One of the challenges at My Readable Feast is to find recipes that go with the books or activities. Much to my surprise, people have actually concocted some Pinocchio recipes.

Here are a few:

Geppetto’s Fruit Dip
Cast party recipe from KMR Scripts

Ingredients:

1. 8 oz pkg  cream cheese (softened)
2. ¾ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
3. ¼ cup white sugar
4. 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Mix everything in a bowl until creamy. 
2. Let set in refrigerator an hour or so to let the sugars dissolve.
3. Great with apple slices or spoon on bananas.

Pinocchio’s Artichoke Dip
Cast party recipe from KMR Scripts

Ingredients:

1. 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts — drained and chopped
2. 1 cup (4 oz) grated parmesan cheese
3. 1 cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
4. 1 tomato, chopped sliced green onions (About 6-8.  Use the green parts, too.)

Directions:

1. Mix the artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese and mayonnaise together. 
2. Spoon into a pie plate and bake at 350º for about 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. 
3. Remove from oven and sprinkle the onions and tomatoes on top. 
4. Serve with crackers, chips or hot bread and enjoy!

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My trifle bowl recipe roundup is now being featured at FoodieView Blog – Recipe Roundup: Trifles: No Trifling Matter.

Trifles are terrific to make with kids since you can use ingredients like store bought sponge cake, instant pudding and premade whipped cream. The layers of cake, pudding, cream and fruit are also fun to put together – and even more delicious to eat. Making a trifle would be a fun family cooking project for a birthday or Super Bowl party.

If you don’t have a large trifle bowl, you can use any type of glass (like a wide mouthed drinking glass or a sundae dish) to make mini-trifles.

So here’s to a happy and delicious New Year!

As part of her WOW! Women on Writing Blog Tour, book author, Gayle Trent is doing a guest post on cake decorating with kids. I’m thrilled to have her posting here at My Readable Feast!

Gayle’s new book Murder Takes The Cake is a story about Daphne Martin, a forty-year-old divorcee who has started fresh in a new home with a new career, Daphne’s Delectable Cakes. Then Daphne finds her first client dead and the thrills begin! The book even comes with recipes.

Gayle also blogs at Fatal Foodies and loves to decorate cakes.

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To go along with my post Have a berrylicious summer with Sylvan Dell Publishing and some berry recipes, here’s another fabulous blackberry recipe to nosh on while you’re reading Blackberry Banquet.

The recipe for Blackberry Cake was submitted by Elsie Cumpton of Worthington, KY to American Profile magazine. She remembers sending this moist cake by mail to her husband when he was stationed in Germany in the US Army back in the ’50s.

It would probably be a great cake to mail to our service people overseas, too. If this is something that appeals to you (it would be a wonderful activity to do with your kids) check out The Soldier’s Angels – Angel Bakers project.

Try baking the cake in the morning with your young early risers when it’s still cool out. If you have kids like my son, Nathan who wakes up at 6 a.m. or earlier, this will keep them busy for awhile. (And I won’t give you a dirty look if you decide to have a small slice for breakfast.)

Later in the day, take a few slices with you on a picnic or a bike trip to the park or beach. I’m guessing it’s so moist that you can eat it with your fingers like sponge cake.

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We’re less than two weeks away to Lucie’s fourth birthday. I’m planning birthday treats at preschool and at our mom’s club playgroup. I have an egg-free mix, Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Cake Mix, to make cupcakes and lots of purple frosting leftover from Nathan’s birthday party last week. My homemade icing – basically Spectrum Shortening (it’s organic and transfat free), artificial flavoring, water and powdered sugar – stays good for a month in the frig.

If it’s o.k. with the teachers, I’ll be giving out some goodie bags too. I have lots of rubber ducks, bookmarks, and little book giveaways left over from my Usborne Books business. (I’ve shut it down this year to concentrate on my writing.) This way the kids will have cool stuff to play with and no sweets to freak out the parents.

Next year when she’s a bit bigger, I may do a party at home in addition to one at school. I found a terrific book to help out with party theme ideas and activities – Come to Tea: Fun Tea Party Themes, Recipes, Crafts, Games, Etiquette and More. Themes include a classic tea party as well as princess, Mad Hatter, teddy bear, moms and daughters, garden tea, liberty tea, and a pajama breakfast tea party. There are recipes for all types of cookies, teas, and treats and great ideas for decorating and activities.

I liked this food idea for the teddy bear party. It’s easily changed to several types of parties as long as you have the appropriately shaped cookie cutter.

Beary Good Sandwiches
Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

1. Four pieces of white bread

Fillings (your choice):

1. 2 Tbs of peanut butter mixed with 2 Tbs of honey (Lucie would use cream cheese or butter and honey since she can’t eat peanut butter)
2. Cheese slices
3. Sandwich meats
4. Mustard and/or ketchup

(A favorite combo of Lucie’s is bologna and ketchup. She’s a white trash kinda kid, dontcha know?)

Directions:

1. Make sandwiches out of white bread and cut out bear shapes with a large cookie cutter.
2. Fill on sandwich with honey spread and the other with cheese and meat. Use condiments to decorate faces on the meat sandwich if you like.

(Sandwich picture courtesy of Moriza’s Photos on Flickr.)