Frozen Fruit Salad

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup water

3 small cartons frozen strawberries

1 large can crushed pineapple

4 sliced bananas

Mix fruits together. Boil sugar and water for 3 minutes. Cool and pour over fruit. Pour in paper muffin cups in pans. Freeze. Set out 10 minutes before serving. Makes 24 cups.

Spiced Pear with Vanilla Ice Cream

1 sheet (18x12) inches heavy duty foil
2 teaspoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 large Bosc pear, halved lengthwise and cored
Lemon juice
2 scoops vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat toaster oven or oven to 450. Coat center of foil with butter.

2. Combine sugar and pumpkin pie spice in small bowl. Sprinkle sugar mixture over butter. Sprinkle cut sides of pear halves with lemon juice. Place pear halves, cut side down, side by side on sugar mixture.

3. Double-fold sides and ends of foil to seal foil packet, leaving head space for heat circulation. Place packet on toaster oven tray or baking sheet.

4. Bake 40 minutes or until pear halves are tender. Remove from oven. Let stand 15 minutes.

5. Open packet and transfer pear halves to serving plates. Spoon sauce over pears. Serve with ice cream.

Broiled Pineapple with Spiced Vanilla Sauce

3 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup undiluted evaporated milk or half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or Chinese 5-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 sheet (14x12 inches) heavy duty foil
2 teaspoons butter
2 thick,round slices fresh pineapple, skin and eyes trimmed
1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Place cream cheese, granulated sugar, milk, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in food processor or blender; process until smooth. Refrigerate.

3. Coat center of foil sheet with butter. Place pineapple slices side by side on foil. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Fold up sides and ends of foil to form container around pineapple, leaving top of container open. Place container on baking sheet.

4. Broil pineapple 4 inches from heat source 10-12 minutes until surface of pineapple is bubbling and flecked with brown. Watch pineapple closely during last 5 minutes of broiling to avoid burning.

5. Remove from oven. Transfer pineapple to serving plates. Serve immediately with cream cheese mixture.

**When camping, we cook pineapple and pears together in foil with butter, cinnamon and sugar. Or pumpkin spice.