Strawberry Kool-Aid Pie (No kidding!)

I knew I would have to try this easy pie and wasn't disappointed in the least! 

It's so simple to put together and so worth the wait for it to set up! 

My blogging buddy, Libby at Cooking with Libby, has some awesome recipes....I knew this one had to be a winner! I can always trust that the recipes she shares will be WONDERMOUS!!  Please stop by her blog and tell her I said hello.  She has a great personal story too. 

Who doesn't LOVE recipes with only 4 ingredients????  


EASY PEASY I SAY....lest we forget...SUPERDUPERYUMMY too! 


I had some fresh strawberries and strawberry kool aid on hand, but Libby made cherry pie.  Either way, they'll be gorgeous and delectable!


Top it with whipped cream if you'd like for a special presentation. 

STRAWBERRY KOOL-AID PIE

1 pkg. Kool-aid (unsweetened - any flavor) 

1 - 14 ozs. can sweetened condensed milk

1 - 8 ozs. tub of frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 - 9" pre-made graham cracker crust

whipped cream and/or strawberries for garnish, optional

Place the kool-aid, sweetened condensed milk, and whipped topping in a large bowl.  Mix and stir until it's well blended. (I used my whisk).

Pour creamy filling into graham cracker crust. Refrigerate 2 - 3 hours until set. Garnish with toppings and serve. 

It's definitely a Sweet Treat!


Linked to Weekend Potluck
Mix it up Monday

                                                                      

               Ingredient Spotlight - SCMilk
                 Ingredient Spotlight - Whipped Topping
Gooseberry Patch Roundup - Kid Friendly
Meal Plan Monday

Leader Enterprise - July 2, 2014 - Chores/Kid-Friendly Dishes

Pepperoni Pizza Puff (using canned biscuits)

After reading this great article about getting your kids to help with chores, I wanted to share these practical thoughts and ideas from WebMD (www.webmd.com/parenting) Trust these things will help you all to have a more enjoyable summer while the kids are home. 

I have always believed we're robbing our children of important life skills if we don't teach them to successfully do chores at home. They want privileges?Then teach them responsibilities go along with that. While it's true that sometimes, it's just easier to do it yourself, take time to teach because your children need to learn those skills that are important to a successful future.

"They’re learning that life requires work,"says James Sears,MD, co-author of Father’s First Steps: 25 Things Every Dad Should Know. For kids, chores are more than helping out; they are lessons in basic life skills. By loading the dishwasher, mowing the grass, or doing their laundry, "kids learn how the world works." 

Make Chores Predictable: To take the sting out of chores, set aside a time each week when the whole family does chores, Saturday morning from 8 to 9 for example. Then you don’t get into battles about when chores get done. Having the whole family do chores at the same time also helps. Your kid knows that every Saturday morning,this is what the family does.

Assign Chores By Age: Tasks that are clearly over your child’s head will make chore time dreadful for everyone.T he following suggestions can get you started on assigning age-appropriate chores. Then it’s your turn to get creative.

4 or 5 years old: Sort socks, put away toys, help set table, stack magazines, gather trash.

6 or 7 years old: Take dog for a walk, empty the dishwasher, prepare lunch, make bed. 

8 or 9 years old: Set table, load dishwasher, clean bathroom sink, feed, brush and bathe the pet.

10 or 11 years old: Put away groceries, run the dishwasher, fold laundry. 

12 or 13 years old: Do laundry and put away, change sheets, mow the yard, fix simple meals, clean bathrooms. 

Once chores are done, maybe the kids could have fun making some good snacks. Here's some simple ideas to get them started. Kids will always be more willing to eat something they've helped create themselves.

YOGURT PUDDING POPS 

2 c. (1%) milk

1 sm. pkg. (4 serv. size) instant pudding mix

(vanilla, banana or lemon)

1 c. (plain or vanilla) Greek yogurt

Whisk together the milk and pudding mix. Chill about 15 minutes.

Fold in Greek yogurt. Pour into molds. Freeze at least 8 hours. 

If you don't have molds, just pour into paper cups. Freeze half an hour, then insert a popsicle stick, or even part of a plastic straw, for a handle. (Place into a small cup of warm water to loosen, if necessary). 

Raspberry Sweeties

RASPBERRY SWEETIES

Just wash and dry your berries and put little chocolate chips upside down in them. The kids will be so proud they made this sweet treat for you. 

                                                      

Strawberry Kool-Aid Pie

 STRAWBERRY KOOL-AID PIE

1 pkg. Kool-aid (unsweetened-any flavor) 

1- 14 ozs. can sweetened condensed milk

1- 8 ozs. tub of frozen whipped topping, thawed

1- 9" pre-made graham cracker crust

whipped cream and/or strawberries for garnish, optional

Place the kool-aid, sweetened condensed milk, and whipped topping in a large bowl. Mix and stir (a whisk works great) until it's well blended. Pour creamy filling into graham cracker crust. Refrigerate 2- 3 hours until set. Garnish with toppings and serve. 

I have a creative friend who made this dish with a bottle of BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce. Use your family's favorite. Try substituting cooked chicken for the pepperoni.

PEPPERONI PIZZA PUFF 

4 cans (7.5 ozs each) buttermilk biscuits, cut into 1/6's 

1- 5 ozs. bag pepperoni slices

1- 15 ozs. pizza sauce

1- 8 ozs. pkg.shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything together and place in a greased 9"X13" baking dish. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. 

Enjoy a wonderful July 4th weekend. God bless America! (And isn't it about time America blesses God?) 

​

Leader Enterprise - July 11, 2012 - fun summer games for kids

photo credit: Taste of Home

DIRT PUDDING CUPS

2 c. cold milk

1 (4 serv.size) instant chocolate pudding mix

1 - 8 ozs. frozen whipped topping, thawed

16 ozs. oreos, crushed coarsely

8 - 10 goblets or cups (clear is best)

Mix pudding into milk until well blended. (A whisk works great for this). Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in whipped topping and 1/2 crushed cookies. Place 1 Tb. cookies into cup. Fill 3/4 full with pudding. Top with enough remaining cookies to cover. Refrigerate 1 hour. Garnish with gummy worms or frogs, candy flowers or chopped nuts.

There's nothing that compares with summertime (can you believe it's nearly half over already?!) and the things we experience that come with the warmer weather - grilling out, fresh produce, sitting in the breeze (when we're fortunate enough to get a cool one) or watching the kids running through the sprinklers or chase fireflies. 

Don't let your kids get away with complaining "I'm Bored" this summer. There are so many fun outdoor games and activities they can enjoy that aren't played behind a computer screen.  Summer is a great time to encourage some old-fashioned fun. Kids love to be able to do some things themselves without the parents telling them what to do every step through the process. Parents just need to be sure their children will be safe and well supervised.

TAG/FREEZE TAG: How easily we forget about simple games like tag. One person is 'it' who tries to touch or tag another kid, who becomes it. In Freeze Tag, you are 'frozen' until someone tags you to 'melt' you to move around.

HIDE AND SEEK: Just like it says, one person is 'it' and everyone else hides and 'it' tries to find them. Adults can play too. The game is over when 'it' finds everyone and someone else becomes 'it'.

JUMP ROPE: Get a jumprope for $1 - this is great exercise for the kids. They usually know some rhymes to recite while others are jumping.

MARBLES: My hubby loves to play marbles with the grandkids in the living room. They all aim to hit one marble placed a few feet in front of them. The one who hits it first gets to collect all the marbles that have been thrown. If you are outside, draw a circle on the sidewalk or in the sand and take turns trying to knock your opponent's marble out of the circle. For safety's sake, be sure little ones are not playing around the marbles.

SIMON SAYS: One person acts as "Simon" who gives instructions like "Simon Says Hop on One Foot". If the order is given without saying Simon Says first, anyone who follows that request is out.

MOTHER MAY I? One person is the "Mother" while the others stand a distance away from her. Players take turns asking "Mother May I" ...do things like"take two giant steps" etc.,"Mother"replies with "Yes you may" or "No you may not". First one to reach Mother is the winner.

KICKBALL: Similar to softball, but kicking a ball instead and running bases. Fairly simple for all ages to play at once.

HOPSCOTCH: Draw a Hopscotch Design-one box, then two, one box, then two, etc. Toss a beanbag or rock on first square; hop over the beanbag and jump onto each part of the diagram (both feet on the ground when there are two boxes, one foot in the air when there's only one) until you reach the end; turn around and come back to starting place.

HAND-CLAP GAMES: The first game of this sorts that most learned at an early age was Pat-a-Cake. Older children can enjoy more complicated patterns. Usually there are two people involved doing a series of clap patterns, while singing and chanting a rhyme together. This can become even more 'sophisticated' with 3 or 4 players. No equipment needed.

I love the idea of kids learning to do things in the kitchen also. The kitchen is a 'classroom' full of skills to practice, memories to create and concepts to learn. Children can hone their reading, math, and science skills in the kitchen. Yes, it makes for more cleanup, but kids can lend a hand in that also. Spending quality time with your kids in the kitchen will create a bond and instill lifetime memories. Just be sure not to expect too much of them and allow for mistakes. It's all part of the learning process. The rewards of working together on any project can be immense.

If your children are young, begin by having them make sandwiches and maybe put together a picnic basket full of lunch items to take outside to enjoy under the shade of a tree. When I was in 4-H, a fun thing I learned was to cut my sandwiches into several pieces- 3 rectangles or 4 triangles. Kids are always more willing to eat something if they've had a hand in making it too. Teach them how to wash the fruit and vegetables; cut their foods into funny shapes. Food can be such fun if you allow it to be. 

Kids love being able to smash cookies or graham crackers for making something special. Place them in a ziploc bag, squeeze the air out and let the kids do the work for you.

Here are some simple no-bake recipes that are kid-friendly. Do hope your kids will enjoy making them and your family will enjoy eating them.

SIMPLE KOOL-AID PIE

1 pkg. unsweetened kool-aid, favorite flavor (I used strawberry)

1- 14 ozs. can sweetened condensed milk

1- 8 ozs. tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

1- 9" prepared graham cracker crust

In large bowl, stir kool-aid into condensed milk. Stir until evenly blended, then stir in whipped topping until smooth. Pour into pie crust. Add fresh fruit if desired. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set.

CREAMY NUTELLA FRUIT DIP (2 ingredients)

Into 1/2 c. greek yogurt (plain, vanilla or honey flavored) add 1 heaping TB. of nutella. Stir until smooth. Serve with fruit. (Older kids can put fruit on skewers to add some'fancy'to their treat).

DIRT PUDDING CUPS

2 c. cold milk

1 (4 serv.size) instant chocolate pudding mix

1 - 8 ozs. frozen whipped topping, thawed

16 ozs. oreos, crushed coarsely

8 - 10 goblets or cups (clear is best)

Mix pudding into milk until well blended. (A whisk works great for this). Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in whipped topping and 1/2 crushed cookies. Place 1 Tb. cookies into cup. Fill 3/4 full with pudding. Top with enough remaining cookies to cover. Refrigerate 1 hour. Garnish with gummy worms or frogs, candy flowers or chopped nuts.