These will help you save both time and energy, and you can utilize this newfound efficiency to spend a couple more hours with your family. These sheets will be right here, ready to print again the next time you need them.

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Bring some color to your St. Patrick’s Day breakfast plate by making colorful waffles with a pot of gold at their ends. You can also make them for a kid’s birthday party to ring in the accolades. And just take a look at the pictures to get convinced about how cute they look. I’d been craving waffles throughout my pregnancy days and just the thought of them cooking in my waffle maker makes my mouth water.

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Rainbow Waffles Recipe

In this easy recipe, gel food coloring is used to color the batter in the rainbow shades before pouring it in neat circles into a heated waffle iron. The prepared waffles are then decorated with whipped cream and Lucky Charms.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 14 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 People

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• Gel food coloring (red, blue, green, purple, yellow, orange)
• Whipped cream (for the clouds)
• Lucky Charms cereal (for the treasure)

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together Bisquick, eggs and milk until smooth
• Divide the batter among 6 bowls, putting around 1/3 cups in each.
• Put a few drops of gel food coloring, using a different color for each bowl.
• Whisk in the food coloring until it gets uniformly blended
• Transfer each color of batter to a piping bag and cut off the tips avoiding spillage
• Now pour each color of batter in a circle into a heated waffle maker. The outermost circle should be red, then orange, yellow, green, blue and lastly, purple.
• Cook according to the instructions on your waffle maker
• Remove the circular waffle and repeat the steps with the remaining batter.
• Cut each waffle in half to make it resemble a rainbow
• Serve with whipped cream for the clouds and put Lucky Charms as the treasure at the end of the rainbow.

Tips  

• Ensure that you portion the batter in the bowls so that the ones getting the red and orange colors have a little more batter as they make bigger circles.

Apart from St. Patty’s Day, I like to make the colored waffles for my Sunday brunch and sleepovers. I like their tenderness in my mouth. They feel soft, just like a pillow! I never overcook the waffles as they tend to lose their natural color that way. Plus, that compromises on their taste.

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Just 3 ingredients are all you need to make this sweet and creamy classic marshmallow fluff fruit dip. Apart from its ease of making, I particularly favor this recipe as it encourages my kids to have their daily portion of fruits without much fuss. Plus, I can customize it as I like by adding a fun twist of fruity or spicy flavor!

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Fruit Dip Recipe with Cream Cheese and Marshmallow Fluff

Who would have thought that the unlikely pairing of marshmallow fluff with cream cheese would yield such a heavenly delight for your taste buds and that too with just a few minutes of whipping? Don’t believe us? Read on.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8 People

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 7 oz marshmallow creme
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl
• Beat them with a hand mixer until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. It will take around 2-3 minutes
• You can serve it immediately with your favorite fruits or store it covered in a refrigerator for up to a week

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this delicious dip with any or all of the following. We think it is best to go with seasonal fruits for pairing this fluffy dip.

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Pineapple
• Kiwi
• Grapes
• Oranges

Tips

• If you are counting calories, you can use low-fat cream cheese
• Do you want to make marshmallow fruit dip without cream cheese? Feel free to substitute it with an equal amount of mascarpone.

Flavor Ideas

Instead of vanilla, you can try out a plethora of other flavors to suit your preferences

• Honey cinnamon: Beat in 1 tsp of ground cinnamon and 2 tbsp honey to the mixture for a healthier yet delicious option. It is particularly helpful if you are suffering from a cold but craving something yummy.
• Jello: You can beat in Jello powdered mix in different fruit flavors like cherry, mango, green apple, peach, fruit punch, etc.
• Pumpkin spice: Beat in 2 tbsp pumpkin puree and 1.5 tsp pumpkin spice for this delectable flavor. Alternatively, you can use 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp ginger and a pinch of cloves. Healthy, isn’t it?
• Berry: For this, just swap the plain cream cheese with strawberry or blueberry cream cheese spread
• Orange: Lend the dish a fresh citrusy taste by mixing in 2 tbsp orange juice concentrate. We bet you will like its looks too!
• Chocolate: Throw in 2 tbsp cocoa powder to the mix

We really like how creamy, fluffy marshmallow spread, tangy cream cheese and earthy vanilla come together to create the perfect accompaniment to your favorite fruits. It is because the cream cheese perfectly balances the sweetness of the marshmallow crème preventing the snack from being overly sweet.

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One of the reasons why I thought of making my own marshmallow fluff was that I found the store-bought variety very runny and hard to work with. In fact, it ended up ruining my homemade desserts on many occasions! But the recipe that I use here yields real fluffy stuff that looks cool and tastes yum.

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Homemade Marshmallow Fluff Recipe

Just a few ingredients need to be mixed and whipped to make this light, creamy and fluffy dish that looks similar to melted marshmallows. It is traditionally used in making peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 31 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Cups

Ingredients

• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup water
• ¾ cup corn syrup or honey
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Place water, corn syrup and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine them.
• Fit a candy thermometer to the pot and put it on medium-high heat. Don’t stir at this point or crystals will form
• Wipe down your stand-mixer bowl, whisk and other equipment that you will need from now with lemon juice or vinegar to ensure that they are completely free of grease. [N.B. Even if there is a tiny speck of grease or egg yolk in the utensils, the meringue doesn’t whip]
• Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of the stand mixer
• When the sugar syrup reaches 225°F, start whipping the egg whites mixture so that they form soft peaks. It will take around 3-4 minutes
• When the egg whites are ready and the temperature on the candy thermometer reads 240°F, turn the mixer to medium and slowly pour the sugar syrup into the egg mixture in a thin, steady stream down the sides of the bowl. [N.B. You should do this very carefully as the stream should be perfect as it flows down the sides of the bowl without getting splashed by the whisk.]
• Now set the mixer to medium-high and continue beating. The whites will deflate at first but will thicken and fluff afterward
• Continue whipping for 7-8 minutes until the mixture becomes thick and fluffy
• Add the vanilla and whip till the mixture fully cools down
• You can now use it right away as filling or frosting or transfer it to an airtight container and store it for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. When stored thus, the spread needs to be whipped again to fluff it up before serving.

Ideas

• If you want the fresh taste of mint instead of vanilla in your homemade marshmallow fluff, you can substitute the vanilla extract in the recipe with the same amount of peppermint extract. For a lemon flavor, you add a zest of a large lemon to the finished fluff
• If you are vegan, you can replace the egg whites with aquafaba that whips into similar peaks. You need to substitute 2 tbsp aquafaba for each large egg white to make this vegan marshmallow fluff without eggs.

You can use this as a topping on pancakes, waffles, cupcakes, cakes, S’mores and the list goes on. You can also use it in a layer between two cookies and I love to add a big dollop of it to my mug of hot chocolate. We are sure that you can never run short of ideas when it comes to using this creamy stuff on your favorite dishes.

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Ziploc bag ice cream can be made easily at home with just a few readily available ingredients. Kids love to dig into the dessert as they do with any other ice cream. But the making process is something that sets this dish apart. A good thing about this recipe is that you can use it with or without half and half. Just substitute the said ingredient with whole milk or heavy cream. Scroll down to get the details of making your own vanilla ice cream in a bag.

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Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe

This easy, kid-friendly treat perfectly suits summers. It requires you to just put ingredients inside two Ziploc bags as directed and shake to freeze the mixture. You can turn it into a valuable science experiment and lesson for children that they would absolutely love to ‘savor’.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Chill Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

• 2 gallon-sized Ziploc bags
• 2 cups heavy cream or half and half or whole milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup rock salt
• 6-8 cups ice

Instructions

• Put the ice and salt in a Ziploc bag
• Put the heavy cream in another Ziploc bag.
• Now put in the sugar and shake the bag to mix
• Add the vanilla extract and shake again
• Seal this 2^nd bag completely, squeezing out any air trapped inside so that no salt enters it and put it inside the first bag containing the ice
• Seal the first bag
• Shake the 1^st bag for around 5 minutes or until frozen. You should wear gloves for this step as the salt makes the ice extremely cold.
• Take the inner bag out of the outer one and rinse the former with cold water, including the top part above the seal
• Carefully open it so that no salt from outside this bag gets inside
• You will find the ice cream inside a little icy at first. So you can use a spoon to move around the chunks a bit, so they mix and soften. Scoop and enjoy your homemade ice cream!

Ideas

• You can make plastic bag chocolate ice cream by stirring in chocolate syrup instead of the vanilla extract
• If you are lactose intolerant, make it dairy-free by replacing the half and half with full fat coconut milk or coconut cream
• Endear it to kids further by stirring in their favorite mix-ins once the ice cream is ready. Options are crushed cookies, chopped candy bars, sprinkles, peanut butter, nuts, sliced fruits, mini M&M’s and the list goes on.

Now that you know the ins and outs of the recipe, it’s time to get working on it. We are sure that little ones will be awestruck by the unconventional making of delicious ice cream in their favorite flavor. Let me end with one small tip. The more you shake and move around the ingredients in the steps mentioned above, the faster they freeze. It’s the science, really, in work here.

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An Oreo fluff salad is creamy, yummy and hard to resist, irrespective of whether you have a sweet tooth or not. The best part about the recipe is that it is extremely easy and can be whipped up really fast. But it would be best if you plan the dish in advance as it warrants reasonable chilling time. The 5-ingredient dessert can be made for the entire family as it can endear itself to the young and old alike.

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Oreo Fluff Recipe

This no-bake Oreo fluff dessert doubles up as a side dish or salad. It requires you to just beat and mix a handful of ingredients to result in a creamy, fluffy texture. The Oreo cookies give the dish a crunch that lends a welcome break from its softness at times.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Chill Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10 People

Ingredients

• 2 small boxes (3.4 oz) of vanilla instant pudding mix (you can also use chocolate flavor)
• 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• 3 cups milk
• 1 family size (19.1 oz) bag of Oreos, crushed
• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, beat the instant pudding mix with the soft cream cheese until the mixture becomes smooth
• Now add the milk slowly until the mixture becomes creamy with no lumps.
• Stir in the broken Oreos, marshmallows and whipped topping
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Tips

• If you are counting calories, you can substitute the regular cool whip with fat-free cool whip and the milk with skim milk in the recipe. Reduced fat Oreos instead of the regular ones should also be used in the weight watchers Oreo fluff.

You can cover and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When stored thus, the Oreos tend to lose their crunch though the dish still tastes delicious. So you can sprinkle some fresh crumbs of Oreos at serving time to regain the crunchy texture of the salad.

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Candied Cashews Recipe

In this easy recipe, cashews are coated with sugar, egg white, spices and baked until they become crunchy. Here the egg whites act as the glue holding all the other ingredients together. Also, since we whisk it to a soft meringue before using it in the recipe, it firms up on baking to lend a crispy and crunchy outer layer to the candied cashews.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Chill Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Cups

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole cashews (raw or roasted)
• 2 medium-large egg whites
• ¾ cup sugar
• 6 tbsp light brown sugar
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp water

Instructions

• Mix the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl and keep it aside
• Beat the egg whites with a hand whisk for about a minute or two until they become frothy.
• Add the water and whisk for another minute
• Add the cashews to the egg whites and toss to coat them evenly
• Now add the sugar mixture and toss again to coat the nuts evenly.
• Spread them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 25-30 minutes in an oven preheated to 300°F till the nuts become dark golden in color
• Remove from the oven and allow them to cool

You can sprinkle the homemade candied cashews on ice creams, salads and granola. They can be savored for a month or so if you store them in an airtight container at room temperature. The dessert never fails to invoke interest in my guests for its unconventional looks and taste.

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Roasted Rainbow Carrots Recipe

Your oven does all the hard work here, with you only required to do the sprinkling and coating of the rainbow carrots with seasonings and oil. But you got to be very careful with the roasting process for the perfect caramelization of the candied rainbow carrots.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6 People

Ingredients

• 2 lbs whole rainbow carrots (small or medium)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 4 tbsp maple syrup, plus more for drizzling at the end
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Wash the carrots thoroughly, especially around the stem.
• Peel them. You can leave the tops (green parts) on them if you like
• If the carrots are too thick, you can cut them in half length-wise. The slender ones, though, can be roasted whole so they get a slight crunch at the center.
• Arrange them on a large sheet pan or 2 medium sheet pans with 1-2 inches gap between them
• Brush them evenly with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper
• Roast for 15-18 minutes in an oven preheated to 425°C, turning them when halfway through, until they are almost fork tender
• Remove them from the oven and toss them with maple syrup and melted butter
• Put them back in the oven and roast for another 8-10 minutes until caramelized. Take special care so that the maple glaze doesn’t burn
• Arrange the butter glazed raibow carrots on a serving plate and drizzle some more maple syrup if you want

Tips

• In the step where you add salt and pepper, you can add extra seasoning like onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika or Italian seasoning.

The rainbow baby carrots or heirloom carrots can light up any Easter dinner table with aplomb. Plus, they ensure sheer gastronomic delight. I’ve also put them on my Thanksgiving dinner table and had my guests raving about them.

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Pinecone Turkeys with Feathers: Step by Step Guide

What You Need

• Pinecones
• Colorful feathers
• Large orange pom poms
• Red and yellow foam paper
• Googly eyes
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks

Instructions

• After selecting the pinecones that you think will suit your craft, wash them to remove dirt and other debris. Set them aside to dry.
• Once completely dry, you can bake them at 200°F in an oven for 20-30 minutes on a lined baking sheet.
• Allow them to cool

[N.B. The previous 2 steps are optional but are highly recommended if you don’t want to bring bugs inside your home. But you can always skip them if you are working with craft pine cones]

• Turn a pine cone to its side
• Insert the feathers into the scales located near the base (or the broader end) of the pinecone [N.B. There’s no need to use glue, but you can do so if you want a more secure attachment]

• Continue adding as many feathers as you like.
• Use a hot glue gun to attach a large orange pom pom to the pointiest end or top of a pinecone. You can break off the stem of the pinecone with your hand to make it stick better

• Cut a waddle and beak out of the foam sheets of paper.

• Attach the googly eyes, waddle and beak to the pom pom

• Repeat the steps for the other pinecones

We are sure that little ones will be delighted at how the pinecone turkeys turn out. We really love the homemade little birds with a lot of feathers on their tail. If you can’t find real feathers, faux feathers work as well. Or, just cut feather shapes out of colored cardstock. Once done, your DIY feathered friend can be the crowd puller at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by you.

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How to Make Real Fruit Popsicles

The recipe requires you to blend freshly cut fruit pieces with little water and ice, put them in ice pop molds, freeze and then take them out of the molds. It is that simple! Keep the nutrition quotient of the dessert high by not using any store-bought fruit juice.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Chill Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• ½ cup blackberries
• 1 cup ice cubes
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

• Wash all the fruits and remove the stems from the strawberries
• Add the ice, water and fruits to a blender.
• Blend on smoothie or high setting till the mixture becomes smooth
• Pour the puree into ice pop molds
• Freeze for 2-4 hours until the liquid solidifies completely

Ideas

• Delicious real fruit mango popsicles can be made by pureeing 3 cups mango cubes and 1 cup water in a blender, adding 2 peeled and sliced kiwis and 2 sliced strawberries to popsicle molds and then filling the remaining part with the mango puree before freezing.

• For making real fruit lime popsicles, whisk together ½ cup fresh lime juice and ¼ cup sugar until fully combined. Add 1.5 cups water and whisk again to combine. Then follow the same molding, freezing and unmolding process as described above.

• For real fruit watermelon popsicles, blend 4 cups freshly cubed watermelon, 1 cup fresh strawberries, 1 tbsp fresh lime juice and 2 tbsp honey in a blender until smooth. You might have to add more honey or lime juice as per your taste. The remaining steps remain the same.

We really like how the real fruit strawberry popsicles recipe can be customized to include your favorite fruits. If you want the fruit pieces to show, just puree one kind of fruit and retain the other types of fruits in the recipe as slices when you place them in molds before freezing. We bet you will love the looks!

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