How do you keep your kids from singing the summer blues?
My daughter is suffering from too-much-pool-itis. Consequently, her singing has gotten louder in the last few days.
I feel for her. It’s too hot to simply play outside in the yard. You really have to be immersed in water if you are going to be exposed to the sun for a prolonged period of time. Still, I don’t want her sitting in an air conditioned house staring at a TV all day, just because she wants to take a break from the pool.
Fortunately, my kid is a whiz in the kitchen, so I decided we should monkey around making healthy snacks that I can pack in her lunch box when she returns to school at the end of the month.
Our gastronomical experiments included:
LOADED KRISPIE BARS
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 (10-ounce) bag marshmallows
2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
6 cups Cocoa Krispies
1 cup crushed dried banana chips
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 13 by 9-inch pan with cooking spray.
Bake walnuts for 5 minutes.
Remove nuts from oven.
Stir coconut with walnuts.
Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until coconut is light golden brown. Stir a couple of times during baking.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
In a large pot melt butter over medium heat, and then add marshmallows.
Cook mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until melted.
Add in cocoa until well blended, remove from heat.
Stir in Cocoa Krispies, banana chips, toasted walnuts and coconut, and mix until evenly coated.
Pour mixture into sprayed pan.
Spread mixture evenly in pan, pressing down gently.
Cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE
Ingredients for Base:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
3/4 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 cups fresh blueberries
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar, and then beat in egg and milk.
Sift in dry ingredients.
Gently stir in berries.
Pour into greased 13 by 9-inch pan.
Ingredients for Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
Directions:
Mix ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle on base.
Bake 35 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool before cutting.
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