Healthy Almond Balls

These little beauties are not only healthy and good for you, they are delish. That old add that says, "bet you can't eat just one" applies to these tasty morsels!

Nut Balls
1 cup of dates (pitted)
3/4 cup of almonds
1/2 cup of oatmeal (I use oat bran)

optional: cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate chips, dried cranberries
unsweeten cocconut

Place almonds in a good blender or food processor and chop fine. Add dates and oatmeal and also chop fine. Add any other ingredients and pulse a couple of seconds. Make balls in your hands, roll in cocconut if you choose. Place on wax paper for an hour. They will most likely dissapper before you have to find a container to put them in.

Renae's Hot Fudge

2 c. sugar
4 T.butter
4 T. cocoa
1 can evaporated milk

Blend together and dissolve. Boil gently 2-4 minutes,according to how thick you like it. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. If it should curdle, put in blender and whip. Makes 2.5 cups.

(Thanks Sam for typing it and e-mailing it to me).

Friendship Fudge

This is a versitile, decadent, fun, and did I mention DELICIOUS treat. It's perfect for family gatherings, camp, family home evening, or whenever you need that chocolate fix.


The first time I had it was at a leadership girl's camp outing. We all took turns squishing the ingredients in a bag while we told something unique about ourselves. By the time we were done, it was the right consistency to roll into a log and cut into slices. Yum!


INGREDIENTS

4 cups powdered sugar
3 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup softened margarine
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)



DIRECTIONS

1. Mix ingredients together by squeezing the bag and passing it around the group (you can have fun with games, get-to-know-you activities, etc)
2. When it is mixed together, roll into a log and sprinkle nuts if you choose.
3. Slice and enjoy!

*Note: you may need extra powdered sugar or eat with spoons. You may want to double or triple the batch if you have more than a few people--believe me, you'll want lots of extra.

Strawberry Fruit Leather

I have always loved fruit leather. I never knew how to make it though. Homemade is So Yummy So easy and so Cheap (assuming the fruit is in season and cheap. Buy from the Farmer's Market if you can) 

You'll need:

2 cups strawberries (or fruit of your choice)

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Cut out the leafy part and cut up the strawberries. Blend them smooth in the blender. Add the honey and lemon juice and blend it some more. Then spread it out on plastic and dry. When they're done, roll them up and store. 

Sun Dry: Spread the mixture out on plastic wrap and place outside in the sun with a screen over it so the sun and air can get in, but the bugs can't. This takes about 24 hours (Longer for Strawberries)

Oven Dry: Place plastic wrap on cookie sheets. Spread the fruit mix on it and put it in the oven on the lowest temp. Place a hot pad or wadded up towel in the door so it satays open and the moisture can escape. This should take about 4-8 hours. Rotate the pans every hour.

{ I did it in the oven, but I wanted to make smaller rolls so I did 6 smaller sheets of plastic instead of 2 big ones. My oven's lowest temp was 170 instead of 140 so that and the fact that I spread them a little thin, made it so they only took 2 hours to dry. }

Are they Done? 

They are done when you touch them and they are still a little sticky, but you can peel the sides off easily. Don't be afraid to make the layer a little thick cause if it's too thin, it'll get crispy fast. 

Storage:

Room Temp = up to 30 weeks

Fridge = Months

Freezer = Years

Although really it won't last that long, it's too yummy.

I can't wait to try more fruit!