Fun Summer Recipes

I thought I would put some fun summer recipes up today.  Father's Day is Sunday and before you know it, the Fourth of July will be here.  Time to create delicious and joyful memories!  You may want to review my kitchen rules in my first post before working with children in the kitchen. 

Peanut Butter and Berry Pizza

1 roll refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough (Pillsbury)

1 pint of blueberries

1/2 pint of raspberries

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 C peanut butter

4 0z package of cream cheese (softened)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt optional depending on the peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 C milk

1 Tablespoon confectioners sugar plus more for sprinkling over pizza

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out cookie dough into a greased pizza pan. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Keeping the berries separate, wash and dry them, Sprinkle each type of berry with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

Place peanut butter, cream cheese, brouns sugar, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, milk, and 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth.

When cookie dough has cooled use a rubber spatula to spread peanut butter mixture in an even layer over the dough. Add berries. I like to use the raspberries to circle the outer edge and then fill in inside with the blueberries. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Cut into wedges (approximately 8 - 12). Can be served with whipped cream.

Watermelon/Fruit Boat

Ingredients

1 whole watermelon

1 whole cantaloupe

1 whole honeydew melon

A combination of strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries (whatever is available)

Preparation
An adult should do the cutting of the watermelon, canatloupe and honeydew.  The children can do the scooping with melon ballers.

Cut a very thin slice off the bottom of the watermelon so that it sits flat.

Cut off the top third of the watermelon.  Using a melon baller, scoop balls of watermelon into a bowl until all the fruit is out of the rind which will be used as the boat.  Using a sharp knife you can cut pointed edges in the rind to make a decorative rim.

Cut the other 2 melons and use the melon baller to scoop out the flesh and put into a bowl.

Add the melon balls and the berries back into the watermelon rind so they are mixed.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Can be served with vanilla or lemon yogurt as a dipping sauce.

Cucumber sandwiches
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, rinsed, spun dry, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons cream cheese
6 slices of whole-wheat bread
a 3-inch length of seedless cucumber, cut into thin slices

Preparation

In a small bowl combine the mint, the butter, and the cream cheese and stir the mixture until it is combined well. Spread the bread slices with the butter mixture, top 3 of them with the cucumber, distributing the cucumber evenly and seasoning it with salt, and top the cucumber with the remaining bread slices. Cut off and discard the crusts and cut each sandwich diagonally into quarters or use cookie cutters to create fun shapes.