Cooking with Kids plus kid-friendly recipes

My mom is a great cook and amazing baker, and I have such fond childhood memories of cooking with her.  It was neat one-on-one time, doing something with both enjoyed.  I was always so proud of my finished products–even the ones that didn’t turn out quite right!  🙂  I continued the family cooking tradition when my eldest, Alyssa, was about 2 1/2.  Her younger sister, Lila, now age 3, is constantly asking if she can help me cook.

Now, before your eyes pop out of your head thinking about the mess of a 2 1/2 year old cooking, let me explain.  At that age, it’s definitely a team effort.  The measuring and stirring is mostly a mom job, but oh, how those little ones love to plop the ingredients into the bowl!  Just that simple task makes them feel like full-blown chefs!  And I’ll admit, it can be a little more messy and time consuming, but for me, is so worth it!  Think of what your kids gain when they cook with you:  a real-life skill, exposure to math and fractions, a sense of accomplishment, small motor skill coordination, and most importantly, time with   Y-O-U.  As an added bonus, I’ve found that my kids are more willing to eat new things when they have a hand in cooking them…sneaky, huh?!

Below are a few of our favorite recipes to try together.  Let me know what you think!

Mixed Berry Muffins

These are Alyssa’s absolute fav!

Mixed Berry Muffins Ingredients:

• 2 C. flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 C. sugar
• 1/3 C. butter or margarine, melted
• 1 C. milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 C, heaping of unsweetened, fresh or frozen berries of your choice (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a mixture)

Mixed Berry Muffins Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place 12-16 paper liners in muffin tins, or grease muffin tins.
3. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar-set aside.
4. Mix melted butter, milk, egg and vanilla together.
5. Add to butter mixture to dry ingredients.
6. Stir only until dry ingredients are moist-it will be lumpy.
7. Gently fold in berries.  Less stirring = more tender muffins.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown on top.  Enjoy!

Build Your Own Pizzas Recipe

Just made these last week with a group of kids ages 3-10–they all thought it was so fun!  Sometimes, it’s the little things that score you points!

Build Your Own Pizzas Ingredients

• Boboli-style pizza crusts (I just cut the 12″ into 4 pie-shaped pieces.  You can also find smaller rounds that you could use for individual pizzas)
• 1 jar/can pizza sauce
• toppings of your choice:  Shredded cheese, meats, veggies, etc…

Build Your Own Pizzas Directions

1. Put the ingredients in separate small containers, and spread them out on your counter or table.
2. Start each child with a crust on a small plate.
3. Have them spread sauce on their crust.
4. Allow them to go down the “pizza bar” line, choosing their toppings.
5. Slide individual pizzas onto cookie sheets and place in preheated oven.
6. Bake in oven according to crust baking directions.

S’mores Bars Recipe

From Allrecipes.com–Recipe submitted by Kristine Brown

We made these for a party last week, and they were incredibly easy and YUMMY!

S’mores Bars Recipe Ingredients:

• 8 whole graham crackers
• 1 box fudge brownie mix
• 2 C. mini marshmallows
• 1 C. semisweet  chocolate chips ( I used about 1/2 C.)
• 2/3 C. chopped peanuts (I skipped this due to possible peanut allergies)

S’mores Bars Recipe Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Arrange graham crackers in a single layer in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
3. You may have to break a few to fully cover the base of the pan.
4. Prepare the brownie batter according to package directions.
5. Spread over crackers.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
7. Sprinkle with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and peanuts, if desired.
8. Bake about 5 minutes longer until marshmallows are puffed and golden brown.
9. Cool on a wire rack before cutting.

Beth

Beth celebrates the everyday wonders of life with a keen eye for deals, a flare for the color green, and an honest desire to share with her fellow moms here in town! Check out more of Beth's recent articles, and subscribe to our daily email/rss feed to see what she writes next!