Poolside Snacks and Recipes

A crunchy jumble of fish-shape crackers, oyster crackers and corn chips makes a hit with kids. Trim sheets of colored paper with scalloped scissors and roll the sheets into cones to serve the mix.
Start to finish: 10 min.

4 cups corn chips
1 6-ounce package bite-size cheddar cheese fish-shape crackers (3 cups)
2 cups oyster crackers
1 cup canned fried mixed vegetable sticks or potato sticks (shoestring potatoes)
1 cup tiny marshmallows

In a very large mixing bowl, combine corn chips, fish-shape crackers, oyster crackers and vegetable sticks. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week. Stir in marshmallows before serving. Makes 11 cups (16 servings).

“Sea creatures” floating in the punch bowl, are actually refreezable plastic ice cubes.
Prep: 12 min. plus chill time.

1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
4 cups water
¼  cup sugar
1 0.22-ounce envelope blue-color unsweetened soft drink mix
1 1-liter bottle lemon-lime carbonated beverage, chilled
Refreezable plastic ice cubes in fish or shell shapes, frozen

1. In a large nonmetal pitcher, combine the lemonade concentrate, water and sugar. Stir in soft drink mix. Cover and chill mixture until serving time.
2. To serve, transfer lemonade mixture to a punch bowl. Stir in lemon-lime carbonated beverage. Add refreezable ice cubes. Makes 9 (8-ounce) servings.

A fish-shape cookie cutter transforms sugar cookie dough into a school of sweet and finned friends with brightly colored icing. Use ¼-inch-diameter dowels and assorted colors of nontoxic paint to create the colorful poles that hold the fish.
Prep: 30 min.  Chill: 1 hr.  Bake: 8 min. per batch   

½  cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
½  teaspoon vanilla
2¼  cups all-purpose flour
4 to 4½ cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼  cup milk
Food coloring
6¼-inch-diameter wooden dowels, painted in assorted colors
Embroidery thread

1. Beat butter for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and baking powder. Beat in egg, 2 tablespoons milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover; chill 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough, one half at a time, to about ¼-inch thickness. Use 2½ - to 3-inch fish-shape cookie cutters to cut dough, rerolling dough as necessary. Transfer shapes to ungreased cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. With a plastic drinking straw, make a hole at the top of each cookie.
3. Bake in preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Reopen holes with a toothpick. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool.
4. For glaze, combine 4 cups of the powdered sugar, the 1 teaspoon vanilla and the ¼ cup milk. Divide into portions, setting one portion aside. Tint the portions with food coloring, as desired. Glaze cookies. Stir remaining powdered sugar into remaining icing portion for piping consistency. Pipe decorations onto glazed fish. Let icing dry.
5. Attach each fish to a wooden dowel using the embroidery thread. Makes about 30 cookies.