It’s official, I am the mom of a teenager.  Luckily, the best teenager in the world   I know every parent says this, but I seriously do not believe that the cute little blob we brought home from the hospital is already a 13 year old mini-man.  I really hit me the other day when I was watching a Christmas episode of ours from a couple years back…his squeaky little voice and chubby cheeks.  We’ve only been doing the show for 2 1/2 years, but wow, has he grown.

I am so thankful to have such a wonderful son. He and I have a lot in common and now that he’s at an age where he can carry on a real conversation, I love talking with him. He is awesome at helping out with the show, too. If I ever put together a ‘gag-reel’ you’ll see what I mean. Soph can be a bit of a diva from time to time but Alex keeps it all calm. His big brother skills are quite well developed, as well and I know his sister would agree. For being 4+ years apart they are really close and have lots of fun together. Yes, they do fight, but overall they work well together.

This morning Soph and I sang him Happy Birthday and made him breakfast in bed, later we’re going to make him some Bread Pudding, cuz he loves it more than cake–Happy 13th Birthday Alex! We love you…

Mom & Soph

We’ve previously shared our thoughts and experience with Teen Cuisine by Matthew Locricchio, and today we’re going to share some more. This time we’re going let you all know our thoughts on the Crisp Oven Fries.

Since trying this recipe the first time back in August, it’s become one of our favorites (Even on the weeks when the kids area at their dad’s my boyfriend and I have been know to whip up a batch).  The reason the kids and I wanted to try this one probably isn’t really a big surprise–we like french fries.  Plus, the frozen ones you get in the grocery store freezer section just never get crispy enough in the oven, and we don’t own a deep fryer.

Making the fries was pretty easy, Soph washed the potatoes, Alex cut them up, they both mixed up the spice mixture and tossed them in the oil. The biggest challenge with the recipe is baking the fries so they are perfect, you’ll want to watch them closely until you get the timing with your oven down so you don’t burn them.

As far as taste, they are delicious, BUT, cut back on the salt…they were way too salty the first time we tried ‘em. The spice mixture in the recipe is really good, but you could also change it up with your own combination. And as I mentioned, just don’t add as much salt as the recipe calls for, it’s too much for even this salt loving mom.

Overall, this is another fun recipe to prepare as a family that we’re sure you’d make again and again. You can find your own copy of Teen Cuisine at Amazon.com. and other online bookstores.

Happy Family Cooking Everyone!

Kelly, Alex and Sophia

P.S. For our other thoughts on this book and its recipes, check out our cookbook review and our Grilled Cheese Try-It.

Check out More on Debbie Madson’s Cooking & Learning Unit Here

Kids Cooking Lessons is a 67 page eBook thae hs part of the Cooking & Learning Unit and is packed with recipes, lessons, activities, glossaries and certificates for kids ages 6 to 18. It’s divided into age-based sections – Assistant Chef, ages 3 to 6; Chef-In-Training, ages 7 to 11; Junior Chef, ages 12 to 15; and Senior Chef, ages 16 to 18. Each section contains 13 lessons that contain tasks for the age group, safety information, recipes, activities and a certificates of achievement for the level. The lessons are made for parent and child interaction, although at the Junior & Senior Level they more independent. Each of the recipe activities helps reinforce the skills for the lesson and, although the kids and I haven’t made all of them yet, they are fun to do together. There’s also a glossary of terms at that end, which is useful to help define various cooking terms and techniques you’ll be working through.

One of the main reasons I like these lessons is because, even though the kids and I cook a lot together, we can get into ruts sometimes, cooking the same things over and over. The lessons give us something new to try, plus, the structured format allows us to focus on a specific technique that we can use in our other cooking as well. Personally, I think it would be super cool if this book came out in hardcover, with areas for notes and places to add other recipes. Since it doesn’t, what we’ve done is printed it out, punched holes and put it in a three ring binder with blank note paper. We keep a couple other cooking related eBooks in the binder as well, so we have all our kitchen learning materials in one place.

For only $27, the Cooking & Learning Unit is an affordable way to inspire family cooking time with new ideas and techniques. It’s also great to use in a group setting, like a scouting or youth group or as part of a homeschooling curriculum. Even for kids who have spent some time in the kitchen (like Alex and Soph), the lessons are a fun way to practice. And, for young kids, or those with no experience, but who do express an interest in cooking, these lessons are a perfect way to get them started building up some culinary knowledge.

If you’re ready to organize and take your family cooking time to another level, order your families copy of Debbie Madson’s Cooking & Learning Unit today and get started!

Happy Family Cooking Everyone!

Eggs are a pretty standard breakfast food, but, our Baked Eggs add a new twist. Plus, they are one of those things that can be customized to individual tastes, so no one can say they don’t like it (well, unless they don’t like eggs I guess, but you know what I mean ).  Alex, Soph and I demonstrate how quick it is to have a fancy egg breakfast after a crazy gift opening morning.

If you are interested in trying the recipe out for yourself, you can find it here: Baked Eggs.

Enjoy the show and We hope you all have a great Holiday–Merry Christmas!

Kelly, Alex and Sophia

P.S. This is our final episode of 2011, our next new shows will be out in February 2012–make sure you’re on our email list so you don’t miss it!

This breakfast recipe is more in the style of the Mom (i.e. does not contain sweet things); but, Alex and Soph like it, too. In fact, Soph says it’s one of the best breakfasts ever.

When we demonstrate the recipe on Two Kids Cooking TV, you’ll get to see each of our favorite add-in ingredients. You can use any of your favorites, but leftovers work too. You can also prepare each of the add-in ingredients the night before, so in the morning, you just put everything in the baking cup, bake and eat–easy and tasty. Oh, an another benefit, since you can customize each one to the person who will be eating, these are perfect if you have someone who might have specific flavor needs ;D

Enjoy the recipe and Happy Family Cooking Everyone!

Kelly, Alex and Sophia

If you like cooking, you probably like cooking with your kids. Cookies, pizza, meatballs and snacks are some of our old stand-by’s, but sometimes spicing up  the recipe or kitchen activity requires outside influence. For us, that means one of three things is going to happen:

1. Cook Book Searching – When Alex and Soph get bored and a hunger for that elusive ‘something’ sets in, one of the first places they head to is our book shelf, filled with various cookbooks. Alex also refers to online sources, but for the most part, our cookbook shelves are the first choice for cooking activity research.

Sophia usually heads for books that contain sweets. Her favorite books for browsing include Mrs. Fields Cookie Cookbook and any of the Barbara Beery Princess Cookbooks (particularly the Pink Princess Cupcake Cookbook).

For Alex, it depends on his mood. Lately, his favorite book for the non-sweet has been Teen Cuisine by Matthew Locricchio. And, just like Soph, Mrs. Fields Cookie Cookbook is a favorite as well.

2. Let’s Try Mixing Stuff Together – the kids are both big fans of science, especially science experiments. I try to keep baking soda and vinegar on hand at all times, just because it provides a quick ‘kitchen science fix’…although it never stops there. So, this mom decided to step in and organize these ‘mixing’ sessions.

The first thing I did was get online and do a bit of research. I found some websites and a few books, here’s a list of the resources I found and that we refer to:

3. Kids Cooking Club & Kids Cooking Lessons- Another option we might choose when we need some fun that isn’t in our standard repertoire is a recipe from the Kids Cooking Club. We’ve only been members since September, so we don’t have that many of the monthly recipes yet, but, each month has additional recipes and menus from their website and they’ve recently started a forum where visitors can learn and share (if you’re a member, stop by our page and say hi!)

We also have started working through Kids Cooking Activities eBook, ‘Kids Cooking Lessons.’ It’s 67 pages of recipes, lessons, activities, glossaries and certificates for kids ages  6 to 18. It’s divided into age-based sections – Assistant Chef, ages 3 to 6; Chef-In-Training, ages 7 to 11; Junior Chef, ages 12 to 15; and Senior Chef, ages 16 to 18. Each section contains 13 lessons and is packed with great information that facilitates kitchen fun and learning.

Sooo, if you and your kids get that urge to venture into new territory and try something different in the kitchen for the New Year, maybe one of our methods will help you find the perfect activity or recipe to scratch that itch.

Happy Family Cooking Everyone,

Kelly, Alex and Sophia

P.S. You can find more cook books we like in the ‘Kids Cooking Recipe Books‘ section!

This week Alex and Soph share our super easy and tasty Two Kids Pancakes and Addin-In ideas. Both of them are big pancake fans and when you make the batter the night before, pancakes are super fast to make, especially if you are busy, say, opening presents ;D

We have the recipe posted here, too, if you feel like whipping up some yourself: Two Kids Pancakes.

Happy Holidays and Enjoy the show!

Alex, Sophia and Kelly

P.S. What’s your favorite Christmas morning breakfast?  Let us know with a comment!

Christmas morning can be a bit crazy with gift opening, overtired kids and exhausted parents, but, we can be sure that at some point hunger will come around. That means breakfast and at the two kids household, pancakes area a favorite (for the kids, not the mom).  Although I am not a great pancake maker, this recipe is one that the kids and I make and they like; plus, the batter can be made the night before, just in case you anticipate a busy morning ;D

We’ll be demonstrating this recipe in the upcoming weeks on the show, so stay tuned.

Merry Christmas and Happy Family Cooking Every One!

Alex, Sophia and Kelly