water
1/4 c Honey
1/4 c Peanut butter (smooth or cru
3/4 c Wheat germ
3/4 c Rolled oats
2 tb Dry milk powder
1/2 c Unsweetened shredded coconut
1 ts Cinnamon (optional)
1/2 ts Grated orange rind (optional)
In a small saucepan, combine the carob and water. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Add the honey and peanut butter and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until syrup is smooth and slightly thickened.
In a large bowl, mix together the wheat germ, oats, milk powder, coconut, cinnamon, and orange rind (if desired).
Pour about one cup of the carob syrup over the dry mixture, or as much as is needed to make a pliable, dough-like consistency. Store the remainder in the refrigerator and use as an icing or to make great milk shakes.
Pinch off pieces of the dough and roll each piece between your palms into 2-inch-long tubes about the circumference of a fountain pen, tapered at one end in the shape of a baseball bat. Roll the rest
into marble-sized balls.