Hot Fruit Salad

 I recently made this hot fruit salad for a family gathering.  It tasted like warm raspberry applesauce.  My grandchildren loved it.  In the 1970's, I attended what was then Ricks College.  This recipe was in a school newsletter.  It was the president's wife's recipe.  I thought it was worth a try all these years later.

Hot Fruit Salad

1 pkg. fresh or frozen raspberries

1 can pineapple chunks or tidbits

2 cups applesauce

Whatever other fruit you want:

1 can peaches

 1 can pears

1 can fruit cocktail

I used fresh peaches and pears because I had them

Drain the fruit.  Mix together and put in a casserole or slow cooker. Top with some brown sugar. Bake at about 300 for several hours or until hot.  Stir occasionally.  Serve warm.

Ice Box Cake

 Happy birthday to Leora Hinton, Ken's mother.  She would be 101 today.  She raised eight kids.  One of their favorite desserts that she made was what she called Ice Box Cake.  In honor of her, I publish this recipe today.

Ken made it to honor her.  He used strawberries.

Leora's Ice Box Cake

 

1. Graham cracker crust.  Some like more crust, some less, so suit yourself. Using a rolling pin, crush as many Graham Crackers as you desire—enough to line the bottom and sides of the container you put your cake in. Some like crust sprinkled on top as well, so leave enough for that if you choose. (You can substitute two commercially-made graham cracker crusts.)

 

2. Marshmallow mix. Into a pan with just a touch of milk (¼ cup), add 16 oz bag of marshmallows. Some prefer a little lighter marshmallow taste and they go with a 12 oz bag. Melt the marshmallows in a double boiler. (Updated version:  Just melt them in the microwave, stirring often.)

 

3. Whip cream. Into your marshmallow mix add a cup of cream that has been whipped (or 8 oz of cool whip). I have found it better to be a tad extra on whipped cream than too much extra on marshmallows. 

 

4. Fruit. Add whatever fruit you prefer to the marshmallow/cream mix. Our family has preferred bananas—usually four average size bananas, sliced. Other people prefer strawberries, blue berries, pineapple and other fruit. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared crust/ crusts.  (We find it better to slice the fruit right into the graham crust, then pour the marshmallow mixture on top.)  Top with graham crumbs, if desired.  

 

5. Chill the ice box cake.  Cover the container and place in the refrigerator (not freezer) for several hours until it has become cold to fridge temperature. Cut and serve.

Ice Box Cake Updated

 Ken's family- the Hintons grew up eating a dessert they called Ice Box Cake.  It was very similar to this recipe, but I've made it easier using a store-bought graham crust.  It's not really a cake at all, but a yummy marshmallow/ fruit dessert.  In my updated version, it's more like a pie.

Pictured is a blueberry Ice Box Cake

Ice Box Cake Updated
1- 9oz. (extra large) graham cracker crust
4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows or 36 large marshmallows
1/4 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
6 large, fresh peaches, peeled and sliced OR equivalent of other fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas (the Hinton family favorite) or pineapple, etc.
Crushed graham crackers to sprinkle on top


Heat the marshmallows and milk together in the microwave until melted.  Frequently stop the microwave and stir and stir until melted.  Cool.

Meanwhile, whip the cream in a large bowl until it forms soft peaks.  Beat in the 1/3 cup sugar until stiff peaks form.  Cool the marshmallow.  (You can put it in the fridge for awhile.)
Fold the cream into the cooled marshmallow mixture.  Then gently fold the fruit or mixture of fruits into the marshmallow mixture, evenly distributing the fruit as best as possible.

.  Sprinkle with graham crumbs.  Refrigerate.

Autumn Pear Salad

Autumn Pear Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce

1-2 pears, diced (leave the skins on)

Handful of craisins

Handful of sliced almonds (or you can candy sliced almonds)

3/4 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese OR bleu cheese

Croutons

1/2 bottle (more or less to taste) Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing (or you can make your own.  I will post a recipe for an easy one)

Toss salad ingredients together.  Just before serving, pour on the dressing and toss well.  

Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad
1 home canned quart bottle sliced peaches (or you can use a store-bought can)
1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
About 15 strawberries, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1 cup blueberries
1 small bunch grapes
1-2 Tablespoons sugar, optional and to taste

Mix the peaches and pineapple with their juices with the pudding until the pudding is dissolved.. Stir in the other fruits and the sugar (if desired) and chill for a few minutes to set up.  Delicious!

Peach Malt

A Hinton family tradition from WAAAAAAYYY back is Peach Malt.  That's what all the Hinton family calls it, but it's not really a malt.  It's a  . . . smoothie?  milkshake?   I don't know, but it's good.  It's kind of evolved over the years.  When I first joined the family ( that's a long time ago!) it was made with just frozen peaches, sugar and milk blended in the blender.  But now Ken adds vanilla ice cream.  So I guess it's a smoothie changed to milkshake.  Ya, that's what it is.  I know others of the Hintons add lemon juice, or bananas,  and I don't know what all else.  I guess we all have our own version.  Ken's family had an orchard with many peach trees.  They would always freeze peaches and then make these throughout the year- usually on Sunday evenings.  We continued the tradition as we have three peach trees.  Many Sunday nights and family home evening nights we have this for a treat.  My husband always makes it.  I watched him make it, and this is what he did:

Peach Malt
Fill the blender about 1/3-1/2 full of frozen peaches (about two cups)
Add 1/4-1/3 cup sugar
Add several scoops of vanilla ice cream, then fill the blender container with milk.  Blend til it's all well blended and smooth.  Enjoy!

Orange Julius

A Sunday evening tradition in our home is Orange Julius.  We don't have it every week, but we often have this or Peach Malt - both blender drinks.  I'll post the simple Peach Malt recipe another time.  Orange Julius is my favorite- winter or summer.

Orange Julius

Ingredients:
1/2 to 3/4 can of 12 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/3 to 1/2 cup of white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Blend it all together.
Fill the blender nearly full with ice.  Crush and blend together. Taste and add more orange juice concentrate if needed.  Happy Sunday evening!

Brie Cheese and Apple Appetizer

I succumbed. I go to Sam's Club firm in my resolution to just get the basics and get out. However, I don't mind testing a few of their samples along the way. That is where my resolution wavered. Last Wednesday they were serving Brie Cheese on their delicious dinner rolls. Heaven! As I savored in pure delight, memories of the first time I had Brie Cheese came flooding back. 3 summers ago we moved to Wisconsin for my husband's internship. In an effort to make the most of our 3 month adventure in America's Dairyland, we decided to try a new cheese each week. It took a few weeks, and some miserable cheese taste testing (see picture below), for us to learn that there are some cheeses you really shouldn't just cut off the block and eat straight.
  

One of those is Brie cheese. After posting our disgust on our family blog, kind friends and family members shared their favorite ways to eat Brie in an effort to convince us to give it another chance. We bravely accepted their advice and attempted the following recipe from my Aunt Joan. I l.o.v.e.d. it. The purchased cheese disappeared quickly. I smiled at the memory and tried to walk away. It didn't work. I came back. I mean, really, I had a whole bag full of fresh, hand-picked apples sitting in my fridge that needed eating. I needed Brie cheese to accompany them, right? Ten dollars later, I walked out of Sam's with a bag of 36 fresh rolls, a 16 oz. circle of Brie Cheese, and a smile on my face. My whole family has been enjoying this little piece of heaven ever since.

ABCD Appetizer: Apple and Brie Cheese Delight

Apples (The original recipe called for Granny Smith. This year I have been using Cortland and they are great too!)

Brie Cheese

French Bread (or any other white bread of choice)

It's simple really. Preheat oven to 350. Slice the bread. Spread on the Brie Cheese (I spread it rind and all because I can't bear the thought of wasting any of the the delicious cheese. Sometimes I pick off the rind after it has been baked and the cheese has melted off). Place on baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 or 6 minutes, until the bread is slightly crispy and the cheese has melted. Top with thinly sliced apples. Enjoy warm.

Marshmallow Lime Fruit Dip

This is a delicious dip to serve with your summer fruit platters.  It goes well with about every kind of fruit.  My favorite is bananas, but is great with apple wedges, strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple and grapes. Every time I make this, I think of my little neighbor lady that used to live across the street.  She was a tiny little thing and didn't eat much.  Because of some health problems, the doctor suggested she needed to eat a banana each day.  She hated bananas.  I made her a batch of this dip and took it to her.  Her husband called to report that, with the dip, she was now happily consuming bananas!  But even if you do like naked fruit, it's always more fun to dress it up!

Marshmallow Lime Fruit Dip
13 oz. jar marshmallow cream
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese (light works great, too), softened
1 T. frozen orange concentrate
Juice of 1 lime
Grated lime zest
1/4-1/3 cup coconut milk, optional (but yummy if you have it!)

With a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix all ingredients together until fluffy and well-blended.  Taste and add more orange juice or lime juice or coconut milk to your taste.
"You put the lime in the coconut and eat it all up!"