Mixing Bowl Kids

Food Gifts Kids Can Make

  

photo from Martha Stewart

In addition to thinking of simple foods for this year's holiday entertaining, I've also been working on some fun food gifts that my kids can make for those on their Christmas list this year (think teachers, hockey coaches and guitar teachers).  

We have thoughtfully read cookbooks, perused the internet, clipped from magazines and searched our own creative minds for some possibilities.  And while I can't exactly share what we've decided to do this year (it would spoil some precious gifts!), I can offer up some fun ideas that we considered.  Each of these items can be packaged in cello wrap, gift bags or a mason jar, tied with ribbon and tagged with a homemade card:

Chocolate Bark 

Hot Chocolate Mix 

Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods 

"Recipe" Dish Towel  

M&M Cookies in a Jar  

And last but not least, an awesome collection of ideas can be found here.  (I making a few things from this list but don't tell anyone!!)

Wookie Cookies

                                           
                            

I have a Star Wars loving boy in my home.  Love, isn't even the correct word to use when describing said child's affinity for the intergalactic world of Luke Skywalker et al.  It more borders on obsession or addiction - I'm not sure which word is more fitting.

In any event, while out for lunch with some friends last week, I came across the above book and thought it would be the most perfect Christmas gift for my Jedi boy.  A true little chef at heart, what could be more exciting for him than to get into the kitchen and make foods like Mos Eisley Morsels, Hoth Chocolate, Skywalker Smoothies, Han-burgers and Wookie Cookies.

We're already planning a Star Wars birthday party for his January birthday and this little goldmine is going to make the menu planning easy-peasy.  If you have a young Jedi or even an old one on your Christmas list, this is one book not to be missed.

Franken-Mallow Heads

Short on time this week (it's a busy one, isn't it?), I wanted to prepare something fun for all the kiddies, but specifically the preschoolers out there who are probably bursting with excitement over Halloween.   I think this would be a great food-craft for a class, home or church party and using nothing more than marshmallows, chocolate, pretzels and green food colouring this is super simple fun for everyone, including all your little chefs.

So, with Halloween just a few days away are you all ready and organized? What are your kids dressing up as this year? I'd love to hear your ideas....have a great day!

Franken-Mallow Heads

20 large marshmallows

20 long pretzel sticks

1 cup chocolate chips

1 tbsp table cream

green food colouring 

water

~ Place 2 tbsp of water in a shallow bowl and 5-6 drops of food colouring and combine well.

~ Place the marshmallows, one at a time, in the bowl and turn over to completely coat with the coloured water.  Remove and place on a cooling rack placed over a cutting board covered with paper towel to dry.

~ Melt the chocolate in double broiler, or heat-proof bowl set over a pot of boiling water.  Add the cream and mix well. 

~ Dip one end of the marshmallow into the chocolate and place on the drying rack.  The chocolate will be Franken-Mallow's hair.  Dip the end of the toothpick or a wooden skewer into the chocolate and draw eyes, a nose and mouth into the marshmallow.

~ Stick pretzels into the sides of the marshmallow (for the bolts) and allow to completely dry.

~ Enjoy!

Witchy-Finger Sandwiches for Halloween

October has moved along at quite a clip and Halloween is finally just a few days away.  My children, like yours I'm sure, are getting excited and the countdown for costume-day has begun.  I was never much of Halloween fan myself when I was a child (I always wore the oddest costumes!) but I have a new found appreciation for it now that I'm seeing the day through the eyes of my boys.

So, as we've prepared for all the fun, spooky food has been at the forefront of my mind.  I've been planning a few fun things for, and with my boys, like these Witchy Finger Sandwiches. My youngest and I worked on these "bewitching" fingers this past weekend and they were easy-peasy to assemble.  So much so that once I demonstrated the process he went to work on the remaining pieces of bread.  I rounded everything once it was rolled and together we adorned the fingers with their long, painted fingernails. My quick-thinking husband suggested we add a ring to the third finger for authenticity,  so I grabbed a spider and put it in place.  Such a fun project for us to work on together! 

I have a few more gruesome goodies to share with you this week as we get ready for the upcoming weekend.  In the meantime, try tucking these into your young ones lunch this week, or serve them with a steaming mug of soup for dinner and I'm sure your meal will be a howling success.  Have a great day!  

Witchy Finger Sandwiches
yields: one hand

5 slices of white sandwich bread, crusts removes

five almonds (optional:painted red or black with gel colour-paste)

filling of your choice: peanut butter, jam, nutella, cream cheese, tuna etc.

~ Remove the crusts from each piece of bread and roll flat with the rolling pin.

~ Spread or top each slice with your choice of filling (I used peanut butter) and roll lengthwise into a thin log.  

~Round the tips, then score the bread with a sharp knife where the knuckles would be.

~ Add the almonds (you can paint them first with gel colour or food colouring) and stick them into place by adding a dab of your filling to the back of the almond before placing it on the bread.

~ Enjoy!

Ghoulish Goodies are Coming

We're feeling very Halloween'ish around these parts.  Decorations are in place, bats have been cut out and are ready to be hung, the mini graveyard planted and costumes have finally, finally been decided upon.  While we still have a bit of work to do on that front - like sewing some parts of one and making and designing pieces of the other - we're mostly organized and very excited for next weeks festivities.

Because Halloween is such a kid-friendly day I've decided to spend the next week featuring recipes and ideas for fun Halloween fare to make with your kiddies.  Most little ones (and big ones too!) have a class party or some sort of event to attend this time of year, and making treats or food to take along is almost always an essential part of the week...and it's really fun too!  I have yet to meet a young one who isn't excited to work on some spooky edibles.

The first idea I wanted to share is something I've done for the past three or four years for my boys' class parties.  So simple to prepare and made with nothing more than a slightly hollowed out pumpkin lined with a few lettuce leaves, this seasonal staple is then filled with a container of delicious homemade or store-bought dip.  Embellish with a big spider and surrounded with an assortment of crunchy veggies for dunking, and your festive food is ready to serve .  I think we can all agree that there is enough candy floating around at the end of October and this provides a great treat while keeping the kids eating as healthy as possible.  For extra fun, I like to place these goods on a tarnished silver tray as it reminds me of something I might find in an old haunted house.  

Are you ready for Halloween?  What are you handing out this year?  Have a lovely, lovely weekend friends!

Earth Day Bars

I'm happy to say that the "Dirt Dessert" from yesterday did result in a post-dinner smile from my youngest boy.  I've been waiting days to see one so it was a great relief to finally catch a glimpse of his loose-tooth grin.  Having said that, the above Earth Day bars didn't elicit quite the same response from him, although my older boy thought they were very tasty and eagerly shared them with his friends on the playground after school.  

Inspired by a recipe I found on-line, featuring a dish created with ingredients from different countries around the world, I decided to do the same thing in the form of a snack for my boys.  I also knew I wanted to make something healthy as we've been indulging in far too many sweet treats in our home of late (Easter, a birthday and dirt dessert!).  I discovered the below recipe on-line, and tweaked it a bit to suit my family's tastes.  I chose to make these bars with dark chocolate (native to Asia and Latin America), dried cranberries (native to North America), coconut (native to South Asia) and walnuts (grown worldwide).  

These would be a great treat for your kids to make with some friends as the add-in's can be customized to suit the likes of each child.  I might also suggest using these bars to teach geography...Earth Day Asia Bars, Earth Day North America bars...you get the idea.  Simply use add-ins from specific continents or countries while studying those geographic regions.  Happy Baking! 

Earth Day Bars, adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups of rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup apple butter

1 egg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Add ins:

Chopped dark chocolate, coconut, dried cranberries, walnuts

Possible add ins:

raisins, dried fruits, nuts, pineapple, apples, blueberries

~ Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

~ In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a small mixing bowl whisk together the oil, apple butter and egg.

~ Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough has a crumbly texture.  

~ Customize you add ins and fold in 1 cup total of the add-ins of your choice.

~ Lightly oil an 8x8 baking pan and press the dough in firmly.  Bake in pre-heated oven for 17 minutes or until the bars are set.  Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting.  Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

~ Enjoy!