// hello friends -

Summer time is here! That means mother nature has turned up the heat, barbecue season is in full swing, and it’s time to rummage through our recipes to find the perfect warm weather treat.

Look no further.

Let’s cut to the chase.

Here is a cool and saccharine summer dessert that might just go down as the best recipe of Summer 2019. It’s a salty, sweet, buttery, sour treat that doesn’t require oodles of oven time:

Strawberry Rhubarb Pretzel Pie.

We could discuss how this pie might remind us of an old fashioned, delightful, fluffy, jello drenched, cream cheese delight that our grandma whipped up for summertime get togethers, or just like key lime pie, the whipped texture is a lovely complement to the heat a barbecue provides but I promised to go straight to the good stuff, so here is the recipe.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pretzel Pie

Serves 8 // Prep Time 1 hour // Cooling Time 3-4hours

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:

• 1 pound fresh strawberries washed, hulled, and cut in half

• 1 pound fresh rhubarb stems chopped in 1/2 inch chunks

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup water

• 1 lemon

Pretzel Crust:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons Snyder Of Hanover Butter Snap Pretzels® very finely ground

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cream Filling:

• 1 -14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

• 1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Garnish: (optional)

• 3-5 strawberries

• 10 pretzels crumbled

• whipped topping

Step 1: Grease one 9-inch pie or tart pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Mixture. Place strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and water in a large saucepan. Turn stove to high heat. With a knife or vegetable peeler, shave several strips of peel from the lemon and add them to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until the rhubarb and strawberries are soft. Remove from heat, add the juice of the entire lemon to the mixture. Let cool to let the flavors combine.

Once cool, pour the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and press the mixture with the back of a spoon to remove the liquid from the mixture. The straining should result in 2-3 cups liquid. Measure out a 1/2 cup liquid and 1/2 cup pulp in separate bowls. Place in the refrigerator and cool completely.

(Save the remaining pulp and liquid for later. It’s great on pancakes, mixed with soda water for a mocktail or spooned over yogurt for a sweet snack.)

Step 3: Make the Crust. In bowl, add the pretzels, butter and sugar. Stir until combined. Evenly press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of the pie pan. Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove and let the crust cool completely. Baking will help the crust remain whole.

Step 4: Spoon the cooled 1/2 cup pulp into the bottom of the pie crust and smooth evenly. Set aside.

Step 5: In a medium bowl add the sweet and condensed milk and the 1/2 cup syrup. With a hand mixer, combine until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping. Poor into the pie crust.

Step 5: Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until set. Garnish with additional berries, pretzels and whipped topping. Store in refrigerator.

This is will be the darling of any summer barbecue. It’s the perfect warm weather pie!

Enjoy every last bite and see to soon summer friends! //

Day 19. Recipe 19.

Since Valentine's Day is just a week away, one of my little studio assistants has been begging me to take over this blog and make something special to celebrate the holiday that honors true love.

So here it is. My little helper might be tiny, but she has created a snack ball (for one) jam-packed with sweet and salty delights!

---

XO Snack Ball

• 1/2 cup marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons salted butter
• 1/4 cup pretzels
• 1 tablespoon freeze-dried strawberries
• 1 small package of heart-shaped fruit snacks
• 1/2 cup Angie's Real Butter Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn
• 1 tablespoon white chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon Valentine's sprinkles

Step 1: In a medium bowl, add the marshmallows and butter. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir for 10 seconds or until combined.

Step 2: Add the pretzels, strawberries, fruit snacks and popcorn stir to combine.

Step 3: Butter your hands and form a ball with the ingredients. Place the white chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 15 seconds or until melted. Heat as needed and stir until smooth. 

Step 4: Place the snack ball on waxed or parchment paper. Drizzle the white chocolate and throw the sprinkles on top. Let sit for 1 hour or until the chocolate has set.

---

My little helper hopes you have lots of Valentine's hugs and kisses!

Until tomorrow friends.

Day 13. Recipe 13.

Two special events happen this time of year: the Girl Scouts sell cookies and the big old game.

Both are super.

But sorry Super Bowl Number whatever, girls rule because who can sell us something faster than an adorable six-year-old in pigtails?

Nope, not even a 5 million dollar Super Bowl commercial.

Today, I bought a box (or nine) of these darling little sweets. I mixed them up and made them Super Bowl ready by stirring an entire box of Thin Mints to create Super Minty Crispies.

---

Super Minty Crispies

Makes 12 treats / approximately 25 prep time

• 2 oz unsalted butter
• 6 oz mini marshmallows
• 30 thin minty cookies (such as Thin Mints)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rice cereal
• 1/2 cup of mini white chocolate chips

Step 1: Butter a standard size muffin tin. Place 1 mint cookie upside down in the bottom of each muffin cup. Set aside. Place 18 cookies in a zip top bag and crush until fine with a rolling pin.

Step 2: In a large saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. It will melt, bubble, turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown. Keep stirring and scrape any butter bits from the bottom of the pan.

Step 3: Remove pan from heat and mix in the marshmallows until the marshmallows are melted and smooth with the butter. Mix in the salt, rice cereal, and crushed cookies. Stir until combined.

Step 4: Press a spoon full of the crispy mixture into each muffin tin on top of the mint cookie. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Step 5: Melt the mini white chocolate chips in a bowl, for 30-second increments, stirring every 30-seconds until smooth. Place the melted chocolate in a small zip-top bag, seal shut and snip off a tiny corner off the bag. Pull the muffin tin from the refrigerator and with a butter knife gently pull out each rice treat and flip over to reveal the cookie side. Pipe a football shape on top of the cookie. Let dry 1 hour before serving.

---

This recipe is a touchdown thanks to the Girl Scouts!

Until tomorrow friends.

Day 7. Recipe 7.

When we were kids, the red, orange or green stuff was likely a special after dinner treat. When we were teenagers, we may have swiped a few sweet little shots from a friends party. It was there when we were sick and we needed hydration. It was always there for parties and holidays especially those involving grandma. 

It has taken different forms and shines in different molds. It has been a mainstay and a steady stream of delight in our lives for years.

However, is it me, or has gelatin started to quietly disappear?

Does anyone one eat gelatin anymore?

It is such an easy and lovely treat it's incredible that we don't eat it every day.

My family slurped up two pans in two days of the Jiggle Giggle Gelatin Hearts, and for the record, it did make us giggle a whole bunch.

No, "Oh, barfs!" here.

---

Jiggle Giggle Gelatin

• 3-3/4 cups white grape juice
• 4 packets unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons honey
• (optional) heart-shaped pastry cutter

Step 1: Separate 3 cups grape juice in a medium saucepan, set on the stove top and turn the burner on medium/high heat. Bring the juice to a boil.

Step 2: Place the remaining 3/4 cup grape juice in a bowl and sprinkle all four packets of gelatin over the 1 cup grape juice. Let sit for 2 minutes.

Step 3: Carefully add the boiling grape juice to the bowl of gelatin and stir for 5 minutes. Add the honey and stir until dissolved.

Step 4: In a 13" x 9"- inch pan and place in the refrigerator for at 3 hours. Remove and cut with the heart cutter or into squares. 

---

Will you agree that watching these little gems does jiggle and giggle the heart?

Until tomorrow friends.