Red, White...and Fun!

I am a huge fan of 4th of July...I have fond memories of watching fireworks with my family from the "east" side and love the picnics and affairs that come with the holiday. That may be wide we chose our wedding date (July 1st) to be so close to the holiday.

Good Housekeeping magazine featured a section on throwing a 4th of July party in their July 2010 issue...Here's the full article, and here's some info on a few of my favorite details:

Patriot Games: For safer-than-sparklers favors, fill a pail full of cheery DIY scrapbook-paper pinwheels mounted on slim wooden dowels. Get the how-to instructions for the pinwheels here -

Earn Your Stripes: This crepe paper runner is made in minutes: Cover a table with a white paper tablecloth; snip lengths of blue and red crepe paper to the lengths of the cloth. Weave the colors, as shown; affix at table's edges with double-sided tape.

Tea Party: Serve thirsty guests strawberry tea garnished with frozen tea cubes and skewered blueberries. To make the platter, remove a decorative flag from its dowel, double-stick-tape it to the tray, and trim with ribbon. Get the recipe here.

A Star Is Born: Melted candies take center stage in these treats. Cut out celestial cookies with smaller star shapes in the middle. Bake partially, sprinkle crushed red and blue hard candies (Jolly Ranchers or Life Savers) into the cutouts, then finish baking. Get the recipe here.

Forget Apple Pie: End the Yankee Doodle day by letting partygoers vote for a star or stripe on the flag "cake." Here, cupcakes slathered with white icing are garnished with blueberries, raspberries, or shaved coconut. Arrange in a confectionery salute to Old Glory. They're such a snap to make, you'll be at liberty to enjoy the party! Get the recipe here.

Cheers to Cherries - Shirly Temples

Parents magazine's June 2010 issue featured a "light" Shirley Temple. I love froo-froo drinks, alcoholic or not, so I'm up for this one!

Cheers to Cherries
"Shirley Temples are on tap. Using fresh, in-eason Bing cherries and real juice, we whipped up a delicious kiddie cocktail that's just 40 calories a cup (regular ones are, gulp, around 150).

**Fill two glasses about halfway with ice and put four cherries in each.
**In a pitcher, mix 1 1/2 cups seltzer and 1/4 cup cherry juice (R.W.Knudsen makes a good one).
**Pour seltzer mixture into glasses and offer to kids 4 and over. Slice the cherries for younger kids.

Easter Egg Dippers

While cutting coupons, I saw pictures of two unique desserts...this first one would be perfect on Easter!

I found the recipe on the Rice Krispie's website. They look so yummy!

Shamrock Soup

St. Patty's Day is right around the corner. I saw this recipe for "Shamrock Soup" in Parents Magazine (March 2010 issue) ~ it's a bit unusual...not the traditional Corned Beef & Cabbage that my mom used to make on St. Patrick's Day.

Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth
6 scallions, trimmed and sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
1 lb. fresh or frozen peas
8 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/3 cup light cream
plain yogurt (optional)

Directions
1. Cook the Base: Boil 1-1/2 cups chicken broth, scallions, garlic, and a bit of salt and pepper in a covered pan on high for 4 minutes until scallions are soft. Add peas; cover until mixture boils. Cook a minute; add 8 cups chopped fresh spinach and boil until it's tender.

2. Blend for Baby: Use a slotted spoon to remove 2 cups of greens mixture. Puree.

3. Finish for the Family: Puree rest of mixture and return to pan. Stir in 1/2 cup broth and light cream; heat. Pour into bowls; use a spoon to drizzle plain yogurt into a shamrock shape.

Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat Pizza

Dr. Seuss celebrates his birthday today, March 2. This year, he turns 106 ~ wow! Parents Magazine featured a really cute recipe in their March 2010 issue to celebrate.

Hat's Off!
1. Unroll store-bought pizza dough (we used the thin variety of Pillsbury Pizza Crust) on a cookie sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper so it's about 14" long and 12" wide. Roll up botton of dough about an inch to create the brim of the hat. Use a pizza slider to cut curves in dough that match the hat. Bake crust at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

2. Alternately make 2-3/4" stripes with tomato sauce and shredded part-skin mozzarella cheese, starting with sauze. Bake for another 6 to 10 minutes, until sauce is hot and cheese is melted.

I also found some alternates to the sauce/cheese combo here and here.

"Sweets for Your Sweeties" Recipes

I saw two excellent-looking recipes in the February/March 2010 issue of Kiwi Magazine. The two recipes were Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes and Fruity Pizza - just look at these pictures!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes (above)

Fruity Pizza (above)

You can find the recipes here.

"6 Delightful Valentine's Day Desserts"

Woman's Day Magazine's February 17, 2010 issue featured some great looking desserts. With the economy like it is - skip the gifts and make your sweetie something special to eat.

"Give the gift of a homemade treat for Valentine's Day this year. Show that special someone how much they mean to you by presenting them with a unique dessert inspired by this love-centric holiday. From individual serving, heart-shaped Cupid Cakes to pink French Macaroon Kisses, these dessert recipes are the perfect way to begin or end a day dedicated to romance.

Cupid Cakes

Valentine Lollipops

Strawberry Valentine Cake

Orange-Kissed Churros with "Hot" Chocolate Sauce

French Macaroon Kisses

Mocha Espresso Cheesecake Cups

You can find the recipes here.

Recipe: Minty Milk

This was posted in the January 2010 issue of Parents. It looked so yummy that I had to share!

Minty Milk
Stir things up at snacktime by using leftover candy canes to create a calcium-packed drink that has about 25 fewer calories than chocolate milk. It's like a junior latte, minus the caffeine of course.

1 - Splash: Warm a cup of low-fat milk on medium for 5-10 minutes. Mix in a few drops of peppermint extract (find it in the spice aisle of the supermarket).

2 - Crush: Break a candy cane into a couple of small pieces and chop it on your cutting board with a sharp knife.

3 - Froth: Whisk milk in the blender for 2 minutes or use a frother. Pour into cups and top with crushed peppermint. Let kids stir it with a small candy cane. One dairy serving licked for the day!