Our Favorite Kids' Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 cups mini carrots
• 3 T olive or canola oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3-4 T grated parmesan cheese
• Garlic powder, optional
• Fresh mint leaves, cut into fine strips, optional

Tools

• parchment paper
• baking sheet

Preheat oven to 375.  Put broccoli, cauliflower and carrots into a large bowl.  Drizzle over oil and stir to coat thoroughly.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garlic powder if using.  Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes.  Scatter mint leaves over.  Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large egg 
• ¼ c breadcrumbs 
• 16 oz tomato sauce, divided
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ lb lean ground turkey
• 3 T olive or canola oil 
• 2 cups water

• 1 ½ t salt

• ¼ t pepper

• ½ t dried basil

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

• 4 oz uncooked pasta, like fusilli or penne

Mix egg, breadcrumbs, 1 T tomato sauce, parmesan and turkey in a bowl then roll into 1 ¼ inch meatballs.  Heat oil in a large skillet, add meatballs and sauté until browned on all sides.  Add remaining tomato sauce, water, salt, pepper, basil and parsley.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in uncooked pasta. Cover and simmer for 20 min. until the pasta is tender.

Skills:  measuring, mixing, using a lot of ingredients
Equipment:  large skillet with a cover

Submitted by Shirley Howard, Little Rock, AR

Tropical Fruit Smoothies 

Almost any fruit that you like will work! 

¼ cup fresh or frozen mango¼ cup fresh pineapple
½ cup over-ripe banana, peeled and sliced
¼ cup orange juice
½ cup plain low-fat yogurt
4 ice cubes 

Put all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor. Put the blender top on, hold down and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.  Taste.  If you prefer a thinner smoothie, add a little more orange juice and blend again.  Serve immediately.  Serves 2-3 

Notes:  You can use raspberries, blueberries, peaches, melon or pineapple alone or in combination, according to your preference.

Skills:  working carefully with kitchen equipment, combining flavors
Equipment:  blender or food processor

Egg in a Hole

Ingredients

• 1 slice of bread
• 1 egg
• 1 blob of butter
• 2 large eggs
• Some salt

Tools

• A biscuit cutter
• A measuring cup
• A frying pan, or stove top grill, nonstick
• A heat–proof spatula
• A plate

Cut out a circle of bread from the middle of the slice with the biscuit cutter. Keep the circle. Carefully crack the egg into the cup. Be careful not to break the yolk. Fish out any bits of shell.

Heat a blob of butter in the frying pan or on the grill on medium heat until it starts to fizz. Put the circle of bread into the butter and let it cook for a minute or so until the bottom is brown. Using the spatula, carefully lift the bread out of the pan and put it on the plate.

If all the butter is gone, put a little bit more into the pan and when it fizzles put the slice of bread with the hole in the middle into the pan. Carefully pour the egg into the hole in the bread and let it cook until it looks ready. The egg white should not be runny or clear. About 3-4 minutes. Add a little salt if you use it. Put the bread circle on top of the egg and carefully lift the whole thing out of the pan with the spatula and serve on the plate.

Adapted from Easy Peasy All the Time by Pru Irvine

Skillet Peach Crisp

Do not thaw the peaches before cooking.  If, however, your peaches are frozen into a solid block, thaw them slightly to separate them before cooking.

Crisp Topping 

4 slices high quality thin sandwich bread
4 T unsalted butter, divided
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ t ground cinnamon
¼ t ground nutmeg
1/8 t salt 

Peach Filling

2 lbs frozen, unsweetened, peaches
1/3 cup sugar
2 T unsalted butter
1/8 t salt
4 t fresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon
2 t cornstarch 

Make the topping:  Tear the bread into small-medium pieces; set aside.  Heat a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat Stir in 1 T butter.  When the butter has melted, stir in the bread crumbs and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are golden, 3-5 minutes (the smaller crumbs will brown more quickly.  Turn the heat to low.  Clear the center of the skillet and add the remaining 3 T butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to the center of the skillet.  Cook, mashing the butter into the sugar, until melted and bubbly.  Stir the sugar mixture into the bread crumb mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thoroughly coated and well toasted, 1-3 min longer.  Spread the crisp topping out over a large plate to cool.

Make the filling:  Wipe any remaining crumbs out of the skillet.  Add the frozen peaches, sugar, butter and salt to the skillet, cover and cook over medium heat until the peaches are thawed and have released their juices, 8-12 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to cook, covered, until the peaches are soft when poked with a fork, 8-12 minutes longer.  Separately, whisk the lemon juice and cornstarch together to dissolve the cornstarch, then stir the mixture quickly into the cooked peaches.  Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and portion into 8 bowls.  Sprinkle over the crisp topping and serve.  Serves 8

Note:  You can substitute fresh peaches - just shorten the cooking time by about half.

Skills:  following multi-part directions, measuring, working safely at the stove
Equipment:  large non-stick skillet with a cover

Adapted from:  Cook’s Illustrated The Best Skillet Recipes

Star Snacks

• 1 cup flour 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar Cheese, packed
• ½ t dried oregano ½ t dried basil
• ½ t dried thyme ½ t salt
• 4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½ in pieces
• 3-4 T cold water

Tools: You will need a pastry cutter, a rolling pin and a small, 1-2 inch star-shaped cookie cutter for this recipe.

Stir the flour, cheese, oregano, basil, thyme and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and use the pastry cutter to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 3 T cold water and mix in with your fingers. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and work with your hands to form the dough. Add more water a little bit at a time if the mixture is too dry. When it is mixed together, form the dough into a flat circle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and put the oven rack in the center position. Unwrap the dough and sprinkle a little bit of flour on the top. Using a lightly floured rolling pin and a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to about an 1/8 inch thick. Cut out the stars with a 1-2 inch cookie cutter and set them on a baking sheet. Gather the scraps, reform into a ball, roll out again and continue to cut stars until all the dough is used. Bake at 375 until they are crisp and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack or plate to cool for a few minutes. Enjoy them while they are still warm!

Skills: measuring, grating, cutting in butter, rolling out dough

Adapted from There’s A Chef in My Soup by Emeril Lagasse

Cherry Tomato and Lemon Salad

You have to taste the tomato and lemon together to get how refreshing this easy salad is.  

1 large lemon
1 T sugar
1 box cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and halved lengthwise
2 t good quality olive oil
1/2  t salt
Freshly ground black pepper
 

Trim ends from lemon and, standing on cut end, cut peel and white pith from lemon with a sharp paring knife.  Discard peel.  Cut segments into small pieces, toss gently with sugar in a bowl.  Gently stir in remaining ingredients and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. 

Skills:  cutting

Adapted from gourmet.com

Kids Cook!™ Pumpkin Muffins

• 2 cups flour
• 2 t baking soda
• 2 t cinnamon
• ½ t salt
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups sugar

Sift flour, soda, cinnamon and salt together into a large bowl. Use a potato masher to beat together oil, vanilla, sugar, pumpkin and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir to combine. Spoon into paper muffin cups. Bake at 350 until a toothpick comes out clean, approximately 22 minutes. Cool before eating.  Makes 24 muffins.

Skills: Counting, cracking eggs, pouring, mashing and stirring

Kids Cook!™ Cucumber Yogurt Ranch Dip  

1 cup plain low fat yogurt
1 medium English cucumber, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T fresh dill, minced
1 t white wine vinegar
½ t salt
Pinch pepper, to taste
Vegetables for dipping:  carrots, celery, snap peas, steamed green beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, or baked pita chips

Mix all the ingredients except vegetables in a bowl.  Taste and adjust ingredients until they balance.  Serve with assorted vegetables for dipping or baked pita chips.  Serves 10-12

Skills:  dicing and mincing, mixing, tasting to balance flavors
Equipment:  bowl, box grater

Adapted from Terese Post, Delta Garden Study. Little Rock, AR  Used by permission.

Kids Apple Pie

Featured on KATV’s Daybreak on Sep. 20, 2004.

• 1 box (8) mini pie crusts, approx 2 inches in diameter
• 1 cup chunky applesauce
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped, any variety
• 3 T raisins
• 2 T sugar with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon stirred in

Pre-bake the pie crusts for 8-10 min until light brown @ 375 degrees and cool. Spoon some applesauce into each crust. Top with a few apple slices and raisins. Sprinkle a “little bit” of cinnamon and sugar on the top. Bake 15 minutes @ 375 degrees. Cool and serve.  Makes 8 servings.  Print This Recipe!

Best Pizza Dough

• ¾ cup unbleached bread flour
• 1 ¼ cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (100F)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine the yeast, ¼ cup of the lukewarm water, and ¼ cup of the flour. Let it stand at room temperature (75 degrees or warmer) until it bubbles up, a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. (This is the sponge).

Put the sponge and the remaining ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, the remaining 1 ¾ cups flour, the olive oil, and the salt into the bowl of a high power stand mixer (like a Kitchenaid) with a dough hook. Knead with the dough hook for 4-5 minutes until you have a nice clean ball that sticks to the dough hook. Turn it out onto a well floured surface and knead by hand until smooth, elastic, and a bit tacky to the touch – another 3-4 minutes.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to cover lightly with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75 F) until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Then punch it down, form into a ball, and form the pizzas. You can cut into thirds or quarters for smaller pizzas. You can press the dough with your hands, and then pick it up and stretch and twirl it until it’s as thin as you want it. This recipe is enough for 2 medium pizzas or 4 personal size pizzas.

Sprinkle your toppings on and bake at 475 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, until the crust is crisp. You can use a pizza stone or a pizza pan sprinkled with a little cornmeal.  This dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen. 

Adapted from More Cooking in the Wine Country by Joanne Weir

Print This Recipe!

Lynne’s Banana Bread

• 2 cups flour
• 2 t baking soda
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 cups mashed banana (3-4 very ripe bananas)
• 3 eggs
• ½ t salt
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ¼ cup chopped nuts, optional

Sift flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat together oil, vanilla, sugar, bananas and eggs. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add nuts if desired.

Pour into a large well greased loaf pan. Let the batter stand about 20 minutes before baking.

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before slicing.

Makes 1 large loaf OR 2 small loaves OR 1 small loaf and 12 muffins OR 24 muffins. Bake small loaves for about 55 minutes and muffins for about 22 minutes.

Notes: There are many, many recipes for banana bread but of the many that I have tried this one produces the most consistent, and great tasting, results. Both the loaves and muffins freeze nicely. Courtesy of my Little Rock neighbor who is just simply a great cook!

Submitted by Lynne Davis, Little Rock, AR

Sticky Fruit Sticks - 1 Individual Serving

These are quick and easy. They can be eaten warm or cold. They can be eaten immediately or put into your lunch box.

• 2 or 3 Apple chunks, peeled
• 2 or 3 Pineapple chunks, canned is fine
• 2 or 3 Banana chunks, firm, not too ripe
• 2 or 3 Seedless Grapes, red or green
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• ½ tablespoon Butter
• Wooden skewers, the skinny kind with a pointy end, one for each person or serving.

Turn on the broiler. (Ask an adult to help if you need it.) Thread the
fruit chunks onto the skewers. Make one stick for each person. If you
don’t fill the whole stick, break off the ends so that they don’t burn in
the broiler.

Melt the honey and butter together in a small bowl in the microwave.
It only takes about 20 seconds. Lay the fruit sticks on a piece of foil
and brush them all over with the honey and butter. If you don’t have
a brush, just use a teaspoon to pour it over.

Put the foil onto the broiler pan and heat under the broiler until bubbly
and very light brown, about 4-5 minutes. Turn the sticks over about
halfway through. Be sure to wear oven mitts!

These are good hot or cold. If you eat them immediately, slide the
fruit off the stick into a bowl because they will be HOT. If you want to
take one for your lunch, you can leave the fruit on the stick, let it cool
off, then wrap in a piece of foil and put in your lunch box. Eat the
same day you make it…the fruit will get too soft if you keep it
overnight.

You can use strawberries too, if they are not too ripe. Print This Recipe!

Lemon Pound Cake

Here is a great lemony lemon pound cake.   It is quite easy and utterly delicious! It is not a “low” anything dessert, alas….The medium loaf will yield about 10-12 slices and it will go very quickly.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• ½ cup chopped pecans – optional

For the lemon syrup:

• ¼ cup sugar
• 4 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Prep

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Generously grease a medium sized loaf pan. (Approx. 4 ½ by 8 ½ by 2 ½ ) Line bottom and ends with parchment paper. See Notes below.
Grate or snip lemon zest. See Notes below.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Assembly

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture along with the milk and lemon zest. Beat until blended and smooth. Stir in the pecans, if desired.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf come out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Make the lemon syrup. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon juice. Set aside, stirring occasionally. Don’t worry if the sugar is not completely dissolved.

Remove the bread from the oven and set the baking pan on a wire rack. Using a fork or wooden skewer gently poke the top in several places. Stir the syrup, then slowly drizzle it over the hot bread. Let the bread cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes. Then turn loaf out and cool completely, top side up.

Notes: As an alternative to grating lemon zest, we sometimes use a vegetable peeler to carefully peel two or three long strips of zest and then use a sharp kitchen shears to snip the peel into tiny pieces. This method works fine for this recipe. Just be sure not to get any of the white pith.

Although we use a non-stick pan and have buttered generously we have found that pouring the lemon syrup over the top causes the cake to stick and come out with difficulty. We suggest that you line the bottom and sides with parchment paper so that the cake will remove without breaking. Print This Recipe!

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma.com