v 5 issue 40: Cooking is Cool

This weeks issue features ultra-cool cooking gadgets and more that will have your little ones blending and measuring while having fun in the kitchen.


Cover by Kate Callahan








1 Six felt Chocolate Chip Cookies are freshly prepared and stored inside a cookie-scented box. Each box is topped off with a big pink bow and a working rolling pin. An absolutely fabulous hostess gift for a fancy tea party.

2 Bakers of both genders will delight in the adorable choices available for piggies who want to cook @ thepiggystory.com. Both "Chef Mini" Aprons stir up visions of being home on the range and are sure to inspire some good old-fashioned home cookin'. Two sizes available to fit ages 2 through 6.

3 Create special moments through the playful interaction of cooking. Each Little Baker Suitcase @ Childtocherish is a food grade tin stuffed with the essential tools for a wonderful baking experience: a baker's apron, rolling pin, spoon, recipe booklet, and 3 cookie cutters. Enter code: TTW10 for a 10% off thru 05/31/10.

4 The Zebra Mix Cupcake & Frosting Kit packs a combination of all-natural and organic ingredients into a reusable zebra striped tin. Unfold the included Safari Baking Map and follow the step-by-step instructions. The end result is 12 yummy cupcakes and a boatload of fun! Enter code: TTW25 for 25% off total order when checking out. Your credit will apply after checkout.

5 Playing with your food is highly encouraged when it comes to Melissa & Doug's Food Play. Everything you need to slice and serve the taste of little Italy can be found in this magnificent Pizza Party Set. Comes with 50+ toppings. Plus, the pizza makes slicing sounds when you cut it!

6 The Playful Chef Deluxe Cooking Kit is stocked with utensils, kitchen accessories, recipes, and educational tips for kitchen curious kiddos. The accessories are pint-sized for little hands, measuring tools are color coded, and the recipes are broken down into 10 steps for easy instruction. Perfect for 3 to 5 year olds.

7 With a focus on healthy nutrition for optimal growth & development, Annabel Karmel offers Moms The Toddler Cookbook to get kids in the kitchen and cooking! Annabel truly soars when it comes to creating kid-friendly meals and snacks. The recipes taste great, look great, and the kids can do most of the work.


Having Fun in the kitchen
Here are a few kid-friendly recipes and healthy snacks, as well as recipes your children can make themselves.

Cheesy Carrot Balls
Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 bar)
2 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1 carrot, grated

Instructions:
In a medium mixing bowl combine all ingredients. With slightly wet hands roll into balls. You will get between 1 and 2 dozen balls depending on how big you make them.

These are fun and yummy for kid's lunches. There's just something about food that's round! Can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Apple Nachos with Peanut Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
1 apple (diced)
1 banana (halved and sliced)
2 whole pita breads
1/4 cup butter, melted (1/2 stick)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup of whole milk
1 tablespoon of honey

Instructions:
Cut the pitas in half so you have two half circles, then cut in half again, creating 4 triangle shapes from each. Separate and pull bread apart at the edge where it's still attached. Brush pita chips with butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 400 degrees F for 5 - 7 minutes. While baking, prepare sauce by melting together peanut butter, honey and milk in a small saucepan. Serve chips drizzled with sauce and add sliced apples and banana to the plate for a fun lunch or after school snack.


Turkey Lunch Kabob
Because food on a stick tastes better!
Ingredients:
cheddar cheese, cubed
ham, chicken or turkey breast cubed
green pepper
cherry tomatoes
kabob skewers - *NOTE: for very small children you may want to cut off the sharp point of the kabob or use plastic skewers

Instructions:
Cut cheese and meats into cubes. Cut pepper into chunks.Thread onto skewers alternating cheese, meat, veggies. This makes a great sandwich replacement and makes veggies like peppers and tomatoes more fun for little fingers to try.


French Toast Fresh from the Oven
Ingredients:
8 ounces stale bread, remove crusts and cut into cubes
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups of milk (or half and half)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)

Instructions:
Butter a 9- by 9-inch baking dish. Layer the bread cubes in bottom.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over bread cubes and cover. Chill for one hour.

Once chilled, make the topping!
In a small bowl, stir together butter, sugar, and walnuts with a fork until mixture is crumbly and butter is evenly distributed. Sprinkle this mixture over the soaked bread cubes. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.


Get Kids Involved in Food Preparation
First remind your kids that you should always wash their hands before preparing food. Kids love helping in the kitchen and here is your chance to teach them the right way. To help them really feel like chefs, aprons are also great to have on hand.

- for younger kids storybooks with cooking involved are a good place to start building an interest in helping.

- ask questions and talk about what will happen when you do certain things, like chop something up, or put something in the oven ... this gets their interest even if they aren't doing the action themselves yet.

- the simplest tasks can get even a toddle involved in food prep, stirring the macaroni, pouring the milk, etc.

- clean up afterward is a time when everyone can help as well.

- gathering of ingredients is an important step and one that most kids can handle, "please bring me 3 carrots, and 2 sticks of celery" and a good beginning to helping out in the kitchen area

- teach them to make something that they can make with little help from you, a scrambled egg, a grilled cheese sandwich, a bowl of soup, a fruit salad, etc.

- look for kids sized kitchen gear and alternate tools for little fingers, for example kids could use a rolling pizza cutter to cut up veggies instead of a big sharp knife.

- get kids their own cookbook and let them choose a recipe, there are a variety of kids geared cookbooks on the market today to choose from.

- let them experiment with different foods, textures, ingredients, combinations, sauces, dips etc.... even if you think something sounds gross and they want to try combining it let them try a small amount, it's the best way to learn about foods.

- don't take over, as adults and parents we tend to want to do things for them when we see a little bit of a struggle or when we think they might not succeed, try to take a different approach, stand back and be observant but don't help unless they ask you too or if it's with something sharp or extremely hot.