Fruit Sparklers (aka Fruit Kebabs)

I made these for our annual 4th of July cul-de-sac potluck dinner.  The fruit was a HIT!  The stick fruit definitely went faster than the fruit salad in a bowl...which was the same exact fruit.  Cuteness matters!  (Blueberries, watermelon, strawberries, and pineapple.)

Just as we were starting to light up the (real) sparklers and fireworks, I passed these goodies out.  The top star is a Rice Krispy treat.  YUM!! (Blueberries, strawberries, marshmallows, and Rice Krispy treats.)

Rice Krispie Wreath

Every year I make some holiday home baked/made treats for our neighbors and friends. A couple years ago, I made these adorable Rice Krispie Wreaths for our neighbors and friends. They were very well received...I mean, who doesn't just love a Rice Krispie treat??? (OK, maybe those with braces, as they're not able to eat them...)

They were so fun and easy to make!

Rice Krispie Wreaths

Prepare a bundt pan (the Pampered Chef stoneware one works great!) by greasing the sides and middle cone with butter or margarine.

Sprinkle into the bottom of the bundt pan:
small handful of Holiday M&Ms (red, green, white)

Melt in microwave for 1 ½ minutes on high:
1/4 cup butter, margarine, or spread
1 1b. package of marshmallows

Fold the melted butter and marshmallows together.

Add the following and then quickly fold the ingredients together:
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp green food coloring
5-6 cups Rice Krispies

This step needs to be done quickly so the mixture is still soft when scooped into the pan. It becomes difficult to work with, especially if the mixture is stirred, not folded.

Scoop out the mixture into prepared bundt pan. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. The mixture will be easier to press down, and will be less sticky if you wait a little.

Using a scrap piece of parchment paper (not plastic wrap, foil, or wax paper...parchment paper), push the mixture down into the bowl. Let is set for another 5 minutes. Then turn it out onto a plate. Add a bow and your wreath is ready!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!

Recently we took Katie and 7 other girls out to Heiser Farms to go through their corn maze, pick & carve pumpkins, and eat pizza. As the girls de-gutted their pumpkins, I sorted through the gunk to get at all the seeds. I was at my friend Nikki's home when I tasted her roasted pumpkin seeds. They were much better than any I'd ever made. She told me the trick was to soak them in salt water overnight. So I tried it!

Yesterday when my friend, Tara, was visiting, she tried some of the seeds I'd made. She said something along the lines of, "Ooooooooo....these are really good. Much better than mine." (OK...I really don't remember her exact words, but it was pretty much the same thing I'd said to Nikki...) So I told her the trick!

And now...so everyone knows the trick.....soak your seeds in a saltwater bath. I think it plumps them up so they're not so flat and chewy.

Next I spread them out in a jelly roll pan, & poured a little extra virgin olive oil over them. I made two batches, seasoning them differently. For the first, I simply sprinkled garlic salt over them. These are a little too salty for my taste. The others were with some Dry BBQ Rub from my favorite Southern barbecue place, Sticky Fingers (just make sure you go to stickyfingersONLINE.com, as opposed to just plain ol' stickyfingers....you've been warned....).

The final step was simply roasting them in the oven over a low heat for 4-5 hours. I did mine at 200 degrees, and stirred the seeds occasionally.

They were nice and crisp!

What to do with all that applesauce?

Last year I went a little overboard on making applesauce...especially when you consider that we are not big applesauce eaters! What in the world would I do with it all? I gave some away, I made some fruit leathers, and turned some into apple butter. Still, nearly a year later, I found a I still had a bunch of quarts and pints of applesauce leftover. So I made more fruit leathers!

Fruit leathers are so easy to make, but the timing isn't always easy. With the American Harvest tray set I have, I find it takes 12-13 hours to make 12 trays of them. And then, throughout the day, I find I need to rotate the trays, as the top trays are closer to the motor/fan. So, every hour or so, I simply take the top tray and move it to the bottom.

To make the leathers, simply place scoopfuls of applesauce (or other fruit sauces) onto the solid fruit roll sheets that are sold as accessories for this dehydrator. Get the sauce as smooth as possible, as thick spots will take longer to dry. (And, try to keep all of the sauce inside the fruit roll sheets. A little attention to detail early on will expedite the cleaning process!) Place the sheet inside a tray, and start stacking them!

How do you know when they are done? Keep going until there aren't any sticky spots/lumps of sauce/moisture on the tray. Once they're done (and some trays will be done before the others) carefully peel the fruit off the tray, roll up, and cut. I cut them into three pieces because that makes them last a bit longer!