Kids Can Cook- Blueberry Brunch Cake

This is a HUGE hit in my house... my kids love to put their (very clean) hands in the bowl and mush the crumble topping for me. It's fun to make together and a great measuring activity! Enjoy!

BLUEBERRY BRUNCH CAKE

2 c. enriched flour
1 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 pt. blueberries

Cut together sugar and shortening. Sift together flour,
baking powder, and salt. Combine eggs and milk. Stir
together all ingredients and fold in blueberries. Pour
batter into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle
with topping.


TOPPING FOR BLUEBERRY BRUNCH CAKE:

2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
6 tsp. butter
1 c. flaked coconut

Mix together all ingredients until crumbly in texture.
Sprinkle on top of cake batter before baking. Bake at 375
degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Kids Can Cook- Mashed Potato Snowman

Mashed Potato Snowman
Having a hard time getting your kids to eat their vegetables? They won't be able to resist this snowman made from mashed potatoes, carrots, raisins and radishes.

Ingredients:
For the potatoes:
6 pounds of potatoes, peeled and quartered
About 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
Salt and Pepper
To adorn the snowman:
1 long carrot
1 baby carrot
3 raisins
2 small radishes

Preparation:
This recipe makes 15 to 20 servings.

Place the quartered potatoes into a large pot. Don't overcrowd the potatoes. You may need to use two pots if you don't have one that's big enough.


Cover the potatoes with salted water, bring the water to a boil on the stove and cook at a gentle boil until the potato pieces are fork tender, about 15 minutes.


Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and mash with a hand masher until smooth, adding the milk or cream, butter, salt and pepper as you go. Be careful not to add too much milk or cream. You don't want the potatoes to be runny.


Set a large serving tray (preferably not a white one) next to your bowl of mashed potatoes.
Scoop the potatoes onto the tray, starting with the large, bottom "snowball." Scoop a slightly smaller amount of potatoes onto the tray above the first snowball to create the snowman's midsection. Then, add the smallest helping of potatoes on top for the head. Smooth out the potatoes with the back of a spoon.


Scrape off the tips of the radishes with a potato peeler and place them scraped-side-up on the snowman's face for eyes.


Insert the baby carrot for the nose and the raisins as buttons.


Working in long motions, peel off two thin layers of the large carrot with your potato peeler and drape the carrot strips across the snowman's neck like a scarf. You could also snip the ends of the carrot peels with kitchen shears to make the scarf look like it has fringe.


Serve warm.

Kids Can Cook- Jack Frosty

Who says ice cream is just for summertime?

Ingredients:
4 cups mint or mint-chocolate chip ice cream
2 cups milk
Optional: whipped cream
Optional: candy cane

Preparation:
Place the ice cream and milk in a blender and mix on high for about 1 minute or until smooth.
Pour into 8-ounce serving glasses.

Optional: top with whipped cream and insert a candy cane.

Kids Can Cook- Reindeer Snacks

Sometimes, serving your kids a healthy snack is all about the packaging. Kids will love imagining that Santa feeds these sacks of trail mix to Prancer, Dancer and the rest of the reindeer crew.

Ingredients:
Use any of your favorite trail mix ingredients such as:
Cashews
Walnuts
Peanuts
Almonds
Shelled sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Flax seeds
Pretzels
Raisins
Other dried fruit
Chocolate chips
Carob chips
M&Ms
Yogurt-covered raisins

Preparation:
Combine your choice of the above ingredients, using your desired quantities, in a bowl and mix until evenly combined.
Scoop about one cup of the trail mix into individual sacks, such as cellophane baggies, brown-paper pastry bags or simple burlap sacks you've sewn, as pictured. Tie the bags shut with a red or green ribbon.

Optional: Add a tag to each bag that says "reindeer snacks," perhaps with each child's name on it, too.

Note: If you're low on time or not interested in customizing the look and taste of your trail mix, just use a pre-packaged variety.

Kids Can Cook- Jingle Bell Juice

Jingle Bell Juice

Red raspberries are the surprise ingredient in these glasses of holiday juice.

Ingredients:
One part sparkling water or club soda
3 parts fruit punch, pomegranate juice or other red juice
3 red raspberries per serving

Preparation:
Combine the first two ingredients in drinking glasses.
Wash the raspberries and then plop three of them into each glass.
Adorn the bottom of the glasses with rings of fake holly or fake berries.

Kids Can Cook- Traditional Cookie Dough

Traditional Cookie Dough

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Add sugar. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolk until combined. Add vanilla. Beat until combined.

Add flour and salt. Beat until combined, scraping down side of bowl occasionally.

Between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap with a rolling pin roll the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out shapes. Reroll and use scraps until all dough is used.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes,depending on the size of the cookies, or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes. Remove to cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Kids Can Cook- TeePee Treats

Historically, an Indian tepee was made from a cone of long poles and a hide covering that appeared shiny white until the hearth fire cured it. Construct a village of similarly handsome -- though edible -- tepees with this food craft.

Ingredients
Sugar cones
Confectioners' sugar
Unsalted butter
Vanilla extract
Cake-decorating icing
Decorative candies
Toothpicks

Instructions
In a mixing bowl with an electric beater set at low speed, mix 2 cups of sifted confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup of softened, unsalted butter, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth and spreadable. Stir in a bit of milk, if needed.
Use the icing to lightly frost eight ice cream sugar cones, then place them in the freezer for a few minutes until the icing hardens.
Now use tubes of cake-decorating icing to draw linear patterns and images and glue on decorative candies. For lodgepoles, insert toothpicks into the tip of each cone.

Kids Can Cook- Pizza

This is a menu I can prepare ahead or leave for a sitter to do. If I'm staying in, I jazz up the toppings with any of the odds and ends in the refrigerator. Sometimes I order takeout pizza and ask that the pies be cooked only halfway. At home, I heat the oven to 400º F, top the partially cooked pizzas with chicken and vegetables, and finish cooking them (about 10 minutes).

Ingredients
Frozen dough (thawed) for 2 pizzas or 2 prepared crusts
About 2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup shredded leftover cooked chicken
1 cup fresh basil, spinach, or other greens
8 ounces shredded mozzarella (2 cups)
6 tablespoons olive oil
Cornmeal

Preparation
Place a pizza stone, unglazed ceramic tiles, or a heavy cookie sheet on the oven rack. Preheat oven to 400º F. If starting with pizza dough, pat or pull each piece into a 12-inch circle. Top each with some sauce, then scatter the chicken, basil, and mozzarella over each. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle pizza stone with the cornmeal. Using the back of a cookie sheet, transfer the pizza to the oven. (You may have to bake the pizzas one at a time, depending on your oven size.) Bake 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned.

Kids Can Cook- Burger Sliders

Burger Sliders

Ingredients
4 slices bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
24 small dinner rolls

Preparation
In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Discard all but 2 Tbsp. bacon fat. Cook onion in bacon fat until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Remove mixture from pan and let cool. Crumble bacon when cool enough to handle.
In a large bowl combine beef, bacon, onion mixture, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper, and mix well. Form into 24 small patties and chill.
Preheat grill to medium; oil when hot. Cook burgers for about 7 minutes for medium rare, turning once halfway through. Serve burgers on rolls.

Kids Can Cook- Parsleyed Corn-on-the-Cob

Parsleyed Corn-on-the-Cob

Ingredients
6 ears sweet corn, shucked
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Preparation
Bring a large pot of water, 3/4 full, to a boil. Break the ears into halves or thirds and simmer just until tender, no more than 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving dish. Pour the butter over the corn and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and parsley, turning to coat. Serve steaming hot.Tip: For the sweetest corn, cook it as soon as possible after buying it. The sugar in corn begins to turn to starch the moment the ears are picked; cool temperatures slow this process.

Kids Can Cook- Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients
Potatoes:
2 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Cooking spray

Topping:
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preperation

Preheat oven to 375°.
To prepare potatoes, place potatoes in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain; cool slightly.
Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add half-and-half, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well (mixture will be thin). Scrape mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
To prepare topping, sprinkle miniature marshmallows over top of casserole. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans, and sprinkle over potato mixture and marshmallows. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Kids Can Cook- S'mores Sundae

S'mores Sundae

No campfire needed for this clever dessert. You can enjoy these familiar flavors year-round indoors!
Prep: 5 min. Cook: 2 min.
Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1/2 (12-ounce) jar hot fudge sauce
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1 pint vanilla ice cream
3 graham cracker sheets, separated

Preparation
Warm hot fudge sauce according to directions on jar. Spread marshmallow cream in the bottom of 4 (6-ounce) dessert bowls. Top with ice cream and hot fudge sauce. Serve with graham crackers.

Kids Can Cook- French Toast Bites

French Toast Bites

We love this kid-friendly French toast created by Cindy Bates. Regular French toast can be soggy in the middle, but bite-size cubes mean more crispy surface area.

Yield: MAKES: About 6 servings

Ingredients
1 loaf (about 1 lb.) sturdy artisan-style bread
6 eggs
1 cup low-fat milk (1% or 2%)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation
1. Cut bread into 1-inch-thick slices. Trim crusts; cut bread into 1-inch cubes. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add 2 cups bread cubes and mix to saturate.
2. Lightly butter a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan. Place pan over medium-high heat. Lift bread cubes from mixture, shaking off excess liquid. Add cubes to hot pan and cook (adjust heat if necessary), turning as needed, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Keep warm.
3. Repeat to soak and cook remaining cubes. Discard any remaining egg mixture.

Kids Can Cook- Banana Smoothie

Banana Smoothie

A frozen banana is the backbone of a good smoothie. I never toss out over-ripe bananas -- I just peel them and store them in a bag in the freezer.

Ingredients

1 frozen banana
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup blueberries, washed

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serves 1.

Kids Can Cook- Chocolate Strawberry Pancakes

Double Chocolate Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce

The chocolatey cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate chips are sources of flavanols, potent compounds that keep our blood vessels healthy, happy, and flexible. Top them with a drop of warm maple syrup or my vitamin C-rich, super-simple strawberry sauce...and you've got chocolate for breakfast and 6 grams of fiber to boot!


1 (16-oz) package frozen unsweetened whole strawberries
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup skim milk
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips



Prepare the strawberry sauce: In a large saucepan, combine the frozen strawberries, maple syrup, and 2 tablespoons water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce reaches a syrupy consistency and coats the back of a spoon. As the sauce simmers, break up the whole berries with a wooden spoon or fork.


While the sauce is simmering, prepare the pancake batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa, sugar, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt.


In a medium bowl, lightly beat the whole egg and egg white. Then add the milk, oil, and vanilla, and whisk until combined.


Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is just blended and no dry streaks remain. Take care not to overmix, as this will cause the pancakes to be chewy. Delicately fold in the chocolate chips. If time allows, let the batter rest for 10 minutes.


When the strawberry sauce has reached a syrupy consistency, remove the pan from the heat.


Liberally coat a large skillet or griddle with oil spray. Preheat it over medium heat. When the pan is nice and hot (after about 2 minutes), ladle about ¼ cup batter per pancake onto the surface.


Cook the pancakes until small bubbles form around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes over and cook about 1 minute longer, until the center is cooked. Re-coat the skillet with oil spray between batches to prevent the pancakes from sticking.


To serve, top 2 pancakes with about 1/3 cup warm strawberry sauce and a sprinkling of chocolate chips on each plate.

-Joy Bauer

Kids Can Cook- Pizza

English Muffin Pizzas

Fast pizza? Totally! They're so quick you'll wonder what took you so long to add them to your regular repertoire!


1 whole-wheat English muffin
2 tbsp pizza sauce or marinara pasta sauce
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 slices pepperoni (optional)
1 yellow pepper, sliced (optional)
3 black olives, sliced in half (optional)



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Slice the English muffins and spread out on a baking sheet.


Top with pizza sauce and cheese.


Place your toppings on the muffins.


Bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Kids Can Cook- Hot Fudge Sundae

Prep: 10 min. Microwave caramel and fudge toppings according to package directions. Pick up your favorite brownies from the bakery.

Yield: Makes 4 servings


Ingredients
1 pint vanilla bean ice cream
1/2 cup milk
8 tablespoons hot fudge topping, warmed
8 tablespoons caramel topping, warmed
1 (8.5-oz.) can refrigerated instant whipped cream
1/4 cup crumbled brownies, divided
4 maraschino cherries (with stems)

Preparation
1. Process ice cream and milk in a blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

2. Divide half of ice-cream mixture evenly among 4 (8-oz.) glasses. Top each with 1 Tbsp. fudge topping and 1 Tbsp. caramel topping. Repeat layers with remaining ice-cream mixture and fudge and caramel toppings.

3. Top each with instant whipped cream; sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. crumbled brownies, and top with a cherry. Serve immediately.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Smucker's Hot Fudge and Caramel Flavored Toppings.

Southern Living, MAY 2007

Kids Can Cook- Party Mix

Awesome Microwave Snack mix




Prep: 15 min., Cool: 30 min.
Use a glass bowl when you zap this in the microwave. (Don't use a plastic bowl; we tried it, and the mixture got too hot and could possibly burn.)
Yield: Makes 13 cups

Ingredients
2 (1-oz.) envelopes Ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups crisp oatmeal cereal squares
3 cups corn-and-rice cereal
3 cups crisp wheat cereal squares
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces

Preparation
1. Whisk together Ranch dressing mix and 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large microwave-safe glass bowl. Stir in oatmeal cereal squares and next 3 ingredients.

2. Microwave mixture at HIGH 2 minutes, and stir well. Microwave at HIGH 2 more minutes, and stir well. Spread mixture in a single layer on wax paper, and let cool 30 minutes. Add cherries and candy pieces. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Quaker Essentials Oatmeal Squares for crisp oatmeal cereal squares, Crispix for corn-and-rice cereal, and Wheat Chex for wheat cereal squares.

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2006

Kids Can Cook- Fresh Fruit Salad

Fresh Fruit Salad

Ingredients
2 small bananas, sliced
2 small apples, diced
1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 cup seedless red grapes
1/2 cup seedless green grapes
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan; gradually whisk in 1/2 cup water, orange juice, and lemon juice until blended.

Bring sugar mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, over medium heat. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute.

Pour mixture over fruit, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 4 hours.

Southern Living, MAY 1997

Kids Can Cook- Bite-size Honey Popcorn Balls

Bite-size Honey Popcorn Balls

The only quibble we have with popcorn balls is that they're usually too big and unwieldy to bite into. These miniature clusters, held together with caramelized honey, are just the right size. Prep and Cook Time: 1 1/4 hours. Notes: If you don't have an air popper, you can pop the popcorn in the microwave. Be careful when opening bag; it will release steam.

Yield: Makes 60 to 65 popcorn balls

Ingredients
20 cups air-popped popcorn (from 2/3 to 1 cup kernels; see Notes)
1 1/4 cups butter, cut into chunks, plus more for your hands
1 1/4 cups honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Put popcorn in a large roasting pan. Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to stir together 1 1/4 cups butter, the honey, and salt until butter is melted. Increase heat and boil honey mixture gently 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla.

3. Carefully pour honey mixture over popcorn in roasting pan and stir gently to coat. Bake popcorn, stirring every 5 minutes, until deep golden all over, about 25 minutes.

4. Let popcorn stand 5 minutes, or just until cool enough to handle. Working quickly with lightly buttered hands, press small handfuls of the mixture into 1 1/2-in. balls, occasionally loosening popcorn from bottom of pan with a spatula. If mixture cools too much to be malleable, return it to oven for about 45 seconds to soften.

5. Put popcorn balls on prepared baking sheet and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.