The difference between a kid and an adult party deals with sweet versus savory. Kids thrive on candy, cookies, cake, and ice cream. Most adults prefer savory dishes, but we are unleashing our inner child today.
Mama’s Tricky Brownie Batter
This is the kind of recipe every mother should love because we use canned beans as our base ingredient. My mom loved to sneak fruits and veggies into us with her tasty tricks. This recipe tastes exactly like brownie batter.
1 can Chickpeas
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Honey or Syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 to 5 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1 pinch Sea Salt
Open and drain your chickpeas
Mash them until your mix is smooth
Add 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
Blend the rest of your ingredients
Taste & add more cocoa powder if desired
Spoon into a bowl before refrigerating
Eat this with your giggling smiling kids
Nice Pumpkin Spice Dip
Let’s skip the pie and make a fast and easy dip using canned pumpkin and a few ingredients. Instead of a graham cracker crust, we will scoop our dip with our crackers.
1 can Pumpkin Puree
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice*
1 package Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
1 container Frozen Whipped Topping, thawed
Graham Crackers, Vanilla Wafers, or Ginger Snaps
Suppose you do not have any pumpkin spice mix. You can create your own delicious mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, or cloves.
You can make a ‘gingerbread spice mix,’ which contains cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
Mix the pumpkin, pudding, and spices
Fold in the whipped topping until blended
Refrigerate until the party
Holy Cannoli Dip
I grew up in a small town outside of Boston. Every major holiday would have pastries from Montilio’s Bakery. The white box was tied with a thin string. Nana would threaten all of the cousins and us kids with death if we untied the dessert boxes. No peeking and no sneaking.
I live on the other side of the country from Montilio’s, so my compromise is that I make the cannoli filling and eat it in sugar cones, or I break up the cones and scoop the dip with it.
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Minced Pistachio Nuts*
*Mini chocolate chips are a substitute
Place your ricotta cheese in a mesh basket over a bowl
Let it drain for at least six hours, but it is better overnight
Combine your ricotta, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl
Top with your minced pistachio nuts*
These simple dishes can be the star of any potluck, family reunion, or birthday party. The best part of these ‘tricky’ recipes is that we all ate a few healthy ingredients that trick the pickiest eaters.
These recipes are dedicated to my mom, Rose, who would sneak veggies into everything she could. After we ate, she would giggle as she shared her secret tricks… the worst was the frog legs disguised as chicken.
It is a new year, so instead of eating the same old recipes, get out of your comfort zone and experiment with new flavor profiles. I will have new recipes next week.