---------------------

Rainbow Melon Wedges
from Working Mom's Fast & Easy Kid-Friendly Meals by Elise Griffith

2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 packages strawberry gelatin (4-serving size packages)
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cups fresh blueberries
4 medium melons, halved, seeded, and patted dry.

1.  Pour applesauce into saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Stir in Jell-O until dissolved.
2.  Refrigerate until quite thick but not set, about 15 minutes.
3.  Stir in yogurt, and beat at highest speed until doubled in volume.  Stir in blueberries.
4.  Spoon whipped mixture into melon halves and chill until firm.  Cut each half to serve.

Cheesy Fruit Parfaits
from Working Mom's Fast & Easy Kid-Friendly Meals by Elise Griffith

4 cups cottage cheese
2 cans (16 oz. each) light blueberry pie filling
2 cups granola without raisins

1.  Spoon 1/2 cup cottage cheese into 8 individual bowls.
2.  Divide the berry pie filling evenly between each of the bowls with a small slotted spoon.
3.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup granola on top of each parfait and serve.

Fresh Fruit Pizza

1 roll (17 oz) ready-to-slice sugar cookie dough
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 fresh peaches, halved and pitted
9 strawberries, halved
20 fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
1/4 cup. Orange Marmalade
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 375.  Cover a 14" pizza pan or 15 1/2x10 1/2" jelly roll pan with foil.  Slice cookie dough into 1/8" slices.  Arrange slices, slightly overlapping, in bottom of pan.  Bake 10 to 12 min. or until golden brown.  Cool.  Remove from foil.  To remove from foil, place a wire rack or another cookie sheet over crust and holding in place, invert pan.  Peel off the foil and replace the baking pan and turn crust right side up.  In small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, mixing well.  Spread mixture over cookie crust.  Arrange fruit over cream cheese.  In small bowl, combine orange marmalade and water, mixing well.  Spoon over fruit.  Chill about 1 hour.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Refreshing Fruit Pizza

1 (15 oz) can pineapple chunks
3 bananas
1 (15 oz) pkg. sugar cookie mix
8 8-oz Cool Whip
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cups cherry pie-filling
1 kiwi fruit

Drain juice from pineapple chunks into a small bowl.  Slice bananas into juice; set aside.  Preheat oven to 375.  Prepare cookie dough according to package directions.  Lightly grease a 12" pizza pan.  Press dough into pizza pan, about 1/8" thick.  Bake 12-15 min. or until edges begin to brown.  Cool on rack.

Spread Cool Whip over cooled cookie dough crust.  Drain juice from bananas.  Arrange fruit in circles on topping, working from outside toward center.  Arrange strawberries around outside of pan, then bananas, cherry-pie filling, pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges.  Place a whole strawberry in the center.  Refrigerate until served.  Create your own fresh fruit combinations.  Serves 8.

Strawberry Dessert

Crust:
1/4 c. melted butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 cup chocolate crust crumbs (you can crush chocolate cookies)

Filling:
1/2 cup milk
1 (10-oz pkg. mini marshmallows
1 pt. whipping cream
1 pt. strawberries, slightly sweetened
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Crust: Combine the melted margarine, sugar and crumbs; press into a 9 x 13-inch pan.  Reserve 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top of dessert.  Bake in a 350 oven for 10 minutes; cool.

Dessert: Melt together the marshmallows in the milk on low heat, stirring frequently.  Let cool.  Whip the cream until stiff and mix with the cooled marshmallow mixture.  Pour 1/2 the mixture onto the cooled crust.  Spread the sweetened strawberries and chopped nuts on top.  Add the rest of the marshmallow mixture.  Top with the reserved crumbs.  Let cool a few hours.

Blueberry Delight

2 sticks butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cans blueberry pie filling
2 pkgs. Dream Whip
1 (8-oz) cream cheese
1 cup sugar

Combine brown sugar, butter and flour.  Add 1 cup nuts.  Press into 8x13-inch pan.  Bake 4 minutes at 400.  Crumble and loosen mixture; press down again and bake 8 minutes longer. Do not brown; cool.  Add pie filling.  Mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and fold whipped Dream Whip into mixture.  Put mixture on top of pie filling.  Keep in refrigerator until served.

Everything you read here is freely offered, asking only that you honor my copyright by sending my site address to others rather than copying and sending the individual articles.  You may print and use my articles provided that you give credit to me as the author and link back to this site. The articles were written in the hope that they will help mothers realize just how normal chaotic life with children really is and how priceless the journey.   The Noble Child Email List Be notified of any new postings in the topics of homeschooling, parenting, home management and just plain fun.  Converse with other mothers and keep the joyful perspective while raising children.  Many of the mothers are LDS but the list is open to mothers of all religions. Email Cherie