After School Snacks
Guest Cooks: Logan Chaney, James Seymour, Teresa Scott

Striped Pudding Parfaits
makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cold milk
1 package (3.9 oz) Chocolate Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping
1 pint strawberries
2 medium bananas
½ cup Honey Granola Crunch

TOOLS

Measure-all cup
Classic 2-qt batter bowl
10" whisk
Easy Accent Decorator
Medium Stainless Steel Scoop
Tomato Corer
My Safe Cutter
13" x 9" Cutting Board
Egg Slicer Plus

1. Pour milk into Classic 2-qt Batter Bowl.  Add pudding mix and beat with 10" whisk for 2 minutes until pudding begins to thicken.  Refrigerate 5 minutes.

2. Attach Open Star Tip to Easy Accent Decorator.  Using medium Stainless Steel Scoop, fill tube with whipped topping.

3. Remove stems from strawberries using Tomato Corer.  Peel bananas.   On Cutting Board, cut bananas into 2-inch pieces using My Safe Cutter.  Slice strawberries and bananas using Egg Slicer Plus.

4. In 6 (6-8 oz) parfait or clear plastic drinking glasses, layer pudding, whipped topping, strawberries, bananas and granola any way you like.  Top with a strawberry fan or extra banana slices, if desired.

Fluffy Peanut Butter Dip
makes 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 container (8 oz) vanilla yogurt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (if desired)
½ cup thawed frozen whipped topping
Apples or pears for dipping

TOOLS

Super Scraper
Measure-All Cup
1-qt Batter Bowl
Adjustable Measuring Spoon
10" Whisk
Chillzanne Mini-Bowl
Apple Wedger
13" x 9" Cutting Board

1. Place peanut butter, yogurt and cinnamon in 1-qt Batter Bowl; stir with 10" Whisk until thoroughly blended.

2. Using whisk, gently stir whipped topping into peanut butter mixture until blended.

3. Using Super Scraper, put dip in chilled Chillzanne Mini-Bowl for serving and storing.

4. For dippers, cut apples or pears with Apple Wedger on Cutting Board.

Little Fruit-and-cheese Kabobs

INGREDIENTS

Apple, Cheddar Cheese, Raisins, Toothpicks

1. Cut the apple and cheese into small cubes.  Have a handful of raisins and a few toothpicks ready.

2. Let your kids make tiny apple, cheese, and raisin arrangements on the toothpicks in any order they like. (You can also use pineapple, strawberries, or pear.) Eat the kabobs soon after you make them, so they are nice and fresh.

Create a smiling snack

INGREDIENTS

1 red apple, peanut butter, miniature marshmallows (3-4 per snack), paring knife

Quarter the apple and then cut each quarter in half to make two think slices for each "smile".  Spread peanut butter on one side of each slice.   Line up miniature marshmallows in a row on the peanut butter side of one slice and top with the matching slice, peanut butter down.  Makes 4 toothy smile snacks.

Ants on a log

INGREDIENTS

1 stalk of celery, peanut butter, raisins (4-5 per snack)

Clean the celery and cut it into 3" pieces.  Fill the hollow side of each celery piece with peanut butter.  Arrange raisins on top of peanut butter.  Makes 3-4 snacks.

After School Snacks
Guest Cooks: Kera Baker, Mary Ellen Sandlin, Billie Grigg

Vegetable Flowers with Homemade Ranch Dip

INGREDIENTS

Assorted vegetables, such as radish slices, fresh spinach leaves, cucumber rounds, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, and baby carrots.

Ranch Dip
¼ cup mayonnaise
¾ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder

1. Set out assorted vegetables and let your kids design their own flowers (there is no right or wrong way of doing this).

2. To make ranch dip, place all the ingredients in a medium-size bowl.   Mix well with a whisk.  Eat right away with the vegetable flowers, or refrigerate in a covered container until you are ready to use it.  Makes 1 cup.

Bread Spreads

INGREDIENTS

· Split and toast an English muffin.  Spread generously with American cheese spread.  Top with one or two drained, canned pear or peach slices or pineapple cubes.

· Toast a frozen waffle.  Spread with peanut butter and sprinkle with miniature semisweet chocolate pieces.

· Toast a slice of raisin bread.  Spread with soft-style cream cheese and your favorite jelly or jam.

· Spread peanut butter over one 6- or 7-inch flour tortilla.   Sprinkle with sunflower nuts or mixed dried fruit bits.  Roll up.

· Toast a sliced bagel.  Spread one bagel half with prepared mustard.  Top with a slice of American cheese, a slice of ham, and the other bagel half.

Vegetable Nibbles

· Spread a slice of whole wheat bread with soft-style cream cheese.   Finely chop vegetables of your choice (carrots, broccoli, radishes, cauliflower).   Sprinkle chopped vegetables over cream cheese.  Cut bread into fourths.

· Thread zucchini or cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, and green pepper squares on wooden skewers.  Serve with your favorite flavor of sour cream dip.

Disney's peanut butter playdough

INGREDIENTS

2 cups smooth peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

· Measure peanut butter by packing it into a dry, vesting-style measuring cup.  Level off the top with a rubber scraper.  Some think spraying the inside of the cup first with non-stick cooking spray helps the peanut butter slide out of the cup.

· Add peanut butter to a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, if available.  Otherwise, plan for Mom to mix this by hand, using plenty of elbow action (don't over-mix).  Lightly mix the peanut butter, corn syrup, powdered sugar and vanilla, just until well-combined and the dough comes together.

· Serve with treats for kids to decorate and build creations:   chocolate chips, vanilla wafers, pretzel sticks, marshmallows, fruit leather, apple slices, dates and raisins.

After School Snacks
Guest Cooks: Stephen Kirby, Taylor Seymour, Kathy McCrary

Peanut Butter Surprise Balls

INGREDIENTS

½ cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 tablespoons sesame seed
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
½ cup cornflakes
Raisins, peanuts, semisweet chocolate pieces, or candy-coated milk chocolate pieces

TOOLS

Measuring cups and spoons
Medium mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Plastic bag
Waxed paper
Small spoon
Container with a tight cover

1. To make the dough, put peanut butter and honey in the bowl.  Use the wooden spoon to stir till well mixed.

2. Add the dry milk powder, sesame seed, and wheat germ.  Stir till well mixed.

3. Put the cornflakes in the plastic bag.  Seal or tied the plastic bag shut.  Crumple the bag, then use your hands to crush the cornflakes.   Sprinkle the crushed cornflakes over a sheet of waxed paper.

4. Use the small spoon to scoop out a spoonful of the dough.  Shape the dough around a raisin, peanut, chocolate piece, or candy.  Roll in cornflake crumbs.  Make more balls till all the ingredients are gone.

5. To store, put the snacks in the container.  Cover the container tightly and put in the refrigerator.  Makes about 25.

Popcorn-banana Munch Mix

INGREDIENTS

6 cups cheddar popcorn
1 or 2 cups banana chips, broken into small pieces
2 cups dry-roasted peanuts
1 or 2 cups sweetened, dried cranberries

1. Measure all the ingredients into a big bowl (you can substitute your family's favorite natural snack foods if desired).

2. Stir well, then dig in.  Serves about 4 to 6 kids.

Berry Banana Fruit Smoothies
makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 medium ripe banana
1 container (8 oz) raspberry or strawberry yogurt
1 can (6 oz) unsweetened pineapple juice (¾ cup)

TOOLS

My Safe Cutter
13" x 9" cutting board
Egg Slicer Plus
Quick-Stir Pitcher
Nylon Masher

1. Peel banana.  On cutting board, cut banana into 2-inch pieces using My Safe Cutter.  Slice banana using Egg Slicer Plus and place in Quick-Stir Pitcher.

2. Using Nylon Masher, mash banana until fairly smooth.

3. Add yogurt and juice to pitcher.  Mix well with plunger.   Pour into 2 drinking glasses and enjoy.

Cable TV | Channel Line-Up | Our Town Channel 10 | Packages