Children love to help prepare meals and treats.
Most kids love to cook or make food items themselves. Allowing children to help will teach lessons about measuring, mixing, food safety and may encourage them to eat foods they wouldn't normally try. Cooking with children is also a family activity that provides a special "together" time. Fun cooking ideas and recipes add to the enjoyment of families cooking together.
Individual Pasta Dishes
Pasta in different shapes and colors can create a fun kids' dinner.
Provide cooked pasta in different shapes, prepared sauces, such as spaghetti, Alfredo and cheese, and food items to add to the pasta dishes. Some examples are ham, browned hamburger, cooked broccoli, canned mixed vegetables, shredded cheese and other favorites or foods the child hasn't tried before. Have the child spoon one or more kinds of pasta into a microwavable or oven-safe bowl. He may stir some sauce into the pasta. Allow him to add other items as he chooses and perhaps top the dish with cheese. Warm the pasta creation in the microwave or heat it in a moderately warm oven at 300 or 350 degrees.
Funny Biscuits
Cookie cutters allow a child to make interesting or funny biscuit shapes.
Have your child help measure and stir some prepackaged biscuit mix. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring to smaller bowls of the dough ingredients and mix well. The child will enjoy rolling out the biscuit dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Provide cookie cutters in seasonal or favorite shapes. She may press some biscuit shapes out and place them onto a baking sheet. She may also sprinkle some shredded cheese, coconut, nuts or flavored chips onto the top of the biscuits before baking to create one-of-a-kind biscuits.
Dipping Foods
Children can help prepare and arrange a vegetable or fruit tray to dip.
Purchase two or more flavors of cream cheese dips or yogurt. Have the children help break apart broccoli and cauliflower florets. You cut green pepper rounds. Let the child help break or cut celery and carrot pieces. He may arrange the vegetables or some fresh fruits onto a tray. Set out the dips and the tray of fresh foods. The child may use a spoon to spread some dips onto different vegetables or fruit and perhaps sprinkle on some small berries, cheeses or nuts to enjoy as a snack or with a meal.
French Fry and Meat Casserole
Children often won't eat a casserole. Substitute pasta or diced potatoes with frozen French fries. Sauces can be canned cream soups, cheese or gravy. Add some cooked ground beef, diced ham or breaded chicken nuggets cut into pieces. His favorite canned vegetable may also be added if desired. Let the child add the ingredients and do the stirring. Pour the mixture into a cake-type baking pan and bake at about 350 degrees for an hour, or until the top is bubbly and slightly browned.
Happy Face Pancakes
Kids love to order happy-face pancakes in restaurants. Let her make some of these at home. After she stirs up the mix, have her tint a small amount of pancake batter with food coloring. Pour a circle of pancake batter onto a heated griddle. Have the child spoon some tinted batter onto the pancake to form eyes, nose, mouth and even hair if desired.
Tags: child spoon, batter onto, biscuit shapes, child help, children help