No Bake Summer Berry Icebox Cake

No Bake Summer Berry Icebox Cake

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Prep time

4 hours 15 mins

Total time

4 hours 15 mins

Looking for a quick and easy Summer dessert recipe? Try out delicious No Bake Summer Berry Icebox Cake !

Author: CakesCottage

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12-16

Ingredients

• 19 oz graham crackers
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 (3.4 oz) packages Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 2-1/2 cups cold milk
• 12 oz Cool whip (or homemade whipped cream)
• 3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 oz white chocolate chips


Instructions

1. Beat cream cheese and dry pudding mixes in large bowl with mixer until blended.
2. Gradually beat in milk.
3. Gently stir in Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream, reserving ½ cup.
4. Spread a thin layer of cool whip in a 9x13 pan just to coat the bottom.
5. Layer 5 graham crackers across the center of the pan, then 2 more, breaking them as needed to fit around the top and bottom edges.
6. Spread a layer of pudding mixture over grahams and top with a layer of blueberries and sliced strawberries.
7. Place graham crackers on top of berries, then pudding mixture, then layer of berries again.
8. Repeat the graham-pudding-berries layers 1 more time (3 times total) and you should reach the top of the pan.
9. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until the graham crackers have softened completely.
10. When ready to serve, melt white chocolate chips in a bowl as directed on package and drizzle over dessert.
11. You can use a spoon to drizzle it over the tops of the berries or you can put it into a small zip-top bag and snip of the corner for an easy "piping bag."

Firecracker Cake

Firecracker Cake

by Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients 

• 1 box (15.25 oz.) white cake mix
• Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix
• Red food coloring (see note)
• Blue food coloring (see note)
• 1 container (12 oz.) white frosting
• Red, white and blue sprinkles, optional

Note:

• I personally prefer to use Wilton Icing Colors. For this recipe, I used I "Red - No Taste" and "Royal Blue". I think the colors are more vibrant, however, you may use any kind of food coloring you have it on hand.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven according to cake mix directions. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan; set aside.

2. Make cake batter as directed on box, using water, oil and egg whites. Pour 1 cup of the batter into a small bowl; stir in red food coloring until well mixed. Pour another cup of the batter into a separate bowl; stir in blue food color until well mixed.

3. Pour red cake batter into bottom of pan. Carefully pour the white batter over red batter in pan. Carefully pour blue batter over white batter. (The blue batter does not need to cover the white batter completely). When you add the batter to the pan, do not mix with a spoon. Just pour it in so the colors don't mix but rather, just rest on top of each other in the pan.

4. Bake as directed on box or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place cooling rack over cookie sheet. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack. Cool cake completely, about 30-45  minutes.

5. When cake is cool, divide the frosting evenly into 3 microwavable bowls. Microwave 1 bowl of frosting uncovered on HIGH a few seconds until smooth enough to drizzle over cake. With spoon, drizzle all of the 1st bowl of microwaved frosting all over the cake, back and forth around the cake in a striping pattern. Repeat microwaving second bowl of frosting until smooth. Stir in a few drops of the blue food coloring until well blended. Drizzle over cake, scattering back and forth. Repeat with remaining frosting and red food coloring, making sure red, white and blue can be seen on the cake. Sprinkle with red, white and blue sprinkles, if desired. Let cake stand at room temperature until frosting is set before serving.

Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Don't forget to pin it!

COOK WITH KIDS: BEET-AND-CARROT SLAW WRAPS

BEET-AND-CARROT SLAW WRAPS

Rachel Morningstar, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, won our American Grown Recipe Challenge (and a signed copy of First Lady Michelle Obama's cookbook, American Grown) with this crunchy, colorful wrap. Rachel writes, "I work for a nonprofit called La Semilla Food Center in southern New Mexico. We work with youth and families in the region to build a healthy, self-reliant, sustainable, and fair food system. I created this recipe to use with students at our school garden at Sierra Middle School. We used beets and carrots the students grew in the garden and local apples, cheddar, and whole-wheat tortillas. After some practice, older youth can prepare this as an afterschool snack on their own."`

HANDS-ON TIME: 20 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES

MAKES: 5 SERVINGS

KITCHEN GEAR: 

Citrus squeezer (if you have one)
Measuring spoons
Jar with tight-fitting lid
Sharp knife (adult needed)
Cutting board
Grater (adult needed)
Large bowl
5 toothpicks

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons

fresh orange juice (from about 1/2 orange)

1 tablespoon

olive oil

1 teaspoon

red wine vinegar

1⁄2 teaspoon

dijon mustard

1⁄4 teaspoon

salt

1⁄4 teaspoon

Pepper

5  

raw beets (about 2 1/2-3 cups grated), with greens still attached

2  

carrots

2  

apples, cored and sliced

5 slices

cheddar cheese

5  

8-inch whole-wheat tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the dressing: Put the orange juice, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in the jar, screw the lid on tightly, and shake well.
2. Cut the greens off the beets and pull the leaves from the stems (discard or compost the stems). Wash the leaves, then stack them and roll them. Slice the roll crosswise into thin (1/4 inch) ribbons.
3. Peel the beets and the carrots and shred them using the grater.
4. Put the beet leaves and the shredded beets and carrots in the bowl, and toss them with the dressing.
5. For each wrap, put 1/5 of the slaw, 1/5 of the sliced apples, and 1 slice of cheddar cheese inside a tortilla. Roll the tortilla from the bottom up, tucking in the sides as you go. Secure the wrap with a toothpick, if you like, and serve right away.

NOTES

Did you know? Beet greens (the leafy part of the beet plant) are often disgarded, but they're actually a delicious vegetable, and they add to the nutritional power of this recipe. 

"Cored" means with the stem and hard center part removed.

Skirt Steak Pinwheels

Skirt Steak Pinwheels

Master butcher Pat LaFrieda turns inexpensive skirt steak into an impressive Italian-inspired grilled steak. LaFrieda uses grated parmesan, lemon zest and parsley, but this would also be fantastic with Taleggio and sautéed mushrooms or smeared with a nutty romesco sauce.

INGREDIENTS

·         Two 1 pound skirt steaks, trimmed

·         Kosher salt

·         Pepper

·         8 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 2 cups)

·         Finely grated zest of 4 lemons

·         1 1/2 cups finely chopped parsley

·         Canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1.    Season the skirt steak with salt and pepper. Lay the steaks flat on a work surface and sprinkle with the cheese, lemon zest and parsley, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Starting at the short ends, roll each skirt steak into a pinwheel. Tie a piece of butcher’s string around the center of each roll and then tie two additional strings on either side of the center string. Cut each roll in half along the first knot, removing the center string, to form two pinwheels of equal size. You will have 4 total.

2.    Light a grill and oil the grate. Grill the pinwheels cut side down over high heat until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a work surface to rest for 5 minutes; serve.

Mini NILLA Sparklers

Ingredients

• 48 Mini NILLA Wafers
• 24 pretzel sticks
• 1 oz. white baking chocolate, melted
• 3 Tbsp. each red, white and blue colored sugars

Instructions

• PLACE  24 wafers, flat-sides up, in single layer on parchment-covered baking sheet. Dip 1 end of each pretzel stick in chocolate. Place dipped ends on wafers on baking sheet. Spread flat sides of remaining wafers with remaining chocolate; place, chocolate-sides down, on wafers to make sandwiches.
• REFRIGERATE  10 min. or until chocolate is firm.
• BRUSH  both sides of each wafer sandwich with water; sprinkle with sugars.

Firecracker Cakelettes Recipe

Recipe by SHEKNOWS

All urban legends aside, Pop Rocks are the one candy guaranteed to crank up the nostalgia and bring out the kid in you. And on such a festive holiday as the 4th of July, using the candy version of fireworks to create an explosively delicious dessert makes way too much sense.

These red, white and blue stacked-cake firecrackers are sure to be the most "pop"-ular treat at your Independence Day bash.

Firecracker Cakelettes Recipe

Yields 10 – 14

Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sour cream
• Red and blue food coloring
• 3 packages Pop Rocks candy
• Black licorice ropes
• White frosting (less than 1/4 cup)

Directions:

Step 1

Mix the white cake mix, egg whites, oil, water and sour cream for 3 – 4 minutes on medium speed. Divide the cake batter into 3 equal amounts, and add red and blue food coloring to 2 of the portions. Coat 3 (4 x 9-inch) bread pans with cooking spray, and lightly flour the bottoms. Add the three batters to the pans, and bake at 350 degrees F for 18 – 23 minutes. Allow them to cool, and then remove them from the pans.

Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows

Step 2

Using a 1-1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles from each baked cake. (I got 10 out of each cake, but you might be able to get more if you try.)

Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows

Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows

Step 3

Using a serrated knife, carefully trim off the browned, baked bottom of each cake circle.

Step 4

Using a jumbo straw or plastic tube (1/2 or 3/4 inch in diameter), remove the centers of the cake circles. Be sure to save the red and blue centers to use as plugs for later.

Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows

Step 5

Put a portion of the red cake plugs back into the bottoms of the red cake circles. Pipe a line of frosting around the centers of the red and white cake circles. Stack the white cakes on top of the red cakes, and the blue cakes on top of the white cakes.

Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows

Step 6

Add Pop Rocks down the hollow centers of the stacked cakes. Put a portion of the blue cake plugs back into the tops, covering the center filled with Pop Rocks.

Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows

Step 7

Cut licorice rope pieces approximately 1-1/2 inches long, and insert them into the centers of the blue cakes.

Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows

Note: For maximum popping potential, pour the Pop Rocks into the cake centers no earlier than one hour before serving. The moisture in the cakes will cause the Pop Rocks to slightly snap and crackle on their own. In fact, they make a great sizzling sound on the plate. But after about four hours, the Pop Rocks lose most of their popping power, so plan accordingly.

Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows

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