Broken Glass Jello Cubes

INGREDIENTS:

8 small boxes of jello (3 oz), different colors
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 envelopes unflavored knox gelatin
water

INSTRUCTIONS:

Dissolve each box of jello separately, using just 2 cups of boiling water per flavor. Pour into individual containers (I used 9X9 glass pans) and chill overnight.

Once solid, cut the flavors of jello into small blocks and mix together carefully in a glass 9×13 pan.

In a separate bowl, dissolve 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin in 2 cups hot water. Let cool a bit and stir in the condensed milk. Cool to touch and pour cooled milk mixture over jello and chill overnight.

Cut into squares and serve.

Cookie Fruit Salad

I know...sounds disgusting but this is so delicious!! My aunt has been bringing this to family gatherings for years and it used to be served at the old "Penner Foods" grocery stores-anyone remember those?? Anyway, I recently had dental work and this qualified as some delicious "soft" food that I could actually eat. This salad (-or dessert as my husband calls it-) is so good and is perfect for big gatherings.

Ingredients:
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 (16 oz) container cool whip, thawed
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 pkg chocolate teddy grahams or crushed oreo crumbs

Directions:
Mix pudding mix, buttermilk, and cool whip together. Add drained fruit and fold in until combined. Mix in cookies or crumbs. If using cookies, let sit for a few hours to let cookies soften (best if made the night before) but salad made with crumbs can be served right away.

Deluxe Rice Krispie Cake

These are a cinch to whip up. Maybe one or two of these in a lunch might make the first day back to school a little sweeter?

Cake:
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 40 large marshmallows (5 cups mini)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 6 cups rice krispies


Filling:
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 1 pkg caramels
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- chocolate chips


Make the filling recipe first, so it's ready to go. Melt first 3 ingredients together. Keep warm. Then make cake recipe. Melt margarine and marshmallows together. Add vanilla, then mix with rice krispies. Put half of cake in greased 9 x 13 pan. Pour filling over cake, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. (Milk chocolate chips are best, but semi-sweet work well too). Press remaining cake recipe on top and let cool.

* I found the filling recipe to be too much for one cake, so it could be halfed (but what do you do with half a can of sweetened condensed milk?) or make two pans of cake and give one to a friend. :)

Chewy Granola Bars

I used to make these years ago. Totally forgot about the recipe until a friend reminded me and I'm glad she did. These are super easy and so yummy! Would be a great addition to packed lunch and I made these to go camping last week.
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup margarine, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup coconut
- 1/2 cup raisins*
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds**
- 1/3 cup wheat germ
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 3 cups oatmeal
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, blend sugar, peanut butter, syrup and melted margarine. Once mixture is blended add vanilla. Stir in coconut, raisins, sesame seeds, wheat germ, chocolate chips, oatmeal and sunflower seeds. Mix until ingredients are blended. Press mixture into a 9 x 13 in pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

* I leave the raisins out as we're not raisin lovers around here. (Craisins are a delicious additon, unless you ask my five year old). ;)
** Also left the sesame seeds out as I didn't have them on hand.

Colored Eggs

I like to color eggs with Dillon every Easter (and Reid too once he's old enough). He loves it and its very simple to do.

• 1 cup hot water


• 1 tbsp vinegar


• food coloring

Combine ingredients, doing as many colors as you like. The more food coloring you put in and the longer the eggs are left in, the darker the color. Dry on wire rack with paper towel underneath so dye does not stain.

Options: 1.) Draw a design with a wax crayon before dyeing. 2.) To do different colors, wax between dippings. The wax can be removed in oven till wax melts. Wipe off.

Play Dough

With the cooler weather setting in, it's time to find some indoor things to keep the kiddos busy! Dillon has been hauling out his play dough stuff and has spent quite a bit of time with it. But the (bought) play dough was a little old, so I thought I'd whip him up some fresh play dough. I have many memories of my Mom making play dough for me and my two brothers as we were growing up.
By the looks of the photo I should have probably kneaded the food coloring in a bit more.

• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp cream of tartar
• food coloring

Mix and warm first five ingredients in a pot on the stove. Keep stirring and working it (your arm will feel like it wants to fall off) for a few minutes. Once it no longer sticks to the side of the pot, it's done. Add food coloring to divided pieces. I kneaded the coloring in on a plate, as I didn't want to stain my counter count. Store in the fridge in a bag, to keep it fresh.

Cheerio Cake

This is just a twist on an old favorite - rice krispie squares. Substitute the rice krispies with cheerios and add smaries or reeses pieces on top. Think it'd make a nice change to school lunch favorite.

• 1/4 cup margarine
• 40 large marshmallows (5 cups mini)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 6 cups rice krispies (or cheerios)
• smarties/reeces pieces for on top (optional)

Melt margarine and marshmallows on stove top. Add vanilla. Pour over rice krispies (or cheerios) and pat into greased 9 x 13 pan.