Kids' Recipes
Multicultural Pizza
Source: Adapted from the menu of Fredericton's Lunar Rouge.
Victor Borge, the pianist and comedian, said: "The shortest distance between two people is laughter." I agree; however, perhaps the same distance is food. Try this international blend of Arabic, Mexican, and Italian cuisines and I'm sure you'll agree.
If you have never tasted salsa, try mild salsa first and do not assume you kids won't like it. Jeremy loves to lick the salsa from the pita bread before I can even get the toppings sprinkled on it.
Try sour cream as a pizza dip; the flavours complement each other beautifully.
Servings: 1
1 pita, cooked
1/4 cup mild salsa
1/4 medium green pepper, diced
1 large mushroom, sliced
1/4 small onion, diced
1/2 cup mozzarella and cheddar cheese, half-and-half
Preheat oven to 350oF. Place pita (we like garlic flavoured pita) on an ungreased pizza pan. Spread with salsa. Sprinkle with green pepper, onion, and mushroom slices before adding cheeses. Bake until cheese is light brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Variation
See Mexican pizza .
This recipe is very economical. The original cost $5.95. I made international pizza with pre-packaged foods, canned salsa, Kraft combined and shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, and store-bought garlic pita bread, and the copy cost 1.75$, a savings of more than $4.00.
Peanut Honey Bees
Servings: 28
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup icing sugar
1-1/2 cups graham wafer crumbs
1 square semi-sweet chocolate
Almonds, sliced
Cream peanut butter, margarine, and sugar. Stir in crumbs. Shape mixture into 1-inch ovals. Melt chocolate in a small, heat-proof bowl placed over hot water. Drizzle stripes of chocolate across tops of bees. Insert almonds on either side for wings. Store in refrigerator.
Littleton Puffed Rice Dessert or Snack
"Necessity is the mother of invention". So the saying goes. Jeremy and I visited Friendly Crossings, a Hostel International hostel located in Littleton, Ma., 1 hour commute away from Boston. I did not have a car and the nearest grocery store was a 10 mile return trip away. I devised this dessert from food I had brought with me from Boston and from food I had bought at a nearby specialty store. It combines my toddler's three favourite foods, puffed rice, yogurt, and bananas. He loved it. This dessert may be served for breakfast.
Pour a child-size serving of puffed rice into a bowl. Pour milk over the cereal, just enough to moisten it. Top with a couple of tablespoons of yogurt. Sprinkle with 1/4 of a banana sliced.
Ants on a Log
Servings: 1
I'm not really crazy about either peanut butter or celery, but even I enjoy these tasty snacks. Maybe your children, or your kids-at-heart, will enjoy them too.
Stalk of celery
Peanut butter
Raisins
Wash celery. Remove leaves and trim off root end. Spread celery with peanut butter. Place raisins on peanut butter.
A pre-school-age child can prepare this snack if the celery has been prepared for him/her.
Pomegranate
Servings: 2
1 Pomegranate
According to Pete Luckett, of Pete's Fruitique fame, his mother gave him pomegranates when he was a child. They are one of his favourite fruits. He, and his siblings, would pick at the pulp capsules with a straightened out safety pin. (I can not recommend the manner in which they ate them.) He claimed one pomegranate could keep a child busy for hours. I was intrigued.
Purchase pomegranates with thin skin of bright red and fresh appearance. The brighter the colour, the sweeter the fruit. Gently, cut skin into quarters. Pry pomegranate apart. Collect the pulp capsules, eating them in their entirety. At their centres are small seeds; small enough to eat.
At first glance, pomegranates appear to be expensive. I pay $0.89.for two. However, can you remember the last time you bought a chocolate bar for 45 cents? Furthermore, can you remember any time a snack kept your child busy for hours?
Jeremy and I love to eat our pomegranates after supper, sitting on the floor, while watching his favourite T.V. program, America's Funniest Home Videos.
Pomegranates! Cheaper than a babysitter, guaranteed to intrigue your toddler, healthy, and nutritious. What more could a mother ask for? Thanks Pete!
Kitchen Tip
Pomegranates may be dried and spray-painted gold. Remove stem. Remove pulp. Dry skin.
Sugar and Spice Mixed Nuts
Servings: 4
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups mixed nuts
Preheat oven to 275 mF. Beat egg white with water until frothy. In another bowl, combine sugar, spices, and salt. Add nuts to egg white mixture; stir to coat. Sprinkle with sugar and spice mixture; stir to coat. Spread in single layer on a cookie sheet lined with lightly greased aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour or until nuts are toasted. Break up clumps. Cool. (Nuts can be stored in an at room temperature for up to 5 days.)
Personal Pan Pizzas
Servings: 2 - 4
Your kids will love to help you make these pizzas. Let your kids put the toppings on their pizzas.
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons margarine
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
5-1/2 oz. tomato paste, any style, diluted with 3/4 can of water
1/2 cup each toppings, i.e., chopped onions, tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, etc.
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
Mix water and margarine in a medium-size bowl until margarine has melted. Allow to cool to lukewarm. Sprinkle yeast over the mixture. Let stand for 4 minutes. Stir mixture to dissolve yeast. Add remaining ingredients and stir quickly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the dough. Shape dough into a ball and place in an oiled, medium-size bowl. Cover with a cloth. Allow dough to rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch down dough. Knead dough lightly on a floured surface. Divide dough into six equal portions. Roll each portion out with a rolling pin into 4-inch circles. Pinch edges up to form rims. Place circles on oiled cookie sheets. Spread each pizza with tomato sauce. Arrange toppings on pizza. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese. Bake at 450mF for 20 to 25 minutes.
Kitchen Tip
Make the pizza dough. If you are going to need three personal pizzas, freeze the dough that you are not going to need. Thaw the dough on another day. Make and bake the remaining pizzas as usual. To save even more time, double or triple the recipe and freeze even more dough.
Kid's Tips
Make pizzas on tortillas (see page) instead for a delicious change. Make pizza pockets by putting pizza toppings in pita bread and baking the pockets.
Nature's Drinking Box
I'm a fan of the CBC. One day, while listening to CBC's Maritime Noon, I heard this idea. I went to the produce market and tried it out. Thankfully, I wasn't in my hometown - and people think I'm eccentric anyway.
1 Mango
Pick a mango which is ripe. It should not be too hard nor too soft; it should, just slightly, yield to your touch. Pick a mango which is rosy, the colour of your child's cheeks when they are flushed. Now, when you purchase the mango, ask for a straw, the type you get at McDonald's, and several napkins. I know, the sales clerk is looking at you as if you are wearing a pair of boxing shorts in the middle of January. Roll the mango around in your hands, or on a tabletop, until the mango becomes soft. It will become really easy to deform. Now, as long as you're not wearing a designer dress, pull or cut off the stem. Insert your straw into the hole; sip and enjoy! If you squeeze the mango, you'll get out more juice. A word of warning: don't drink out of your "drinking box" in public, the sales clerk at the produce counter won't be the only person looking at you as if your a little odd.
Macaroni and Broccoli in Tomatoes
This dish can be made in less than 15 minutes. Reduce the cooking time by cooking the broccoli in a microwave.
1 box macaroni and cheese, cooked
1 stalk cooked broccoli, chopped
1 can tomato soup
Prepare tomato soup according to the directions on the can. Stir soup and broccoli into prepared macaroni and cheese. Pour into a casserole dish. Bake until casserole is as moist as desired. Can be eaten without baking.
Crunchy Baked Bagel Chips
A gourmet snack for a fraction of the price.
Servings: 12
3 plain Jewish Bagels (see page
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 325mF. Cut each bagel vertically into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange about half the slices in a single layer (they will overlap slightly) on two large, greased wire racks;place racks on large baking sheets. Sprinkle slices with half of the Parmesan cheese. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until bagel chips are crisp and lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely. Store in airtight container.
Macaroni and Cheese Makeovers
Prepare macaroni and cheese according to the directions on the box, excluding the butter or margarine and using skim or 2% milk instead of whole milk.
Add 1/2 cup instant skim milk powder to prepared macaroni to boost the calcium and Vitamin A and D content while adding very little fat.
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup diced ham
Add one of the above ingredients to the prepared macaroni.
Zucchini Squares
1 small onion, chopped
1 glove of garlic, squashed
2 tablespoons margarine
3 small zucchini, shredded
6 eggs, beaten
3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
6 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Cook onion and garlic in margarine for a few minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add the shredded zucchini and cook over medium heat until wilted. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, cheese, cornmeal, cumin, and oregano. Add the zucchini mixture; stir until combined. Spread mixture into a well greased 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan; bake at 325mF for about 30 minutes, or until set. Poke a toothpick into the middle: if it comes out clean, it's done. Let cool; cut into squares. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 40 to 48 squares.
Yogurt Dip
Servings: 2
When I was pregnant with my son, I travelled to Moncton from Saint John for my appointments with my obstetrician. Before returning home, I always bought a bagelwich, milk, and a small package of vegetable sticks with a dip. I saved the vegetables and the dip to eat on the train ride home. For several years prior to my pregnancy, Jeremy's father had unsuccessfully tried to introduce me to plain yogurt. The dip sneaked yogurt into my diet. This recipe evokes memories of those train rides home; it recreates the dip as accurately as I can. I sometimes prepare this recipe when I need to be reminded that anything is possible; I used to tell my son's father that I would rather die than eat yogurt. I'm not dead!
1/4 cup Plain Yogurt (see page
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Snipped or fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives, or dill, if desired
Mix yogurt and mayonnaise well. Season with spices and herbs, if desired. I prefer it plain, for old time's sake. Serve with carrot and celery sticks and apple wedges.
Kid's Tips
To introduce a child or an adult to yogurt, try a sweeter, fruit-bottom yogurt first.
Fill a muffin tin with your child's favourite fruits and vegetables. Try apple wedges, orange sections, and carrot and celery sticks. Put dip in one cup.
Include a plastic storage bag of vegetable sticks and a small container of yogurt dip in a child's lunch box for a healthy snack.
Yogurt Pops
Servings: 6
1/4 cup Plain Yogurt
1/4 cup frozen juice concentrate
3/4 cup cold milk
Combine plain yogurt, juice concentrate and milk. A mixer set at low speed, a food processor, or a blender may be used. Mix until smooth. Pour into 6 popsicle moulds or into paper cups. If using paper cups, freeze until partially firm and insert wooden stick into each pop. Freeze until firm.
Fresh Fruit Yogurt Pops
Servings: 6
In the above recipe, replace the frozen juice concentrate with 1/4 cup fresh berries or frozen berries and their juice.
Sandwich Puzzles
Servings: 2
Sandwich filling
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 slices enriched white bread
Prepare two sandwiches, one with white bread, the other with whole wheat bread. With a cookie cutter, cut out the centre of each sandwich. Place the cut-out shape from one sandwich into the centre space of the other and vice versa. Serve sandwiches on succeeding days.
Peanut Butter & Banana Pinwheels
Servings: 1
Slice of bread
Peanut butter
Banana
Remove crust from bread. Spread the slice of bread with peanut butter. Peel the banana. Place the banana on an edge of the slice of bread. Roll the bread, encasing the banana. Slice the roll vertically into slices.
Fried Apples
Try them! You may like them. People wrinkle their noses at the notion of fried apples but anyone who tries them loves them!
Servings: 1
1 apple
1 tablespoon margarine
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Core apple. Slice horizontally into 1/4-inch thick rings. Heat margarine over medium heat in frying pan until melted. Fry apple rings, turning when undersides are light brown. Fry until apples are tender. Remove to serving dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Salt Glitter
5 drops of food colouring
1/2 cup salt
Add food colouring to salt; stir well. Spread on waxed paper and let air-dry. Use like regular glitter. Store in airtight container
Homemade Finger Paint
Servings: 1
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2-1/2 cups cold water
Food colouring
Combine flour and salt; add cold water. Stir until smooth. Gradually stir mixture into boiling water. Boil until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. Add food colouring; stir until smooth. Let cool.
Kid's Appointment Kit
" Put several different colours of either homemade finger paint or doodle paint in a freezer bag; secure. For your peace of mind, tape closing. Your little Picasso can push around the paint inside the bag, creating an infinite number of masterpieces.
Doodle Paint
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
8 drops food colouring
Combine salt, flour, and cornstarch. Stir in water and food colouring well. Pour into a recycled dish detergent bottle.
Play Clay
Servings: 1
2 cups baking soda
1 cup cornstarch
1-1/4 cups cold water
Food colouring
Thoroughly mix baking soda and cornstarch in a saucepan; stir in water. If coloured clay is desired, stir in food colouring. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens and becomes difficult to stir. Remove clay to aluminum baking dish and cover with a damp cloth. Allow mixture to cool until it is cool enough to handle. Knead clay until it is smooth and pliable.
Finished projects may be air dried on wire racks. Also, they may be dried in a oven which has been preheated to 350 mF and is turned off when projects are placed in the oven. Leave projects in the oven until the oven cools.
If you have a boy, colour clay with blue food colouring whereas if you have a girl, colour clay with red food colouring. Mold clay into a 1/2-inch thick, 5-inch diameter circle. Press baby's foot or palm into clay to leave an impression. Flute edges of plaque just as you would flute the edges of a pie. Using a straw, poke two holes into the top of the "plaque", about 1-inch apart. When plaque is hard, thread ribbon through holes to make a hanging loop.
Optimized for Netscape 2.0 or better. Last Updated June 10, 2003.
Animation provided by Animation Factory.
Copyright Rexanna M. Keats 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. All Rights Reserved.
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