Midge Takes on Molly: Feeling Fruity
Guest Blog Featuring: Midge
As part of my cooking challenge this year, I have decided to pick one or two recipes from Molly Green each month and try them at home. You may already know that I am a bit of a klutz in the kitchen and try really hard to do spectacular things with sometimes rather mixed results. I love to laugh at myself throughout these tough situations and it really helps to be able to share them with you!
Ever try to make a giant pancake? I know as a little girl it was my one big dream to make them after watching cooks at restaurants smoothly flip their pancakes. The first time I ever tried to make one, it ended up doughy in the middle and when I flipped it… let’s just say it was not the beautiful, large pancake that I had imagined! It looked more like a taco pancake!
My first attempt at fruit pizza reminded me of my giant pancake fiasco of yesteryear. I researched a bit online to make the perfect crust for the pizza and decided to make a sugar cookie crust. Since I am training myself this year in baking and cooking 101, I chose to buy a sugar cookie dough instead of trying to make it. My only other attempts at making cookies from scratch had resulted in chocolate chip cookies that tasted like chocolate chip bread… and it was not even good tasting bread!
My sugar cookie crust turned out just like my humongous taco pancake. It was another great big flop. It would not cook thoroughly in the middle. So, I ended up baking it for longer than the package called for and then the edges turned brown. It was part squishy and part tough. Man oh Man!
The fruit was awesome and the spread was wonderful. I used one 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened – which means gooey and slightly melted), one cup of whipped cream and one cup of powdered sugar. The cream cheese was a little lumpy and I think I put too much of the yummy spread on the sugar cookie but other than that it tasted great. I had just gotten loads of fresh fruits so I had a myriad of flavors to choose from to create the fruit design.
We ended up using the fruit pizza as an appetizer for a Memorial Day BBQ at a friend’s house.
During the weekend, we also made Molly’s smoothie recipe at home. I love the fresh fruit available during the summer and would love to hear some of your fruit recipe ideas!
Does anyone know how to get the lumps out of the cream cheese in the spread? How do you make the dough of your fruit pizza? I would like to try something different than sugar cookies but don’t want to have to mix up the ingredients from scratch (I am not that brave yet!) Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe?
You can find Molly Green’s Fruit Smoothie Recipe at http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/Molly-Saves-While-Keeping-Healthy-and-Fit-p/molly-1-12-hlthyfit-eb.htm or if you are a Molly member you can access this issue on your member page – January 2012 Molly Saves While Keeping Healthy and Fit!
I am a lover of fruit pizza and have a few tips that might help you. First of all I use sugar cookie dough from the refrigerator section, but it tends to stick if you don’t grease the pan just slightly. Secondly, you need to make the dough spread all the way to the edge of the pan. It will seem difficult to get it spread out that thin, but it will bake more uniformly if you do.
As for the filling, always soften your cream cheese before using and then after you add the remaining ingredients beat them thoroughly with an electric mixer. This should eliminate the lumps. Then all you have to do is add the lovely fruit.
Feel free to drop by my site any time for more great recipes. http://www.funwithaileen.com There is also a great picture of my fruit pizza!
Midge Says – Thanks for the helpful hints!!!! I love the look of your fruit pizza! It looks a lot easier to cut!
Midge,
It doesn’t get easier than this: one box any flavor cake mix, 2 eggs and 1/2 C veg oil. Mix and spread evenly on your pizza pan. Bake at 350 (preheat!) for 8-10 til center is done.
As for cream cheese, a few drops of milk or cream (or vanilla) should help smooth it out and get ride of the lumps.
Midge Says: Wow, thanks! That does sound super easy! I also just heard of someone using brownies for the base of the fruit pizza… I never knew there were so many ways to make one food item!