American Semiquincentennial birthday party recipes: red, white and blue cocktails and drinks

Hello friends of this blog! We're getting ready to celebrate our nation's Semiquincentennial birthday The US is 250 years old! Why I remember as if it was yesterday when she was just a babe of 200! (and those silly little bells they made us hold is school pictures!) But I digress. How about some festive  patriotic drinks recipes to wish Lady Liberty birthday greetings?  Shake up some red white and blue cocktails and American themed shots. Use these festive American holiday-themed alcoholic beverages for 4th of July, Flag Day and Memorial Day too. 

RWB Bomb Pop: Slush (partially freeze) separately: Dekuyper's Raspberry Pucker, cherry liqueur or Bacardi Razz, blue Curacao and Smirnoff ice (or lemonade, vodka or gin). Add slush in layers with red on bottom, clear in middle and blue on top.

Red, White and Brew: Are your party-goers a beer crowd? Then why not spike those beers with a shot of red or blue food coloring for a fun Fourth of July look? Hey, bars dye beer green for St. Patrick's Day--why not blue beer or red beer for America's birthday? Amber beers are already reddish in color. Hopheads will love Founders Red's Rye IPA. Lagunitas Imperial Red is a maltier beer. Or Redd's Apple Ale is getting quite a following.

Red Wine and Blue: Serve your wine loving guests an assortment of wines. Select a rich, dry red like Malbec or Shiraz and a sweet red Lambrusco. Moscato or Riesling are nice sweet whites wines and chardonnay is a delicious dry white. For blue white, add a little grape juice to a sweet white. I might just make up a Michigan blueberry wine toast to our stars and stripes! Or you could bust out good old Boone's Farm Blue Hawaiian just for fun!

Red Hot White Lightning Blues: Put a kick in your patriotic punch bowl. Blend cranberry juice, grapefruit soda, DeKuyper Raspberry Pucker, vodka (one shot of liqueur and alcohol to each 8 ounce serving of juice). Freeze blue gelatin or clear soda in star-shaped ice cube trays.

Rum White and Beach Cooler: This is a 4th of July spin on a traditional New Orleans Hurricane recipe. Blend blue Hi-C fruit punch, limeade, Dekuyper Blue Curacao and Malibu coconut rum. Garnish with strawberry and apple slices cut in star shapes.

Star-Spangled Sangria: In a pitcher, blend one bottle dry red wine (Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon) one 2 liters grapefruit soda, one 12-ounce can lemonade and a fifth of DeKuyper Peach Schnapps. Freeze Dekuyer Blue Curacao in star-shaped ice cubes. Slice oranges, lemons and limes and cut in star shapes with cookie cutter.

Ruby White and Blue Solitaire shot (slush or regular): My then-boyfriend was a bartender. He gave me a ruby solitaire as a promise ring. This drink is named for that ring. 100% Cranberry Juice cocktail (Ocean Spray is a good brand.) DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps. lemon twist, strawberry and blueberry bowtie for garnish. 

🌿 Pure Michigan Pro-Tip: The Vernors Sparkle 🌿

For that authentic Great Lakes flavor in your Blue Motorcycle or Stars 'n Bars Slammer, remember these local secrets:

• The "V" Factor: Locally, we know it’s Vernors—no "e" before the "r" and no apostrophe! It’s the oldest ginger ale in the US, and that wood-aged flavor is what makes these shots stand out.
• Maximum Fizz: Add the Vernors last and give it just a very gentle stir. You want to keep those aggressive bubbles intact to get that famous "nose-tickle" when you take a sip.
• The Chill: Ensure your Vernors is ice-cold before mixing. Because of its high carbonation, it can foam over quickly if it's room temperature!

Freeze the cranberry juice until it slushes. Place in a covered ice bucket or cooler. Mix one shot of Schnapps with four oz. of cranberry juice.

American Woman (aka Bahama Mama, a drink from my conga line days). In a shaker, blend, shots of Malibu Coconut Rum, Suntory Midori (melon liquor) and 4-6 ounces Dole Orange-Peach-Mango or Dole Pine-Orange-Banana). Garnish with pale green honeydew melon chunk, strawberry, blueberry for RWB bowtie. 

Blue Motorcycle: My now-husband used to ride a Union Jack blue 1970 Triumph Daytona; this drink is a tribute to him and the blue motorcycle. Mix one ounce each of vodka, rum and Blue Curacao liquor. Add four ounces Vernors (the original American soda) or Squirt grapefruit soda.

Star-Spangled Brain: This novelty was an early shot. It looks like a squirrels' brain (hence the name) but tastes delicious. Fill a Collins glass half full of DeKuyper Strawberry or Pucker Raspberry Schnapps. Slowly dribble in one-two ounces of Bailey's Irish Cream to make "brain."

Stars 'n Bars Slammer: Another early shot referred to then as an Alabama Slammer, you slam the glass on the table and drink in one gulp. Slamming releases CO2 and makes froth. It isn't necessary to literally slam the glass. Just pick it up with one hand, cover it with the other hand and set down firmly on the table. 1 oz tequila, 1 ounce pink champagne, 4 ounces Vernors. 

White Lady in Red Dress in a Blue Sidecar: This drink combines the Roaring Twenties cocktails into one fun punch! Let's get this sorority Watusi party on! 

1 ½ oz Grappa, blanche Armagnac (clear cognac)  or dry gin

¾ oz  (Blue Curaçao orange flavor liqueur) 

¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice

The sidecar becomes a white lady with a topping of whipped egg white meringue. And the red dress is a maraschino cherry garnish.  Or try this! 

★ Pro-Tip: The "Red Dress" Variation ★

To give your White Lady a stunning "red dress" effect for the 250th anniversary, try one of these finishing touches:

• The Hemline Sink: Gently drop a teaspoon of grenadine or raspberry liqueur into the finished drink. It will settle at the bottom, creating a beautiful red "hem."
• The Wine Float: For a sophisticated look, slowly pour a thin layer of dry red wine over the back of a spoon onto the foam for a "red topper."
• The Classic Garnish: Drop a bright maraschino cherry into the bottom to act as the "ruby solitaire" center.

Ein Prost! L'chaim! Sainte! Salude! Na zdrowie! Skol! Opah and all that jazz! 

Yum Bomb BBQ sauce recipes for ribs, brisket and pulled pork

Hello my friends! Are you looking for a new BBQ sauce recipe to perk up your pork? Well, you have come to the right place. Here's my Yum Bomb BBQ sauce recipe that blasts all others off the grill. This is the BBQ sauce all the others with they could be! I've included all my secret ingredient reveals and recipe hacks. 

What's wrong with other BBQ sauce recipes

I love BBQed meats--ribs, brisket, chicken, there aren't any I don't like. But one sad thing I too often notice is that beautifully cooked meat is often topped with very sub-par BBQ sauces. Even the bragged about "homemade" or "down home" recipes are too sweet and blah. The "spicy" ones aren't. They're just hot. Even in Austin, TX, BBQ central, I couldn't find one I liked. The famous Terry Black's which has the most amazing smoked meats ever, had only so-so sauce.  

 BBQ Insight

"The one flaw with BBQ sauce recipes is what ruins them: too much sugar, not enough flavor."



Must-have BBQ sauce recipe hacks 

There are only three places I had good BBQ sauce. One was from a food vendor at Coast Festival (secret ingredient, fresh fruits in season) another was at Festival of the Arts in Grand Rapids (celery seed tweak) and the last was, unexpectedly, Greenfield Village in Dearborn where I discovered my spiritual BBQ home. What they did differently is what inspired my Yum Bomb BBQ sauce recipe. Greenfield Village is where I discovered that there are different kinds of sauce recipes with signature ingredients that you'd never think of unless you were from that region. The famous "white BBQ" from Alabama uses mayonnaise! And German immigrant inspired "yellow BBQ sauce" from South Carolina adds in mustard. I found THESE were what I'd been craving. 

Why sugary tomato based BBQ sauce rules but shouldn't

You might say we've know that all our lives! Okay down south maybe but I'm a Michigan girl. And if you're from Muskegon, MI, you'll tell me that US-31 BBQ was doing the mustard hack for decades. And so I'm new to the party. But if so, I'm not the only one. Most people didn't even get the invite. Because every place I've been to uses that same hackneyed sweet ketchup-y sauce. Rib fests, BBQ cookoffs, the sauce all tastes like candy-coated candy. They all probably use Sweet Baby Ray's or some other kind. And bottled BBQ sauce has 17 grams per serving of at least four kinds of sugar including the fake HFCS. And don't even get me started on the artificial colors and flavors. Probably because it's cheaper to make. And it shows. Plus, most people don't have discriminating tastes in BBQ. Well, I decided today's the day adultify. So I went rogue, tossing weird ingredients in till I found a BBQ sauce recipe I love. 

Yum Bomb BBQ sauce recipes

I decided to cut out the ketchup middle man and celebrate what we do best in Michigan and that is fruits. So my BBQ sauces feature fruits for sweetness and vegetables for flavor. I focus on seasonal using what fruits are at their best and growing locally. That's why "sauce recipes" is plural. The iteration changes a little every time I make it. But it follows a basic format.  

• Choose a seasonal fruit or a combination: strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, grapes, apples, pears and cranberries are some I've used. In off seasons I'll use mango, pineapple and oranges. 
• Peel and seed lemons, lime or and oranges (or use bottled juice, it's fine. I add bottled lime juice separately because that's mandatory and you'll need it to get enough. 
• Chop and add cilantro, garlic, onion, tomatoes and bell peppers (my own personal secret ingredient)
• Cook it all down with a complementary 100% juice (pineapple, cranberry, orange) and lime juice. 
• Season with  smoked paprika, garlic powder, red pepper (to taste) and celery salt. 
• Add Worcestershire sauce, Dijon or stoneground mustard, molasses and pure maple syrup to taste.
• Blend it in a food processor. 
• Fill empty condiment squeeze bottle or a Mason jar and store in frig. 
• Use as meat marinade or as side condiment. Add a little cooking oil if basting. 
• Prepare to be carried it triumph and besieged for the recipe! 

🍴 RECIPE HACK 🍴

Too tired, lazy or busy to cut a bunch of produce? Sub SALSA for the veggies!

~ Instant flavor & texture! 🍅🌶️

My BBQ sauce recipes don't just have flavor, they have layers of contrasting flavors! Today's batch of Yum Bomb BBQ sauce featured a cranberry orange theme. There's no fruit in season in Michigan yet plus I found a bag cranberries and some oranges that  needed using. It turned out so delicious with a gorgeous bejeweled garnet color with not a speck of fake red dye! Just rich red cranberry goodness! Creating lighter recipes like this is part of how I lost 100 pounds! Eet smakelijk! (Enjoy, in Dutch). 

Cereal straws and Pooh Bear cheese: children's tea party food recipes and ideas

Hello my friends of Great Food 4U! I recently had the  pleasure of hosting my little lady Flora to tea. Flora is my 11th of 13 grandchildren. Now there's not much I enjoy more than children's activities, especially impromptu children's parties! So here are children's tea party food recipes and ideas! 

Tea parties with children's literature connections. On a past visit, I fixed milady "Pooh Bear cheese." The recipe is very complicated (lol) just cut sliced cheese with Pooh Bear cookie cutters. You can use whatever kind of cookie cutters or cheese you have on hand. Or  make your own by tracing children's literature characters on waxed paper and using as a guide to cut cheese or cookie dough, whatever. I  just wrote a blog post  on my Free Printable Lesson Plans blog about making cookies based on Mo Willems characters like Pigeon and Knuffle Bunny. She requested "Pooh Beer cheese" to accompany her cereal straws and milk.

Repurposing found food items for a tea party. So one great thing about children's tea parties is that they are wonderfully adaptable to what you have on hand. Because children's delightful imaginations immediately "get the picture." They are more than willing to play along and so appreciate the smallest gestures. Here's a quick leftover use-up tea party recipe. Mix leftover cold pasta (seashell, alphabet or star-shaped preferred but not necessary), cheese cubes, pepperoni pieces, sliced mini peppers, grape tomatoes and baby cucumbers with a favorite salad dressing. Add olive if desired. Et voila, antipasto luncheon salad, like the grownups but for kids.

Spring or Easter Children's tea party recipes.  I don't know why but I always associate spring, Easter and April with tea parties. And I always feel there should be tiny muffins or cupcakes, called fairy cakes in England, to dine upon. The easiest is to by Entenmann's Little Bites. But a healthier variety is to use Kodiak or other protein pancake mix to make your own mini muffins. Or you can make mini gluten-free quiches mixing eggs with chopped veggies, bacon bits and shredded cheese. I usually skip the muffin cups and just spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Or make mini cheesecake or tarts placing vanilla wafers in the bottom of a muffin cup liner. Then blend two eggs, 8 oz cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla or lemon juice and bake. Top with fruit. 

Dirt cups with science connections for spring tea parties. Dirt cups may have an unpleasant name but children find them irresistibly enchanting. Whenever I need an ego boost, I bring dirt cups to a potluck. And kids never fail to scarf them up. (They're the first dessert to go, if I do say so myself!). If you let kids build their own, mess and all, you will be their hero! So what you need to make dirt cups is: clear plastic cup, crushed chocolate cookies (dirt) chocolate pudding (mud), spray whipped topping (not sure what this represents but it looks pretty and kids don't care as long as they get to spray the topping), gummy worms and one of these: colorful breakfast cereal or candies like Nerds, spring M&Ms or colored marshmallows. These are the rocks. Kids build these dirt cups from the ground up, layering dirt, mud, "rocks" and placing worms in the top. You can add gummy bugs if desired. 

Finger sandwiches and appetizers for children's tea parties. These can be very simple: bread slices with whatever filling you like. I prefer egg, chicken or tuna salad. Add spinach leaves to fancy it up, then slice in four triangles. Finger sandwiches could be lunchmeat and cheese or just cheese for vegetarians. Gluten-free breadless finger sandwiches would be a spinach or baby romaine leaf, spread with filling, rolled up and secured with a toothpick. Kids also love deviled eggs and Polish roses: lunchmeat and cream cheese rolled around a scallion. 

Mini anything for children's tea parties. Kids love crudites, baby vegetables like cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. Mini pepperoni and tacos go over like crazy! So Miss Flora loved the Fruit Loop cereal straws which were completely unhealthy and an Omi-cheat! But wow did she love them. 

And what about the tea for children's tea parties? Can't forget that! And you have a million options, including flavored peach or mint tea, cold tea, fruit juices, seltzer with juice, YooHoo chocolate milk boxes, cocoa in mugs, water with lemon, fruit water with different fruits speared kebab-like on toothpicks, the list is endless. My daughter for her first communion tea party, requested punch with sherbet balls and fruit ice. This is basically a kiddie cocktail (colored juice and soda) with scoops of rainbow sherbet and a molded ice ring with preferred fruits--strawberries, blueberries, pineapple or peach pieces, etc. 

The main thing to remember in these children's tea parties is that they don't need to be fancy or even planned. You can be as spur of the moment as our Pooh Beer Cheese party! Here are some more literature based children's party ideas. 

Note: While the goal of an impromptu tea party is fun, adding a few "fancy" rules makes it feel like a special event rather than just a snack. Plus, safety is key when you're working with "mud" and "rocks!"

• Mind Your Manners: Encourage children to use "please" and "thank you" when passing the Pooh Bear cheese. I like to tell my grandkids that at a tea party, we use our "indoor royalty voices."

• The Pinky Rule: It’s a classic for a reason! Teach them to extend their pinky finger while sipping their milk or juice—it always leads to giggles.

• Safety First (No Real Boiling Water): For toddler tea parties, "tea" should always be lukewarm or cold. Seltzer with a splash of juice or flavored water is perfect. If you’re using real teacups, make sure they are sturdy or plastic if you’re worried about chips and breaks.

• Choking Awareness: When making "dirt cups," ensure the gummy worms or "rock" candies are appropriate for the child's age. For very young guests, you can swap small candies for larger pieces of soft fruit.

How I lost 100 pounds eating high protein vegetarian keto sandwich recipes, perfect for Lent

 Hello my dear friends! We're into Lent now and are featuring more of our Lenten Kitchen meatless recipes. Eating vegetarian plus keto (yes you can do both) is part of how I lost 100 pounds. Here are high protein, vegetarian Keto sandwich recipes with vegan and vegetarian food swaps. 

Spicy pickle Salmon sammy on keto bread. I got home from work starved and whipped up this high protein sandwich recipe on the spot. It was so good I might have another! How I lost 100 pounds was by eating filling high protein foods to curb hunger and keep cravings at bay. And this one of them. 

Start with high protein keto bread like Aldi's. This seed-dense bread gives you calorie forward (sugar and starch balanced with fiber and protein) 14 grams of protein per 150 calorie 2-slice serving. It you're calorie restricting to lose weight or for a religious fast like Lent, keto bread should be your go-to. Seeds are the shiznit for packing in protein. Although I lost 40 pounds just by doing intermittent fasting twice a week on plain old Admiral bread and water. If you're gluten-intolerant, try a gluten-free veggie tortilla. Aldi also makes a lentil red pepper tortilla that is 2 Diet 4! 

Spread with salmon cream cheese and a drizzle Herdez guacamole salsa. If you're vegan try my homemade cumin hummus recipe featured here. Hummus makes great food swaps for weight loss, vegan diets and Lenten fasts. Mustard is another great low-calorie spread. I choose stone ground mustard with the seeds. 

Add any kinds of veggies you want to your vegetarian high protein sandwich recipes. My concoction featured home 

sprouted spicy sprouts. You can buy cheap sprouting seeds and lids from Amazon, then just reuse canning jars. 

dill pickle relish (cause I didn't have dill pickles but oh my, once you go dill relish, you'll never go sweet again). 

sliced tomatoes

sliced Havarti cheese

smoked salmon (canned in oil, not the slimy gelatinous stuff in paper envelopes) or smoked tuna. The envelopes of salmon are okay but not nearly as tasty and you really don't save that many calories. 

artisan lettuce leaves or romaine (use romaine leaves as breadless food swaps to wrap your sandwich, if you're eating gluten-free)

Enjoy with a handful of berries for extra high protein fruit goodness. Or try a few dates, to beat sugar cravings and boost metabolism, energy, antioxidants and electrolytes. Plus dates just taste so ambrosial! Stay tuned for more on how I lost 100 pounds with keto diet food swap recipes.

Pumpkin recipes: Pumpkin spice treats, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin soup recipes for fall

I am a pumpkin fanatic. Every fall and through the winter, pumpkin appears in dozens of foods from my house. Pumpkins are brimming with Vitamin A and beta-carotene. Pumpkin is perfect for vegan and vegetarians delicious and nutritious. Here are some of my very best pumpkin recipes.

For these recipes, you will not use a jack-o-lantern pumpkin (the variety you carve). Select the smaller pumpkin known colloquially in supermarkets as the 'pie pumpkin'. These have richer flesh, thicker rinds and better flavor. You can cook down and can or freeze pumpkin. The other option which is just as delicious and nutritious is canned packed pumpkin. I admit to cheating and using canned pumpkin. If you choose the canned pumpkin option, but sure to buy plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is sweetened and has spices added. I don't even buy pumpkin pie filling for my pies.

Pumpkin Soup: Perfect power packed nutrition for chilly fall days. In a large, deep skillet melt two sticks of butter or margarine (olive oil if you are a vegan). saute one medium chopped onion, one small stalk of cleaned, pared and sliced celery, five chopped sage leaves (or 1 teaspoon of ground sage) and one half teaspoon cracked pepper. Pour contents of saute pan in soup pot. Add one 29 oz. can of pumpkin and a carton of Progresso chicken broth (vegans and vegetarians, replace chicken broth with vegetable broth). Fill the pumpkin can with milk (vegans, use water) and add that to the pot. Simmer until blended and heated through. Just before serving, add chopped cucumbers and butter croutons. Send a jar to an elderly neighbor, a family with a new baby or a sick friend.

Pumpkin Upside-Down Custard: In a large bowl, blend 1 29oz. can of pumpkin, one teaspoon of cinnamon, one half teaspoon of nutmeg and ginger, one quarter teaspoon of cloves, one teaspoon of salt, four large eggs, one cup of packed brown sugar, one tablespoon of flour Refill pumpkin can with milk and add to ingredients. Blend until smooth and fold in one cup of peeled, chopped apples (optional). Placed in 9x13 glass baking dish coated with non-stick pan spray. Bake at 400 degrees about 40 minutes until set. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

For topping: blend 1 cup finely chopped pecans with 1 stick melted butter and one quarter cup brown sugar. Mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle over surface and bake for five to ten minutes to set. Vegans can replace eggs and milk with two packages of silken soft tofu also.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Custard: Using the same ingredients as above, cut milk down to 10 oz and add two 8 oz packages of softened cream cheese. You will need to use blender or electric mixer to blend. Using two cartons of whipped cream cheese will be easier to blend also.

Pumpkin is one of my favorite comfort foods.

Low-cal Labor Day picnic recipes, light BBQ grill entrees, meatless menu pleasers for weight loss, special diets

Labor Day is the last official picnic day of summer. With everyone on some special diet--vegan, vegetarian, kosher, weight loss, lactose intolerant, gluten-free, diabetic, halal--it's difficult to plan a picnic buffet that suits everyone. Throw some picky, fussy eaters (a.k.a. kids) into the party crowd and the harried Labor Day hosts are at their collective wits' end to know what to feed the hungry multitudes. Here are low-cal Labor Day picnic recipes, light grill entrees, menu pleasers that dieters and everyone else will love!

Whip up the Ultimate Labor Day Salad Bar Buffet. Make your own restaurant-style salad bar and hot buffet. If you do the whole thing, it may get expensive, so trim corners as you need to. Or have guests each bring 3-4 salad toppings. Create an outdoor refrigerated salad bar by laying a clean bath or beach towel on the buffet or picnic table. Cover towel with a layer of ice cubes. Place another clean towel over ice. Replace ice as it melts.

Next make a huge bowl of greens. Get a package of six romaine lettuce heads. Tear up lettuce, rinse with warm water and drain or spin to dry. Place lettuce in zippered plastic bag and chill in the refrigerator until serving. This makes lettuce extra crisp. Or use pre-cut bagged salad like Dole Classic Romaine, with Romaine lettuce, matchstick carrots and purple cabbage. If you serve field greens, remember these lettuces are much more delicate and must be used immediately. Serve in a large stainless steel mixing bowl or salad bowl.

Here are salad toppings guests can pick and choose from to fit any special diet. Arrange salad toppings in individual bowls with forks, spoons or mini tongs for sanitary self- service. Set out diced cucumbers (leave skin on),sliced mushrooms (white or Baby Bella), chopped celery, chopped sweet onions, chopped green, red, yellow and orange peppers, baby spinach, sprouts (alfalfa, broccoli, onion, or spicy), chopped broccoli and cauliflower or broccoli slaw mix, shredded carrots, chopped tomatoes, shredded beets, shredded purple cabbage, pea pods and avocado slices.

Make a relish tray of assorted olives: Spanish (green),black, pitted Greek olives, capers, sports peppers, banana peppers, hot pepper rings, sweet pickles, dill pickles and canned beets. Set out fruit
toppings: raisins, dried cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges and pineapple tidbits. Set out nachos, croutons, chow mien noodles, sliced almonds, mixed nuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Set out garbanzo beans, cottage cheese, shredded Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese grater, cubed feta cheese (for Greek salad) and diced hard-boiled eggs, salad shrimp, flake crab meat, sliced pepperoni and anchovies. To season salad, set out fresh chopped herbs (dill, rosemary, oregano, sage, basil), pepper grater and Himalayan pink salt grater.

For hot buffet items, place in three-sided warmer. Grill chuck steak, ham slice, salmon and chicken breast and cube each. Grill bacon and crumble. Make taco meat. Warm nacho dip in a crock pot. A good salad bar should include these dressings: vinegar and olive oil in separate cruets, a lite or low calorie salad dressing (spray-on salad dressing like Raspberry vinaigrette is good), ranch (Hidden Valley is best), French (Russian, Western, sweet and sour) Thousand Island and bleu cheese (Marie's) and Caesar. Serve with french bread. Guests can make their own taco, Caesar, Greek, Salad Nicoise, Antipasto, Cobb or other specialty salads.

Valentine's Day recipes, homemade decorations, heart-shaped cupcakes, cookies

Arrgh! Your child did it again. She volunteered you to make three dozen cupcakes (pink, heartshaped, with sprinkles, please) for her class Valentine's Day party--tomorrow! And when does Lil Miss Cupid spring this news? 9 p.m.--no time to go to the store for supplies. Well, have no fear, Mama Been-There-Done-That has super-fast, last-minute, homemade treat recipes made with on-hand ingredients. You get bonus DIY heart-shaped snacks and improvised frosting, sprinkles and decoration tips.

DIY heart-shaped cookie cutter--Murphy's Law will have it that if you need heart-shaped cookies you won't be able to find your heart-shaped cookie cutter. If you ever had one. So, here are quick, homemade ones. Bend a coat hanger or large paper clip into a heart shape. Or draw a half-heart on the folded edge of a piece of sturdy paper. Cut out the heart and place on rolled out cookie dough. Trace around it with a butter knife, toothpick or metal skewer. Or just freehand it! The kiddies will
Pink cupcakes made with diy food coloring

Heart-shaped cupcakes--Make paper cupcake holders shaped like hearts by folding in half. Open and fold top point inward to form rounded sides of heart. Place folded cupcake paper in cupcake tin with three marbles: one between the halves of the heart to keep it open and one on each side to support the point.

Homemade pink frosting. Mix three parts red and one part blue food coloring and dye vanilla frosting. No food coloring? Use these mix-ins: red juice (grape, cherry, cranberry or beet), red pop, strawberry jam; strawberry ice cream syrup or red gelatin dissolved in a little hot water. Or melt red hard candy in the microwave.

No frosting? Blend a stick (or 8 ounces) of margarine with powdered sugar and milk to desired consistency. Add a dash of salt and vanilla or almond flavoring. For chocolate, add baking cocoa, melted baker's chocolate or melted chocolate chips. No powdered sugar? Heat granulated sugar in sauce pan to make glaze? No margarine? Use milk for icing.

Homemade Valentine decorations. Fresh out of requested sprinkles? Shave chocolate pieces. Crush hard candies in the blender. Form heart shapes with tiny candies: M&Ms, Runts, Nerds or other small candy. Use mini-marshmallows, pretzels, chocolate, cherry or vanilla chips, Snip fruit snacks, jelly beans, gum drops, red licorice into small pieces. Cut letters from gum strips or Fruit Roll-Ups. Kid's favorite: decorate with breakfast cereal: Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Trix, Fruity Pebbles.

DIY Valentine decorative frosting. To make icing you can write with, place frosting in small plastic bag. Squeeze frosting into corner, tie end closed and snip the tip off the corner. Use like decorator icing to write Valentine messages, like "These cookies brought to you by a creative mom who's kid forget to tell her till the last minute!" (Probs too long, but tempting).

DIY Valentine sentiments. Add messages to cookies and cupcakes with valentine conversation hearts. Write valentine words with Alpha-Bits cereal or letter-shaped pretzels. Cut letters from Fruit Rollups. Write on cookies with diluted gelatin water in a turkey baster. Form letters from thin cut strips from licorice or use string licorice, also called licorice laces.

Let little last-minute Lucy help and you'll get some fun bonding time, too. Your emergency Valentine treats may turn out to be the most popular yet!

Pumpkin Spice Recipes and Pumpkin Themed Kids Lunches, Treats, Snacks

Boy, pumpkin and pumpkin spice sure is a shtick for fall foods--everything from IHOP pancakes to coffee creamer, Oreos to beer. So I thought, why not tap into that beta-carotene goodness for my +Week-of-school-snacks and +Five-day-school-lunch-menu series? Here are healthy kids lunch and snack recipes featuring pumpkin. But no pumpkin beer, promise :)

Use fresh pumpkin (be sure to get pie pumpkin, not a jack-o-lantern) or take my lazy way out and use canned--not pie filling. Or substitute yams, sweet potatoes or squash. Involve toddlers and preschooler in preparations.   You can vegan-ize any of these recipes that call for dairy and eggs but swapping tofu, TVP or almond milk. These recipes are kosher, halal and diet-friendly, too! Click to read more. 

Pumpkin Soup/Pasta Sauce: Perfect power packed nutrition for chilly fall days. In a large, deep skillet melt two sticks of butter or ghee (olive oil if you are a vegan). saute one medium chopped onion, one small stalk of cleaned, pared and sliced celery, five chopped sage leaves (or 1 teaspoon of ground sage) and one half teaspoon cracked pepper. Pour contents of saute pan in soup pot. Add one 29 oz. can of pumpkin and a carton of Progresso chicken broth (vegans and vegetarians, replace chicken broth with vegetable broth). Fill the pumpkin can with milk (vegans, use water) and add that to the pot. Simmer until blended and heated through. Just before serving, add chopped cucumbers and butter croutons. Send a jar to an elderly neighbor, a family with a new baby or a sick friend.

Pumpkin Upside-Down Custard: In a large bowl, blend 1 29oz. can of pumpkin, one teaspoon of cinnamon, one half teaspoon of nutmeg and ginger, one quarter teaspoon of cloves, one teaspoon of salt, four large eggs, one cup of packed brown sugar, one tablespoon of flour Refill pumpkin can with milk and add to ingredients. Blend until smooth and fold in one cup of peeled, chopped apples (optional). Placed in 9x13 glass baking dish coated with non-stick pan spray. Bake at 400 degrees about 40 minutes until set. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

 

For topping: blend 1 cup finely chopped pecans with 1 stick melted butter and one quarter cup brown sugar. Mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle over surface and bake for five to ten minutes to set. Vegans can replace eggs and milk with two packages of silken soft tofu also.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Custard:</b></i> Using the same ingredients as above, cut milk down to 10 oz and add two 8 oz packages of softened cream cheese. You will need to use blender or electric mixer to blend. Using two cartons of whipped cream cheese will be easier to blend also.

Red White and Blue Recipes for 4th of July, All-American Patriotic Foods

For Memorial Day, how about red white and blue recipes and creative American patriotic foods?

Here's RWB appetizer-to-dessert menu. It's perfect for July 4th, BBQs, Father's Day and summer

picnics and parties.

* Red White and Blue Chip Mixer. Make chips swing American. Blend any combination of blue corn

chips, red corn chips (available at specialty and holiday food stores) red BBQ chips, pink taro chips

(available in Terra's root vegetable chip blends), homemade parsnip chips (white) and beet chips. For

white, use white corn chips, popcorn or white cheddar cheese puffs.

* Old Glory Veggie Platter:</b> Use a tri-section platter for crudites (cut vegetables) or arrange them in

stars and stripes. For red use red pepper strips, tomato wedges, radish roses. For blue, cut purple

pepper strips, purple brocciflower, egg plant slices or shredded purple cabbage. For white veggies,

use parsnip slices, cauliflower, water chestnuts. Cut some peppers and parsnips into star shapes (with

star cookie cutter).

* Stars and Stripes Fruit Kebobs: On skewers, alternate any combination of watermelon chunks,

blueberries, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, pale green honeydew, apple stars, banana slices (dash

of pineapple or lemon juice prevents browning).

* Americana Lemonade Spritzer: Color lemonade blue with purple cabbage or blueberry juice. Or

leave plain. Garnish by spearing strawberries or colored, star-shaped marshmallows on straws. Make

star-shaped ice cubes with clear or grape soda or red pop. For clear ice cubes, put a blueberry in

each.

* All-American Cocktails and Coolers: Buy Seagram's blue coolers. Garnish with strawberry-blueberry

bow-tie (stick berries on toothpick). Use these for clear cocktails with gin or vodka. Serve blue

curacao or Blue Hawaiian Schnapps with grenadine, Raspberry or Strawberry Pucker (DeKuyers') or

Jagermeister ice cubes. Partially freeze liqueurs to make colored liquid layers.

* RBW Pinwheels:Flatten four pieces of white bread thin. Spread one with strawberry jam, another

with cream cheese and another with grape jam. Stack in alternate colors. Roll into log. Slice through

all layers to make pinwheels.

* Patriotic Cole Slaw: Mix chopped purple cabbage, red peppers and radishes. Dress with vinegar,

olive oil, salt, cracked pepper, horseradish and sugar. Cut peppers like stars if desired.

* American Flag Grill: Grill red smoked sausage, hotdogs, burgers (with beet juice added), or pink

salmon. Garnish with purple cabbage shreds, purple and red pepper stars and mayonnaise. Poke tiny

flag toothpicks in burgers.

* Festive American Fries: Julienne potatoes or use frozen French fries. Coat some in paprika or

Louisiana red pepper and leave others white. Dye mayonnaise blue (naturalistas, use purple cabbage

juice). Serve with red ketchup, plain and blue mayo. Dieters, use olive oil mayo.

* Lady Liberty Sundaes: Serve vanilla ice cream drizzled with strawberry and blueberry syrup. Mix

colored gelatin for syrup. Decorate with blue and red candies (M&Ms, Nerds, Runts). Make fruit

sundaes with blueberries and strawberries. Serve strawberry or spumoni ice cream topped with blue

colored topping. Serve Blue Moon ice cream with red and blue gummy worms, sprinkles, mini

marshmallows and red fruit snacks. Or made a RWB ice cream buffet and let guest decorate their

own.

* Star Cookies. Make star-shaped cookies easy using refrigerated sugar cookie dough. If you don't

have star-shaped cookie cutter, cut into thin circles. Cut each circle into five pie-shaped wedges.

Arrange in a circle, point side out. Place red or blue M&M or hard candy in the center. Hard candy will

melt to clear "stained-glass" look. Or sprinkle with colored sugar. Or draw stars on cookie with colored

spray frosting. Frost with strawberry cream cheese

Cut Grocery Bill in Half? Eat Healthy Diet Food

Want to know how I save 50% at the grocery store? By eating better. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was with diet food swaps and calorie restricting. And the good  news is that eating healthier is a great way to save money! I lost weight by following Dr. Oz's advice and swapping fatty, high-carb foods for healthy, fat-blasting foods. Lots of people tell me diet food is more expensive and they can't afford it. They're right--about the commercial kind of diet foods. But not natural, healthy diet food. I save money--like 50-percent off my grocery bill--buying it.  

Was your New Year's resolution to save money? You're in good company--that's one of the top new year goals said Business News Wire on Jan. 4. But if you're like most people, you'll start out great for the first few weeks of January, as the holiday bills roll in. Then, when they're paid off, you'll slip into old habits and overspend. The secret to saving money is to change up spending habits and start economizing. Some expenses are easier to economize on. But how do you save money on

necessities like groceries? From over three decades of budget grocery shopping for a large family,

here are money saving tips to spend less and get more at the grocery store. Save at least 50% on

groceries with these suggestions. Some tips will be familiar, but others might surprise you.

Time shopping trips. You've probably heard not to shop when you’re hungry. You can’t think clearly

and tend to buy expensive convenience foods. But also avoid shopping when you're tired or in a

hurry. When you shop for groceries earlier in the day and have enough time to shop, you're more

organized and have the energy to bargain-hunt.

Money saving means doing the math. Track average costs of frequently-purchased groceries and

staples. This way, you know what is and isn’t a bargain. Dollar stores and discounts store don’t always

have lower prices. Walmart sells similar items for $.88. Store sale prices are generally lower than a

dollar. The quality is usually better, too.

Do your homework. Check store ads online before shopping. Decide where you’ll buy each item

based on best price. But don’t waste time and gas driving to a store for only a few sale items. Ya gotta

love budget grocery stores like Aldi and Big Lots. But if the nearest is 25 miles away, there's no

bargain wasting gas money. Only stop if you're going that way anyway. And hit other budget grocery

stores and bargain stores in the same vicinity.

Set a weekly store route to save money. Go to weekly-ad stores, like Meijer or Albertson's before no

ad stores (like Walmart, Family Dollar or Dollar General). After scanning ads, calculate if sale prices are

less than regular Walmart prices. Hit discount for items you can’t find on sale for less.

Use customer loyalty cards and store rewards cards. More stores are offering some form of perks,

rewards or discount cards. They’re not credit cards. Swiping the card at check-out deducts coupons

and sale prices. You might have to “clip” coupons online. Some stores allow you to use merchandiser

coupons too. I just saved $2.50 on fruit that I was going to buy anyway. 

Use credit cards with rewards. Pay off the balance monthly (to avoid incurring interest or fees). A great

money saving tip is to compare rewards rates on store credit cards versus your major credit cards

when grocery shopping.

Don't overlook non-food stores for budget grocery shopping. Save money at gas stations with better

prices on milk, bread, eggs and other groceries. TJ Maxx has cheaper gourmet foods and spices. Big

Lots sells bargain spices, HBA, convenience items and specialty imported foods.

Don’t shop with impulse buyers and spendthrifts. Stay away from shoppers who don't compare prices,

hurry you along or grab the first thing they see just to get out of the store (husbands). Avoid extensive

shopping with children who tire easily. But when you do shop with your children, make it multitask as

an object lesson in budget grocery shopping and money management.

BYOB is money saving. Do you like a beverage to sip while shopping? Bring a travel mug from home

and save money on Starbucks or store sodas. You'll save a good $3 bucks right there. Pack snacks

for the children so they don't get hungry and pester you to buy overpriced food.

DIY is money saving. Use self-checkout lanes to track your shopping more efficiently. Use bags from

home. Aldi keeps prices lower having customers bag their own groceries in their own bags.

Read shelf labels to cut grocery shopping costs. Bigger packages don’t always save money. Check unit prices (usually it’s a per-ounce price) and compare ounce for ounce costs. Pay close attention to

items that come in many different sized containers, such as breakfast cereals.

Beware of buying in bulk. Only buy non-perishable items in bulk if they’re super-cheap. Otherwise

there may be a better sale and you won’t be able to take advantage of it. Only buy fresh food in bulk

if you can freeze it. A chest freezer is a super saver's best friend. Nab great prices on meat, dairy,

produce and frozen foods and pop them in the freezer. Mind the dates and use the oldest food first.

Buy close sell-by date foods with caution. Buying reduced-priced baked goods, produce or meats

can save big. But make sure to use or freeze by expiration date. Spoiled food is no deal.

Check expiration dates. Be especially careful with food stuffs from non-grocery stores as expiration

dates aren’t always monitored as well. Watch out for expired medicines, vitamins and health aids.

They’re dangerous as well as a waste of money. Even batteries can expire.

Compare packaging options. Don't overlook pre-cut produce, shredded cheese or partially prepared

food, assuming it’s more expensive. Sometimes it’s a better deal. Check for freshness. Prepared food

spoils faster. Be sure the food on the bottom, where the weight rests, looks as fresh as the top.

Scrutinize receipts. Make sure prices are correct and all discounts credited. If you discover a mistake

address it immediately. Some stores won’t alter a wrong price once you’ve left the store

A-Z Fiber Foods, Omega Rich, Fatty Acid Fat Burners

I've lost almost 100 pounds and dropped nine sizes. I burned excess belly fat and trimmed other body fat. How? By swapping saturated and hydrogenated fat, starch, refined sugar and flour for high-fiber, fatty acids foods. Ironically, good fats--omega oils, MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) plus fiber are natural bad fat burners. Fiber and fatty acids work together to purge fat, especially belly fat. Many fiber-rich foods are high in fatty acids and also low in saturated fats. Here's an A-Z list of good-fat, high-fiber foods.   

Weight loss is about portion and calorie control, but it's not so much about eating less as eating

differently. Carbohydrates and fat, long thought to be the enemies of weight loss are enjoying a new

vogue in the ketogenic and high carb diet. Ketogenic good fats and unsaturated fatty acids are found

to burn fat (that bad, white adipose fat that sags from bellies, buttocks, arms and legs, that is). And a

high carb diet, rich in soluable fiber and insoluable resistant starch fiber, helps you feel full and lose

weight. Good carbs burn slow and keep your body busy digesting and burning calories while feeling

satisfied. That's important because weight loss fails when the dieter is constantly hungry and

obsessed with food. So here are high carb diet breakfast recipes with foods chockful of good fats,

resistant starch fiber and protein.

High fiber sandwich breakfast recipes: Spread one tablespoon almond butter on light whole grain

bread (35 calories per slice). Or mix PB2 peanut powder with Greek yogurt and spread on bread.

Slice one barely ripe medium banana and place on whole grain bread. Sprinkle with cacao nibs,

flaxseed, chia seed and sliced strawberries.

Superfood whole grain weight loss oatmeal: This is called oatmeal, but actually it's a wondrous blend

of good carbs, good fats, resistant starch fiber, protein and antioxidant superfoods. Use Bob's Red Mill

10-Grain cereal but don't cook it. High carb diet dishes are best served cold. If you must have hot

cereal, don't cook it to mush. You can also use Cheerios. Add berries, chia seed, cacao nibs, pumpkin

seeds, walnuts and almonds. Blend cashew, flaxseed or almond milk with berry juice to sweeten.

Slice barely ripe banana on top. Serve with milk.

High carb diet potato salad. Did you miss potatoes on your old diet? Well now you can have 'em!

Cold potatoes are a great source of resistant starch fiber. Dice leftover cold cooked potatoes, yams

and/or carrots. Add fresh sliced celery, green pepper,scallion or onion. Season with Himalayan pink

salt, cracked pepper, celery seed and dill. Blend with light olive oil mayonnaise. Or mix avocado,

Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. If you're up for it, add high fiber good fats like

pumpkin seeds and chia seeds.

Roasted plantain breakfast recipes. Saute peeled plantain in non-stick cooking spray. Or bake

plantain in it's own skin till tender. Serve with Greek yogurt or lowfat sour cream. Serve with cold

beans and rice for super resistant starch fiber breakfast recipes. Mix white, red or garbanzo beans

and brown rice with chopped cilantro, tomatoes, green peppers and onions. Add chopped mangoes

or pineapple if desired. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

High carb diet pancakes for weight loss. Start these breakfast recipes with oat or whole grain

pancake mix or Bob's Red Mill 7-Grain Pancake Mix. Add in your choice of: good quality granola,

cranberries, pomegranate seeds, blueberries or strawberries, oat bran, sliced bananas, cooked corn,

almonds, walnuts, chia seeds or flaxseed. Serve with pure maple syrup and light butter.

Bean and banana or plantain "burgers." Mix white or red beans or mashed garbanzo beans with

mashed plantain or banana. Form into balls and flatten like burgers. Fry in non-stick cooking spray.

Serve with Greek yogurt for good fats.

Homemade granola: Blend dried oatmeal, walnuts, millet, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia

seeds and flaxseed. Add unsweetened coconut or cacao nibs if desired. Blend and PB2 peanut

powder, almond or cashew milk and blue agave syrup. Pour over grain blend to coat. Spread in one

layer and toast on low till crunchy. Serve with sliced bananas, chopped apples, strawberries or

blueberries.

I Lost 98 Pounds With A-Z Fat-Burning Food Swaps

Part of how I lost 100 pounds without diet drugs or weight loss surgery was with fat burning food swaps like those in Men's Health "Eat This, Not That." I follow weight loss gurus like Dr. Oz. I change my eating as I learn new food wisdom. I experiment. If something helps me lose, I keep doing it. Here's an A-Z guide to food switches that helped me lose. 

Good fats are MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids): omega-6, omega-3, GLA (gamma linolenic acids), ALA (alpha linolenic acids), some polyunsaturated fats, CLA (myoleptin). These good fatty acids dissolve bad fats and boost metabolism. Bad fats--LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol, saturated, transfat, hydrogenated--don't break down. They just accumulate. Here are A-Z fat burn food swaps to lose weight and lower cholesterol.

A is for avocados, anchovies, almonds, almond butter, almond milk, amaranth (one of the seven grains which have been shown to lower cholesterol. B is for black currant oil, borage seed oil, Brussels sprouts, beans, buckwheat and barley (latter two are ancient grains). C is for chia seed, dark chocolate (70% or higher cacao), coconut oil, coconut milk, cauliflower. D is for dairy products from free-range, pasture-raised animals that aren't fed commercial corn-based feed. Best sources are cheese, Greek yogurt, lowfat milk.

E is for eggs from pasture-raised poultry, edamame (green soybeans), evening primrose oil. F is for milled flaxseed, flaxseed oil, wild-caught fish (not farm-raised), fish oil. G is for goat, goat milk and green peas. H is for hummus and halibut. I is for ice cream made from soy, yogurt or milk from free range cows. J is for juiced smoothies made with coconut oil and flax seed.

K is for Kamut Khorosan (high-energy wheat) and Kashi 7-Grain Go Lean cereal. L is for lentils and lima beans, M is for lean meat from free range, pasture-raised animals, mackerel, millet (another ancient grain), miso (fermented tofu). N is for nuts. O is for olives, oats, oatmeal, canola and olive oil.

P is for pumpkin seeds, pecans, peanuts, pistachios, natural peanut butter and PB2 peanut powder. Q is for quinoa. R is for wild rice and rye. S is for sustainable, wild-caught seafood, Alaskan salmon, shrimp, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, sardines, spelt (ancient grain). T is for triticale and tahini (sesame seed spread). U is for unbleached, unprocessed, unhulled grains, unprocessed meats, dairy

V is for sea vegetables like kelp and wakame help. W is for walnuts and winter squash. X is for extra virgin olive oil. Y is for Greek yogurt and yellowfin tuna. Z is for zucchini.

Recipes to Use Up Leftover Ham

Easter is done. The eggs have been colored and found. The chocolate bunnies are mostly eaten. And everyone is more than a little tired of leftover ham from Easter Sunday. Small problem. You bought a big one and there is quite a bit left. Here are recipes to use up that leftover ham plus the hard-boiled Easter eggs, in new and delicious ways. 

Healthy ham-wich spread. So along with extra ham, you bought lots of holiday fruits, nuts and vegetables: pineapple, grapes, apples, raisins, carrots, celery, onions. So make a fabu-fruit and veggie ham-wich spread. In the food processor, grind ham with seeded, cored, peeled apples and/or pineapple, Chop carrots, cucumbers, celery and onion. Add sliced grapes and chopped walnuts.

Blend with light mayonnaise and celery seed. Spread on leftover rolls. Use up buns too!

Ham bone bean soup You can never get all the ham off from the bone and it's a shame to waste

soup stock potential. Put ham bone in a kettle covered with water. Toss in a bag of rinsed, sorted

dried beans. I have a penchant for Hambeens 15-Bean Soup, but just about any kind will do. Boil on

medium-low for two hours to soften beans and cook meat from bone. Reduce heat and add chopped

celery, onion, carrots and bay leaves and ground pepper. Simmer till bones are clean.

Specially scrumptious scalloped potatoes: Scrub and slice 6-8 large cooking potatoes. Spray a glass

baking dish with cooking oil. Place a layer of potatoes in dish. Arrange ham slices over potatoes. Dot

with butter slices. Sprinkle two T. of flour, chopped onions, Colby and Parmesan cheeses, dill weed

and black pepper over potatoes. Repeat for three layers. Pour one and one half cup of milk over

potatoes. Cover and bake at 400 for about an hour. Potatoes are done when they are tender and

sauce has thickened. For Au gratin potatoes add layers of blue cheese and shredded Parmesan and

Colby cheeses.

Hearty ham supper breads. Cube leftover ham and freeze. Use as an add-in for soup, Chef's Salad

or pizza topping. Make hearty supper bread in breadmaker. To bread dough, add ham cubes, grated

cheese, dill weed, onion and garlic. Swap dill for Italian seasoning and add mushrooms, green

pepper and pepperoni for Pizza bread. Use fruit-nut setting.

Ham Stuffed Squash: Halve and clean acorn squash (one half per diner). Fill cleaned squash cavity

with ham cubes, raisins, apples and one pat butter. Sprinkle with Splenda brown sugar. Bake in

covered glass dish, stuffing side up. Fill pan with 1/2 inch of water and bake. 

Healthy Easter Snacks, Bunny-Themed Treats Recipes

Holidays involve way too much candy and too many sweets. But what's an Easter basket without jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, and candy eggs? A lot healthier. With one in three kids overweight or obese, says KidsHealth, it's time to rethink our sweets craze. I've been dieting and lost 96 pounds by substituting sweets with healthy alternatives. Here are good-for-you Easter treat and snack recipes. 

Easter Fruit basket. Who says the Easter bunny must deliver candy? Why not fill it with juicy red strawberries, plump blueberries and blueberries, succulent green grapes, golden mango, yellow bananas, jolly oranges and cheery apples? Toss in a few 70-percent cacao (good for you) dark chocolate Easter candies. But you don't have to with this festive fruit rainbow. Or omit candy and give toys. 

Cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon basket. To carve melon into a basket, make two cuts down halfway into melon lengthwise, a about two inches apart. This is the handle. Continue around to meet at the other side of the handle, to carve out  a little under one quarter, on each side. Use a melon baller to remove melon or a knife to cut in chunks. Clean out the rest to form the basket. Mix melon balls or chunks with other melon balls. Add pineapple, mandarin oranges, grapes, strawberries, mango cubes, blueberries. Or whatever fruit you like in your fruit salad. 

Hunny Bunny Cookies. Skip chocolate Easter bunnies and make healthier bunny cookies. Mix half cup butter or light margarine, half cup of honey or blue agave syrup, two cups whole grain flour, one teaspoon baking soda and half teaspoon cinnamon. Roll out and cut like sugar cookies. For bunny shape, cut circle head and two small ovals for ears. Blend peanut butter, nonfat yogurt and honey for frosting. Or blend coconut sugar, yogurt and light butter for white icing. Decorate with raisin eyes, pretzel stick whiskers, raspberry or cherry nose and apple pieces for buck teeth.

Happy Bunny Basket. What would the Easter bunny like in his basket? Veggies! Make a bunny-friendly Easter basket by filling a salad bowl with lettuce and your favorite vegetable toppings: carrots, radishes, zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli, sprouts and, of course hard-boiled Easter eggs!

Sure it might not substitute for a candy-filled basket, but kids will love eating what the Easter Bunny eats!

Easter Egg-stravaganza. After dying hard-boiled eggs, return them to the fridge to keep fresh. Use in these yummy treats.

--Angel eggs (like deviled eggs only better!) Cut egg in half. Carefully remove yolk. Mash with celery seed, pepper, horseradish mustard, dill pickle relish and light mayonnaise. Refill yolk cavity. Sprinkle on dill and paprika.

--Healthy bunny-wiches: Spread Laughing Cow light cream cheese on slice of rye bread. Tint some cream cheese pink with berry, grape or beet juice. Cut cooked egg in half lengthwise. Remove yolk. Cut semi-circles from base of whites. Fill yolk cavity with pink cream cheese and place on bread for ears. Place cut off bits on bottom for paws (make little slits for toes). Slice yolk. Place olive slice in center of slice for eyes. Use grape tomato for nose, matchstick carrots whiskers and almonds or pumpkin seeds for teeth.

Our kids are very healthy and none has weight problems. They loved these fun Easter candy alternatives as much as sugary treats! 

Disney's 'Frozen' Party Food Recipes, Winter-Themed Snacks

 If you see one movie this winter, make it "Frozen." It's an arctic adventure like Hans Christian Andersen's "Fairy Snow Queen." It's the top-grossing cartoon of all times. Disney's Frozen is a perfect theme for a winter birthday or just-because party. Here's a menu of Frozen-inspired snacks kids will love. BTW, Olaf is probably my favorite Disney sidekick ever. 

Disney Frozen is the perfect theme for Halloween, winter, birthday, solstice or just

because party. Here's a menu for a Disney Frozen party with Olaf the Snowman snacks, recipes and

beverages kids will love!

Olaf the Snowman snowballs: Let kids help make this snack. Melt marshmallows and add popped

popcorn. Have kids rub light margarine on hands and form popcorn (snow) balls. Roll in sprinkles if

desired.

Disney Frozen party: Melted Olaf the Snowman : Uh-uh, Olaf's melted. But fear not, like with Frosty

the Snowman, he'll be back. In the meantime, enjoy this yummy melted Olaf beverage. Mix 2% milk,

melted white chocolate chips, a dash of vanilla and top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Disney Frozen party: Olaf the Snowman cookies: Have kids roll sugar cookie dough in three

different balls for snowman body parts (good for fine motor skills). Attach in snowman shape and

bake. Frost with vanilla frosting. Add stick pretzel arms, candy corn nose, black jelly bean eyes, red

frosting mouth and Chiklets gum for teeth. This will melt the heart of Queen Elsa!

Disney Frozen party: Olaf the Snowman malts. Mix vanilla ice cream, milk, French vanilla pudding

and malt powder. Top with mini marshmallows arranged like a snow man and colored sprinkles for

eyes, mouth and nose.

Disney Frozen party: Olaf the Snowman snacks: Here's another interactive snack craft featuring our

favorite snowman, Olaf. Make popcorn balls above in different sizes: small for head, medium for

middle, large for snowman base. Use raisins for buttons and eyes and matchstick carrots for nose.

Cut Fruit Leather or Fruit Roll-Up for scarf and smile. Add candy corn cob pipe. For hat, place round

chocolate candy like Brach's Star on head. For hat top, affix gumdrop, Hershey's Kiss, or Reese's

Peanut Butter cup with dab of frosting

Leftover Use Up Pizza Casserole with Pizzazz

Grocery shopping day--time for my weekly Waste Not, Want Not refrigerator clean out, leftover use up meal. Today's was Pizza Casserole with Pizzazz. Here's how I made it cleaning up all those bags of cheese, veggies, and leftover meat and pasta.  

Grocery shopping day--time for my weekly Waste Not, Want Not refrigerator clean out, leftover use up meal. Today's was 

Pizza Casserole with Pizzazz (here's how I made it)

Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 
Spread leftover noodles, any kind even spaghetti, in pan (drain first). 
Mix any leftover cottage cheese, ricotta, plain yogurt or sour cream with Parmesan cheese. Blend in 4 eggs. Spread mixture over pasta. 
Place a layer of leftover cheese (any kind) chopped. I used up several chunk sand bags of shredded (you know how six get opened and half-used?)
Season with basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, garlic, pepper.
Pour leftover spaghetti sauce over cheese.
Add layers of leftover spinach, green peppers, sliced zucchini, mushrooms, onions, scallions, summer squash.
Use up sausage (links, patties, ground), pepperoni and hamburger.
Pour another cup or so of cheese on top and sprinkle with more Italian seasoning and Parmesan. 
Bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees. 

Serve with stale bread garlic bread (spread bread with margarine and minced garlic and bake till crispy). For dieters, use lowfat cheeses and omit meat. These recipes are designed to be flexible and use up what you have on hand. Don't buy special ingredients. This meal is quick--10 minutes to assemble. 

Po Boy with Debris Gravy and Remoulade Recipe Leftover Use Up

When you clean the fridge, you're faced with a dilemma--what to do with leftovers. With some, it'll be obvious by the inch layer of grey kitty fur mold. Toss. Others still have life left in them, with a little repurposing. Chef Jacques Pepin showed how to make an awesome bouillabaisse with leftovers from his daughter's fridge. Here's my fridge clean out leftover use up Po Boy with debris gravy and remoulade. 

Fridge Clean Out Leftover Use Up Po Boys with Debris Gravy and remoulade cole slaw

 

Place in a crock pot or slow cooker:

 

Leftover meat (pork, beef, chicken) any cut. Can be cooked or raw

Chopped mirepoix--onions, peppers, celery, scallions, tomatoes, carrots--use up bits and ends. Use any kind. Throw in scallion tops and celery leaves.

 

Clean out fridge door jars: salsa, hot sauce, Tabasco, tomato or spaghetti sauce, garlic, Italian salad dressing. Add to pot. Rinse jar and add rinse water. Be careful with hot sauce unless you can handle the heat.

 

Use up open canned tomatoes, chiles, corn, green beans. Add leftover rice and roux.

 

Add open bags of frozen onions, carrots, peppers, okra, green beans.

 

Season with gumbo file, red pepper, black pepper, sage, paprika, celery seed, garlic, oregano.

 

Simmer and serve over leftover stale or toasted bread, rolls, buns or biscuits.

 

Top with cole slaw made with leftover chopped cabbage, celery, carrots, green peppers, onions. Blend with leftover mayonnaise or salad dressing, remoulade, mustard and horseradish.

 

All ingredients are optional and can be reconfigured to fit what you have leftover. Trivia: Po Boys originated in New Orleans during a streetcar strike. Strikers, called Po (poor) boys, were given free sandwiches.  For more awesome recipes and cooking tips, visit my blogs

 

Diet Recipe of the Day Phony Coney Island Veggie Dogs

I gotta admit--I don't like veggie hot dogs (aka tofu links). I can handle veggie burgers and actually like them better than hamburgers. But those rubbery soy hot dogs, gahh. But I'm also working on losing 100 pounds (81 gone). Now I could make my own, probably better than the packaged ones. But I had a coupon for Lightlife Smart Dogs and they were on sale. And when I'm working, I need quick low-calorie snacks I can grab and go (that's a diet tip, by the way--keep low-cal snacks on hand so you won't reach for the high-calorie junk when you're hungry). Veggie dogs have about 50 calories, lots of protein and no additives. Here's how I opted to dress up my veggie dogs to make them more palatable. 

Grill Smart Dogs and top with:

 

1/4 c. vegetarian chili (cannelloni beans, diced tomatoes, onions, celery and chili peppers, garlic, cumin, cilantro, oregano, hot Hungarian paprika)

 

1/4 c. lowfat cole slaw (shredded green and red cabbage, carrots, dash of olive oil, acai vinegar, stevia sweetener, sea salt, celery seed, mustard, black pepper)

 

diced onions

 

1/8 cup. shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

 

dab of ketchup

 

Skip the bun and go gluten-free wrapping in large lettuce leaf. Calories per veggie dog about 110 calories with toppings.

 

20+ Easy, cheap Graduation Open House Appetizers and Snacks recipes

Oh, oh! You've been too busy and put off planning that graduation open house until the last minute? Or maybe you've been thinking about it for months and can't decide what to serve? Even if you need some last minute fillers for your graduation open house buffet, it's a good thing you clicked this article. Here are 25+ easy appetizers hors d’oeuvres, foods, snacks and recipes to make a nice graduation open house buffet. These can be used for wedding bridal shower recipes, first Communion receptions and other open house buffets also.  

cheese cubes with pretzels sticks poked in

nut cups--fill mini muffin papers  in school colors, with a nut assortment

trail mix cups--mix colored candies in school colors and serve in paper cups

rollups--spread tortilla with cream cheese, place large romaine leaf, cheese slices and deli meat flat and roll. Slice through roll to make pinwheels. 

PBJ pinwheels. Spread peanut butter and jelly on a pinwheel and voila! 

rainbow cut veggie tray with hummus--arrange baby cucumbers, radishes, broccoli and cauliflower florets, mini peppers and grape tomatoes on tray. super easy. See my recipe for homemade hummus. 

olives and feta cheese cubes (or any cheese cubes). Mix Spanish, Greek and black olives with chunk cheese

Puttin on the Ritz. Back the the 70s Ritz crackers put suggestions for dozens of Hors d’oeuvres made from Ritz crackers. Easy Ritz appetizers (or any cracker appetizers) feature a cheese spread or slice with pepperoni or lunchmeat circle and a veggie slice, or olive. 

Mini tea sandwiches. Make sandwiches with whatever filling or bread you like, and cut diagonally in triangles. You can use little deli rye bread too. 

Relish tray--serve in separated tray, different olives, pickles, cheese triangles and meat slices (Italian dry salami, prosciutto, pepperoni)

cocktail wienies--heat cocktail wieners and or mini smoky links in BBQ sauce (fruit jam, salsa, lime juice, smoked paprika or liquid smoke) 

Fairy cakes--make your favorite cupcake mix in school colors, in little mini muffin tins. Frost with a rosette of colored frosting using a disposable cake decorating tube with rose tip. 

fruit kebabs--using fancy toothpicks, spear watermelon or cantaloupe cubes, berries, grapes, pineapple chunks, canned  mandarin oranges, apple pieces, etc. 

hotdog penny kebabs--super easy dad recipe. Skewer pickle and hotdog slices plus cheese cubes on toothpick. Make hedgehog if desired (see below recipe)

open house hedgehogs: This comes from the UK Christmas traditions. Cover a large potato, or half melon with foil or colored plastic wrap. Poke your kebabs in to make quills. Make eyes and nose with frosting, raisins, whatever. Use matchstick veggies for whiskers. 

egg muffins or muffin cup frittatas. Mix different omelet addins with eggs and bake in muffin cups. My favorite is onions, mushrooms, colored peppers and bacon pieces topped with cheddar cheese. 

walking tacos--serve individual bags of Fritos or Doritos with cooked taco meat and toppings. Or mix into salad so guests can add to chips. 

graduation cap or mortarboard hat cookies (see recipe). 

deviled eggs--Cook hard boil eggs with salt. Shock eggs in ice water to loosen shells. Carefully peel and neatly cut lengthwise. Gently remove yolk. Mash with mayo and dijon mustard. Refill yolk cavity. Season with paprika and black pepper. Garnish with fresh dill and cilantro. 

Polish roses. Super easy: spread round lunchmeat (ham or turkey) with cream cheese and roll around a trimmed scallion. Fringe ends. 

Ants on a log. Fill cut celery with cream cheese or peanut butter and top with raisins or dried cranberries.