Five Brown Kids

large from jessica brown on Vimeo .

This recipe takes a lot of effort for one pitcher of juice - I wouldn't recommend planning gallons for a party but it does make a perfect afternoon activity for vacationing children. And ends with really tasty results. We followed the recipe from this pin. 1. Make a simple syrup of 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar  - heated until the sugar dissolves 2. Juice 6-7 lemons (to make 2 cups of lemon juice) 2. Puree a cup or two of fresh or frozen strawberries 3. Combine syrup, lemon juice and strawberry puree in a pitcher and add water to taste (about 8 cups - start low and add til it's just right.) We added a lime and some fresh mint too because Taye was involved (he likes to experiment).  It was really delicious!

We used dark cocoa powder and the sauce was smooth and shiny and delicious!   Keep a jar in the fridge. 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 tbsp corn starch 1/8 tsp salt 2 cups hot water 2 tsp vanilla Measure sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt into saucepan.  Mix in hot water and vanilla. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil for 3 minutes. Makes 2 1/2 cups. We used it for topping ice cream but you can also mix 2-3 tbsp in hot or cold milk for yummy chocolate milk.

I found this easy snack recipe on the blog Word of Wisdom Living . We put 1/3 cup popcorn kernels in a small lunch sized paper bag.  Closed it with one staple and then cooked it in the microwave until the popping slowed down.  (I found that pressing my popcorn button to the 3.0 size and then taking it out when there was 10 seconds left was perfect.) Added a little melted butter and salt and it was fabulous.  Better than boxed microwave popcorn any day. Perfect for movie night - the kids loved making it and eating it.

This makes the perfect after school snack. 1 1/2 cups flour (1/2 whole wheat) 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup raisins (I didn't use these - would have had a revolt on my hands!) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup melted butter 1 cup cooked oatmeal 1 beaten egg 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk 1 cup applesauce Toss dry ingredients. Stir in melted butter, egg, applesauce and oatmeal.  Blend well.  Spread in a greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Cut and cool.

I have a goal this year to have a snack on the table when the kids come home. They are always very hungry and this is a pleasant way to control the intake once they get home. Smoothies Bread Sticks Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls Homemade Granola Bars Fresh Fruit Fruit Dip Easy Biscuits Mud Pies Hummus Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

If you've got snack duty for soccer this fall you might be interested in these sweet orange slices. I've always cut oranges into wedges until I discovered the Bagley way.  Now my kids are thrilled to eat oranges all the time- less skin/membrane getting in the way. Slice in the middle like you're ready to eat a grapefruit. The cut into thin slices and halve.  Perfect!

Taye wanted to try the okra at the farmers market. The only thing I knew about okra was that it got slimy in stews - ewww. So we asked one of the workers at a booth. She said to slice it, dip it in cornmeal and fry it. So we did just that. Delicous! A little homemade veggie chip. We are southerners now! 1. Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in small saucepan. 2. Slice okra in 1/4 inch pieces 3. Dip handful of pieces in cornmeal and then drop in hot oil 4. Cook 1-2 minutes, moving them around a bit 5. Remove with a slotted spoon, let rest of a piece of paper towel, sprinkle with salt 6. Make more

I found this recipe on a blog I really love and turned it into a non-bread machine recipe. It is easily doubled. Homemade Bagels 1 cup warm water 3 cups of bread flour 2 tbsp white sugar 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast 3 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp cornmeal 1 egg white (whisked) Toppings: shredded asiago cheese, poppy seeds, dried onion flakes, rock salt, cinnamon sugar... Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl until you have a nice dough - then knead for 5 minutes. Cover and set in a warm place for an hour/until dough has doubled. Then shape dough into 8-10 balls, flatten them and poke a large hole in the middle. Let rise for another hour. Mix the 3 tbsp of sugar into a pot of boiling water. When it is bubbling away boil each bagel for 30 seconds on each side. Place the boiled bagels on a greased cookie sheet and top with egg and cheese or cinnamon sugar. (The cornmeal must be for the cookie sheet - I didn't use it) Cook at 375 for 20 minutes. These are so chewy a...

It's four to one in this house that these granola bars are the best. (I still vote for these ) I think we can use the term "granola bar" lightly here. It's mostly a cookie bar. But my kids love them! 3/4 cup butter 1 1/4 cup flour 1/3 cup corn syrup 1 egg 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 tsp salt 2 cups rolled oats 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup chocolate chips Melt butter in a pan. Stir in all other ingredients, using half the chocolate chips in the batter. Spread in a greased 9x9 pan and bake at 375 for around 25 minutes. (Don't hold me to that) Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining chips. Cool and slice.

I've tried other granola bar recipes but none as good as this. Wow! My kids were not thrilled with the heavy peanut butter flavor though or all the seeds so I'm going to try an almond butter, chocolate chip and coconut version next. Homemade Chewy Granola Bars 1 cup peanut butter (the recipe said to use Jif or similar and not a "natural" brand) 2/3 cup honey 1/2 cup coconut oil (I found it at Fresh Market, it's a must for the recipe) 2 cups rolled oats 2 total cups of a combination of coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, raisins, dried cherries mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on top In medium size sauce pan melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil. Remove from heat and add oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and coconut. Stir well. Press mixture into pan (9 x 13) and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Chill for 2 hours in fridge and cut into bars. (I chilled them in the freezer and they turned out perfectly.) Reci...

Taye and Tyrone made this pizza cake for the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. It won third place! (And one more thing crossed off Taye's crazy list this month) We found the recipe here.

Perfect with all those fall soups and stews. Or just for a snack with butter and honey. My mom made these a lot growing up - always with whole wheat of course. I usually use white... 2 cups whole wheat/white flour 4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt (I usually use less) 1/2 cup instant dry milk powder Combine and add: 1/3 cup veg oil 2/3 cup water Stir just to moisten. Knead briefly on a lightly floured board. Press dough out to about 1/2 inch thick and cut into round shapes with the rim of a drinking glass. Bake at 400 degrees on a greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes.

We have a secret blackberry patch near the golf course, so I turned this Betty Crocker blueberry recipe into a blackberry one. Best thing besides eating them straight from the patch. Cinnamon Streusel Topping 1/4 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons firm butter Muffins 1 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg 2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour 1/3 cup granulated sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup fresh blackberries or blueberries 1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line 12 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups. In medium bowl, mix 1/4 cup flour, the brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly. 2. In large bowl, beat milk, oil, vanilla and egg until well blended. Stir in 2 cups flour, the granulated sugar, baking powder and salt all at once just until flour is moistene...

These breadsticks are an excellent afterschool or summer mid morning snack. I bought some fresh whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joes (kept it in the freezer and then pulled it out the day of to thaw). I sliced it into skinny pieces and gave them a little twist. Covered them in a little butter/brownsugar/cinnamon and then cooked them on a greased cookie sheet for about 10 mins. Nothing fancy but totally perfect!

So most every Fresh Friday recipe I post is something I've made a hundred times. This recipe I just found and it is out of this world! Make it now. Yields: 1 quart Ingredients: 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract pinch of salt 1/4 cup of sour cream 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream Mix condensed milk, vanilla, salt and sour cream until well combined. To it add… for Chocolate variation: add 5-6 tablespoons of chocolate syrup for Vanilla variation: 1/2 cup melted white chocolate for Strawberry variation: 1/2 cup killer homemade strawberry jam Mix the heavy whipping cream on high until stiff peeks form. Whisk some of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture until incorporated and then gently fold the rest of the whipped cream in. Place in an airtight container and freeze 6 hours before serving! Recipe from a blog I love here .

I can't say enough good about this jam. It rocks! The taste is so fresh you'll never want to eat ordinary jam again. The key is this happy little 'Ball Simple Creations No Cook Freezer Jam' packet that I find at my grocery store. It's so easy you can assign one person to each step and be done in a snap. 1. Pick fresh berries. Wash and hull. 2. Crush berries in blender until you have four cups. 3. Stir 1 1/2 cups of sugar and contents of package into a bowl and combine. 4. Add crushed fruit to sugar mixture. Stir until well combined and pour into containers. Freeze what you won't eat this week! PS - If you're in Raleigh our favorite Strawberry U-pick is Hunts at 4505 Watkins rd. It's down Louisburg a few miles and then right on Mitchell Mill, right on Watkins. 919-266-1619

These little no bake cookies are fast and easy to make and perfectly chocolaty . They are an old Ripple stand by. When I was a teenager we had foster children who lived in our home. Some stayed for awhile, others came and went pretty quickly. One girl got hooked on these cookies and made them every day after school. 2 cups white sugar 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup butter 3 tbsp cocoa 3 cups quick oats 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup coconut *1/2 cup peanut butter In a medium pot stir together the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa . Stir until boiling and then stir for an additional two minutes. Then turn off burner. Stir in oatmeal, coconut and vanilla and scoop by tablespoon onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. If you have peanut butter lovers in your house then after you've scooped out half of the plain chocolate ones you can stir in the peanut butter and make the other half. It must be done this way in our house!

Tyrone and Taye made this delight for the Blue and Gold Cubscout Dinner!

These were kind of messy but lots of fun. Makes 36 truffles. 2-1/2 pkg. (20 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened decorations: chopped peanuts, multi-colored sprinkles , crushed candy cane MELT 8 chocolate squares. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Blend in melted chocolate. Refrigerate until firm. SHAPE into 36 balls. Place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. MELT remaining chocolate. Use fork to dip truffles in chocolate; return to baking sheet. Decorate, then refrigerate 1 hour. The recipe for those kid friendly M&M pretzels is here.