A couple of weeks ago, the kids and I decided to order and test some of Curious Chef’s products. They look fun and I was intrigued by the cutlery in particular.

Overall, we loved the tools, the knives are great too, especially with Sophia. She is good with a ‘real’ knife, but she also gets distracted when she’s cooking on occasion. The Curious Chef knives provide an extra sense of safety.

We tested out each piece in this week’s episode, and you can get Alex and Sophia’s direct feedback as you watch. If you decide the little chef’s in your life would appreciate their very own cooking tools, we recommend My Secret Pantry. The order was processed quickly and we got our package without a glitch. Plus, they have lots of other cool stuff too

If you’d prefer, you can also get Curious Chef Products at Amazon.com.

A couple of weeks ago, Alex, Soph and I tried one of our Kitchen Chemistry Experiments–we made our very own fresh mozzarella cheese. Both of the kids love science, and learning about making cheese seemed right up their alley…plus I’ve always thought it would be fun to try. I was right, it is fun. But, beware, it’s kind of addicting too. Maybe I’m just a perfectionist, but I can’t stop trying to get each batch a little more perfect. Luckily, Sophia is a fresh mozzarella eating monster, she just scarf’s it right up

If it’s something you’ve wanted to try, you definitely should. You’ll see just how easy it is in this episode. If you want more detail on exactly what we did, check out our Kitchen Chemistry: Making Mozzarella post.

Happy Cheese-making everyone!

Oh, and don’t forget to give us a follow over on Twitter or maybe fan us on Facebook, we like to keep in touch with our viewers

OK, so we love pizza and we like to make in as many different forms as possible. This recipe is takes a classic quesadilla, and some pizza fixings (your favorite of course!), adds some pizza sauce ‘dip’ and viola! you have Pizzadillas.

The best part of this recipe is the simplicity. It is perfect for making with the kids and it’s quick to whip together. Alex, Soph and I show you just how easy in this weeks episode…enjoy!

P.S. Don’t for get to follow us on twitter (@twokidscooking) and become a fan at facebook.

It’s Valentine’s Time! And every good Valentines meal needs a tasty dessert. We think you’ll find this dessert fits the holiday perfectly. It’s Red, and White and Sweet and even good for you (ok, better for you than most desserts).

We can tell you with complete honesty, though, that it is delicious–we ate almost the entire thing right out of the bowl after filming. It definitely warmed our hearts We’re sure it’ll warm yours too!

Enjoy the Show, AND, Happy Valentines Day!!!!

XXOO,

Mom, Alex and Soph

P.S. You can find the recipe for Banana Berry Valentine Trifle here, in case you want to make if for your sweetie

2010 is the Two Kids Family year of trying to improve the nutritional value of the food we eat. This recipe stems from this goal, and, even though the kids weren’t huge on the Spinach, (as you may have seen in the recipe of the week post), they did try it and they loved the chicken. One thing is for sure, though, we had a great time making the meal together.

You’ll see how easy it is to make this recipe with the kids–and maybe, since they helped make it, they’ll try the spinach too

Find the recipe for Herbed Chicken and Garlicky Spinach right here!

One item on Sophia’s Christmas list for 2009 was the Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker. Before I go further, I do want to admit that,despite my love of cooking, I’m not a huge fan of toys like Easy Bake Ovens or Girl Gourmet Cupcake Makers. I feel that if your going to cook real food, you should do it in a real kitchen and learn how to do it the real way.  BUT, she really wanted this OR an Easy Bake, and since this is a new toy on the scene, she got the Cupcake Maker.

First I’ll just share some observations. The instructions are simple and clear, however, the measurements for the mixes were not accurate. I realize that depending on climate/humidity, the liquid measurements to be added to the mixes were not accurate. The cupcake mix needed at least a 1/2 Tablespoon additional liquid and the frosting about 1/2 a teaspoon. And, the frosting was tricky–when they say it should be the consistency of play dough, they mean play dough. Our first two attempts were a bit runny and it dripped out from the dispenser thingy.

Speaking of the dispenser thingy, on the commercials, it looks like it decorates the cupcakes all pretty and in a controlled manner, well not so in the real world. I guess I should have known this (and at some level I did); but the first couple of times we used it, the cupcake spun itself right off of that little holder thing. Plus, the frosting application is far from cute. We always just end up spreading it ourselves after applying it with the dispenser.

The one thing that is amazing is that the cupcakes really do cook in the microwave in 30 seconds. They taste ok, but Soph thinks they’re super delicious. I say ‘eh’.

Now, despite all my criticism, Soph still thinks it’s cool. I think she likes the novelty of it. She does admit that making cupcakes with Mom and decorating them with her pastry bag and tips is more fun. That being said, for $20 I paid, I suppose it’s OK.

My overall rating is 3 out of 5. It only gets a 3 because Soph likes it. I guess it’s an OK gift if you’re giving to a non-cooking family. Personally, I’d say if you’re considering it, buy the giftee a cupcake pan, a pastry bag and some decorating tips; it’ll give them the opportunity to learn more, have more fun and maybe, spend some time with others in the family.

To see the Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker in action, just check out this weeks show. Thanks for watching!

NOTE: Soph’s Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker was purchased by me (Mom) as a Christmas gift. We did not receive anything for this review.

Pizza is always popular meal with kids. Part of its attraction, I think, is that it’s such a customizable meal. If one person likes pepperoni and the other doesn’t, well we just don’t add pepperoni to the whole pizza then, right? Each person gets just what they like.

This recipe takes traditional pizza, and wraps it up in a pocket. Each person gets their very own ingredients and can make their pizza just the way they like it. When we made them, Sophia didn’t dd any sauce, ’cause she doesn’t like sauce, just cheese and a few other items. Alex added extra sauce and a variety of meats to address his carnivorous tendencies. The best part is, it’s a fun meal to make together, as a family!

Enjoy the show, and check out the recipe for Personal Pizza Pockets if you get the urge to make them for your family!

Michelle over at the ‘What’s Cooking Blog‘ has started a blog series called ‘What’s Cooking with YOUR Kids‘. This series’ goal is to show everyone that it IS simple to cook with your kids AND everyone should try it. Since Alex, Soph and I strive to encourage families to cook and eat together, we want to spread the word; And we’ll be submitting one of our stories too!

Which story you ask? Well, one of my favorites is when we were making our Spider Cookie recipe for Halloween. Cookies area always fun to make with the kids. All the measuring and mixing ensures everyone will get to do something. On this occasion, Alex was in charge of pouring in the flour and then the vanilla. As he poured the vanilla onto the flour, the vanilla sort of rolled off the flour rather than penetrating and soaking into it. Alex found this amazing. As he watched, he muttered these words:

“Wow! Flour has repellent properties…that could be useful…mental note.”

The way he says it is hilarious…If you watch the Spider Cookie episode you can witness it as it happened.

I hope you check out ‘What’s Cooking with YOUR Kids’, but most of all, I encourage all of you to get in the kitchen together as a family. It’s easy and fun (our show is evidence of that )

Now, go cook together!

Alex and Soph are shrimpaholics and this is their absolute favorite way to eat it. It’ kind of like scampi, but all the fat is replaced with reduced low-sodium broth and lemon juice!

This high in lean protein, low in fat meal is super tasty and fun to make with the kids!

Part of the our New Year’s resolutions this year includes improving the overall healthiness of the food we are consuming. At least, as the Mom, that’s what I’ve decided Sooo, here’s a recipe with some nutritional value that’s a quick and easy snack.

We hope you enjoy as Alex and Soph demonstrate how we make hummus and pita chips the 2 kids way!