ICE CREAM IN A BAGGIE

1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups crushed ice
4 tablespoons salt
2 quart size Zip-loc bags
1 gallon size Zip-loc freezer bag
a hand towel or gloves to keep fingers from freezing as well!

Mix the milk, vanilla and sugar together in one of the quart size bags. Seal tightly, allowing as little air to remain in the bag as possible. Too much air left inside may force the bag open during shaking. Place this bag inside the other quart size bag, again leaving as little air inside as possible and sealing well. By double-bagging, the risk of salt and ice leaking into the ice cream is minimized. Put the two bags inside the gallon size bag and fill the bag with ice, then sprinkle salt on top. Again let all the air escape and seal the bag. Wrap the bag in the towel or put your gloves on, and shake and massage the bag, making sure the ice surrounds the cream mixture. Five to eight minutes is adequate time for the mixture to freeze into ice cream.

Tips:Freezer bags work best because they are thicker and less likely to develop small holes, allowing the bags to leak. You can get away with using regular Zip-loc bags for the smaller quart sizes, because you are double-bagging. Especially if you plan to do this indoors, we strongly recommend using gallon size freezer bags.

***Makes one serving!!

Erin Ropelato

HAYSTACK COOKIES

12-oz. package of butterscotch chips
12 oz. Jar of peanut butter
9 oz. can of chow mein noodles
waxed paper

Melt the butterscotch chips in a saucepan over medium heat. When the chips have melted, add the peanut butter and remove from the heat. Stir well. Pour in the chow mein noodles. Mix thoroughly. Drop the mixture by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. These will form "haystacks". Let the haystacks harden for about one hour.

(Makes 3 to 4 dozen haystacks.)

HAMBURGER SANDWICHES

2 vanilla wafers as the "bread"
1 chocolate cookie as the "hamburger"
vanilla frosting mixed with: red food coloring for the "ketchup", green food coloring for the "relish", yellow food coloring for the "mustard"

Children can assemble the "sandwich" with the chocolate cookie and assorted frostings. Top with a second vanilla wafer.

GO FISHING

You will need for each person:

1/3 cup Goldfish crackers
10-12 pretzel sticks (fishing poles)
1-2 Tbs. peanut butter

Put the peanut butter and pretzels on a plate, goldfish in a bowl or cup. Dip a fishing pole in the peanut butter and "catch" a fish with it!

APPLE PIZZA

1 package refrigerated biscuits, separate the package into 10 biscuits and then cut each biscuit in half.

Each child is given half a biscuit on a piece of wax paper

Spread 1 tsp. margarine on each biscuit.

Add thinly sliced apples. 2 to 3 slices for each child.

Sprinkle a dash of salt.

Sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon. Place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 7 to 9 minutes. ENJOY!

ANTS ON A LOG

raisins
peanut butter
celery

Children can wash the celery that has been cut into 3-4 inch pieces. Spread peanut butter down the hollow center of the celery. Add the raisins to resemble ants marching down the log.

(While preparing the snack, you might teach the song "The Ants Go Marching One by One". )

A HEALTHY BEAR MUNCHIE

1 orange slice
1 cherry half
3 banana slices
2 raisins

Children can arrange the orange slice on a plate for the bear's head. Place two bananas for the bear's ears and one for the bear's snout. Add the cherry for the bear's nose. Use the raisins for the bear's eyes. While eating, you could have the children chant
"Munch-a, munch-a, munch-a, munch-a,
A big healthy bunch-a !"

Erin Ropelato

White Chocolate Popcorn

8 cups of buttered microwave popcorn popped
8 oz of White Almond Bark - 1/3 of the bar (Plymoth Pantry brand at Wal-Mart)

Set timer for 3 min to melt chocolate in microwave and each minute stir the chocolate. Put popcorn into big bowl and drizzle chocolate on and shake with lid on. Once mixed place wax paper down onto a cookie sheet and layout popped popcorn evenly and break it up into bit sized pieces to cool.

Variation:
Melt chocolate chips and drizzle onto the popcorn once its on the cookie sheet

Erin

Carmel Popcorn

1 cup light Karo syrup
2 cups brown sugar
1 cube butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
5 quarts popcorn, popped

Mix sugar with Karo syrup and bring to boil. Add butter and sweetened condensed milk. Boil to soft ball stage. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and gently toss with popcorn.

Linda Wayment Cookbook from Erin