Fruit Leather

Just keep in mind a 5 cup blender full of fruit will yield one cookie sheet of fruit leather:

Blueberry Peach Fruit Leather

4 peaches peeled and sliced
juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 heaping cups blueberries
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup of sugar {optional}

Blend fruit ingredients in blender until smooth. Add to heavy saucepan and add sugar if needed, bring to boil while stirring. Reduce heat and skim foam from the top with a spoon. Simmer over low/medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture has properly reduced. Pour mixture onto a parchment or plastic wrapped cookie sheet and bake at 145 {with convection if you have it} for 8 to 10 hours. Cut into strips and roll up with parchment.

Peach Fruit Leather

8 peaches peeled and sliced

2 cups of unsweetened applesauce

juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup of sugar {optional}

Follow directions above.

Fresh Fruit Frosties

2 cups chopped fresh fruit

1 T sugar

1 t lemon juice

1. Place 1 1/2 cups of fruit in blender with sugar and lemon juice. Cover and pulse until smooth.

2. Add remaining fruit and pulse; then switch setting to chop and pule twice. Mixture will be mostly smooth with small lumps of fruit.

3. pour into 4-oz paper cups or molds and insert sticks.

4. Freeze until solid, at least 1 hour.

Other fruit combinations to try:

• Blueberries & Watermelon
• Strawberries & Kiwi
• Cantaloupe & Honeydew
• Blackberry & Papaya
• Raspberries (substitute 2 T lime for lemon), adjust sweetness to taste.

From the BJ's Summer Magazine, 2011

Strawberry Freezer Jam - with Agave Nectar

4 cups fresh strawberries

1 1.75 oz package Sure Jell Pectin, no sugar needed

1 cup agave nectar

1 T lemon juice

Directions:

Smash strawberries with a potato masher. You can use a food processor, just pulse it a couple times so the berries aren't pureed.

Add to a medium saucepan.

Add remaining ingredients and stir.

Bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, them remove from heat.

Skim off the foam on top.

Spoon into freezer containers, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Cover at once with lids. Let stand at room temp for 24 hours, freeze. Thaw to serve.

source: This recipe is a mixture of this recipe, this recipe, and the recipe from the pectin box.

Blackberry Freezer Spread

3 cups fresh blackberries

1 (1 3/4 oz) package powdered pectin (I used regular pectin)

1/4 cup sugar

1 T unsweetened orange juice

Directions:

Crush blackberries in a medium saucepan; stir in remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from hear, stir 3 minutes.

Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Cover at once with lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

Freeze.

Thaw to serve.

source: ifoodtv.com

Strawberry pizza dessert

I got this recipe from my Kraft Foods magazine. It is so yummy! You can do a ton of variations on this... chocolate cool whip with Reese's peanut butter cups, regular cool whip with fresh sliced peaches...


1 pkg. (20 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Strawberry Whipped Topping, thawed
2 cups strawberries, sliced


PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Press dough firmly onto bottom of greased 12-inch pizza pan. Bake 20 min. or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack.
BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk or electric mixer until well blended. Stir in whipped topping.
SPREAD cream cheese mixture onto crust; top with strawberries. Serve immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Fruit Dip

1 cup sour cream (Can use Lite)

4 T honey

1 T cinnamon

Mix together.

Dip your fruit.

Eat.

YUM!

Freezer Peach Pie Filling

2 1/2 cups sliced peaches
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon MINUTE Tapioca
1 dash Dash of nutmeg


1. Place sliced peaches in a bowl with sugar, cornstarch, tapioca, and nutmeg. Toss until evenly coated and sugar is mostly dissolved.
2. Transfer peaches to a 9 inch foil-lined pie plate. Cover with another piece of foil and freeze immediately to prevent peaches from discoloring. Once frozen solid, remove peaches from pie plate, with foil, and transfer to a zipper locked plastic bag for later use. When ready to use, line a pie plate with prepared crust and place frozen peaches on top.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
4. Bake in the preheated oven on the bottom rack for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until completely warmed through.

This was SO GOOD! Andy and I ate almost the entire pie. I only froze two "pies" because I wasn't sure how the recipe would turn out. Now I wish I would have done more. It was the fastest pie I ever made. This is a keeper!
I made it with a top and bottom crust. I brushed the top crust with a little milk and then sprinkled it with turbinado sugar (the big crystally sugar).

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix together the pretzels, 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.