Cooking with Kids: 10 Recipes for National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day

 For the Kids, Recipes  8 Responses »
Sep 112013
 

National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day is this Friday, September 13th.  I love any excuse to get cooking with kids in the kitchen.  Not only does cooking help teach math skills, it’s also an important life skill; they’re going to need to feed themselves some day, right?

It’s not a day that existed when I was a kid, but I spent plenty of time in the kitchen baking treats and making dinner for my family.  I baked a Cookie Monster cake and decorated it by hand – all that blue fur with a “grass” decorating tip – for my brother’s 3rd or 4th birthday.  And I regularly made dinner for my parents on their wedding anniversary.

Cooking with Kids – 10 Recipes

While Bubbles is a little young to let loose in the kitchen on her own, she absolutely loves to help prepare meals.  She spreads her own peanut butter and jelly on her sandwiches, helps pour water for cooking mac & cheese, and measures out ingredients for cookies and other baked treats.  She’s also great at adding cheese and other toppings to pizza.

Cooking with Kids: 10 Recipes Kids Can Cook

I reached out to some fellow bloggers and others to put together a list of recipes that your kids will be able to make either on their own, or with minimal help (like putting something in and taking something out of the oven).  There are also a couple of recipes that you can do together with younger kiddos.  Hopefully you’ll end up having dinner prepared and served for you on Friday.  But don’t forget – the cook doesn’t clean, so it may be your turn to do the dishes!

Roasted Sweet Potato Shapes – Views From the ‘Ville (pictured above)
Pizza Pinwheels – Newlywed Survival (pictured above)
Loaded Baked Banana Boats – This Flourishing Life
Angry Birds Waffles – Sunshine and Sippy Cups (pictured above)
Copycat Red Lobster Biscuits – Views From the ‘Ville (pictured above)
No-Bake Fresh Fruit Tarts – A Nation of Moms (pictured above)
Candy Sushi – SusieQTpies Cafe
Dipped Marshmallows – Views From the ‘Ville (pictured above)
Individual Biscuit Pizzas – Nicki’s Random Musings
Pear Penguins – Parenting.com

And here’s a bonus! Your kids can make these Homemade Dog Treats from Two Little Cavaliers for your four-footed family members.

What are your favorite recipes for cooking with kids?

Pizza Casserole Bake Recipe – Perfect For These Colder Temps!

 Recipes  4 Responses »
Nov 152011
 

With the temperature dropping, are you looking for casserole recipes?

It’s been cold and rainy here so we were looking for something along the lines of comfort food.  Casserole recipes usually fit the comfort food-bill nicely!  This pizza casserole bake is comfort food with a twist – not quite mac & cheese, not quite pizza.  It’s fairly quick and easy to throw together, though, and is also easy to customize to your own personal tastes.
Pizza Casserole Bake
1 lb cavatappi pasta
4 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar (16 oz) pasta sauce (I used Ragu)
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg. pepperonis
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Season ground beef with garlic powder, salt and pepper and brown in a skillet until no longer pink.
  3. While beef is browning, cook pasta according to package directions (about 10 minutes).
  4. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 pan.
  5. Cover the sauce with 1/2 of the cooked pasta.
  6. Cover the pasta with 1/2 of the ground beef mixture.
  7. Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the pasta.  Top with the remaining pasta.
  8. Cover the pasta with 1/2 of the cheese.  Top with the remaining beef.
  9. Pour the remaining sauce over the top and then cover with them remaining cheese.
  10. Place rows of pepperonis on top of the cheese to finish.
  11. Cover with foil (spray the foil first to keep it from sticking to the cheese) and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Normally when I make this to take to a potluck or gathering, I add a can of mushrooms with each layer of ground beef.  The kiddos aren’t mushroom fans, though, so I leave them out for them.  You could easily add any other pizza ingredients you’d like – sausage, green pepper, onion and bacon would all work nicely.

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