Fruit Cocktail Cake

This recipe has been in my family for a few generations. It's our typical Sunday night dessert.  There are only a handful of ingredients, you can whip up in a hurry and it tastes great!  Perfect for a Sunday evening.

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 can (14 oz) fruit cocktail

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Syrup:

1 cup evaporated milk

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

Put flour, sugar and soda in a bowl.  Whisk to combine.

Add the eggs and juice from the fruit cocktail.  I started with a whisk, but had to quickly switch to a wooden spoon - it was just too thick.  Mix until combined.

Gently stir in fruit.  It will thin out slightly with the fruit.

Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle brown sugar (and nuts if you want) on the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

When you pull it out it will look like this.  While it is cooling, you will make the syrup.

In a large saucepan combine the sugar, butter and evaporated milk.  Bring to a boil.

Boil for 1 minute.  It will foam up, so you want to keep stirring. 

Place a slice of cake on a plate, and then pour syrup over the top.  Make sure that you get enough syrup.  : ) 

This is best while warm, so don't wait too long to enjoy!

Strawberry Mango Smoothie Pops

We absolutely love this simple summer treat.  I like that fact that there are very few ingredients and I can whip them up in just a few minutes.  My kids like the creamy frozen texture on a hot summer day.  Win win!




Ingredients:

Mango Section:
4 cups frozen mango
2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup orange juice

Strawberry Section:
4 cups frozen strawberries
2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup orange juice


Place frozen mango, yogurt, and juice in a blender.  Mix until combined.  This will be a large batch - I prefer to do it in halves so my blender isn't overloaded.

Pour mixture into small paper cups or popsicle containers - but only fill half full, not to the top.  Now you're going to mix the strawberry section.

Place frozen strawberries, yogurt, and juice in a  blender.  Mix until combined.  Pour into cups over the top of the mango mixture.

Wrap tops of cups with plastic wrap or tin foil and place a popsicle stick in the center.  Place into the freezer until set (about 4 hours or overnight).

These are a big hit at our house.....

Can't you tell....

However, I do have to admit that the mango section is our favorite.  The strawberry is a bit tart.  If you want you can use strawberry yogurt and apple juice in the strawberry combo.  It will sweeten it up a little.

Or you could just make a big batch of the mango and eat that.  We like that too.

Frozen, or in smoothie form, these things are just plain good!  So go out and make some to help keep you cool this summer!

Pear Jam

What tastes better than a hot piece of toast smothered in homemade jam? In my opinion, not much!

Fresh pear jam is absolutely amazing, and really simple to make. So, if you haven't ever tried it before, go ahead. You'll be surprised by how much you like Pear Jam and how easy it is to make - you'll never buy jam again.

Ingredients:

4 cups pear puree (about 3 lbs. fully ripe pears)

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 box fruit pectin (I like Sure Jell - do not buy the sugar free kind)

5 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. butter

6 jam jars (or 3 pint jars)

6 canning lids

6 canning rings (hold the lids in place - the piece you screw on)

Prepare Jars - There are two ways to do this. The 1st method involves a large pot of boiling water. The 2nd involves the dishwasher....definitely use the 2nd method. Place your jars and rings in the dishwasher - make sure the "heated dry" is on. Add detergent and turn it on. The jars will be sterilized and ready to use when the dishwasher is done.

Prepare Lids - Place new canning lids (ones that fit your jars - wide or small mouthed) in a small pan of water. Place on the stove and bring the water to boiling. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and let the water simmer. The lids will stay like this until you need them.

Prepare Fruit - Peel and core pears. I like my fruit pureed so I stick it in the blender (or a food processor). If you like yours with more chunks you can use a potato masher or just chop the pears into small pieces. Either way, you need 4 cups of prepared fruit.

Okay....now that everything is ready, here goes.

Place fruit in a large pot. Add the lemon juice and butter. In a small bowl, place 1/2 cup of your sugar and the pectin. Stir to combine. Now add this pectin/sugar mixture to the pears.

Bring to a boil on high heat.

Once it boils - a full rolling boil - add the remaining sugar (4 1/2 cups).

Stir to combine. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly one minute. If your pot is too small, you'll have to really stir this so that it doesn't boil over.

Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon. I put this foam into a small bowl and let my kids eat it the next day.

Pull those hot jars and lids out of the dishwasher and get ready to fill them up. I use a 1 cup measure to scoop the jam into a larger 2 cup measure with a handle. Then pour the jam into the hot jars. Fill them up to within 1/8 inch of the top.

Use a clean damp cloth to clean the tops of your jars. You don't want any jam on the top to prevent the lids from sealing.

Remove your lids from the simmering water (I use a butter knife to help pull them out) and place on top of the jars. Now, take the rings and screw them on tight - but not too tight.

Turn your jars over and place on a dish towel. Allow them to stay this way 12 hours or if you're like me and you made your jam at midnight, let them sit overnight.

If you boil your lids and place the jars upside down, there is no need to do a water bath to process the jam. This method is only recommended for jam, so please don't do this with fruits or vegetables.

Now your jam is ready to eat - or place on a shelf until later.

It really is easy to make jam, and it tastes divine. Give it a try...you'll really enjoy it!

Fruit Pizza

This is an easy one - and a crowd pleaser. It's one of our favorite summer desserts.

This recipe is for a pizza stone, so if you decide to make this on a cookie sheet, you may have to increase the ingredient amounts to compensate.

Ingredients:

3/4 of a package sugar cookie dough (I use Pillsbury)

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 oz. whipped topping

lots of different types of fruit - strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, grapes, kiwi, etc.

Lightly dust your cooking stone with flour and roll out the sugar cookie dough to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Leave 1/2 inch of blank space between the cookie dough and the edge of the pizza stone as the dough will expand when cooked.

Place in the oven and cook according to package directions. Usually about 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove dough from oven and let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl. Once the mixture is combined, fold in the whipped topping.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the pizza, leaving a 1/4 inch edge of cookie showing. Place fruit on the top in a circular pattern. Continue to add fruit until you get your desired effect.

Put it in the fridge and keep it cool until you're ready to serve. Slice with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

Simple Strawberry Shortcake

Now...before you comment and tell me that this "sure doesn't look like strawberry shortcake" -just hold on a minute and listen.

While I call this "Strawberry Shortcake," it doesn't mean that you can't change things up and make this work for you. I did just that and look at this yummy dessert pictured above.

So, please keep reading and hopefully you'll like this recipe enough to give it a try.

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake (made according to package directions)

fresh whipped cream (or cool whip - you're choice...but really is their any choice except the real kind?)

4 cups fresh berries - strawberries (for an actual "Strawberry Shortcake"), blueberries, blackberries...really any that you have

1 to 2 Tb. sugar

Slice strawberries and place in a large bowl. Add the other fruit, slicing the blackberries in half. Sprinkle sugar on top of fruit and allow it to sit for 15 minutes - this will allow the juices to come out of the fruit and create a "sauce" at the bottom of the bowl.

Put a piece of cake on a plate. Place some fruit on the top. Make sure and get some of that yummy fruit juice on the bottom of the bowl. Add a huge dollop of whipped cream and serve.

*As a side note, you can add more or less sugar depending on your preferences. Just know that the more sugar you add, the more juice you will have at the bottom of the bowl.

This technic is called "macerate" - so you would then have macerated strawberries. Ever heard of this before? I'm sure that you have.

Just don't tell your husband that they are called "macerated strawberries", or he will laugh and laugh and laugh every time you make these. : )