CHERRY PIE FILLING JELL-O SALAD

CHERRY PIE FILLING JELL-O SALAD
One of Grandpa Maner’s (Buster) favorite salads.  Goes good with just about anything. Found in McCleve cookbook pg. 49.

Dissolve 1 large package red Jell-o in 2 cups boiling water.

Add: (I use big cans)
1 can cherry pie filling (good with 2 cups frozen fruit as a substitute)
1 can crushed pineapple (don’t need to drain)

Tip:  When pouring into 9x13, pour slowly.  Or get a big spoon and scoop it into dish until big pieces are gone.

Topping:
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Beat until smooth.  Spread over top of Jell-o mixture before serving.  For a variation try Blueberry pie filling/berry Jell-o.

VALENTINE'S DAY 2014

Made this for Valentine's Day 2014.  The kids liked it.  Had a hard time making it look as good as the picture.  Next time I would let the milk mixture cool a little before adding.  I used 2 strawberry & 2 cherry jello.  Tasted really good.  Made day before.  Would make again.  We also had heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's, stuffed strawberries, beets and Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake for dessert. For breakfast we had Red Velvet Pancakes with cream cheese topping (used left over topping for stuffed strawberries).  Scott and I made a whole bunch of hearts and had them hanging from the ceiling.  The kids really liked it.  Had letter on some of the heart spelling out their present (Frozen movie - will ship when available 3/18/14).

RED VELVET PANCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE TOPPING

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/red-velvet-pancakes-with-cream-cheese-topping/7e08e0aa-1a71-40f7-83fe-420aa03067b5

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Topping

4

oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese, softened

1/4

cup butter, softened

3

tablespoons milk

2

cups powdered sugar

Pancakes

2

cups Original Bisquick® mix

1

tablespoon granulated sugar

1

tablespoon unsweetened baking cocoa

1

cup milk

1

to 1 1/2 teaspoons red paste food color*

2

eggs

Powdered sugar, if desired

Directions

• 1In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and 3 tablespoons milk with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until topping is smooth. Cover; set aside.
• 2In large bowl, stir all pancake ingredients except powdered sugar with wire whisk until well blended. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat (375°F). (To test griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles jump around, heat is just right.) Brush with vegetable oil if necessary or spray with cooking spray before heating.
• 3For each pancake, pour slightly less than 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbles form on top and edges are dry. Turn; cook other side until golden brown.
• 4Spoon cream cheese topping into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut off tiny corner of bag; squeeze bag to drizzle topping over pancakes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

JELLO WITH HEART

Find recipe in blog folder.  Will help if seeing picture.  Couldn't find on-line.

Coat a 9x13 with cooking spray.  Make 4 small boxes of jello according to box.  Let set.  Use a mini heart cutter and cut out hearts.  Wash pan to reuse.  Spray again and arrange hearts, spacing evenly.  Sprinkle 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water.  Let sit for 1 minute, when stir in 1 1/2 cups boiling water and 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (next time let it cool).  Pour into pan but not over hearts.  You might not use the whole mixture.  Put back into fridge until firm.  Or I think next time I might put 9x13 in fridge and then pour milk mixture so I don't have to move pan after poured in mixture.

Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/03/chocolate-mousse-crunch-cake/

Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

1 package Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake

1 recipe (give or take a little) Chocolate Ganache

Crushed Heath bars or a bag of chocolate-covered Heath bits

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

1 Tbsp. cold water

2 Tbsp. boiling water (just heat it in a small bowl in your microwave)

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c. whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

Bake cake according to cake mix instructions in 2 8″ round pans. Allow to cool and set aside. This can be done several days in advance; just freeze the cakes when you’re done.

In a small bowl, combine gelatin and cold water and allow to stand for about 1 minute. While gelatin is softening, bring 2 Tbsp. water to a boil in the microwave. Whisk into the softened gelatin and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, whipping cream, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks form. Mix in gelatin mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Prepare ganache (if you haven’t already) according to directions.

With a serrated knife, carefully slice the dome-iest part of each cake layer off so the layers are level. Place one layer on the serving plate and spread about 1/2 of the chocolate mousse over the cake. Sprinkle with Heath bits.

Place second layer on top of Heath bits.

Spoon ganache over the top layer, allowing it to drip down the sides.  Sprinkle with additional Heath bits and refrigerate until ready to serve.

RAINBOW JELLO

This was really fun to make and looks way cool!  I ran out of space at the end and also yogurt, so the last layer was just jello.  So next time I would buy a little more yogurt and split it into a 9x13 and a glass bowl or use bigger pyrex pan. 

UPDATE: Only had lemon, lime and orange on hand.  Made it for when Dan & Judi were coming over.  They LOVED it!  Used Greek vanilla.

To make sure you have the Luck o’ the Irish at your St. Patrick’s Day feast, be sure to bring your own rainbow!  Not only is it easy to make, and gorgeous to look at, it’s fun to eat!

I’ve been making Rainbow Jell-O almost every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas since High School! It’s super fun to either peel apart the layers and eat them one by one, or have a flavor burst when you eat them all at once!  It’ll be fun to incorporate it into our St. Patrick’s Day fun too!

Print

Rainbow Jello Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 small box Red Jell-O (I like cherry over strawberry, it gives a deeper red)
• 1 small box Orange Jell-O
• 1 small box Yellow Jell-O
• 1 small box Green Jell-O
• 1 small box Blue Jell-O
• 1 small box Purple Jell-O
• 4 cups vanilla or plain yogurt
• 10 cups water, divided

Instructions

Starting with either Red or Purple, work your way thought the different boxes of jell-o in the order (or reverse order) listed above.

Dissolve 1 package Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water.

After dissolved, split into 2 bowls.

Add 2/3 cup yogurt to one bowl, and stir until smooth

Add 2/3 cup cold water into the other bowl, and stir for 10-15 seconds.

Pour yogurt mixture into 9x13 pan and let solidify in fridge for 45 minutes.

Pour water mixture slowly over yogurt mixture, and let solidify in fridge for at least 45 minutes.

Repeat with each color.

Note

So this recipe doesn't take over my entire day, I like to split it up. I do one color as soon as I wake up, one color before I cook dinner, and one color right before I go to bed. That way it only takes a few minutes per day.

Read more at http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/03/st-patricks-day-recipe-rainbow-jell-o.html#iGK4QccDijyCMc2t.99 

STRAWBERRY CAKE & FROSTING

FRESH STRAWBERRY CAKE
We loved!  Next time try in a 9x13 or sheet cake.  Jackson wants for his birthday.  Could try blackberry too.  Frosting turned out runny for me (but just reread recipe and noticed I was suppose to put in fridge for 30 min or so before frosting - did original frosting).  We froze the leftover frosting.  UPDATE: was awesome frozen!!  Yum!  This would be a good cake to cut up into single serving pieces and freeze and eat frozen.
http://spicedblog.com/fresh-strawberry-cake.html

• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup milk

1. Grease and flour 2 9” round cake pans; set aside. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well combined; set aside.
3. Using a countertop mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add about ½ of the flour mixture to the bowl; mix on low speed until well combined.
5. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and approximately half of the milk to the bowl. Mix on low until well combined.
6. Add the remaining flour mixture; mix on low until well combined.
7. Add the remaining milk; mix on low until well combined. (Tip: Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are fully mixed.)
8. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 cake pans. Bake at 325°F for 34-36 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

ORIGINAL STRAWBERRY FROSTING

See above note -turned out runny.  We froze leftovers.  Just noticed I was suppose to put in fridge for 30 minutes before decorating.

• 3 cups heavy cream (did 2 cups)
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 pints (~2 pounds) strawberries, stems and hulls removed

1. In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. (See note below.)
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese on high speed until light and fluffy. (Tip: Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice during this step.)
3. Add the sugar and vanilla; beat on medium speed until fully combined.
4. Meanwhile, slice ⅓ of the strawberries into thin slices; set aside. Dice the remaining strawberries into smaller pieces.
5. Add the diced strawberries to the bowl and mix until fully combined. (Note: The frosting will turn pink; mix until frosting is uniform in color.)
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the whipped cream with a large spoon or spatula.
7. Finally, fold in the sliced strawberries.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Looks yummy - want to try.

Update: so good! Had on Aunt Sheila's 3 ingredient cake.

• 12 Tbsp (6 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1½ Tbsp vanilla extract
• 5½-6 cups powdered sugar
• 3 cups strawberries, diced

1. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition.
3. Using a spatula or large spoon, stir in diced strawberries.

GRANDMA'S STRAWBERRY CAKE (but not my Grandma)

Found this recipe in Homemaking Blueprints (pg. 32) - a free book I got at Church once. My family just loves it. I have also made it using raspberry juice and some blackberries. I brought this to Lisa's one night we were playing games. She took the leftovers and froze them. She individual pieces wrapped each individually and froze. They said they are really good (Kambria especially liked).

Mix:

1 box white cake mix

1 box (3 oz) strawberry gelatin (I think any flavor would work)

1 T flour

Add and mix:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil (I did 1/2 applesauce)

Then add 4 eggs one at a time beating well after each egg. (I did 2 of the eggs with flaxmeal (1 T to 3 T water, sit 2 min.)

Add and mix well:

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 box undrained frozen strawberries (about 1/2 cup) I usually thaw a little

Pour into 2 9" pans or a 9x13 that have been well greased and floured if you are going to remove from pans. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes. Cool and remove from pans. When completely cooled, frost with Strawberry Frosting.

STRAWBERRY FROSTING

If doing a 9x13 half of the recipe is just right.

UPDATE: Twice this frosting has failed for me.  But it tastes good.  Maybe next time look on pinterest first and get a different recipe.

Using a mixer, mix really well 16 oz powdered sugar with 1/2 cup (2 cubes) softened butter or margarine. 
Add 1/2 cup undrained (slightly softened) frozen strawberries and 1 tsp vanilla. Blend well.

APPLES

APPLE NUT MUFFINS
McCleve Cookbook (2nd edition) pg. 21
We all really liked. Makes lots of muffins. Takes some time to make.

DUTCH APPLE CAKE
Taste of Home pg. 252
Start preparing 3 hours in advance. We thought it was okay - kinda plain. Tasted better the next day. The homemade cinnamon ice cream made it better. Went well together.

APPLE-HAM GRILLED CHEESE
Taste of Home pg. 64
Scott really likes, I am not a huge fan of grilled sandwiches with velveeta.

SPINACH APPLE SALAD
Taste of Home pg. 65
A fun salad to make - we liked.

APPLESAUCE JELLO
Taylor Relief Society pg. 30
Good, thick. We have tried both peach and cherry. Liked both. Good way to use applesauce.

APPLE PIE SPREAD

found in the Friend - very easy to make and yummy. Next time I would cut the apples smaller.

4 cooking apples (anything except red delicious)

1/2 cup apple cider

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

Peel and core apples. Cut into 4 pieces (or smaller). Put apples in a glass dish and pour cider over them. Cover the dish with a lid. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Put the lid back on and stir for 2 more minutes. Stir again and then cook for another 2 minutes.

Stir in all the other items. Put back into microwave and then don't cover the bowl. Cook on high for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. When the spread is thick, it is ready.

Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

SWEET POTATO APPLE BAKE
Yummy! Easy to make. Made 1/2 of the recipe and put in round stoneware. A perfect side dish to pork or chicken.
6 medium tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup quick-oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp each of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 TBL butter or margarine, melted
In a greased shallow 2-1/2 qt. baking dish, combine the apples and sweet potatoes. Combine the remaining ingredients; sprinkle over apple/potato mixture. Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 mintues longer or until apples and potatoes are tender.

APPALOOSA APPLESAUCE CAKE (Cowboy Cookbook pg. 210)
Very yummy! Make in angel food cake pan.

Would like to try:
TREASURE STATE APPLE CAKE W/CARAMEL SAUCE (Cowboy Cookbook pg. 210)

EDIBLE HANDS ON FOR KIDS

Also see post for things to do with kids.

FINGER PAINT
Pour 2 cups cold water into large bowl. While stirring, slowly add 2 cups white flour. When mixed, divide into smaller bowls and add a drop of food coloring to each.
Have not tried.

SILLY PUTTY

This was from a TT newsletter - haven't tried yet. It says it will bounce and pick up pictures from the paper just like the name-brand stuff.

*Add: 1/2 cup water to 1/2 cup Elmer's glue (Not school glue!)

*Mix and add 3 drops of food coloring (optional)

*Make Borax solution: Take 2T borax and add to 1 cup of water and stir.

*Add 1/2 cup of Borax solution to water and glue mixture

*Stir and store in a plastic bag

Mix well. Add food coloring if you wish. Let it dry about an hour. When ready, it will be smooth and rubber-like. Store in an airtight container.

JELLO JIGGLERS
4 pkgs Gelatin
3 small pkgs jello (any flavor)
4 cups hot water

Mix all together. Put in a 9x13 (cookie sheet does not work) that has been sprayed with Pam. Put in fridge until firm. With a knife trace around pan and flip out on table. Cut with cookie cutters.

CREAMY JELLO JIGGLERS

2 pkgs (6 oz) cherry gelatin

2 cups boiling water

1 cup cold milk

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix

In a bowl, dissolve gelatin in the boiling water, then let sit until cooled. In another bowl, whisk the milk and pudding mix until smooth. Pour the mixture into the gelatin and whisk until well blended. Pour into a 9x13 dish lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Put in the fridge until set.

CUPCAKES

These are fun to make.

Make cupcakes and frost with white frosting. Get 4-5 colors of gel icing in a tube. Squirt a series of different colored gel icing on each cupcake. To create a die-dye effect, draw a toothpick through the gel, moving from the center outward like a spiderweb.

ICE CUBES

We thought this looked cool, but the worms tasted kinda weird after a couple of days.

Get some gummy worms. Put them in an ice tray and fill with water. Freeze. Put in a drink and as the ice melts the kids can eat the worms.

CINNAMON ORNAMENTS

2 oz. cinnamon

4-6 oz. applesauce

cookie cutters

toothpick

ribbon

MIx cinnamon and applesauce. Roll out dough until 1/4" thick. Cut shapes with cookie cutters and place on cookie sheet. Use a toothpick to make a hole at the top of each shape. Bake at 200 for 20 minutes. After shapes cool, thread ribbon through. Makes 10-15 ornaments.

Need to add recipe for edible playdough (peanut butter/honey). Mom book.