Easy Easter Basket Cupcakes...

Easter is a time of celebration! And, of course, for the kids it's a time for jelly beans and chocolate bunnies.

If you're invited to an Easter egg hunt and need to take something make it special. The kids will love decorating these extra easy cupcakes and everyone will think you spent hours on them.

Have the kids stir up their favorite cupcake recipe and bake 'em! Frost them with pastel colored frosting... either use your favorite recipe or store bought for quick and easy.Sprinkle the tops of the cupcakes with green coconut (easy... just put coconut in a jar with a drop... maybe two of green food coloring and shake it up... the kids love doing the shaking up!). This will be the grass for the cupcake basket. Then let the kids decorate with jelly beans so it looks like eggs in an Easter basket.

Top the cupcakes off with red string licorice making the "handle of the basket."

The kids are gonna love 'em and have a great time with this "hoppy" project!

Get Kids Cooking!

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Little Easter Eggs Hiding in the Grass...

All righty... the Easter Bunny is just around the corner and the blessed day of Easter is fast approaching!

If there's a lot of cooking going on at your house during this Holy week, the kids are going to want to help and you're going to want to keep it simple. So let them stir this up and be a part of the celebration.

Oh... I forgot to tell you... this is a pudding ice cream dessert... might be nice if you knew what the kids are going to be stirring up!

Here's what you'll need:

1 4-serving-size package instant chocolate pudding

2 cups milk (make sure the milk is extra cold!)

1 pint mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened

1 cup miniature marshmallows... get the pastel ones so they look like Easter eggs!

Flake Coconut (optional)

Green food coloring (optional)

8x8x2-inch pan

Measure out the ice cream and put it on the counter to soften.

Place the pudding mix in a large bowl and let the kids stir, stir, stir until the pudding begins to set up. Now add the softened ice cream. Teach the kids how to "fold in" on this one... yes,they will simply stir it! The end result will be the same... :-)

Put the pudding mixture in the pan. If you want to get fancy, using a little jar, place some coconut in the jar and a drop or two or green food coloring. Let the kids shake, shake, shake the jar and they will have green Easter grass! Voila!

Sprinkle the "green coconut" on top of the pudding and then sprinkle the marshmallows on top. It looks like little Easter eggs hiding in the grass!

Now pop this creation into the freezer. When serving, let it stand for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares. The kids are gonna love it!

Get Kids Cooking!

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

It's National Chocolate Week... Chocolate Lava Muffins!

Hey all my little foodies... I know Spring is here and we'll be doing some really fun things for Spring... however, it's National Chocolate Week and we can't pass up an opportunity like this to INDULGE, now can we? 

So let's celebrate!

Here's an easy little chocolate delight that I think you're going to love, love, love... It's like those ooey gooey chocolate lava cakes but it's muffins! So here we go to Chocolate-Land!

Chocolate Lava Muffins

Here’s what you’ll need…
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
Aluminum foil cupcake liners

Ice Cream (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave. Stir in vanilla.

Use a large mixing bowl and combine sugar, flour and salt. Then sift these dry ingredients into the chocolate. Mix well with electric hand mixer with an adult helper.

Add eggs one at time. Beat at high until batter... let the adult helper do this and you watch as the batter changes... it will get creamy and lightens in color (mix about 4 minutes). Chill mixture.

Spoon mixture into pan using a scoop. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. Outsides should be cake-like and centers should be gooey.

If you want this dessert to be over the top, then serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side OR take the cupcake liner off and put the lava muffin in a big bowl and put the ice cream on top. YUMMY!

Happy Cooking with Kids in the Kitchen,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Chef

Spring is Coming!

Are you counting the days until Spring is really here? I am because that means you'll find me in the garden... I love gardening!

Come back and check in often because I've got some really fun things for the kids to have their own little gardens. If you live in the city, no worries... we'll do some "windowsill gardening!" It's important that kids know "where their food comes from"... and, I don't mean the grocery store!

Just wanted to give you a heads up as to what's coming for Spring.  It's going to be an exciting Spring!

Meanwhile, keep those kids in the kitchen cooking up a storm :-)
Happy Cooking,
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

St. Patrick's Day Sea Foam Punch!

Top 'O the Mornin' to all of my little foodies on St. Patrick's Day! With a name like McCracken, I just gotta give you something GREEN to drink today :-)

This would be a special treat... it's GREEN and it's foamy... FUN for St. Patrick's Day!

Here's what you'll need:

1 package of lemon-lime Kool-Aid

1 cup sugar

4 cups milk

1 (17-ounce) bottle of lemon-lime soda (chilled)

1 pint vanilla ice cream

Something else FUN for this punch... do you have one of those plastic "black pots" from Halloween? You can use it for St. Paddy's Day too... instead of a "cauldron" today it's a Pot of Gold... :-)

Okay, let's mix it up! You can mix this all together right in your punch bowl... First, dissolve the Kool-Aid and sugar in the milk. Stir it until it's all dissolved.

Add the cold soda and stir it in. And now for the fun part... Use an ice cream scoop and float scoops of vanilla ice cream in the punch.

Yummmy green stuff!

Happy St. Patrick's Day,

Jan McCracken with the KidsCooking411

Rice Krispie Treats Gone GREEN!

It's easy being GREEN... especially on St. Patrick's Day! Rice Krispie Treats have been a long standing fave so let's put a little Irish in 'em!

Head the kids to the kitchen and grab your heart shaped cookie cutters... yep, stick 'em together and they make shamrocks... Voila!

Here's what you need and a look at the pic should put you in busy and all of sudden all of those little eyes are Irish and they be smilin' :-)... When Irish are smilin'... la la la ... Here  ya' go...
 
1/4  cup butter
1 (10-ounce) package marshmallows
1 (2-ounce) jar green sugar candy sprinkles
6 cups Rice Krispies

The adult helper needs to do this part please: In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and continue to stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. (Depending on the age of the child (or children) that you’re cooking with, they do love to STIR!)

Add the green sprinkles, stir well. Remove from heat.

Stir in the Rice Krispies cereal coating them well with the melted marshmallow mixture.

Using a buttered or silicone spatula, press the mixture evenly into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan which has been buttered or sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with wax paper.

Note:  The kids love doing this with little “buttered hands”… just make sure the mixture is not too hot to burn their hands! You can spread it with the spatula in the pan while it’s hot and then let them press the mixture down with their little hands! FUN!

When the mixture cools to touch, turn out on a cutting board and cut into heart shapes. Let the kids stick ‘em together and add a stick! Note:  You can use Popsicle sticks, chopsticks from the dollar store or the paper ones from the bakery aisle. The stick size you will need to hold it will depend on the size of your cookie cutter!

Happy Cooking with Kids!
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Shake it Up GREEN!

Everyone claims to be a "bit" Irish on St. Patrick's Day!

This quick and easy recipe to celebrate the "Wearin' of the Green" can be a "to go" fun thing for the kids with your play groups, pre-school kids or even an after school enrichment program for the younger kids.

Here's what you'll need:
Instant Pistachio Pudding
Milk (very cold)
Zippy plastic bags (sandwich size works!)

So each child is "in charge" of their preparation, you might want to dump the pudding into a small plastic bowl (or large, depending on the numbers you're working with). Have several measuring spoons that are equal to 1 Tablespoon measurement.

Go to each child and have them measure out their pudding and dump it into their plastic bag. Since they're in charge and you're the "adult helper"... ask the kids to take both of their hands and hold the bag open for you so you can dump their milk into the bag... here's the easy recipe and then back for the real fun!

1 Tablespoon Pistachio Pudding Mix
1/2 cup milk

Make sure the milk is extra cold (pop it in the freezer for a little while)... it will make the pudding set up really quickly.

Have an adult help each child make sure their zippy bag is closed tightly. Now for the fun... each child shakes the bags, turns them and can gently squeeze them until the pudding is mixed.

You can even do this outside at the park! If you want to make super sure that the pudding is totally set up you could take a small cooler of ice along and have each child put their name on their zippy bag. If you're in a classroom setting... you can use the refrigerator.

Make the "Green Pudding" the activity and then chill it and it can be saved for snack time. Whatever you decide to do... have fun! The kids love doing this... just remember... St. Patrick's Day is a day for the "wearin' of the green"... but I didn't say the kids should "wear" this green pudding!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Getting Kids into the Kitchen,
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Build Some "Leap Day" Cookies!

You know I like to make and bake stuff from scratch with kids... but it's a "school night" and I wanted to share something with you that is quick and easy for celebrating "Leap Day!"

Let the kids build these cookies and do a little more research on Leap Year and Leap Day with a cup of hot chocolate or hot tea and share this Leap Day Cookie! Here ya' go...

• Body and  Head:  4 Oreo cookies
• Feet: 2 Keebler Vienna Wafer cookies
• Eyes: Sugar gummies – you can use an icing tip bottom to cut them out in a small, perfect circle and two green candies from a candy necklace (you can use anything else that works… chocolate chips are dandy...  the holes in the candies form the candy necklace just make it more realistic :-)
• Tongue: a red Chicklet

Getting kids into the kitchen,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

It's Leap Day... "Leap Day" Babies!

WHAT DO LEAP DAY BABIES CALL THEMSELVES?

 

Leap Day babies... not Leap Year babies.
Anyone can be born IN a Leap Year.
Leap Day babies were born ON Leap Day.
There's a big difference there!
If you were born on February 29
You are a “Leap Day” baby.

Happy Leap Day... a "jump into the kitchen recipe" is coming right up!

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Easy Shamrock Cake!

It doesn't get much easier to create a party atmosphere with a special cake than this easy "Shamrock Cake" for St. Patrick's Day!

The picture to the left is of a lucky 4-leaf clover so you have a choice... will it be the real luck of the Irish with a lucky 4-leaf clover or a shamrock?

Whatever you and the kids decide, you'll need either 3 or 4 heart-shaped pans... 3 for a shamrock cake or 4 for the clover cake. I've seen small heart-shaped pans at the dollar stores... so have a look... don't make this an expensive activity... that's not our goal. And, the pans can't be too big or you won't have enough cake batter! The ones I've seen are smaller and the new silicone ones. The perfect size for this project!

You can choose your favorite homemade cake recipe or buy a white cake mix... OR, for a special treat, the kids really like the "confetti cake" mix. If you haven't tried the confetti mix, watch your grocery ads as they go on sale a lot so you could pick up a couple... and, it's a very moist cake.

All righty... so here's the road map to your St. Patrick's Day cake... Let the kids prepare the cake mix (or their favorite cake recipe). Note:  Wally World has gotten into the "specialty cake mixes lately and I picked up a "green" Confetti Cake mix with matching icing... very cool for a St. Paddy's Day "cake project" :-)

Equally divide the batter into 3 (or 4) heart-shaped pans... Bake according to the directions and let the little heart cakes cool. Meanwhile, let the kids be stirring up make their favorite (and easiest) icing recipe. Tint it with green food coloring, of course (unless you're using a specialty cake mix)!

Now, join the heart cakes together at their tips, forming a shamrock or the lucky 4-leaf clover! How easy was that? Let the kids get icing all over them and lick it off and frost the cake green... the shade is only left to the kids' imagination!

Add to the fun and decorate the cake with little gold coins scattered across it or little store-bought shamrocks. There's tons of ideas for decorations and if you just turn the kids loose in the dollar store, I'm sure they'll find more than enough decorations.

Get ready for rave reviews on your St. Patrick's Day creation! Most of all, have fun!

Getting kids into the kitchen,
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

For the LOVE of Cooking with Kids!

It's Valentine's Day and it's all about LOVE... I encourage you to get your kids into the kitchen cooking... I'm working on a new e-book about Cooking with Kids and will keep you posted on the progress... meanwhile... here are some encouraging words to Get Your Kids into the Kitchen!

My very best wishes for a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with love and hopefully some fun in the kitchen cooking with the kids :-)

Kids have a natural interest in foods and that leads them to being drawn to the kitchen!

Think about it... what is one of the major toys that parents purchase soon after little ones can walk? A little stove! And then the toddlers want a set of dishes... a table... some little pots and pans... and most of all... a spoon to "pretend stir" in a big bowl!

I encourage you to take advantage of this "natural interest" of children whether you be parents, grandparents, a favorite aunt, a childcare giver, a vacation Bible school leader... the list of possibilities to teach children cooking is endless!

The lessons easily taught and learned by children at an early age are not only management skills in food preparation but more importantly nutrition. Also, studies show that kids that cook at an early age are better students! There are so many things woven into food preparation and cooking like math... developing measuring skills... science... what happens when you stir some baking soda into a cup of buttermilk? Wow... it's a science project! Motor skills and coordination... Following directions... it's all in the "recipe!"

Yep! Cooking with Kids is definitely a "Recipe for Success!" With childhood obesity soaring, little ones learning at an early age about foods and being involved with cooking their own food carries over into their adult lives!

What a great gift you can give the kids in your life! And it's just steps away... in your kitchen! If you're totally intimidated by this concept... just relax... come back and visit often as I'll be calming those seas of doubt for you with projects that will delight the entire family!

Happy Cooking,
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach & "Adult Helper Sous Chef"

Valentine Sweetheart Pancakes

I borrowed this recipe from Penny Whistler... I substituted her ingredient of "sugar-free Jell-O" for the real Jello... I'm not a fan of filling kids with aspartame or other sugar "substitutes"... we need to control their sugar in other ways... but that's for a different day... not Valen-TIMES :-)

Here's what you'll need for the pancakes:
1 (3-ounce) package strawberry Jell-O
1 1/2 cups prepared pancake batter
1/2 cup mashed banana
Non-stick cooking spray
Garnishes at the whim of the kids!

Let the kids stir up the pancake batter. Add the gelatin to the batter and let them stir, stir, stir, mixing all ingredients together well. Stir in the mashed banana.

Cook pancakes in a skillet lightly sprayed with vegetable oil spray over medium-high heat for a few minutes on each side, until lightly browned (but still pink). Serve immediately. Garnish with anything red or pink... or maybe a dollop of whipped cream... have the kids add a little red food coloring for a sweet pink flair.

P.S. To turn these puffy pink pancakes into heart shapes, either make pancakes in rounds and cut with heart-shaped cookie cutter or swirl the batter from your spoon into a heart shape right into the pan.

Makes 12 pancakes!
Happy cooking with Kids,
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Valentine Cookie Pops

Cookie and cake pops seem to be all the rage with the kids these days... the great thing is that they are as much (or more) fun to make as they are to eat!

These are easy and quick to bake which leaves plenty of time for the kids to have fun creating with icing and decorating their treasures. Here's what you'll need for making these special Valentines:

1 (18-ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookies
20 flat wooden sticks with round ends (these will be in the Wilton aisle at Walmart, Michaels, JoAnn's)
1 1/4 cups vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting
Miscellaneous  small candies, candy decors and nonpareils
Red ribbon, string, paper hearts or whatever the kids want to decorate their special treast
Roll of cellophane (maybe with Valentine hearts?) to wrap cookie pops

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place cookie dough slices about 2 inches aparte on an ungreased cookie sheet. Please have the adult helper do the slicining of the cookie dough and let the kids place them on the cookie sheet... no, they may not line up exactly... no worries, they will bake just the same...  :-)

With guidance from the adult helper, insert the wooden sticks one inch, overlapping wooden sticks as necessary.
Bake the cookies 12-16 minutes and watch them until they just turn golden... don't let them burn! Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then remove from the cookie shhets to a wire cooling rack. Let them cool completely for at least 15 minutes.

While the kids are anxiously awaiting with icing nad decorations, let them get creative with red and pink consttruction paper or doilies to put on the sticks.

Have the kids spread frosting on only one side of each cookie and decorate till their little heart's content (they love this part)! If they want to cover the cookies with Valentine cellosphane for gift giving, then place the cookies back on the cooling racks so the icing can dry.

Add the finiishing touches of wrapping the cookie pops in the cellophone and tie with red or pink ribbon. These are great teacher gifts or for a special friend at school, for grandma... Kids are always so proud of the things they stir up in the kitchen!
Happy Cooking with Kids,
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Year of the Dragon Coloring Fun...

Here's a great link for a coloring sheet to celebrate Chinese New Year! It dovetails right into the kids learning about the history of the Year of the Dragon and kinda brings it to life for them to color it!

Now let's head for the kitchen and stir up a couple really simple recipes to add to the learning and celebration of the Year of the Dragon!

Happy Cooking with Kids,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Santa Tip!

Here's a little "Santa Tip" for you in the upcoming days before Christmas... 

Keep it Simple!

Save the elaborate holiday cookie recipes for another day. Reduce stress and do quick and easy peasy... so the kids don't get bored and restless... 

Make quick and FUN memories in the kitchen! If you're going to do cutout cookies... consider making the dough ahead of time (without their help) and make the cooking adventure the cutting out and icing of the cookies!

"Tis the Season to Get Kids Cooking!

Merry, Merry!

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Santa Tip!

When you're cooking with kids one of the secrets to success and tons of fun is to "allow plenty of time!" If you're rushed, no one will enjoy this very creative time together. 

Be sure that you have all of the ingredients on hand before you start to avoid disappointments... and check for the proper baking pans. The more organized you are with the little details, the more fun everyone will have... and, it doesn't take much time to check the recipe and set everything out on the counter including the measuring cups and spoons!

Cooking with Kids makes Christmas an even merrier time! 'Tis the season to get kids cooking!

Merry, Merry!

Happy Holiday Cooking with Kids,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Santa Tip!

Plan on a mess so be ready... If you have a small table that can be set up as a temporary work station for the kids that is just at the height for them to stand and work, that is great. 

I use a small 30" x 30" table and then cover it with a Christmas plastic flannel back tablecloth from the $ store... it adds to the festivity and makes for easier clean-up!

The floor can get pretty sticky sometimes... if you're concerned buy a cloth paint "drop cloth"... I would advise you to wash it a couple of times and even throw in some bleach as they are a bit stiff when they are new. Spread the drop cloth on the floor and tape it down with blue painter's tape (it won't damage the floor)... and then you pick it up and shake it out and throw it in the washer!

A really fun thing to do is to have the kids actually paint on the drop cloth and personalize it!

Keep the waxed paper handy during your creating... it's magical stuff! 

'Tis the season to get cooking with kids! Merry, Merry!

Happy Holiday Cooking with Kids,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Santa Tip!

A little "Santa Tip" for you while you're creating wonderful holiday memories with your children by spending an hour or two with them in the kitchen!

You say you don't have kids at home any more? Well, then, rustle up a grandchild... a niece... a nephew or borrow one of the kids in the neighborhood...  I guarantee being in the kitchen with kids will be some of your most treasured memories ever!

What ages, you ask? Kids from pre-school to teenagers love baking and stirring stuff up in the kitchen! You will just need to do a bit of planning and prepping and reach out for a lot of holiday spirit!

'Tis the season to get kids cooking! Merry, Merry!

Happy Holiday Cooking, 

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach