What’s New With Cookin’ Kids

This is from Audrey at  http://audreysspot.blogspot.com

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
1 package chocolate cake mix (any brand)
1 package cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup mini chocolate chips (I always use milk chocolate, as I like the cupcakes sweet)

1.  Preheat oven to 350F. Put cupcake papers into pan.
2.  Prepare chocolate cake mix according to package instructions and set aside.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and the softened cream cheese until smooth.
4.  Beat egg and add to sugar mixture, mix well. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.
5.  Fill cupcake cases 1/2 full of chocolate cake batter. Then add 1 full teaspoon of cream cheese mixture to center. Top with more chocolate cake batter. Cupcake cups should be 3/4 full.
6.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched in center.

Note: You can use peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips for a wonderful peanut butter and chocolate taste.

I was looking around my kitchen today and thinking about the ways we use it that don’t include cooking and yet are great learning experiences.

One thing we’ve done is to go around and count the cabinet knobs, by twos, threes, or fives.  If you don’t have knobs, your kids can count the cabinet doors and drawers.  They can also practice counting in Spanish.

We have 12 inch tiles on our kitchen floor.  It’s fun to take construction paper and cut the  colored paper up into different sized blocks.  For instance, blue paper becomes 6 inch blocks, green is cut into 3 inch blocks, and red is 1 1/2 inch squares.  We even cut various-sized orange and yellow triangles too. The kids tape these down on the kitchen floor inside the tile(s) so they’re all touching and fit in nicely.  Eventually we end up with a floor quilt!

Have you ever bought one of those multi-bean soup bags?  The beans are perfect for making repetitive patterns.  1 brown, 2 green, 3 red, 1 black, and again… 1 brown, 2 green, 3 red, 1 black.  Let your kids come up with their own patterns or try to complete each other’s patterns.

I’ll list some more ideas in a later post.  Meanwhile, add your own here in the comment section!  Just click on the green comment area above by the title of this post.

Everyone loves a parade, right?  So why not start one in your neighborhood starring the neighborhood kids?  For those of  us in the States, 4th of July is as good an excuse as any to have a parade. 

Here’s what you do:

•   Decide on the date.
•   Choose the parade route.  Make it a loop that’s not too far for the little
    ones to go.
•   Have your kids create flyers and deliver them to every house in the
    neighborhood.  The flyers should list the date, time, meeting place,
    and ideas for decorations or what kids can do in the parade.

Here are some ideas for the kids:

Decorate bikes and bike helmets with crepe paper and balloons.
Dress dogs in costumes (if the child is big enough to control the dog).
Carry the parade banner.
Dress up in costumes.
Toot horns and throw candy.
Turn cartwheels or display any other special skill.
Pull the wagon carrying the boom box with marching music.

On parade day line every one up, with bikes in the lead (since they’re the fastest), and have a grown up at the front to show the kids the parade route.

It’s sure to be one chaotic and fun parade, the first of many because the kids are so darn cute.  Don’t forget your camera!

It’s that time - the newest Cookin’ Kids newsletter is ready!
For those of you who are not subscribed, I thought maybe I’d tell you a little about it.  But first I’ll give you the lowdown on the newsletters in general.  They come out every other month, and each newsletter has:

• An interesting theme(Mexican, Cajun, Cowboy, 1950s Diner, Seattle Seafood, etc.)
• 8 or more delicious kid-friendly recipes that you can make together or the kids can do on their own, depending on their skill level.
• Fun facts about the theme, plus interesting quotes.
• Safety tips.
• Cooking word definitions.
• A game such as a word search, crossword puzzle, or matching challenge.
• Kid-appropriate jokes and silly clip art.
• At least 1 recipe sent in by a reader.  Your child’s participation is encouraged!
• Book and website suggestions to take the kids a little farther on the theme (as a parent, this is one of my favorite parts.)

This current edition is about Picnics and the recipes are fun to make and delicious to eat!

• Fake Fried Chicken
• French Pesto Bread
• Mashed Potato Salad
• Fruity Salad
• Better Cheddar Spreadable
• Quick Great Dip
• Energy Snack
• Your Basic Lemon Bundt Cake

These jokes should get some chuckles out of the kids.
Kids - help an ant find his way through the maze to the picnic food.
You can’t go on a picnic without knowing these food safety tips.
These words are explained - bundt, lemon zest, cream, and pesto.
Plus - find out what to bring on a picnic, where the word picnic comes from, and how picnics were “done” in the 1800s.  You’re not going to believe this last one!
My favorite part - 3 great websites and 3 great books, all having to do with picnics.

There you have it.  If you’re interested in subscribing, please go to the “Buy Now” link on the main page, www.cookinkids.com   It’s still just $17 for a whole year of fun!

Thanks,
Peggy
www.cookinkids.com

Here are 2 easy recipes for kids (or grown ups):

Cornbread Chicken
Ingredients:
6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup melted butter, in a bowl
1 box cornbread stuffing mix, crushed up in a bowl

1.  First dip each chicken piece in the bowl of melted butter.
2.  Next take the chicken and roll them each in the cornbread stuffing until they’re covered.
3.  Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Bake until juices run clear.

Super Easy Guacamole
Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados
sour cream
bottled chunky salsa
salt and pepper

1.  Cut the avocados into 4 pieces each and scoop out the insides into a bowl.
2.  Mash the avocados with a potato masher.
3.  Add enough sour cream to make it creamy.
4.  Add enough salsa to give it a “kick.”
5.  Salt and pepper to taste.

I’m posting 2 fun kids cooking activities for you today.  The first one we’ve done as part of a Halloween party where our guests were families, not just kids.  The second is perfect for a boring, rainy, inside day.

1.  Make your favorite sugar cookies or cut-out cookie recipe, but before you bake them you should take a straw and punch out a hole at the top of each cookie.  After they’re baked and cool, tie a 2 foot long piece of string or yarn to each one.

At party time pair off the guests, preferably 1 adult with 1 child.  The adult gets down on their knees with their hands behind their backs.  The child stands before them (on a chair if necessary) dangling the cookie on the string.  The adult has to try to eat it without using her hands, which is not easy because it swings around.  You want to keep it safe so make sure the guests know this is not a race and that they should tip their head back down normally while chewing.  It’s pretty hilarious and you should take pictures and/or video shots.

2.  Decoration imagination is the name of this activity and cupcakes are the young decorator’s target.  Challenge your kids to decorate the cupcakes like however you tell them to.  A bee?  A cat?  A beachball?  A flower?  A quilt top?  Help them look through your pantry for decorations they can use.  You’ll be surprised with how creative they can be!

Send me any pictures of your children doing these kids activities and I’ll post them here!

Puff pastry comes packaged as long sheets of layered pastry and you can find it in the refrigerator section of your grocery store.  Don’t be afraid, it’s really very easy to work with and you can make some really cool recipes with it!

Puff pastry tips -

*  Work with one sheet at a time and keep the rest in the fridge.

*  Try to handle it as little as possible as you want it to ”lift” and look light and flakey after it’s baked.

*  If it gets soft before you’re done working with it, put it back in the fridge for a bit.

*  Cut it with a pizza cutter or cookie cutters.

*  To add a glaze, beat 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of water together.  Brush on lightly.

There are all sorts of delicious things you can make with puff pastry - 

*  Cut out big squares and scoop some canned pie filling into the middle.  Bring up the four corners to the middle and pinch them together.  Glaze with your egg yolk mixture and sprinkle a little sugar over the top. 

*  Mini pizzas - cut the pastry into any shape you want and top with your favorite pizza toppings.

*  Use funny cookie cutter shapes to cut the pastry.  Glaze lightly, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

*  Make a pie that doesn’t need a pie shell - just use a cookie sheet.  Lay down one sheet of pastry and add canned stew or chili (not too much of the liquid though).  Top with another sheet, glaze the edges and pinch all edges together.

There are tons of ways to use the puff pastry, just use your imagination!  If you get stuck, there are websites totally dedicated to puff pastry recipes that you can take a look at.

Have fun!
Peggy

It doesn’t get any easier than this kid freindly recipe!

Easy Fudge

Ingredients:
1 package chocolate chips *
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
1.  Melt the chocolate chips and condensed milk on the stove using the double boiler method (chips and milk in a smaller pot on top of a bigger pot filled with about 2 inches of water).  Stir until smooth.
2.  Pour the mixture into a greased 8 inch square pan so it can cool.

* You can try it with peanutbutter or butterscotch chips instead.

I’m often asked if there’s a “right age” for kids to learn to cook.  My answer is no.  Mostly it depends on whether the child is interested in cooking.  If they’re interested, let them, no matter how old they are.  Even the youngest of children can stir or add a half cup of sugar or tear lettuce.

 Plus, it’s easier to get them cooking when they’re young and they want to, versus trying to force the issue when they’re older and  don’t want to.  There’s a small window of opportunity and if you let them through it and help nurture their interest, they may become lifelong chefs. 

You might find that they’ve been cooking for some time, and then suddenly they don’t want to anymore.  It’s just like their fickleness with eating; one day they love spaghetti and the next time you make it they don’t.  :-)  They might have found other things that now hold their interest more than cooking, but there’s a good chance they’ll come back to it later on if a solid foundation in the kitchen has been laid.

So when your kids are young and are eager beavers to help in the kitchen - that’s when it’s a good time for your kids to learn to cook.

Please leave me a comment if you agree, disagree, or just want to add something!

Thanks.

Have The Kids Make These Great Easter Ornaments

By Emma Miles

Treat the kids to some fun this Easter by letting them make some Easter ornaments. This is a very simple recipe that is easy to make and is very low in allergens so is great for kids with allergies or coeliacs. For coeliacs or kids with wheat allergies you can substitute the plain flour for a gluten free all purpose flour such as Orgran all purpose flour to make gluten free dough. This is a great recipe and fun especially for those kids that are allergic to eggs. These kids cannot do the traditional egg painting as even slight contact with an egg can set off a reaction.

Go on and make these Easter ornaments with the kids for the dinner table, to hang in a window or on a tree. Don’t forget this dough is NOT edible…make it nice and bright or Easter pastel shades, also divide dough into 2-3 batches and do lots of colours.

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour or for Coeliacs/wheat allergies use Orgrans Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water
Food Colouring, coloured to your childs liking…or children can paint the plain dough after baking.
Paper clips or skewers

1. Mix flour, water and salt together until smooth but stiff, separate dough and mix in colours (or leave plain).

2. Roll out with a rolling pin and cut out EASTER letters or Easter designs such as carrots, eggs, ducks, chicks or rabbits.

3. Push a paper clip into the top of ornament so they can be hung up. If the hole closes after baking it can be quickly re-opened by using a skewer or chopstick to widen the hole.

4. Bake at 160oC for 2 hrs. or until hard. Cool and paint.

Have a happy Easter.