Ooey Gooey S'mores Bars

I hope you and the kids are having fun celebrating S'mores this week! Here's a quick and easy recipe with all of the magical ingredients of S'mores!

What You Need:
1 (1-pound 1.5-ounce) pouch sugar cookie mix (I use Betty Crocker®)
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 12 squares)
1 cup butter or margarine
3 cups milk chocolate chips
4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows 

Make It:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. About 12 squares of graham crackers will make about one cup of crumbs. Have the kids place the graham crackers in a zippy bag and roll with a rolling pin until they have fine crumbs. Kids love rolling, stirring and whisking!

Use a large bowl and let the kids dump in the cookie mix and the graham cracker crumbs. Whisk dry ingredients together until well blended (or until the kids are tired of whisking)!

Place butter in a small bowl and melt in the microwave.  Stir the melted butter into the dry ingredients a soft dough forms. Let those "little hands" press into an ungreased 13x9-inch pan until flat (it doesn't need to be really smooth).

Bake about 18 minutes or until graham cracker crust is set. Remove from the oven (adult helper needs to be very close here)... immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over crust (depending on the age of the kids, determine who does this step). Let stand 4 or 5 minutes or until chocolate starts to melt. Using the back of a large spoon, spread chocolate evenly over crust.

Set oven to broil. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the top of the chocolate. Broil about 6 inches from heat for only about 20 seconds... watch carefully as you want the marshmallows to just be toasty and they will continue to cook a bit when removed from broiler).

Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm.

If you want to have a super sweet treat, serve with a scoop of marshmallow ice cream (vanilla works too)!
Makes 24 bars

Ooey Gooey Yum!
S'more Fun Cooking with Kids!
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Fudgey S'more Monkey Bread!

Let's continue our S'mores Celebration with really ooey gooey and yummy recipe!

Are you ready to get messy? The kids will love it! Make sure they have on aprons or chocolate-proof shirts!

What You Need:
13 refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (Note: This will require 2 cans/one w/8 biscuits & one w/5 biscuits... Grands Homestyle is what I used)
1/2 cup butter
13 large marshmallows
1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon dark baking cocoa
Butter for greasing pan

Make It:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan and set aside. Cut all 13 biscuits into quarters; set aside.

Use a large microwave-safe bowl. Let the kids put the  butter, marshmallows, hot fudge topping and vanilla in the bowl. They can put the bowl in the microwave and set it. (Let them do as much as possible, okay?) Microwave (uncovered) on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring once, until melted. Using wire whisk, stir until smooth.  Note: Please do not let the kids stir the hot ingredients! Set aside to let it cool a bit (the mixture needs to cool enough so it is safe for the kids to work with).

Meanwhile, let them combine the sugar and the cocoa in a medium bowl stirring until well blended (Kids love to stir and whisk!

Spread out some waxed paper for the kids to work on (you won't be sorry)!

At this point, I would advise the adult helper to place 1/4 of the biscuit pieces into the chocolate mixture and gently fold in to coat with chocolate. The add another 1/4 of the biscuits and repeat.

Now hand over the tongs to the kids... they are gonna love this... Remove the biscuits from the chocolate, using tongs,"patiently" letting excess chocolate drip off. Drop each biscuit piece, one at a time into sugar mixture. Spoon the sugar over the biscuit to coat. Then layer the biscuits (one at a time) in the Bundt pan. Repeat until all of the biscuits have been sugared and layered in the pan. If there is any sugar mixture left, sprinkle it over the biscuits.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until biscuits are a deep golden making sure they are not doughy in center. Remove from the oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Now the adult helper can place plate upside down over the Bundt pan and carefully turn plate and pan over. The kids eyes will be big and round! Remove pan and immediately scrape any remaining topping in the pan onto the top of the bread. Pull apart warm bread and serve with milk! YUM!
Makes 12 servings (yeah, right)! 

S'more getting kids into the kitchen!

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Celebrating National S'mores Day!

Hello my little foodies, moms, grandmoms and anyone else that follows along with KidsCooking411...

We're celebrating this week and invite you to join in the fun! I'm Jan McCracken (most of you already know that) and I write KidsCooking411. Getting kids into the kitchen at an early age is one of my passions. Another passion is authoring cookbooks!

Friday is National S'mores Day (August 10) and so we're celebrating S'mores with a new S'mores recipe (without the campfire) every day this week at KidsCooking411. Fun stuff, right?

The other celebration is the release of my brand new Kindle cookbook that just went live on Amazon, S'mores Galore Ooey Gooey Recipes (No Campfire Required). It's a fun and yummy read with over 30 recipes with a twist on the flavors and magical ingredients of that campfire favorite, S'mores (see the new cover below). Jump over to my website to read more about the book: www.SmoresGalore411.com

Let's head to the kitchen and whip up an easy dessert to begin our S'mores celebration!

S'more Summer Parfaits

What You Need:
1 (3.9 ounces) package instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
2 cups coarsely crushed graham crackers (about 24 squares)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
4 tablespoons mini-chocolate morsels
Whipped cream 

Make It:
Crush your own crackers as it saves a ton of money! Store bought crumbs are expensive. And besides, the kids will love rolling over them in a zippy bag with the rolling pin :-) This recipe will require about 24 squares or 12 whole graham crackers... give or take a couple.

This is a super easy recipe and with a little supervision and direction, I think you'll agree that the kids can pretty much do all of this one on their own! 

In a bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and cold milk for 2 minutes. Allow to stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.

Use some parfait glasses or Mason jars and layer the ingredients as follows: Begin with 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons of pudding, 1/4 cup marshmallows and 1 tablespoon chocolate morsels.

Top with the remaining pudding. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

At serving time, add a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle with the remaining graham cracker crumbs and a few chocolate morsels.
Makes 4 servings 

A cool S'more treat! Be sure to stop by tomorrow for another S'mores recipe!

S'more Cooking with Kids,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Tin Can Ice Cream!

In the good ol' summertime... 

Tin Can Ice Cream is so much fun for the kids on a hot summer day! If you have kids over to play, or even a birthday party, a scout or church outing, it can be a really fun participation sport!

Here's what you'll need:
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nuts, fruits, chocolate chips, cookie crumbs, etc. (optional)

In addition you'll need:
A 1-pound coffee can with a tight-fitting lid
A 3-pound coffee can with 2 tight fitting lids (one for the top and one for the bottom)
Rock salt
Crushed ice

Put all ingredients in a 1-pound coffee can; secure the lid with duct tape. Place the can inside of the 3-pound coffee can. Pack (as equally as possible) the larger can with crushed ice around the smaller can. Pour about 3/4 cup rock salt evenly over ice. Place lids on top and bottom of 3-pund can and secure well with duct tape. Make sure that can rolls evenly back and forth across cement.

Roll back and forth for 15 minutes. Open the large can and dump the ice and the water water. Important Note: Don't dump this salty water on your grass... It will kill the grass in the spot where it is dumped!

Wipe the small can dry and open the can. Stir the cold, ice cream mix, scraping the sides of the can well. Place small can back into the large can and once more add ice and rock salt, packing well. Repeat rolling for another 10 minutes. Be careful when removing the small can and be sure to wipe it down. Take special care around the lid area as you're opening it... you don't want the salt water to get into your ice cream.

Getting kids into the kitchen cooking,
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Smiley Summer Fruit Pizza!

In the good ol' summertime... this refreshing and fun fruit pizza will make the kids smile as they make their pizza smile!

Playing with their food and making funny faces with fruit?

Yep... they're gonna love it... let's do it!

Smiley Summer Fruit Pizza

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 (6-inch) flour tortillas

2 tablespoons water

1 (1-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding (the 4-serving size!)

1 banana

1/2 fresh mango

1 kiwi fruit

Fresh strawberries

Seedless raisins

Cooking spray

All righty... there is very little of this that the kids can do by themselves with an adult helper overseeing building smiley fruit pizzas!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, still together the sugar and the cinnamon. Using a basting brush or a new 1-inch paint brush, brush the tortillas lightly with a small amount of water.

Note: It's best to put the water in a ramekin that the kids can dip their brushes into. Also, you might show them how to blot their brush out a bit on a folded paper towel.

Sprinkle the sugar mixture on top of the tortillas. Spray a baking sheet. Place the tortillas on the baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Watch them so they don't get too brown... ovens vary and so do tortillas! You want them just lightly browned.

While the tortillas are baking prepare the pudding according to the package directions. In making instant pudding it's a lot more fun for the kids to have their very own little whisk that fits their little hand and that they can control and really learn. Yes, it's quicker to throw the pudding in the blender... however, let the kids use their whisks and stir it up by hand!

Place the pudding in the fridge and let the tortillas cool for a short time. Meanwhile, let the kids peel and slice the bananas and the strawberries with a plastic knife. The adult helper will need to peel and slice the mango. Place each fruit in a different bowl, creating a fruit palette for the kids to chose from.

Have the kids measure out about 1/3 cup of pudding on each tortilla (it doesn't have to be an exact measurement on this one) and spoon it onto each tortilla.

Let the creative juices flow and encourage the kids to create a happy face or a design on the tortilla with the fruit. The face can be a smiley face... a silly face... or a design can be created... it's up to the child... the tortilla is their canvas and the fruit their medium! Yum!

The most important part of this little adventure in fruit pizzas is for everyone, including the adult helper, to have fun, laugh and learn. Then, of course, to eat the bounty!

Happy Summer!

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Celebrate with S'More Sandwiches!

I don't think I know anyone that doesn't love S'Mores! I know my fond memories of the simple, yet delightfully luscious treats go back to my Brownie and Girl Scout camping days.

Here's an interesting twist on S'Mores that will quickly become a traditional favorite... it's just one of them thangs... while you're having a 4th of July barbecue or if you're off to the park or the beach for a picnic... take the supplies along for these new S'Mores... I'd really like to hear from any of you that try this great recipe...

S'More Dessert Sandwiches

Small store-bought angel food cake loaf
2 milk chocolate candy bars
Marshmallow creme

Note: If you want to substitute toasted marshmallows for the marshmallow creme, just do it!

This recipe will make 4 S'More sandwiches so adjust according to either the number each person wants to devour or to your number of guests!

While the grill is hot, slice the loaf angel food cake in 1/2-inch slices. Place the cake slices on hot grill. Toast until lightly browned (a quick 2 minutes).

If you opt to use the marshmallow creme, spread a tablespoonful on the cake after toasting on one side and place back on grill to toast the other side. Be sure to not walk away from the cake while it's toasting!

Remove cake slices from grill and place half of the chocolate bar on each of 4 of the cake slices. Press cake slice with warm marshmallow creme together with cake slice with chocolate.If opting for using toasted marshmallows, roast the marshmallows until golden brown and squishy inside. Place the chocolate bar on a toasted cake slice and slide 2 toasted marshmallow per S'More sandwich onto chocolate and press together gently.

Either way you choose... everyone will be asking for "S'More!"

Have a wonderful celebration of our Independence!
Jan McCracken
Culinary Coach for Kids

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

One of the things that we are thankful for every day is this great country of ours! Becoming aware of the freedoms that we enjoy are important for us all and I’ve found that there are lots of kids that really love the American flag!

If the kids would like to add a dash of patriotism to your 4th of July celebration, here’s a really easy, yet very symbolic fruit salad that the kids can quickly whip up! And, it’s a healthy addition too :-)

Ingredients:

Strawberries

Bananas

Blueberries

Whipped cream (optional)

Utensils:

Colander

Plastic knife

Cutting board

Clear glass salad bowl or individual glass serving bowls

Just put on your Culinary Coaching hat and let the kids do this one! Just guide them through… it might be fun to sing some patriotic songs while the kids are stirring the red, white and blue!

Let the kids wash the strawberries and blueberries in the sink using a colander. Then turn them out on a paper towel. Gently pat dry. Keyword: Gently!

Cut the green stems off the strawberries (yes, this can be accomplished with a plastic knife that the kids won’t get cut on). Peel the bananas.

Slice the strawberries and bananas with the plastic knife on a cutting board. Combine all of the ingredients in a clear glass (or plastic) bowl so the red, white and blue shines through.

Chill and serve! It might also be fun to serve in individual bowls, add a dollop of whipped cream and stick tiny American flags in each bowl as an added small tribute to our flag!

Here's to 4th of July fun in the kitchen cooking with the kids!

Happy Cooking,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach

Flyin' 4th of July!

A recipe for great fun on the 4th!

Stop by one of the big drug stores or a dollar store and pick up some frisbee flying discs for your 4th of July picnic. Turn them upside down and use them first as your paper plate holders. It will add a splash of great color to your picnic table and when the meal is over the kids will have a blast sailing them all over the place!

Fold in some jump ropes and water pistols and you'll create some great memories for the kids and a lot of laughs...

It's a flyin' 4th of July!
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Great Stars!

Stars and Stripes forever and Rice Krispie treats too! 

We all love Rice Krispie treats and here's a really fun and yummy 4th of July version... These treats are simple and quick and the kids will love decorating them with red, white and blue spangles and sugar glitter!

Let's get started...

Here's what you'll need:

3 tablespoons butter

4 cups miniature marshmallows (make sure they are fresh, fresh!)

6 cups Rice Krispies®

Canned frosting or decorating gel

Assorted candies and red, white and blue sprinkles

White glitter sugar

Let the kids measure out the marshmallows and the Rice Krispies. Have them dump them in separate bowls. Have them prepare a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan with cooking spray.

Let the kids measure the butter and plop it in the pan. The adult helper can then melt the butter over low heat.

The adult helper will do the actual "cooking" and stirring as this stuff gets really hot and if the kids get it on their skin it can burn very badly... This is a perfect opportunity to make the kids aware of how important "stove safety" is... how important it is to "pay attention" when you're stirring something very hot... let them get up on their stools as you stir but make sure they are a bit of a distance from the stove and burners... it's truly safety first in the kitchen at the stove!

All righty then... after the butter is melted, add the marshmallows stirring constantly until the marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and add the Rice Krispies. Stir until the cereal is well coated. Turn mixture into prepared pan and spread with a buttered spatula. Lay waxed paper on top and let the kids pat down the mixture until even and smooth.

Cool slightly. Use star cookie cutter s coated with cooking spray and cut into star shapes. Now for the fun! Decorate with frosting of choice and sprinkle on the red, white and blue!

What a yummy and patriotic 4th of July treat!

Happy Red, White and Blue,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Having a Red, White & Blue Time!

The 4th of July is quickly approaching. It's a time for history sharing, picnics, fireworks and fun food...

Let's make that food red, white and blue!

Let's kick it off with a celebration of red, white and blue frozen yogurt on a stick. These frosty delights are healthy and patriotic!

If you already have molds, that's great... I've discovered that they make all kinds from the popular "rocket mold" to 3-tiered "sand castle-style"... and of course, there's the old standby of the old-fashioned flat molds. If you need help in finding some of these more elaborate molds, just leave me a post and I'll be glad to share some resources with you.

What no molds in your cupboards? You can still make this recipe! All you need is paper cups and Popsicle sticks! Let's get the kids in the kitchen and get these yummies in the freezer... the kids will love making them as it's kinda like coloring Easter eggs! Here we go...

Patriotic Pops!

3 cups vanilla yogurt
Red food coloring
Blue food coloring
6 wooden sticks

Note: This recipe will make 6 Patriotic Pops... if you want or need to make more, simply double the recipe.

Divide yogurt into three small bowls and tint as follows:
Tint 1/2 cup of the yogurt with red food coloring
Tint 1 1/2 cups with blue food coloring
Leave the remaining 1 cup of yogurt plain.

Fill each cup with 1 tablespoon red yogurt, followed by 2 tablespoons white yogurt, then 3 tablespoons blue yogurt. Insert a wooden stick and freeze the pops until firm.Note: Let the pops freeze at least 4 hours before devouring! Have a "cool" red, white and blue!

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

A serious moment about "recession obesity"...

All righty... we love to have a ton of fun in the kitchen... that's what being a "kid foodie" is all about... that's what being an adult foodie is all about too!

I feel a responsibility to all of my little foodies "everywhere" as well as to moms, grand-moms, aunts and whoever is cooking with kids today to share this serious note of the times...

I'm not sure if y'all know exactly how KidsCooking411 came about... it's been a combination of events... the list is kinda long but just to mention a few... I've authored several books on diet and nutrition... Healthy Carb Cookbook for Dummies (Wiley) being my all time pride of ownership and The Everything Lactose Free Cookbook (Adams Media) in the Everything Book Series being a huge help to those lactose intolerant folks... plus a couple of self-published low-carb cookbooks... then about 40 other self-published books...

I owned a country bed and breakfast in Branson, MO, for several years and did all of the cooking and penned my very first cookbook there! And then there are my grandchildren... what fun it is when we get togehter and they ask if I'll cook their favorite recipe with them (which always happens to be one of my old recipes)... Talk about FUN!

Well, ya' say... "that's nice"... LOL... why, yes, it is!

Being involved and on the trail of health, nutrition and preventive medicine through healthy lifestyles for many years, I've become a passionate advocate in the prevention of childhood obesity.

It's my heart's desire to help adults get children into the kitchen and cook! I truly believe in my heart that with the natural curiosity that kids have about food coupled with teaching them about fresh ingredients and given the opportunity to 'stir things up' on their own can change their lives.

Research has already proven that kids that cook at an early age develop much healthier attitudes about food that result in living healthier lifestyles for life! So what's the serious moment of this post? Joining in the fight against childhood obesity and recession obesity...

It's about TODAY... the fact that times are tough and money is tight for almost everyone. You can still make healthy, yet not expensive, choices for meals! Please don't try to save a few dollars in the fresh ingredient department and put your child's health at risk... we already have enough forces out there doing that!

Cheap, fast food is sooooooo tempting these days. Not only is it easy and provides immediate gratification... it's cheap!

I encourage you to hang out with me at KidsCooking411... I'm trying to get a free e-book together to help you get started cooking with your kids... we're all stressed... and, I know, you're thinking, "Getting the kids in the kitchen is going to stress me out even more!" No, it won't if you take it in "small bites"... you can do this and you will be so personally rewarded and glad that you did!Just think, you can help "prevent" your child from the perils of obesity... start now, while they're little... get them in the kitchen cooking!

A serious "call to action" to all American Moms... we need to get our families back around the table and into the kitchen... the kitchen (or the dining room) table was once the gathering spot of the family... that safe haven from everything... it can be again!
Getting Kids Cooking,
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Tire Gardens!

Even if you have room for a real garden at your house, the kids will love a special spot to call their own. You can accomplish this by picking up a couple old car tires that can be "all theirs!"

The idea with this project is for kids to learn where their food comes from and to be able to actually plant little seeds and watch them grow. Kids are fascinated with the entire process!

To make this project even more fun, pick up an old tire (one for each child, if you have the room). The tires can be spray painted colors like bright yellow and then the kids can personalize them with paint pens or acrylic paints. Let the tire dry overnight before planting.

Note: These tires are stacked just so you have an idea of what we’re doing… double tires are not necessary for planting :-)

I suggest that you take the kids to pick out their seeds. Just make sure that it makes good sense and if it they want to grow watermelons, keep in mind that is all the tire will hold! Grins... 

You might want to consider letting the kids pick out one type of plant that is already growing as well as some seeds. They can plant the seeds on one side of the tire and plant the seedlings on the other side. Another fun suggestion is for them to plop a whirly gig in with their plants, making it look like a real garden!

By the way, you can get almost everything at one of the dollar stores for this project!

Here's what you're going to need for this project:

Old car tire(s)

Various paints for decorating and personalizing the tire

Potting soil

Seeds and seedlings

Sunshine

Water

Little plastic water can

Garden gloves (optional)

All righty... here we go... place the tire in a spot that gets plenty of sunshine. Fill the tire with soil all the way to the top. Pack the soil firmly... let them get their hands in the dirt! Explain that the soil can't be packed down really hard as their won't be any air in there. Also, you want the soil to be loose to cover the seeds.

Read the seed packet instructions together as how deep to plant the seeds and how far apart... I wouldn't worry about the "how far apart" part of it... just let them plant the seeds! Let them use their finger and draw a line in the soil for a "row" to plant their seeds... no, it doesn't matter if the row isn't straight! Let the kids do this, k? Make sure they don't plant the seeds too deep. 

Now let them cover the seeds and gently pat the top... keyword is gently! Have them use their hands to dig little holes to plant the seeds and seedlings. Then they can use their little plastic watering can. Make sure they don’t drown the seeds :-)

Don’t be surprised is they check their tire garden every hour for a couple of days… 

Let me know how your tire garden grows!

Happy Gardening with Kids,

Jan McCracken, Culinary & Gardening Coach for Kids

Red, White & Blue Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!

All righty then... Nannie Mac is running late for a recipe for Memorial Day so we're going to make it super easy :-) and really fun!

If you haven't ever made Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes, you're in for a treat and if you have, the kids will be thrilled to do it again and decorate them in red, white and blue... with the best part being Red Velvet Cake!

Okay, let's get started... 

Here's what you'll need:

1 (18-ounce) Red Velvet Cake Mix + all the fixin's to stir it up

24 flat-bottomed ice cream cones

1 (16 ounce) can frosting (preferably white or the cream cheese frosting is yummy)

Red, white & blue sprinkles

Whipping Cream (optional)

C'mon kids, let's head for the kitchen! The kids can pretty well do this one on their own with just a tad of supervision except for taking the creations out of the oven!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Have the kids measure out the ingredients needed for the Red Velvet cake mix and stir it up!

Use a measuring cup and pour a scant 1/4-cup batter into flat-bottomed ice cream cones so they are a tiny bit less than half full (if you fill the cones too much, the cakes will not have a nice, round top).
   
Place the cones on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. (Note:  Be very careful when putting them in the oven!

Remove from baking sheet and cook on wire rack. You can use a tooth pick and carefully punch a little hole, or maybe two, in the bottom of the cone to allow the steam to come out so the cones don't get soggy.

Encourage the kids to get creative and swirl the frosting like soft-serve ice cream! Sprinkle with red, white and blue!

OR... wait until you're ready to eat the cupcake cones and let the kids get wild with a can of whipping cream! Build it up on top of the cupcake like soft-serve ice cream and "just add red, white and blue sprinkles!"

God Bless all of our men and women at home and abroad who protect us and our freedoms every day... never take them for granted... and, please let the kids know how important they are in our lives on this Memorial Day weekend!

Make it a great, red, white and blue!

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Snickers Salad for Mom!

I reached back in my "old recipe box" for this one... it's a very old favorite and a special treat for Mom on Mother's Day!

The kids can pretty much do this one on their own with just a little supervision and some help in cutting the apples and the candy bars from an adult helper. The more the kids can do on their own, the more special it is...So, let's get the kids into the kitchen!

Here's what you'll need:

1 small box instant French vanilla pudding

1 cup milk

4 Granny Smith apples (cored and diced with adult help, please)

2 bananas (peeled and sliced)

2 large Snickers candy bars (cut into bite-sized pieces, with adult help, please)

8 ounces Cool Whip (thawed in the fridge)

Mix the pudding with the milk and whisk it! Kids do love to whisk!

Stir in the fruit and the Snickers. Fold in the Cool Whip... easy peasy... chill until serving time!

Um... don't expect leftovers on this one!

Happy Mother's Day!

Getting Kids into the Kitchen,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Mother's Day Coupon Book!

Lookie what I found for the kids to give Mom for Mother's Day!  It's not about cooking but it sure is a great recipe for "giving!"

Jump over to this website and print out this "Print and Color Coupon Books"... There's a coupon for hugs, house cleaning, breakfast in bed, washing the car... quite a nice variety.

There are so many wonderful lessons in this one... the kids will learn that you don't need to spend a bunch of money for a gift to make it really special... and giving of one's self and love is the greatest gift of all!

And, yepper, there is a special recipe for Mother's Day for the kids coming up!

Getting Kids into the Kitchen,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Mud Pie to Celebrate Earth Day!

About Earth Day according to Wikipedia:

Earth Day, celebrated April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It is held annually during both spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year.

Awareness is key to learning about anything and everything for children. So let's make Earth Day this year a day of "America the Beautiful - Let's Keep it that Way!" Here's a great opportunity to talk to the kids in the kitchen about Earth Day and how they can help with something very simple like by not being a litter bug. If you want to go into more detail, have at it!

Meanwhile, the kids can stir up this delicious Mud Pie treat as a symbol of the "mud of the earth!" Anything this yummy will make an impression and in the future they might just associate "Mud Pie" with Earth Day and give a bit more thought about it.

Here's the ingredients list for our Earth Day Mud Pie:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1/4 cup hot fudge sauce or topping

1 small container frozen whipped topping (thawed in the fridge)

2 to 3 "more" tablespoons hot fudge topping (optional)

2 to 3 tablespoons caramel topping

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Have the kids grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 1 1/4-inch pie plate. (They love smearing butter around a pie plate)!

Let the kids measure out the following ingredients and dump them into a mixing bowl: sugar, butter, flour, cocoa, vanilla, salt. Now, stir until well combined.

Have them break the eggs in a separate bowl (just in case there's a little eggshell in there) and beat the eggs with a fork. Add the eggs to the dry mixture and stir some more! Stir in the nuts.

As an adult helper, how about you hold the pan and hand the kids the spatula? Let them scrape the mixture into the pie pan.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until edge appears dry and toothpick inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean (center will be moist). Immediately prick holes in pie with toothpick. Let the kids watch while you do this as the pie pan is too hot for them to work with!

Spread 1/4 cup fudge sauce over top. Set aside to cool completely, about an hour.

While cooling, clean up the kitchen and then reward the kids with some fun Earth Day coloring pages. Go here and print them out for free: http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/earth/mearthposter.htm

When the crust is cool it's time for the yummy part! Place the thawed whipped topping into a bowl and show the kids how to "whip it up!" Spread over fudge sauce.

Drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons fudge sauce. Muddy the pie up really good and add a drizzle of caramel topping with the fudge topping as the crowning "mud" on top of the pie! Cover and refrigerate for a short time before indulging... the kids are gonna love it!

Have a Yummy Earth Day!

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Be a Spring "Seed Explorer!"

All righty... planting time is near and I've got a really fun project for the kids to do. They're gonna love it... we're not cooking today but this is going to help them understand where their food comes from! 

Some kids literally believe that food comes from the "grocery store" and it doesn't go beyond that. Children need to learn everything about food as research proves that they will make better food choices and have healthier lifestyles as they grow.

Let's make a spring seed collection. You're going to need an empty egg carton for each child for this project. Your choice to either do this over several days or weeks or have a "treasure hunt" type adventure that completes the project all in one day or afternoon.

Tell the kids that they need to find seeds from fruits and vegetables... from trees... from flowers and from other plants. Their goal is to collect 12 different kinds of seeds from different places... the yard, the park, the grocery store... the garden from last year, a flower bed... the possibilities are all around us!

Here's some seed hints to make this a bit easier...

Watermelon, pumpkin, cantaloupe seeds

A walnut

Avocado

Oats

Sunflowers

Lima bean

Acorn

Corn

Oranges, limes, lemons

Peaches, pears, nectarines

Peas, lima beans, other beans

Got it? Go for it! The kids will have a blast and be learning every step of the way... it doesn't get any better than this fun expedition!

If you want to get fancy (and depending on the age of the children), you can have them label (or help them) each seed group that they put in their egg carton.

As they sit down at their work table after collecting the seeds, grab a magnifying glass and let them examine the seeds... give them a title, "Seed Explorer"... have they look at each seed through the magnifying glass so they can see the little things on the seed. Have them smell the seeds... and be sure to have them feel them and their textures.

The kids will realize that their are all sizes, shapes and colors of seeds and they all look different! This is a great exercise in learning where food comes from!

I'd really appreciate any feedback you might have for me when you go on this little seed collection adventure. Please post your experiences, if you'll take a moment to do it! Thanks so much and have a great time with this one... more recipes and seed experiments on the way soon!

Happy Exploring,

Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids

Pastel Deviled Eggs!

This is a very fun twist on coloring eggs for Easter and the kids are gonna love it! Let’s color the whites of the eggs! 

This is a very fun twist on coloring eggs for Easter and the kids are gonna love it! Let’s color the whites of the eggs!

All righty... don those little chef hats and aprons... the kids can do almost all of this creation except for using a sharp knife to cut the eggs in half. Oh... you'll need 12 hard-boiled eggs! Can you tell I'm really excited about this little project?

Note:  Eggs that are about a week old are always easier to peel... the really fresh ones don't do so well!

First, make the colors that the kids pick out for coloring the whites. You do this just as you would for Easter egg dye for coloring the shells of “hard boiled” eggs.

Use glasses or mugs (whatever works best for you but it’s more fun with clear glasses so the kids can see the transformation actually taking place :-) The size of the glasses that you use will depend on how many egg whites you want to color at the same time!

Fill the glasses about 2/3 of the way full with cold water. Then add about 3 drops of food coloring (this will make the whites pretty pastel colors!). Add a teaspoonful of cider vinegar to each coloring concoction.

Peel the eggs... the kids love the cracking part! Adult helper, please slice each egg in half, long ways...

Let the kids pop the yolks into a small bowl (if there's more than one child, then divide the yolks so each child has a bowl). Set the yolks aside and let's get to the really fun part...

Carefully place the egg white halves in the colored water. While the eggs are magically turning pretty pastel colors, have the kids mix up the filling for the eggs.

Filling for Eggs:
2 teaspoons mustard
1/3 cup mayonnaise (may not use the entire amount)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar

Using a fork, smash the egg yolks until fine... the kids will learn about textures and lumps!

Add the mustard, sugar and vinegar. Then stir, stir, stir. Add part of the mayo and stir as you don't want the egg mixture to be soupy... just really smooth. You may not use the entire 1/3 cup of mayo… just add until mixture smooth with no lumps! Put mixture in the fridge until colored egg whites are dry.
When egg whites are the color you want, remove them from the glasses and place on a plate with at least a double paper towel to drain and dry.

Fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture and put on a pretty plate. Cover with plastic wrap until serving time.

The kids will be hollering, "look what I made!"

Hoppy Easter!
Get Kids Cooking,
Jan McCracken, Culinary Coach for Kids