Grasshopper New Media Presents...

Last week we talked about things to do with the berries you’ve picked, like making jam, freezing or canning, or making fruit smoothies. This week I’d like to talk about some fresh fruit recipes. Working more fruits (and vegetables) into the kids’ diet is something I’ve been focusing on, so I try to add a new recipe or two when I can to keep things interesting and appealing.

One really fun thing we’ve done with berries is make a pancake topping. All you do is throw together some strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and water in a pan. Heat it to boiling and simmer to thicken the sauce, then serve warm over your favorite pancake. Or french toast, waffle, even cheesecake. I’ve done this with berries, peaches, and cherries with moderate success. My boys prefer syrup, but I’m working on them.

Fruit cobblers are also quite popular. In fact, there are so many variations on this theme that I will let you peruse the recipes yourself to choose your favorite.

And of course, the basic fruit salad is a winner year-round. This can be as simple as cutting up the fruits of your choice and drizzling a little orange juice over the top (this will slow the browning process). My mother-in-law likes to take a box of instant vanilla pudding and make it with orange juice instead of milk. Pour that over the fruit and serve.

My friend makes a delicious fruit pizza. This one won’t last long and looks fantastic for a party.

Kid cookbooks often have great ideas that they can do themselves. Fun with Kids in the Kitchen Cookbook by Judi Rogers has a section devoted to yummy fruit creations with interesting titles like “Rocket Banana Pops” and “Frozen Fruit Kebobs” that my boys can easily make. There are plenty of pictures with the easy-to-follow directions and (BONUS) another section titled Vegetable Parade.

My children have reminded me that strawberry pie is a must-have this time of year.  The recipe linked here is my all-time favorite version, because the crust tastes like a sugar cookie and there’s no rolling involved.  You just make the dough and press it into the pie plate.  Yummmmm.

Alrighty, that should get you started. So what are some fun, delicious, and tempting recipes you have for fresh fruit? Please share!

by AmyL

Photo graciously provided by mattsinopoli, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved