Summertime is colorful fun
Column Summary
The sweetness of summer can be seen all over the front of our children; red lips, red tongues, red dribbles on chins and down their white t-shirts. Red must be summer favorite.
Today is the first day of summer, and if you havent made your summertime plans yet, you arent lagging behind; you are simply the kind of person that lives their vacation spontaneously.
The grab-and-go, venture out-on-a-whim style of summer adventuring is an excitement only the open-minded can experience with full pleasure. But, if you are, a list writer, a menu planner, and a day trip organizer, you can still experience spontaneous fun; just lighten up, a little.
Keep a tote bag handy; with towels, sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses, perhaps keep in the car or hang from a hook or door knob near the front door. Place a change purse with singles and quarters into one of the tote pockets; for those refreshment stand drinks and snacks. All you need now are kids with suits on; hit the river, the park pool, or the creek bed. Water fun is always ready for you, and you can be ready for it at a moments notice.
Sandbox play is a warm weather favorite. My Grandpa Miller had a big tractor tire for our sandbox and my husband built a framed sandbox with treated lumber when our kids were little, but one of the best sandbox ideas I ever seen came from my friend Crystal, a red wagon sandbox!
Fill your red wagon with clean sand; add small shovels, pails, toy dishes and toy trucks. Pull the wagon out of the garage or shed when ready to play, roll it back when youre done! The sand stays high and dry when the weather turns on your digging and sifting fun. This is an excellent idea for grandparents that live in condominiums.
I always enjoyed playing Frisbee golf at church camp, and it is one of those summer fun games that can be set up and played just about anywhere; at home, at grandmas, in the church yard, at the park. A Frisbee for each player is the best way to play. Simple set-up and game play rules follow;
Frisbee Golf
1. Before play begins, the group should plot out a course of six or eight holes by having players agree on a series of objects or sites on the playground at which the Frisbee disc will be aimed. Number 1 thru 6 or 8 onto paper or cardboard signs, tape or tack to each site; tree, pole, slide, big rock
2. Once the course is decided, players take turns attempting to hit the targets with the Frisbee.
3. Players must keep track of how many throws they take to get the target; the player who completes the course in the fewest number of throws wins the day.
Summer months are months full of bursting color; in our gardens, the clothes we wear, and the fresh foods we eat. Serving color keeps meal time interesting and fun; produce is a rainbow splash all over the farmers markets and supermarket produce aisles. Choose many types, serve many colors.
If kids are part of your summer days, serving color can be really fun. Today Kool-Aid has 35 different beverage flavors; there were seven original flavors of the drink: Cherry, Lemon-Lime, Grape, Root Beer, Orange, Strawberry, and Raspberry. Then there is Jell-O; there are currently 20 flavors of regular boxed JELL-O; the first four original flavors were orange, strawberry, raspberry, and lemon.
Kool-Aid drinkers need a cup, Jell-O snackers need a spoon, but Popsicle eaters just need one hand. Popsicle brand, an American classic has more than 30 creative variations of the Original Popsicle, but cherry is most popular Popsicle. Have a colorful summer!
What sweet, cool treats do your family eats? Send your summertime cool recipes to Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, OH, 44691. Emails are always welcome; thewritecook@sssnet.com
4th of July Jell-O Mold
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry Jell-O
1 can sliced peaches
1 cups boiling water
1 cups liquid from peaches
Mix Jell-O, juice and water. Chill until slightly thickened. Line the bottom of 2 quart mold with drained peaches. Pour thickened Jell-O over peaches. Chill until firm.
White layer:
1 (3 ounce) package lemon Jell-O
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup juice from pineapple
Boil pineapple juice. Mix with Jell-O. Chill until slightly firm. Add fruit and sour cream or plain yogurt. Blend. Pour over first layer. Chill until firm.
Blue Layer:
1 (3 ounce) package black raspberry Jell-O
1 can blueberries, well drained
1 cup boiling water
Juice from blueberries
Mix water, Jell-O and blueberry juice. Chill until thickened. Add berries. Mix. Pour over second layer. Chill until firm. Serves 10-12.
Jell-O Strawberry Freeze
1 package strawberry Jell-O
1 cup hot water
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries
Add the frozen strawberries to the Jell-O, then dissolve it in the boiling water. Gently whip in the vanilla ice cream until well combined. This dessert may be served straight from the refrigerator (serve topped with whipped cream), or frozen to make popsicles. Pour into ice cream or Popsicle mold (if freezing) or into serving dishes if serving as a refrigerator dessert. For a variation, other fruits may be used, such as raspberry Jell-O and frozen raspberries, etc. If making popsicles, mixture may be prepared in the blender.
Cherry Jell-O Dessert or Salad
2 (3 ounce) cherry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
Into 9 x 13-inch pan, pour combined Jell-O and boiling water; then stir in drained crushed pineapple and pie filling. When set, serve as a salad with dressing or with whipped topping as a dessert. It has a delightful aroma.
Rhubarb Jell-O Pie
1 (9 inch) pie shell, unbaked
4 cups rhubarb, cut up
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons tapioca
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry Jell-O
Topping:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
In pie shell, place rhubarb. Sprinkle with sugar, tapioca and Jell-O. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over pie. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Blueberry Jell-O Salad
2 (3 ounce) blackberry Jell-O
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, juice drained well
1 can blueberry pie filling
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1/2 pint sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dissolve Jell-O in 2 cups boiling water; let cool 1/2 hour. Add can of crushed pineapple and blueberry pie filling to Jell-O; mix well. Pour into 9x13 inch pan and refrigerate for 1 hour. Blend cream cheese with sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Spread over Jell-O mixture and refrigerate an additional two hours.
Creamsicle Jell-O
1 (3 ounce) package lemon Jell-O
1 (3 ounce) package orange Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 cups vanilla ice cream
4 peaches, peeled & sliced
Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water. Spoon in ice cream. Chill and refrigerate until set. Add peaches. Mix well or set on top.
Jell-O Angel Food Dessert
3 (3 ounce) packages strawberry Jell-O
2 (1 quart) packages frozen strawberries
1 small angel food cake
Thaw and drain strawberries (save the juice). Dissolve Jell-O in 3 cups of boiling water. Add 3 cups of strawberry juice (can add water to juice to make 3 cups if necessary). Cool until slightly thickened. Add berries. Cool 5 minutes more. Break cake into chunks. Add to Jell-O mixture and fold through. Turn into lightly greased angel food tin. Leave in pan at least 6 hours. Serve with whipped cream or Cool Whip.
Jell-O Cake
Cake:
White cake mix
1 small package raspberry or strawberry Jell-O
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Refrigerate bowl for topping. Bake cake according to package directions for sheet cake. Dissolve gelatin in 3/4 cup boiling water. Add 1/2 cup cold water and set aside. Cool cake 20-25 minutes. Poke holes in cake with meat fork and fill with Jell-O (pour into holes). Refrigerate cake while preparing topping.
Topping:
1 envelope Dream Whip mix
1 package vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
In chilled bowl, blend Dream Whip, instant pudding, cold milk and vanilla until stiff. Add red food coloring. Immediately frost and refrigerate cake overnight. Serves 15.
JELL-O PARTY PUNCH
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 family size Jell-O, any flavor
1 (46 ounce) can pineapple juice
1 small bottle ReaLemon juice
4 cup water
Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and Jell-O. Let dissolve. Use the flavor of Jell-O you need to match party decorations (lemon or cherry works especially well). Add juices and water. Stir, then add enough water to make 1 gallon.
