Special Last Day of School Treats

The last day of school is done for me, but is quickly approaching for K-12 students!  Celebrating the last day of school and kicking off summer calls for some special treats.  These treats can be healthy (or healthier) too!

Rustic Apple Bread
{A fabulous bread – perfect warmed or toasted with some butter}

Blueberry Parfait
{Grab some Greek Yogurt, Frozen Yogurt or Ice Cream & top with berries & granola}

Fruit Kabobs
{Take some fruit, skew ‘em, and serve it along with this fruit dip!}

Sugared Popcorn
{Better than kettle corn}

Pizza Dip
{Tastes like the topping of your favorite pizza! 
Serve with pita chips for a healthier option}

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt
{Toss on some dark chocolate chips & fresh raspberries for an extra special treat}

S’more Roll Ups
{A s’more inside homemade crescent rolls – best served warm!}

Fudgesicles
{Easy and delicious – a true start to summer}

Strawberry Kiwi Fruit Pizza
{Strawberries are sure in season right now – this pizza is sure to be a winner}

Do you do something special on the last day of school?  Is it a tradition or something different each year?  I’d love to hear what you do!

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Applesauce Granola

It’s no secret that we love granola around here.  This granola recipe has quickly become a new favorite around here because it doubles in so many wonderful recipes!

It’s a great addition to yogurt, ice cream, or even a quick spring berry rhubarb crisp. It also works excellently in granola bars – or, made into old fashioned oatmeal.  I love having a batch of this on hand to use as we need. 

Applesauce Granola – Adapted from Fake Ginger
Ingredients

• 4 C old fashioned oats
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 C applesauce, unsweetened
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1 T honey
• 1 T olive oil or butter

Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine the 1/2 C applesauce, 1/4 C brown sugar, 1 T honey, 1 T olive oil (I used butter here) and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Warm the mixture and then set aside. 



Add in the 4 C oats along with 1 tsp. cinnamon. 



Stir until all the oats are well coated.  Then, spread the mixture on a large half-sheet cake pan, or into a 9x13 baking dish. 



Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes, stirring every 10. 

Cool completely & store in an airtight container. 

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Kitchen Tip: No More Stinky Dish Cloths!

I have tried everything for these dish cloths – and they remain stinky. 

Over at Tammy’s Recipes, some commenters mentioned they boiled the dish cloths.   

This time, I decided to do a little experiment. 

• Boil some. 
• Do nothing to the others. 
• See how long the difference lasts.

If your dish cloths are stinky, simply bring a pot of water to a boil. 

Add the dish cloths and boil them for 10-15 minutes at a medium boil rate. 

Use extreme caution, because the cloths can cause splashing of the hot water as it boils. 

Strain the cloths and then toss them in the washing machine as you normally would. 

I’m going on three washes now without the smell coming back… and that’s lasted longer than any other mechanism I’ve tried.  I’m ready to do the other half of my dish cloths!!

What do you do to get rid of the smell? 

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Menu Plan–May 28

My final has been given, my grading is done & it looks like summer will be getting underway shortly here!  Last week, Frog Prince was traveling, so the menu was rather simple –

Twice, last week I hosted two large end-of-the-school-year gatherings – one was a soup/sandwich lunch (soups are above) and the other an ice cream sundae bar!  Both were a huge hit & very easy to prepare. 

This week, we kick off summer!  Hopefully our sump pump will stop running continuously too this week:

Monday
Granola with Milk & Dried Fruit
Beer Brats, Corn on the Cob, Potato Salad, Crockpot Baked Beans & Homemade Buns
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars {new}

Tuesday
Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal {freezer}
Garlic Balsamic Crusted Chicken with Wild Rice Pepper Salad

Wednesday
Cinnamon Raisin Bread {overnight, bread machine}
Broccoli Hotdish
Game Night – Pizza Dip & Chips, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thursday
Cinnamon Raisin French Toast
Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork over Crockpot Baked Potatoes

Friday
Eggs & Sausage with Bell Peppers {new}
Broccoli Beef {new}

Saturday
TBD
Grilled Pizza

Snacks
Popcorn
Spiced Country Applesauce {freezer}
Greek Yogurt with Raspberry Rhubarb Sauce

Find more great menus at OrgJunkie’s Menu Plan Monday!

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Things to Eat for Memorial Day

Are you celebrating this weekend?  If so, here’s some ideas for your menu:

Berry Lemon Trifle

Crockpot Baked Beans

Zucchini Burgers

Hamburger & Hot Dog Buns

              Macaroni Salad                      Tomato Cucumber Salad               Roasted Potato Salad

Grilled Potato Fries

Beer Brats

Smokehouse Maple Fajitas

Garlic Balsamic Crusted Chicken with Wild Rice Pepper Salad

              Rhubarb Cake                              Frozen Lemon Tart           Strawberry Brownie Layers

    Brownies & Strawberries                 Toasted S’more Bars            Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp

Strawberry Rhubarb Pineapple Dump Cake

Sweet Potato Dark Chocolate Chip Bars

What are you most looking forward to about this weekend?

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