Push Pop Mania

I am really excited!  My friend and I just bought push pop containers because of all the push pop recipes we wanted to try!  In this post we will be compiling recipes we want to try and ones we have tried. Feel free to help us out by commenting at the bottom of this post with recipes you find, or have tried and your opinion. Happy Push Popping!

Family Helps

SPRING

Cupcake Push Pop Peeps

From http://www.lovefromtheoven.com

 

maybe for spring or Easter, don't think I will need this idea before then, but my boys love Peeps so it might be fun. 

SUMMER

S’MORES PUSH POPS RECIPE

::Ingredients:
– Graham crackers
– Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
– 1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
– Hershey’s Chocolate Bars
– Chocolate pudding
– Push Pop Containers
– Ziplock bags (2 small, 1 large)
Instructions:
Crush graham crackers in a big ziplock bag. Melt butter in the microwave, then pour it into the graham cracker bag. Mix well. Take a spoonful of the graham and butter mixture and put it in the bottom of the push pop container.
Next, take the chocolate pudding and put it in a small ziplock bag. Seal the bag and cut on of the bottom corners off with a pair of scissors. Gently squeeze out the pudding into the push pop container to form the 2nd layer. Break off 1 square of a Hershely’s chocolate bar and place on top of the pudding layer. Using another small ziplock bag with the corner snipped off, squeeze a layer of marshmallow creme into the push pop. Top the marshmallows with one more layer of graham crackers, then seal the push pop container with its lid.
Repeat the above steps until you have the desired amount of push pops!

 

 4th of July Trifle Jello recipe

Push-Up Pop Recipe

{I adapted this recipe from my 4th of July Trifle Jello recipe.}

BLUE LAYER:
3 oz pkg blue jello {blue raspberry or berry blue}
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water

WHITE LAYER:
1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup (8oz) sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

RED LAYER:
3 oz pkg of red jello {strawberry or raspberry flavor}
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
cool whip and blueberries to garnish

In a medium bowl, dissolve blue  jello in 1 cup boiling water. Stir in 1 cup cold water. Carefully spoon 2 Tablespoons of the liquid jello into each push-up pop container. Refrigerate for 1-1.5 hours or until firm.
In a sauce pan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Add the milk and sugar; heat over medium heat stirring until gelatin and sugar are dissolved. Let mixture cool for about 5-10 minutes. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla. Spoon 2 Tablespoons of the white gelatin mixture into each push-up pop over the blue jello. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
In a medium bowl, dissolve red jello in 1 cup of boiling water; stir in 1 cup of cold water. Spoon red jello over the white layer. Chill until set, about 1-1.5 hours. Fill the remaining space in the push-up pops with cool whip and garnish with blueberries.
Makes 16 push-up pops.

Funfetti Push-Up Pop Cupcakes 

from Cookiesandcups.com
STEP By STEP Photo instructions
Here was the assembly process…
I baked a cake (Funfetti) in a large “jelly roll” pan (15 1/4×10 1/4) so it was rather thin, and also made a batch of vanilla buttercream.
Then I use the top of the push up pop container to make the perfect sized rounds….this was my husband’s idea and I have to say it worked great!
After I poked out my cake rounds I started assembling…
I filled a piping bag with the vanilla buttercream…I didn’t bother using a fancy tip, because it was just gonna get smushed down anyway…I just snipped off the end with a pair of scissors.
Next I squirted in a bit of frosting…
I had some colorful sprinkles on-hand, so I figured, why not?
I layered the sprinkles, another cake round and more frosting…
I gently pushed the sprinkles into the top layer of frosting so they wouldn’t all fall off everywhere when you open the cupcake pop.
And I even added a cute little pink chocolate on top.
If you are wondering how to eat them, just take the lip off and push up.
So easy.

Leftover Rice? Try this! For peppermint lovers:)

Peppermint Mocha Rice Pudding 

Ingredients:
4 Cups Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Peppermint Mocha liquid coffee creamer
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
2 ½ c.-3 c. left over rice
1/3 C Raisins (Optional)
1 T Cornstarch mixed with 1/8 Cup Water

In a saucepan combine Milk, Vanilla, Peppermint Mocha Cream, Sugar & Eggs.  Beat the eggs well into the milk. Turn burner heat to Medium-High.  Keep whisking it to prevent the milk from burning. Add leftover Rice (and optional raisins), break rice apart with whisk if stuck together. Mine was a few days old, so it was a little dried out, but the milk will hydrate it and make it super moist. Let the rice pudding boil on Medium heat for15 minutes.  Then add the Cornstarch & Water mixture to the pudding while whisking quickly.  It will begin to thicken immediately.  Take the pudding off the heat and allow it to cool on the stove top for about 30 minutes.  It will get substantially thicker as it cools.   You may now either serve it up warm or put it in the fridge for a cool treat later!
HELPFUL TIPS
**I like adding more creamer either to the main mixture, or as a garnish while eating!
**The second round making this I added vanilla at the end, much better, and I added a little more coffee creamer for a richer peppermint taste.  
**I also might have had too much leftover rice because I didn't need to add the cornstarch and water mixture at the end, it was already thick.

Four Imitation Betty Crocker Cookie Recipes

So I really love the idea of having mixes on hand for convenience, but have you looked at the prices at the store lately??  I am overwhelmed, so I started searching for coupons and ways to cut on the cost. 
This is my awesome end result to the dilemma over the cookie mix recipes...I am delighted that making my own mixes was so easy and so cheap!!!  
****Thanks to http://fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com I can now enjoy the convenience minus the cost!  Hope you are as just as excited as I am....ENJOY!***

Credit

Imitation Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.  Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Credit

Imitation Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies:

1 1/2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup White Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.  Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Credit

Imitation Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookies:

1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Optional: 1/2 Cup Raisins and/or Nuts

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1 Stick Melted Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.  Mix, Refrigerate for 30 Minutes & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Credit

Imitation Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookies:

1 3/4 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1/2 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/8 Cup Molasses.  Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Breakdown of the cost via http://fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com:

• Fake Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes (Pantry Ingredients, Between $0.30-$0.40 each mix)

• Total Fake-It Cost:  $3.20 (possibly less) for Cookie Mixes!!!!! 
• Compare to Real Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes ($2.50+ each (for 8 it would be around $20...Even with coupons you can't beat 3.20 or less!!!)
• Total Fake-It Savings:  $16.80"

I somehow feel a little guilty that I will probably NEVER buy BC cookie mixes again...but not really!

DIY Dish Soap

We have tried different recipes for homemade DIY dish soap and have found the following recipes to be useful. Though the second recipe is far more cheaper than the first, I have noticed that I have run out of dish soap rather quickly and tend to make more, plus I like my soap to suds up, so for a more ideal dish soap I would choose recipe #1 over recipe #2, but both work for getting the dishes done!

We have found two recipes for Dish Soap:

-Thank you to Hillbilly Housewife for the following recipes:

DIY Dish Soap Recipe #1

• 2 cups of Castile soap
• 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar
• 1/2 cup of warm water

Pour all ingredients into a cleaned out old dish soap bottle and shake until well combined. Give it another good shake before each use. The lemon juice or vinegar helps cut through the grease on your dishes.

DIY Dish Soap Recipe #2

This version takes a little longer to make, but is even more frugal

• 1/4 cup soap flakes or soap shavings (any bar soap will do)
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar

Get out a sturdy sauce pan. Pour the water and soap fakes in and slowly heat it over medium heat. Stir the mixture and keep heating it until all the soap flakes melt into the water. DO NOT let the mixture come to a boil. Turn down the heat if needed.

Allow the soap mixture to cool a bit, then stir in the lemon juice or vinegar. Keep it sitting in the pot until it is completely cooled, then pour it into an old dish soap bottle.

With either of these two homemade dish soap recipes you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to make them smell better. I find that if I use the lemon juice, I don’t need the essential oil. Bottled lemon juice works just fine.

**Adapted from the website: Hillbilly Housewife

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