The kids are with me every other week. Most weeks, we try to cook at least one meal together if our schedule allows. If we’re taping a show, the menu is preselected by the topic, BUT, other times, we get to decide what we’re going to make during our time together.

Sometimes these family time cooking recipes come from one of the kid’s cravings, sometimes they come from our list of ‘must-try’ recipes and sometimes they come from a recipe book or magazine. Here are three simple ways to get your kids involved in recipe and menu selection:

1. Ask them what they’re in the mood to eat/cook that week. On the weeks the kids will be with me, I try to do a menu plan for the week. I say ‘try’ because some weeks I am better at this than others. BUT, even on the weeks when we don’t have a formal menu plan, I ask the kids for ideas on what we should eat that week, and if there’s anything in particular they’d like to make.  In addition to helping me come up with dinner ideas, it gets them excited for the meals we’ll be cooking and eating together.

2. Go through some recipe books or magazines. If you want to do something special or new, and you and the kids are strapped for ideas, we find that paging through our recipe books and cooking magazines always generates ideas. You can find some of our favorite Kids Cooking Books right here on the site. Some of our favorite magazines include: FamilyFun, ChopChop, Taste of Home, All You, and Fitness.  Fitness might seem a bit odd, but they have lots of healthy, tasty recipes in there.

3. Keep a list of those ‘must-try’ recipes. Whenever I’m reading a blog, magazine or cookbook and a recipe strikes me, I make a note of it. I have a folder in outlook called ‘recipes to try’…I just email myself links to the recipes I find online. If they’re in a book or magazine that I own, I make a note and email it to myself with the magazine title, issue, page and recipe.  Back before I was technologically inclined, I used to just clip out the recipes from a magazine, glue them to another sheet of paper, three-how punch it and stick it in a binder…I still have that ‘recipe book’. Sophia does the same thing and usually writes up an ingredients list to be sure we’ll have everything on hand–if she finds something she wants to make, we usually try it right away. Alex is less aggressive with the recipe searching than Soph, but he does call my attention to particular things he finds from time to time. Sophia’s finds are usually desserts, Alex’s are usually meat related–big surprise

Next time you have no idea what to make for supper, get the kids involved…I’m sure they’ll have plenty opinions on what to make.

Happy Family Cooking Everyone,

Kelly, Alex and Sophia

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.

Kids Cooking Lessons is a 67 page eBook 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, agens 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 $14.95, this eBook 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 Kids Cooking Lessons today and get started!

Happy Family Cooking Everyone!

Kelly, Alex and Sophia

Photo: William Dickey; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Sometimes family schedules can make family cooking challenging. After school-practices, appointments, games…it can be difficult to prepare and eat a family meal together.  This doesn’t mean, however, that we can’t squeeze in some time in the kitchen having fun. With a little planning, the week can present itself an hour or two. We have three ideas for you and your kids spend that free time and they all involve fun together in the kitchen.

Idea 1:
Baking - When most people think about cooking with their kids, they think of baking, at least that’s my perception. The reason is because making cookies from scratch or mixing up or decorating cupcakes is a simple way to get the kids in the kitchen with you.

Here are some baking together tips:

• Take some time with the kiddies to pick out a specific recipe that you want to bake together
• Prepare the shopping list together as well, first checking the cupboards for what you already have, and then going to purchase the rest
• Plan the date and time you’re going to have your baking adventure and make sure there are no other distractions.
• Enjoy your baked creation together and share with others in the family that didn’t help!

Idea 2:
Food Related Experiments – If you have kids that are interested in science, or even just doing experiments with food, you can probably get them in the kitchen cooking and learning with a Science Experiment You Can Eat. We’ve made up our own experiments, some of them not so edible, but with this book by Vicki Cobb, you can investigate things from Suspensions, Colloids and Emulsions to Microbes and Enzymes. Each experiment has an edible component and an observation section to help summarize what you learned.

Idea 3:
Preparing Special Meals – By special meals, I mean things like Mom, Dad, Brother or Sister’s birthday, or maybe just because it’s Friday.  Any day can be a special day if everyone involved decides it is. By planning a special meal day and building up anticipation, everyone will be excited when the day actually arrives. Alex, Soph and I like to do party nights when we make snacky super items together, then spread out a blanket in the living room and eat picnic style while we watch a movie, or something on Netflix.

Here are some tips for planning your ‘special meal’ night:

• Pick the special day or event together. If it’s for a family member’s birthday, you can surprise them or include them. If you do include them, you can always plan a surprise part of the meal (like cake) that you make separately.
• Have everyone decide  ahead of time what they will be working on…who’s cutting veggies, who’s preparing marinades, who’s stirring and who’s pouring. It may seem like a lot of upfront work, but it will pay off with a smooth running kitchen.
• Don’t stop at the food, why not decorate up the table to match a theme?  Placemats and name cards can be made in advance, or you can just break out the picnic blanket and eat off of paper plates–whatever you decide.

We hope one of these ideas inspires you to set aside a few hours in the coming weeks to have some fun as a family, cooking up some tasty treats.

Happy Family Cooking Everyone,

Kelly, Alex and Sophia

P.S. Don’t forget to sign-up for our email list so you get your weekly recap of all or our ideas and the show!

Today we’re sharing our experience and thoughts on one of the recipes from the cookbook, Teen Cuisine by Matthew Locricchio. You might have seen our review of the cookbook, and we wanted to share our experience with a couple of the recipes, so we’re starting with this one: Not-An-Ordinary Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

The reason we decided to try this recipe was less about the grilled cheese and more about how it is made. The ingredients are basic, but you’ll notice in the ingredients picture there’s milk; That’s not the only not-so-ordinary thing about this grilled cheese.

Here are some of the things that make this sandwich a bit different:

• The crust is removed from the bread
• The cheese is made into a filling by grating it and combining it with milk
• The bread is brushed with melted butter on the outsides

How do these differences affect the sandwich? Well, they were still basically grilled cheese sandwiches. The cheese might have seemed a bit creamier and the kids loved the removal of the crust. They were very good, but taste wise, they were fairly ordinary. However, their not-so-ordinary preparation made cooking them a little more fun that the basic grilled cheese sandwich.

While Sophia grated the cheese, Alex removed bread crusts and I got the pan ready. Then Sophia melted butter while Alex prepared the cheese filling. We had fun making them–much more fun than just slapping a slice of cheese on some bread, buttering the outside and throwing it in a pan.

Another extra-ordinary thing about this these grilled cheeses—they look fancy. It’s probably the crust removal, and knowing that the cheese was more than just cheese, but we felt fancy eating them

If you’d like more of our thoughts on this cookbook, check out our Teen Cuisine Cookbook Review. You can also learn more about it at Amazon.com.

Happy Family Cooking Everyone!

Kelly, Alex and Sophia

P.S. Have you checked out our 2011 Gift Guide for the Mini-Chef in your life?

‘Mom, can we get more beef jerky?’ , ‘Mom, I want fruit roll-ups, can we get some?’

I hear one or both of these questions nearly every time the kids an I hit the grocery store. I don’t mind buying these items, but, they are something we can make…and, since we can, why not? Plus, when we make our own jerky and roll-ups, we know exactly what’s in them.

Alex is a self proclaimed ‘meatatarian’ and loves beef jerky, so, that is what we usually make when we’re in a dehydrating mood. Fruits, vegetables & herbs, are all great foods to dehydrate for later use, too, though. No matter what food item you choose to remove the moisture from, they’re all easy and fun to do with the kiddies.

Meat
When dehydrating meats, there is usually a marinade of sorts involved. The kids can get involved mixing the marinade and–depending on their age and skill with a knife–slicing the meat up into jerky size pieces.

When the meat has completed its time soaking, get the kids to help you lay the pieces in the dehydrator, or on the baking sheet. After the dehydration is complete, make sure to have the minis help so they can see the change in the meat, and taste it, of course! ;D

If you’re looking for some recipes or tips for making your own jerky, here are a few we’ve referred to:
- www.backpackingchef.com
- www.cooks.com

Fruit
We haven’t dried an fruit recently, mostly because we’ve been focused on fulfilling Alex’s meat requirements ;D Fruit can be dehydrated in two ways, as pieces of the whole fruit, or as fruit leather. In both cases, children can help with the preparation, cutting up the fruits and/or preparing the puree, and arranging the prepared fruits onto the dehydrator trays or baking sheets.

Check out these websites for more information on drying fruit:
- www.eHow.com
- www.grouprecipes.com
- www.simplyrecipes.com

Vegetables
Like with fruits, the kids can get involved in the preparation of the veggies for their visit to the dehydrator. I’ve only ever done onions and peppers before, but we’re going to try some other vegetables soon, ,to include in as an ingredient in future ‘Gift in a Jar’ recipes.

This website has some great tips or dehydrating veggies:
- www.backpackingchef.com
- farmgal.tripod.com

Herbs
We’ve never actually tried drying herbs ourselves. We grow them each summer, and try to keep the plants alive indoors over the Minnesota winter (with little success), but we tend to just use the fresh herbs in a fresh state. I have a cupboard full of dried herbs, but I think next summer, when we have a ton basil, we might attempt drying it ourselves. In the meantime, here’s an article we’ll be using as our reference:
- How to Dry Herbs

So, the next time one of your kiddies asks for fruit roll-ups, you might want to suggest you buy some ingredients to make your own instead! It’s a fun way to get the kids in the kitchen.

Happy family cooking everyone!

Alex, Soph and Kelly

P.S. If you want to see just how easy dehydrating can be, you can watch Alex, Soph and their friend Carter in our Beef Jerky episode of Two Kids Cooking TV.

One of the easiest ways to get the kids in the kitchen together to have some fun is family baking time.
Curious Chef 8-pc. Gift Event Kits Cookie Kit can help facilitate this activity and today, Alex, Soph and I share our first hand thoughts on the kit.

When you open the box for this set you’ll find two cookie cutters, ours were a butterfly and a bear. There’s also a non-stick rolling pin, a cookie turner, a silicone mixing spoon and a whisk. Plus, as in most of their kits, there’s a bonus sticker set and shopping menu. When we tested it out, we used the recipe on back of box, which isn’t bad, so you might want to write that one down too, before recycling it.

In addition to helping liven-up a Saturday family baking afternoon, this kit is perfect play-date activity for your petite chef & their guest. Sophie always wants to bake something when friends are coming over, and having the custom, kid-sized tools for the job makes everyone feel special.

The tools included in the kit are great for kids as young as 3, although even a younger child with a knack for stirring would have fun with the spoon and whisk! The non-stick rolling pin is one of my personal favorites, not just for it’s non-stick feature, but because I can just throw them in the dishwasher after use. We actually have two of them–one for Alex and one for Soph.

I’ll have to say, with the exception of the cookie cutters, we use pretty much every one of the tools included in this kit on a regular basis. The rolling pin is good for fresh pasta and pizza dough–play dough too! We use the whisk for beating eggs or mixing dry ingredients and the spoon is almost like a spoon-spatula, great for scraping every last bit out of a container. We even use the cookie turner for flipping tuna burgers and fried eggs. Honestly, the least used item in the kit is the cookie cutters, but when we make cookies, they work perfectly–nice and large so the dough doesn’t stick in them. To see this kit in action, you can check out our Rollout Sugar Cookie episode of 2 Kids Cooking TV (also included above).

If seeing the Cookie Kit working its magic in the hands of my little chef’s inspires you, you can get your little chef his or her very own, you can get a
Curious Chef 8-pc. Gift Event Kits Cookie Kit, right here.

Happy Family Cooking Everyone!

Alex, Soph and Mom

School has been back is session for half a school year now and, if your kids are like most kids, the lunches they bring from home are starting to get a little boring. Here are some things to do with your child to get them smiling about bringing ‘cold’ school lunches.

‘Baby’ them – let the kiddos go with you to the store. Your objective? To find as many ‘baby’ foods as possible. Now, I’m not talking about baby food, but miniature foods that can go into lunches and get eaten quickly. Look for grape tomatoes, miniature bananas, Clementines or tangerines (little oranges), mini packs of tuna, cheese sticks and anything else that looks kid-sized.

‘Stuff’ it – pita bread makes great sandwich bread for school lunches. You or the kids can stuff it with ham, egg or tuna salad, a vegetable blend or make a kind of grilled cheese-tomato pita. But there are other things you can stuff – the kids can take zucchini or squash and cut it in half, gutt it and stuff it with a blend of ham or sausage, cheese, tomatoes, onion and the original vegetable. Then, have them wrap it in foil and cook until the outer veggie is soft, then refrigerate. They’re great as school lunches because they’re either finger food or fork food.

A ‘chip’ off the old block – let the kids help you make your own chips.

Potato – peel and slice 1/8” thick. Have you child spray a cookie sheet with baking oil, and then spray the tops of potatoes (as you see Soph doing in the picture to your left). Bake 400° for 12-15 minutes. Season immediately. You can use salt, pepper, onion or garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, cinnamon and sugar or whatever your child wants to try.

Sweet Potatoes – Slice very thinly. Spray cookie sheet with oil and place potato slices in single layer, then spray tops with oil. Bake 425° for 25-35 minutes. Season immediately as above.

Zucchini or yellow squash – cut thinly and dip in beaten egg whites, then flour. You can mix the flour with parmesan cheese, onion or garlic powder or anything else the kids think will taste good. Bake in a single layer in a 325° oven for 20 minutes.

If you really get into making your own chips or want to dehydrate your own fruit, consider either buying a dehydrator or making your own (another great project for you and the kids). Alton Brown has a great homemade dehydrator, plus ways to dehydrate your fruit.

‘Play it again’ –Slip a note into the kid’s lunches, or let them help you choose crossword puzzles, word games or color pages off the internet. Remind them that food is first, play is next. If you see they’re not eating enough, discontinue the activities. My kids don’t get much time at lunch, but, in addition to  a sweet treat (like fun size candy bar, or a chocolate covered granola bar), I throw in a not on occasion.

Lunches don’t have to be dull, not even at school. Think about what your kids like to eat at home and at restaurants and try to recreate that flavor for their lunches. It might take some brainstorming, but between you and your child, you can fancy up those cold lunches so they’re not so boring.

Happy Family Cooking!

Alex, Soph and Mom

P.S. Don’t miss next week’s 2 Kids Cooking TV when Alex and Soph share one of our school lunches that they both love!

My kids love to make every conceivable concoction in our kitchen. They also love dogs and cats (go figure). Putting the two ideas together makes a wonderful Saturday project that will benefit the local animal shelter or your own special Fido or Fluffy. (Pets love Christmas, too!)

For a basic treat recipe (for dogs), look at Bullwinkle.com. There are recipes there for basic biscuits, gourmet treats, and a whole variety of cleverly named snacks like Mutloaf, Puppy Pretzels and Liver Chip Cookies–We made the ‘Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers’ for the kids dog Cliffy–but all of them should whet the appetite of any canine! Holiday snacks are also on the menu there, making it an all around doggy-do-dah.

For cats, check out some treat recipes at:
• www.PetPlace.com (we made the ‘tuna tidbits’ for Snoopers, our cat)
• Free Cat Health Tips

Once you have the idea of how you want to proceed, try subbing in ingredients to make your own unique brand. Combine recipes you like (to cook) or combine some of the following:

Never, ever use onions, raisins or garlic for cats or dogs. Corn, grapes and raisins are also no-no’s for pets (corn is not digestible by dog and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center doesn’t recommend giving grapes or raisins to pets in any amount). Stress to your kids that human treats are for humans, only.

Once your child mixes your doggy-dough or cat cookies, help them spread them onto a flour- or wax-papered surface. Kids can easily cut the treats out with cookie cutters, although it’s also fun to free-hand with a butter knife. Dog Bone Cookie Cutters are available online, or there are a ton of cute cutters at craft stores. Venture out and don’t use only the bone cutters for dogs and fish cutters for cats. I love the dog house cutters, the various breeds represented…Too cute! We actually used a dog for Cliffy’s treats and Hello Kitty shapes for Snoopers. Bake until they’re golden brown. Some biscuits will be soft, some crunchy, depending on ingredients.

If you’re giving the treats as a gift, get a little snazzy! Purchase an inexpensive wreath (I get mine at garage sales) and a spool of dog or cat-themed ribbon. Cut the ribbon into strips and have the kids tie the treats around the wreath. (Use a bow-knot so they can be removed for pet-snacking.) Fill it up with biscuits, tie a hanging ribbon and wrap it up. Any dog owner will know to hang this wreath HIGH, but it never hurts to remind them on the gift tag or card. Include the recipe and cutter, if desired, so that they can bake for their beloved four-legger in the future.

If you decide to make a donation to the animal shelter this year as part of your holiday donations, make up a box of treats (non-refrigerator variety) and donate them along with a large bag of dog or cat food. Shelter workers always appreciate the thought, and treats help distract animals, dogs in particular, with fear-of-fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

Pets are an integral part of the Two Kids Family with our cat Snoopers, and the kid’s and their dad’s dog Cliffy. Even though we don’t let them help us cook the food in the kitchen, we love sharing what we make with them and hope other family pet owners out there do to!

Happy Family Cooking Everyone!

Alex, Sophia and Kelly (oh, and Snooper the Cat too )

One of the first kitchen experiences many children have is helping Mom or Grandma make Kool-Aid or some other drink mix. They love to measure, pour (usually not so neatly), stir and watch as water from the tap magically changes into their favorite flavor drink. (If you still have small children and haven’t crossed into the making Kool-Aid stage, let me suggest putting the pitcher in a large pan to capture spilled sugar and water…It will save you quite a bit of clean-up time!)

Home-made drink mixes also make great gifts. Giving them to family members is an excellent way to get kids into the kitchen, and it gives them a personal input into the gifts they give each year. While dry mixes can vary from brownies to soups (I even saw one for dog biscuits!), something about drink mixes is satisfying. It invites a cup of cocoa or spiced tea on a cold winter night, or a mug of Santa’s favorite waiting for his arrival by the fireplace.

Before you begin, ask kids to help decorate mason/canning jar lids to match the intended contents. For spiced apple cider, for example, children may choose to cover the lid with an apple-print fabric, mount a small plastic apple with Gorilla glue or make an apple and worm combo out of clay. Allow them to then write the recipe on a decorated note card. Take the card to the copy shop, or scan and copy on your computer. Cover them with clear Contact paper to preserve. Don’t give away the original – you’ll want that for your own jar.

Notice that not all of the jar recipes are dry ingredients only. For gifts that need to be refrigerated, you’ll need to plan ahead. While these make super gifts for cross-country folk, refrigerated mixes should be given to in-town friends or family members.

There are so many jarred gift recipes online and in publications that finding the right ones to use won’t be a problem. To get started, check out the following:
1. Gifts from Your Kitchen
2. About.com>Busy Cooks

Once you’ve picked the recipe(s) that will be perfect for your family and friends, pull out the mixing bowls and decorated jar. Let the kids measure, mix (and don’t forget taste!), pour into jars and seal. Assist them in attaching recipe tags to each jar.

Alex and Soph love giving these as teacher’s gifts, but they’d make wonderful stocking stuffers or gifts for friends and neighbors, too. Best of all, nothing will top the pride your children feel as they hand-deliver the gift – homemade by them!

Happy Family Cooking Everyone!

Alex, Sophia and Mom