These are so easy to make, you can’t even call it cooking. Lay some pretzels on a baking sheet, top each with a Rolo, and bake at 350F for 3-4 minutes. Take them out of the oven, and press a walnut or pecan on top. And you’re done – a homemade turtle!

My cooking club theme this month was coconut. We enjoyed a great meal with coconut chicken and rice, ambrosia salad, and pina coladas! There are many talented bakers in the group, and I don’t usually make the dessert for our dinners. But I came across this recipe and had to give it a try! I liked the lime and coconut flavors, and this was a great dessert for a warm summer evening.

Continuing on yesterday’s theme of family recipes, I didn’t make these lemon squares either, but they are so awesome that I wanted to share. And for the readers who have been asking for more recipes with ‘real flour’ and ‘real sugar’, this is one for you!

2 c. flour, sifted
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
4 eggs
4 T flour, sifted
4 T lemon juice
1 t baking powder
2 c. sugar

Melt butter in a glass dish. Mix in 2 cups sifted flour and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, and then press mixture firmly into a 13×9 glass dish. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350F until the bottom is light brown.

Beat together eggs and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and then pour mixture on top of hot crust. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350F. Cool, and cut into squares. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

OK, maybe it wasn’t fair to promise everyone banana ice cream without mentioning that it was both vegan and raw. But as Gena at Choosing Raw points out, it’s the kind of recipe that wins people over. There are no fancy ingredients, just frozen chunks of ripe banana. That’s it! You put them in a food processor, and blend until you get the consistency of soft serve.

My sister led the charge in making these ice cream sandwiches to enjoy on the Fourth of July. She was inspired by the old “Harbor Bars”, so she started by baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies. With vanilla ice cream, mini chocolate chips, and some time in the freezer, they were ready to be served.

You have 2 pints of blueberries, not much flour, no brown sugar, and a possible dinner guest who merits dessert. There are lots of options, but my Mom and I chose to try something completely different. The original recipe was for strawberries and dumplings, but other than substituting the central ingredient and using skim milk instead of whole, we followed the recipe fairly closely. When you lift the cover at the end, the fruit has simmered down to a nice sauce, and the dumplings have expanded. A great summer dessert!

Did you have a chance to make these egg rolls yet? I made them again this weekend when I was with my family, and they were even better than the first batch. But, there were just a few leftover egg roll wrappers. My Mom and sister decided to bake a snack the following day, brushing the wrappers with butter and then sprinkling cinnamon and sugar. They used this recipe as a guide, and even took pictures for the blog.

‘Before’ and ‘After’ baking:

This is the final product, served with some of my sister’s delicious fruit salad:

This was the perfect treat, very crispy with a hint of sweet. Very creative, thanks guys!

CarrotsnCake was one of the first food blogs I ever read, and this recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin bread caught my eye months ago. I was disappointed to realize at the last minute that I didn’t have chocolate chips on hand, but I kept going since I was due to bring a baked good to work the next morning.

What makes this bread so good is that it isn’t too sweet; one taster commented that it would be perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon and I agree. If there is still a can of pumpkin lurking in the back of your pantry, give this a try!

My last recipe from spring break is Creamsicle Pie. This recipe adapts very easily, using different types of cookies and different flavors of ice cream.

9 oz. box gingersnaps (about 35 cookies)
5 T butter, melted
3 c. vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
1 1/2 c. orange sherbet, slightly softened

Finely grind gingersnaps and mix with butter, reserving a few crumbs for the top of the pie. Press into a 9″ pie plate coated with cooking spray, and bake 10 minutes at 350F. Cool completely.

Swirl ice cream and sherbet, and place in cooled pie shell. Refreeze until firm.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! While these mint brownies are not an authentic Irish recipe, they are a fun holiday treat.

1. Make a 13×9 pan of brownies, either from a mix or from scratch, and let them cool completely.

2. Use a hand mixer to cream together 1/4 c. soft butter, 2 T milk, 2 c. powdered sugar, and a dash each of peppermint extract and green food coloring. Spread the frosting over the brownies, and cool in the refrigerator for an hour.

3. In a double boiler, heat 1 T butter and 1 T unsweetened chocolate until melted, and drizzle over the frosting. Cool in the refrigerator until the top layer is completely set.