Having your kids eat your recipes with delight can be a wonderful sight to behold. To make things a notch higher, you can bring your kids along to the kitchen and have them take part in the preparation and cooking of fun, easy and delicious recipes. Not only does this activity spur their interest in cooking, but you also spend longer bonding time with them by utilizing cooking time as a family activity. There are many fun and easy recipes you can make and the possibilities are endless when you include the creativity and imaginative ideas of your kids into the mix.
1. Sandwich Toast Pizzas
Kids love to eat pizza. But instead of spending money ordering pizza deliveries, there is a fun alternative that kids will surely love and enjoy. All you need are the right pizza tools and these household ingredients: a sandwich loaf, tomato sauce, cheddar cheese (sliced or grated), pepperoni (minced chicken, tuna and ground pork and beef can serve as alternatives), minced garlic and onions, tomato slices (thin, round) and bell pepper slices (thin strips) and basil leaves (tiny strips).
Start by spreading tomato sauce on individual sandwich slices. Next, you can have the option of letting your kids sprinkle grated cheese or place sliced cheese over the sandwich. After that, let creativity loose and have them mix other ingredients – the meat, veggies, and herbs – be sure to guide them so there won’t be too much of a mess and the ingredients are distributed evenly. Once ready, they can be placed in an oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes. Afterward, presto! The miniature pizzas are ready.
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies are the timeless favorites of kids for many generations. Stacey of Creating My Happiness recommends making your own variation to this classic recipe. Thus, give your kids the privilege of making this all-time favorite snack by having them join you in the baking process and have them share their cooking ideas. These are the ingredients you need: ½ cup butter, ½ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 egg, 11/2 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 cup chocolate chips.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Start by melting butter and pouring it into a large bowl. Mix in sugar until well combined. Stir in vanilla and egg until well mixed. Pour in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix the dough until soft and sticky. You can let your kids do the pouring and mixing of the dough once the right consistency is achieved. Stir in the chocolate chips to complete the mix. Use a medium-sized cookie scoop to scoop out the dough and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes and serve after letting it cool down a bit. There are also many Chocolate chip cookies microwave recipes you can try with your kids.
3. Homemade Honey Bread
Let your kids fulfill their baking fantasies by joining you in making this recipe. All you need are the following: 1 1/4 cup milk, warmed to 110-115°F, 1 package active dry yeast, 1/4 cup honey, 1/8 cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 cups all-purpose flour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Dissolve one package dry yeast into a bowl with warmed milk. Add honey, melted butter and salt and then mix to combine. Add 3 cups of flour and mix with hands to form a soft dough. Use additional flour for dusting. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Afterward, place the dough in a greased bowl and place the bowl in a warm place for 1 hour to let the dough rise and double. Next, punch down the dough and placed it on a greased loaf pan. Cover the dough for 30 minutes and let it rise and double in a warm place. Put the loaf pan into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes and remove to cool once done.
4. Flavored Oatmeal
Give your oatmeal a flavorful twist with your kids tagging along. Instead of the bland original flavor or the artificially flavored varieties, you can have plenty of creative twists you can make with your kids. Here are a few suggested flavors you can add to your oatmeals: yogurt, milk, mango, banana, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and other fresh fruits. Dried fruits also give additional flavor to your warm or cold oatmeal. You can add dried raisins, dried prunes, dried blueberries and more. Honey and maple syrup make great sweeteners for your oatmeal. Other flavors you can explore are additional grains, nuts and seeds, and chocolate.
5. Ham Egg and Cheese Rollups
Let your kids prepare and enjoy a different twist to their everyday breakfast. Instead of the usual ham and egg breakfast, you can let them create something new. You just need to improve the food that you already have: ham slices, scrambled eggs, and grated cheddar cheese.
Just lay out one piece of ham and top it with a spoonful of scrambled eggs, Sprinkled ½ tablespoon of grated cheddar cheese and the roll-up. Repeat the steps with your kids until you make 10 rollups. Place your roll-ups in a shallow baking dish and broil for about 5 minutes or until they become a little crispy. Now, here’s something your kids would love to eat for breakfast.
6. Mini Lasagna Cups
Here’s something of a bite-sized version of the big cheesy favorite your kids – lasagna. What you’ll need are wonton wraps, tomato sauce, fried ground beef, ricotta cheese, butter, Italian seasonings, and mozzarella cheese.
Place thin strips of butter slices on a muffin tin. Place the wonton wraps next on the muffin tin. Place a spoonful of tomato sauce on the won ton wraps, then add ½ tablespoon of fried ground pork, followed by 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Place another wonton wrap over and place the amount of sauce and alternately with grated ricotta cheese. Sprinkle Italian seasonings. Fill up all the spaces of the muffin tin with wonton, sauce and cheese layers and then bake at 375°F for 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and pop out with a knife and serve.
There are many easy and fun recipes you can cook with your kids. Just tune your creativity and imagination to be the same as theirs and you’ll be amazed at the cooking ideas you come up with. Not only is cooking with your kids good for bonding with them and creating an emotional attachment, but cooking activities also impart useful cooking skills for them when they grow up.
