Funfetti Fluff Cheerio Treats (a BBQ #SundaySupper Treat!)

The end of the school year is so interesting to deal with as a cook. Not only are the kids going nuts because it's warm outside and they can see the "vacation light" at the end of the tunnel, but you find yourself stuck with the ends of things like milk, crackers, arrowroot cookies, cereal, produce, meat and condiments. Some of these were unopened by the end of the last day (the 21st), so I could at least bring them to the food bank - but when it came to the open stuff the last two weeks of class were filled with random "toss in" ingredients (not that I followed a standardized recipe anyway). Chicken noodle casserole got an extra layer of cheese, spaghetti sauce got a dollop of pizza sauce and a whack of pureed veggies, meatballs got made by hand at home (we usually resort to pre-fab for time / safety concerns) with a host of fun "use ups" (yes I will share that), and cereal made it into everything baked. And I mean everything... muffins, brownies, cookies, trail mixes and fruit crumbles all got either crisp rice or Cheerios as a "surprise" addition.

Considering that we only bought cereal in "jumbo" boxes, I was flabbergasted that I got through as much as I did - now I only have two half boxes sitting in my pantry! One of my favourite "flash of duh" moments was after making a batch of Rice Krispie Squares for one of the school "party" events - we had a ton of Cheerios hanging around, and cereal squares are cheap, easy and kid-friendly, so why not switch up the main ingredient? By the end, I managed to shove 425 grams (just over 15 cups) of them into the bars, plus a few jars of Marshmallow Fluff and a handful of candy coated chocolate!

We toted the bars to the "end of the year picnic" as the dessert for the hot-dog meal, and the leftovers became "afternoon snack" with a cereal (surprise!) trail mix and most of the leftover watermelon and grapes (the hot dogs on the other hand, became this). These are such a perfect sweet to bring to a potluck, picnic or BBQ, when you don't want to fuss with a grand cake, don't have cooler space or enough ice for ice cream, don't want the bother of washing utensils to eat and need to appeal to both kids and adults alike! Not to mention you don't have to fire up the oven, and with the premade Fluff (a total revelation to me when my predecessor in the school kitchen told me about it), you hardly have to turn on the stove either.

This week for #SundaySupper Jennie at The Messy Baker is hosting a Summer BBQ Party with the crew - and you're invited! Together we have everything you’ll need to throw a delicious summer barbecue party this season... from grilled goodies to side dishes, desserts and even a cold beverage or three. You can't go wrong when this many cooks are (out of) the kitchen!

Hot Off the Grill:

• Best Grilled Pork Chops by Hezzi-D's Books & Cooks
• Bleu Cheese Burgers by Juanita's Cocina
• Korean Grilled Flank Steak by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Swedish Blonde Burgers by Eat, Move, Shine
• Hawaiian Hot Dogs by La Cocina De Leslie
• BBQing the Whole Hog, Cuban Style by Webicurean
• Meat Stuffed Jalapenos by The Urban Mrs
• St. Louis Ribs by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Fish Kebabs with Mint Chutney by Soni's Food
• Jalapeno Bacon Burgers by Cookin' Mimi
• Cheddar Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burgers by In the Kitchen with KP
• Curried Pork Sliders with Peanut Sauce & Apple Slaw by Foxes Love Lemons
• Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breasts by Sustainable Dad
• Ditch Dogs by Daily Dish Recipes
• Bison Kabobs by Noshing With The Nolands

On the Side:

• Spicy Baked Beans by The Messy Baker
• Wisconsin Roasted Corn by Curious Cuisiniere
• German Potato Salad by The Foodie Army Wife
• Grilled Baby Potatoes With Peppers And Onions by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Sausage Potato Salad by girlichef
• Lightened Up Fully Loaded Baked Potato Salad by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Homemade Mustards by A Stack of Dishes
• Spicy Grilled Corn Salad by Magnolia Days
• Layered California Pasta Salad by The Weekend Gourmet
• Grilled Potato Salad by In Fine Balance
• Spicy Bacon and Corn Salad by Hip Foodie Mom
• Three Corns with Japanese Accents by Ninja Baking
• Cucumber Bruschetta by Healthy. Delicious.
• Grilled Zucchini by Supper for a Steal
• Chicken Spinach & Pasta Salad by Family Foodie

Sweet Tooth:

• Red, White & Blue Parfait by Country Girl in the Village
• Root Beer Float Sandwich Cookies by Chocolate Moosey
• Gluten Free Brownies by Blueberries & Blessings
• Grilled Stone Fruit Parfait by Pescetarian Journal
• Blueberry Sorbet by Shockingly Delicious
• Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Tres Leches Cake by Happy Baking Days
• Beach Cupcakes by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Grilled Banana Dessert Bar by Home Cooking Memories
• Berries & Cream Pie by Treats & Trinkets
• Raspberry Lemonade Frozen Yogurt Pops by Runner's Tales
• More S'mores by Growing Up Gabel
• Blackberry Peach Cobbler by Neighborfood
• Cornbread Cookies by Pies & Plots
• Funfetti Fluff Cheerio Treats by What Smells So Good?
• Pineapple Pudding by Granny's Down Home Sassy Southern Cooking

In the Cooler:

• Cherry Caipiroska by Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Mint Tea Slushes by Cindy's Recipes and Writing
• Prickly Pear Margaritas by Ruffles & Truffles

Lemon-Raspberry Sugarless Cookies

Does anyone else find it absolutely insane that June is almost over? I swear, it was only yesterday that I was making Red Velvet Popcorn for Valentine's Day, and now it's 5 days away from Canada Day (and 9 days away from the 4th of July!).

With the two biggest patriotic holidays (for those of us in the Canada/US camps, anyway) knocking, what better time than now to have another #holidayfoodparty? Jen is at it again as our fearless host, and we have 14 delectable treats this roundup!

I knew I wanted to do something "flag related" for the nations celebrating this first week of July, and to me the easiest way to get those iconic images onto the plate was with a cookie! I also really wanted to try out the capabilities of the PureVia Granulated style stevia in it's purest "bakeable" form - a sugar cookie. I made two versions of a veganized recipe, using non-hydrogenated shortening so that the butter flavour wouldn't influence the sweetness test. The results of the "plain" cookie tasting were surprising - only one person (my supertaster sister) could tell that the baked 100% sugar free cookies were different than my control recipe with sugar (raw dough, however, fooled nobody - they knew there was "something off" with the PureVia version)! I liked making this 100% sugar free dough a whole lot more than the sugar-filled one too - it came together easier and baked flatter without spreading!

Moving forward, I added colour and flavour to pieces of the dough, then cut out rectangles and the necessary parts of each flag to assemble my art. The combination of the raspberry "red" and lemon "white" doughs was a hit, as was the design of each cookie. Lacking the moisture-retaining capabilities of sugar, however, the cookies did stale faster than usual... but I skirted that issue by only baking a few at a time, keeping the rest of them assembled and carefully packed in the freezer for a la minute cookie cravings!

1. Berry Cheesecake Crumb Tart from Hungry Couple NYC
2. California Burgers from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
3. 4th of July Ice Cream Cones from Roxana's Home Baking
4. Red, White & Blueberry Parfaits from Cravings of a Lunatic
5. Red, White & Blue Deviled Eggs from Created by Diane
6. Summer Berry Pizza from Magnolia Days
7. Sparkling Pineapple Cake Martini from The Messy Baker
8. Red, White & Bleu Mac 'N Cheese from Juanita's Cocina
9. Red, White & Blue Vanilla Bean Spritzers from Pineapple and Coconut
10. Red, White & Blue S'mores Pies from Big Bears Wife
11. Lemon Raspberry Sugarless Cookies from What Smells so Good
12. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Squares from Chocolate Moosey
13. Berry Trifle from Jen's Favorite Cookies
14. Watermelon Mojito Ice Pops from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

Spicy Plum Sauce

We ate our fair share of Chinese (well, Chinese-American) takeout when I was growing up. I can fondly remember the lo mein, the mixed steam-fried veggies, the Singapore style vermicelli, the sweet and sour pork, and (my personal favourite) the crispy ginger-garlic beef... all spread out on the table with the requisite egg and spring rolls, with the quintessential fortune cookies for dessert. I can't remember a time when our grease-stained paper bags didn't also contain about 20 packets of assorted sauces, too - from soy to sweet and sour to the oddly named "duck sauce". A few would get used by my parents (I hated the "restaurant style" packets, preferring the plum sauce from the supermarket) and the rest would go into the fridge, slowly creating a mountain that my mom would eventually throw out when it overflowed the drawer.

I think the main reason I wasn't (and still aren't) a fan of most plum (or "duck") sauces is that they are far too sweet and "fake" tasting. I don't know about you, but if I'm eating something labeled as containing a specific ingredient, I want it to actually contain a decent amount of it, and more than that I want it to taste like that ingredient. I happened to catch a glimpse of the back of our current bottle of plum sauce in the fridge and was saddened (yet not surprised) by what I read: "sugar, pumpkin, white vinegar, modified corn starch, plum purée, salt, concentrated lemon juice, garlic (contains soybean oil), red jalapeño pepper, citric acid, acetic acid, caramel colour". Hmmm, okay... so it's sugar-pumpkin sauce, is it?

Then I came across a promising-looking recipe in Put 'em Up! Fruit by Sherri Brooks Vinton that actually used plums, and looked to be a "grown up", more sophisticated blend than the glorified syrup I remembered. Since they were in season (and cheap!) at the farmer's market, I picked up a basket of black plums, then on the weekend I followed it up with a big bag of bright red Flavour Rosa Plumcots for good measure. The recipe only calls for garlic, ginger and the Chinese five spice, but I added onion powder, turmeric, white pepper and extra garlic for a slightly more varied flavour. I also opted for organic coconut sugar over plain brown, and since I ran out of the called for cider vinegar I added white wine vinegar to make up the difference. 

I let it simmer down (I strongly suggest cooking it covered first until the plums soften, otherwise you'll have to add more water than I did), then pureed it and let it cook some more until it was the consistency of ketchup. I canned most of it to give as "end of the year" gifts for the teachers, leaving about 3/4 of a cup in a jar in the fridge to use right away. It was great the day of, but two days later when I used some on eggplant steaks (in place of the hoisin) the flavours had mellowed and blended, and I know that as soon as my family gets ahold of it it will become condiment numero uno, or is that 编号0?!

Submitted to Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Allergy-Free Wednesdays and Wellness Weekends 

Fudgy Brownie Mix in a Jar - a Desserts In Jars #SundaySupper

I don't know about you, but we are a family of brownie lovers. To the women in the household, at least, the perfect brownie is dark, fudgy, and not super sweet, with a bit of a chew but in no way rubbery or tough. I've made my fair share of brownies over the years, from the classic melted chocolate and butter concoctions to uber healthy, vegan and gluten free ones, but I always seem to come back to the middle ground of a cocoa-based bar with a moderate amount of sugar, flour and chocolate chips.

I grew up on the basic boxed brownie mix, as did my sister, and I have to agree it's hard to beat the convenience when you're hit with the "ohmygosh, I need a brownie NOW" craving - but as I grew older (and admittedly more "foodie-like"), I began to notice the slight "off" flavours the premade mixes carried. Nothing overly offensive, but a cardboardy undertone and a one-note, too-sugary sweetness eventually drove me out of the store-bought mix camp permanently and into the kitchen. To keep the convenience factor of the inspiration, I began to whip up my own brownie dry mixes - first as Christmas gifts for friends with baking aspirations (but little kitchen experience), then as a way to be able to whip up a batch of fudgy, homemade bars for my (uber-brownieholic) sister in less time than it took her to drive home from her part-time home in Guelph. Like all the "mix" recipes in Shaina Olmanson's book Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine, it's classic, simple, reliable and above all, delicous!

This week’s #SundaySupper is all about Desserts in Jars, inspired by Shaina Olmanson’s cookbook (see my review of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine here). We all came up with our own "jarred" recipes – some exactly like the recipes in Olmanson's book, others with a twist on tradition! Not only are we singing the praises of this book, we want you to try it yourself - many of this week's #SundaySupper bloggers will be giving away copies of Desserts in Jars too! Check out all the blogs below to participate, and good luck!

Sunday Supper Desserts In Jars:

• Summer Fruit Fool in Jars by Shockingly Delicious
• Banana Split Cakes in a Jar by Daily Dish Recipes
• Baked Cheesecake In A Jar by Chocolate Moosey
• Key Lime Pies in a Jar by Home Cooking Memories
• Fudgy Brownie Mix by What Smells So Good?
• 5 Minute Coffee Cake in a Jar by Juanita’s Cocina
• Strawberry Mess by Jane’s Adventure’s in Dinner
• Mini Blueberry Cream Cheese Pies by Magnolia Days
• Peach Crisp in Jars by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes by Hip Foodie Mom
• Salted Caramel Frozen Yogurt by Healthy.Delicious
• Boston Cream Pie Trifle by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Chocolate Egg Cream in A Jar by Growing Up Gabel
• Cinnamon Espresso Bread Pudding in a Jar by Country Girl in the Village
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake in a Jar by Runner’s Tales
• Blueberry Thyme Pie in a Jar by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Caramel Panna Cotta in a Jar by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Layered Melon Granitas in Jars by Curious Cuisiniere
• Red Velvet Wedding Cake In A Jar by Foxes Love Lemons
• Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Mascarpone in a Jar by Gotta Get Baked
• Nutella Panna Cotta in a Jar by Basic N Delicious
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie in a Jar by Big Bears Wife
• Bacon Bourbon Bread Pudding by The Urban Mrs
• Cinnamon Caramel Affogatos by Family Foodie
• Banana Split Ice Cream by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Midori Melon Flower Cupcakes by Ninja Baking
• Triple Berry Crisp in a Jar by Ruffles & Truffles
• Guilt-Free Blueberry Cream Cheese Gingerbread in a Jar by Eat, Move, Shine
• Gluten Free Pull-Apart Cinnamon Bread in a Jar by No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
• Roasted Strawberry Coconut Cream Parfaits With Toasted Coconut by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Chocolate and Banana Ice Box Trifle In A Jar by In the Kitchen with KP

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here. Also check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos!

For even more fun, be sure to join us during the #SundaySupper Twitter chat tonight at 7PM ET to win tickets to the Food and Wine Conference including a 2 night stay at the beautiful Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando! Entering is easy - just join in the chat using the #SundaySupper hashtag. The Desserts In Jars Summer Tour will be hosting live events around the country.  Check out the events and join in the fun in city near you!

Butterscotch Banana Birdseed Bars (#RecipeRedux)

Now that we've reached the end of the school year, my task as the cook has turned from churning out the "approved" menus to finding creative ways of using up the last of our groceries by the end of today. I have found myself making things I never thought I would this week - applesauce muffin-bread with ground cereal for flour, chicken hot dogs on pizza, egg salad sandwiches made with a combination of mayo and French onion dip... you get the picture. While I'm being forced to clean out our school kitchen (since the place is shutting down, sadly), the "pantry challenge" is carrying over to my home life too. It's been a while since I looked through my baking shelves, and let me tell you - it was definitely time to get using some of this stuff.

I wound up combining bits from both school and home when it came to making these moist bars. Tender, butterscotchy batter filled with caramelized bananas got peppered with the dregs of some of my seed bags and a spoonful of ricotta. While the recipe looks long and drawn out, in reality it's fairly simple to execute and the flavours meld into a profile similar to a slightly upscale banana bread. It's nice enough to serve with a drizzle of raspberry coulis or cherry sauce for a romantic summer dessert, but unfussy enough that you can toss a few chunks into your hiking bag or pack the whole thing for a picnic lunch. Who knows, the birds might even appreciate the "birdseed" bits too!

This month's #RecipeRedux is all about the seeds - adding crunch to pasta, salads, puddings, granola and even cakes and bars like this!