Home | TwinCitiesKidsClub.com

It's July but there's still plenty of summer left to go - and FamilyFun Magazine has a ton of fun summer recipes to enjoy at your next celebration or even just on a hot day with the kids! Peach Iced Tea Say cheers with a sweet summer sipper. MAKES 10 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS 1 cup sugar 7 cups water, divided 3 peaches, divided 4 decaffeinated black tea bags Combine sugar, 1 cup of water, and two peaches (pitted and chopped) in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and let sit 30 minutes. Then strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pitcher. Bring 6 cups water to a boil; remove from heat. Steep tea bags in the hot water for 10 minutes. Carefully pour tea into pitcher with the peach syrup and refrigerate until chilled. Pit and thinly slice the remaining peach. Serve on ice, garnished with peach slices. Triple-Berry Float We packed loads of berry flavor into thiscool Fourth of July float. MAKES 8 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS 1 half-gallon container of strawberry ice cream 1 cup blueberries 1 cup raspberries 1 quart raspberry ginger ale Fill 8 large glasses with 2 scoops of ice cream each. Divide berries among glasses. Top each off with ½ cup of ginger ale. Smokey Spud Salad Bacon and chives, oh my! This Dijonbased potato salad is loaded with flavor. MAKES 10 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS 2½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes Salt 4 slices thick-cut bacon ¼ cup Dijon mustard 1 Tbs. white-wine vinegar 1 Tbs. minced fresh chives Place scrubbed whole potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cook until tender, 15 to 18 minutes; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 9 minutes. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain; reserve the fat in the skillet. In a small bowl, whisk 2 Tbs. reserved bacon fat (discard the rest), the Dijon mustard, and the vinegar until combined. (The dressing will taste very salty because of the bacon fat, but the flavor will balance once you add the potatoes!) When potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm, cut them into bite-size chunks and place in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the warm potatoes and gently toss to coat. Sprinkle with minced chives and toss again. Crumble the cooked bacon over the top. Strawberry Whipped Cream This simple dessert will be the star— literally!—of your block party. MAKES 12 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS 2 sheets frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed 2 tsp. coarse sugar 2 cup strawberries, trimmed and halved, divided 1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a cookie cutter, cut out as many stars as possible from the puff pastry. Arrange on two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 400°F until puffed and golden, about 12 minutes. Place 1 cup of strawberries in a food processor and puree until smooth. Combine heavy whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar in a large chilled bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form. Add the strawberry puree and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Serve pastry stars on top of a dollop of whipped cream. Top with strawberries. Patriotic Whoopie Pies Fun sprinkle decorations give these sweet sandwiches some patriotic pizzazz. MAKES 15 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKES 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted 1 tsp. vanilla 2 large eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup Dutch-process dark cocoa powder 1 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt ½ cup buttermilk FOR THE FILLING 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1¼ cups Marshmallow Fluff 1 tsp. vanilla Red, white, and blue sprinkles To make the cakes, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until combined, then beat in chocolate and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer set to low, add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat. Mix in buttermilk and remaining flour mixture. Beat until combined. Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a rack Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat butter with a mixer until smooth. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar until combined. Add Marshmallow Fluff and vanilla and mix well. To assemble whoopie pies, sandwich a heaping tablespoon of filling between two cakes. Roll edges in sprinkles. Finger-Lickin’ Chicken Wings You get a big flavor bang for your buck with these grilled wings! MAKES 10 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS 2 Tbs. olive oil, plus extra for grill 3 lbs. chicken wings (drumettes and wingettes separated) Salt and freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup Dijon mustard ¼ cup honey 3 Tbs. ketchup 1 Tbs. molasses Preheat a grill to medium-high and lightly oil the grates. Spread wings on a baking sheet and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Combine oil, mustard, honey, ketchup, and molasses in a large bowl; remove half of the sauce to a small bowl. Arrange wings on the grill and cook, covered, until marked, about 8 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Brush the wings all over with the sauce from the smaller bowl, then cover and cook, 2 minutes. Flip wings and cook, covered, 1 more minute, or until cooked through (165°F on a meat thermometer). Transfer wings to the large bowl with the rest of the sauce, and toss to coat. Grilled Corn with Honey-Lime Butter This sweet-and-salty butter is so good you’ll want to slather it on everything! MAKES 16 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS 16 ears of corn, husked 1 stick of salted butter, at room temperature 2 Tbs. honey 1 lime, zested Preheat a grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates. Arrange 16 husked ears of corn on the grates and cook, turning occasionally, until charred and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Mix butter, honey, and lime together in a large mixing bowl. Spread on the warm corn. (Recipes and photos used with permission from FamilyFun. Visit their website and Pinterest page for more inspiration!) Make sure you join Twin Cities Kids Club for exclusive event information, deals, and discounts.