Western Dairy Association

Ingredients

• 1 can crescent rolls or 1 roll whole wheat frozen bread dough, thawed
• Flour, for dusting
• 4 tablespoons spicy mustard
• 1 pound thinly sliced ham
• 12 ounces Monterey Jack, grated
• Liquid food coloring
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 whole cloves
• Toothpicks
• 2 small pimiento-stuffed olives
• 1 (1-inch) strips jarred roasted red peppers

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Grease the foil and set aside.

Dust a flat surface lightly with flour. Spread out the crescent dough — do not separate. Pinch together the seams so that you have 1 piece of dough. Roll out to make a large rectangle.

If using whole wheat frozen bread dough, roll out to make a large rectangle.

Make sure the dough is not stuck to the surface at all.

Brush the dough with the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border. Layer the meat down the center of the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border on either end. You can feel free to use your favorite cold cuts.

Top the meats with the cheese. Fold 1 side of the dough over the filling, lengthwise. Then, fold the other 1/2 over and press the seal the filling inside. Take 1 egg yolk, and beat lightly with a fork. Brush the egg yolk over the top of the dough. The yolk will act as the glue to hold. Fold the dough in 1/2 again lengthwise. Pinch the seam with your fingers to seal. Press the outside of the dough to make sure everything is sealed tight and to make an even thickness for the body of your snake. Taper 1 end of the dough to form a tail shape. Form the other end into a head shape.

Beat the 2 remaining egg yolks together. Transfer to 3 separate small bowls. Add some food coloring to each bowl — whatever colors you like! Using a clean paintbrush, “paint” the snake with the egg yolk/food coloring mixture.

Transfer the snake to the foil lined sheet tray. Form into an “s” shape so it looks like the snake is slithering. Insert 2 cloves into the head to look like nostrils and 2 stuffed olives for eyes. Create a mouth or tongue with the roasted red peppers. Bake the snake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Adapted from Food Network-Paula Deen

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Ingredients

• Vegetable dip
• 4 long carrots
• 1 medium carrot
• Softened cream cheese
• Sliced-almonds
• Baby carrots

Instructions

To prepare them, just fill a serving bowl with your favorite vegetable dip, or make your own by mixing softened cream cheese with salsa.

Wash and peel 4 long carrots for fingers and 1 medium carrot for a thumb.

With a paring knife (a parent’s job), cut a flat, shallow notch in the tip of each carrot. Then use a dab of dip or softened cream cheese to glue a sliced-almond fingernail atop each notch.

Stick the four fingers and thumb in the dip, and serve with plenty of peeled baby carrots for dipping.

Adapted from Disney Family Fun

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Chef Jeremy Glas C.E.C., Sal Siraguse Robinson Dairy, Jenna Allen Western Dairy Association

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups Sweet Corn
• 2 cups Butternut squash, roasted and pureed
• 2 T Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 1 T Chopped Fresh Sage
• 1 ea Egg, lightly beaten
• 12oz Low fat Cottage Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 32 ea Cooked Pasta Shells
• 3oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Preparation

Mix corn, squash puree, herbs, cottage cheese and egg together in a bowl until incorporated. Spoon filling into prepared pasta shells and arrange open side up in a non metallic baking dish. Add a few tablespoons of water to the bottom of the dish to prevent burning. Sprinkle shells with mozzarella cheese and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Remove and serve.

Mix vinegar and sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until it forms bubbles slightly larger than the size of quarters. Cool and drizzle over the shells.

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Chef Jeremy Glas C.E.C., Sal Siraguse Robinson Dairy, Jenna Allen Western Dairy Association

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups Skim Milk
• 1/4 cup Arrowroot Powder
• 3 T Water
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 t Vanilla Extract
• 1 T Butter Flavor Extract

Preparation

Wisk milk, extracts and arrowroot together in a small bowl until smooth and set aside. Combine water and sugar in a medium sauce pot and bring to a boil. When all the sugar is melted and forming large bubbles, Add the milk mixture to the sugar. Stir constantly while bringing the mixture to a simmer and thickens. Remove from heat and portion into 6 small serving dishes. Cool for 2 hours and serve.

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• Slice of your favorite cheese
• 2 crackers
• Slice of cucumber or tomato
• Slice of meat
• Your favorite fresh fruit

Put a cracker on a plate. Add a slice of cheese. Add a slice of vegetable. Add meat. Top with another cracker. Arrange slices of your favorite fresh fruit around the Snack Stack. Serve with a glass of ice-cold milk.

Click here for more Gold-Star Snack ideas!

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Ingredients

• 1 Banana
• 1/4 cup vanilla, strawberry & chocolate low-fat Greek yogurt
• Sliced almonds/peanuts
• Cherry or strawberry

Directions

Peel and slice a banana lengthwise. Put the two pieces in a bowl so that the edges touch. Top the banana slices with a scoop (1/4 cup) of vanilla, strawberry & chocolate low-fat Greek yogurt. Sprinkle with a few sliced almonds or peanuts. Decorate with a cherry or strawberry and you have a tasty, healthy, updated version of the traditional ice cream sundae.

Recipe by Patricia Bannan, MS, RD – a nutrition advisor for JAM.

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Makes 2 portions

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate morsels
• 2 heaping tablespoons malted milk powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Combine reduced-fat milk, chocolate morsels, malted milk powder and vanilla.  Cook over low heat until chocolate melts.

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Makes 4 portions

Ingredients (Pancakes)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup 1% low fat milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt

Ingredients (Toppings)

• 2 cups low fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, briskly combine vanilla yogurt and raisins until yogurt becomes looser texture. Reserve. For the pancakes, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine milk, butter, egg, pumpkin, and yogurt, mixing well.
3. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir until just moist. Do not overmix. Batter may be lumpy. For thinner batter, add milk. Lightly coat a griddle or skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Using a quarter-cup measure, pour batter onto hot griddle. Cook until bubbles begin to burst, then flip pancakes and cook until golden.
4. Serve warm, topped with yogurt-raisin mixture and dusting of cinnamon.

Recipe created by Elizabeth Ward on behalf of 3-Every-Day™ of Dairy
http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/Recipes/Pages/Pumpkin-Pancakes.aspx

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Ingredients

• 6-8 oranges
• 11 oz. canned fruit, drained
• 10 oz. package frozen fruit
• 1 sharpie marker; black

Directions

1. Cut the tops off of the oranges, as if it was a pumpkin you were carving. Scoop out the orange being careful not to rip the peel.
2. Cut up the oranges to use with the fruit mixture. Using the sharpie marker, draw jack o’ lantern faces on the oranges. Set them aside to dry.
3. In a large bowl combine the fresh oranges pieces, canned and frozen fruit.
4. Scoop fruit mixture into the oranges and chill for at least one hour before serving.

Recipe adapted from Creative Homemaking
http://www.creativehomemaking.com/articles/093003c.shtml

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Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 16 round chocolate mint candies
• 8 cups chocolate milk
• 16 large marshmallows
• 16 lollipop sticks

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat milk until warmed through.
2. Meanwhile, cut a slit in top of each marshmallow; insert a candy. Carefully insert a lollipop stick through the bottom of each marshmallow and into each candy.
3. Pour hot cocoa into mugs or cups; place two prepared marshmallows in each cup. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Ogre-Eyes-Hot-Cocoa

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