Kids Cook Monday- Sweet Potato Soup with Pancetta & Croutons

Sweet Potato Soup with Pancetta & Croutons Directions: Although we love the meaty flavor of pancetta, you could use bacon if you prefer. Place sweet potatoes and carrots… Read More »

Baked Beans

I have a favorite baked bean style recipe that I have been cooking for years. However, it requires bbq sauce and canned pork & beans, which I don’t typically keep on hand.

Yesterday, my daughter was in the kitchen with me and wanted to help me cook dinner, so we quickly found a recipe we could modify and make work with the ingredients we had in the cupboard. I gave my 5 year old the job of making the sauce and helping pour and stir it over the beans before baking.

Kids Cook Monday- Chai Tea Mix

My teenage daughter enjoys tea, so when I saw a recipe for a Chai Tea Mix in a Southern Living Christmas Cookbook I knew we’d have to give it a try.

This recipe is super easy to make, the most time-consuming part is probably accumulating all the ingredients. The end result is a spicy, flavorful Chai Tea Mix perfect for a cold winter day. And perfect for gift-giving as well.

The Kids Cook Monday-Chocolate Coconut Rice Pudding

I have to be honest, rice pudding has never been my favorite dessert. I don’t know why, but I have never really enjoyed the texture and I gave up making it quite some time ago.

Well, recently I began noticing recipes calling for arborio rice; you know “risotto” rice. It breaks down beautifully when slowly cooked, so I knew this would make a better rice pudding than I had previously made. I decided the new rice pudding recipe would be perfect to make with my kids.

The Kids Cook Quesadillas & Fresh Salsa

Not only do kids typically love quesadillas, but they are fun and easy to prepare and are perfect for a Kids Cook Monday. If you haven’t heard of Kids Cook Monday, it’s a campaign encouraging families to set aside one day a week to cook with their kids. And what better time than summer to get in the kitchen with the kids? And although my kids are always milling about while I cook, I have found that really taking one day a week to make something they want to learn to cook has helped them learn some valuable food preparation skills!

Quesadillas are a great way to use up leftovers. In this version we used leftover canned beans, a chicken breast, and some cheese. We opted to make our own simple salsa, which is a great way to use those in-season tomatoes!

The Kids Cook-Snickerdoodle Chex Mix

Okay, making Chex Mixes isn’t exactly cooking, but what can I say, kids love them. Not only are they fun to eat, but they are also fun to prepare.

We saw the recipe for Snickerdoodle Mix on the side of a box and decided to give it a try. My four-year-old loved popping the popcorn and mixing the cinnamon and sugar. Helping prepare simple, gluten-free snacks is a great way to introduce kids to to cooking.l

The Kids Cook-Chocolate Cupcakes

My oldest daughter had an event to attend, and due to her multiple food allergies I knew we had to prepare “cake” ourselves. I decided cupcakes were the best choice, they are easy to make, eat, and transport. And who doesn’t love a good chocolate cupcake?

Rice & Turkey Meatball Soup

I can’t promise your kids will love it, but mine sure did. My youngest daughter (typically a soup hater) loved the idea of meatballs in her soup, took one bit and exclaimed “Yum, yum, yummy. This soup is really delicious.”

Kids Cook Monday-Green Eggs & Ham

Chances are if you have kids or grandkids you are familiar with the Dr. Seuss Classic Green Eggs and Ham. Being that it was just Easter, you might have some leftover ham in the fridge, add some wilted spinach and some scrambled eggs and what do you have? Green Eggs & Ham…at least my version of this storybook dish.

The Kids Cook Tomato Soup

Today’s recipe is a simple, but delicious, tomato soup. We added some grilled cheese sandwiches, but this soup would also be great with a green salad. It’s easy, healthy, and a great choice for quick meatless meal.