I love living in Minnesota. I can’t imagine having a year without continuous change every few months. Each season influences the food we crave. I will say my favorite season is fall; from the super tasty harvest, to the trees dressing up in my favorite colors. But, for us, the food of summer is always something we look forward to–the freshness and simplicity–makes me drool a little just thinking about it.

I also love summer because it introduces a level of variety to family cooking. If someone in the group has a green thumb, they can lead the family in planting a garden which will later lead to ultra-fresh, family-cooked meals. Or, if your brood is better suited for shopping than gardening, farmer’s markets and produce stands offer the opportunity for everyone to get in on the action by picking out their favorite, just-picked fruits and veggies for consumption that day.

As for the Two Kids Family and our summer food adventures, Alex, Soph and I live in an apartment, so our gardening is restricted to our patio herb garden. We had fun and spent some quality family time together planting it, plus, we’ve been using our herbs in various recipes and are anxiously awaiting the ripening of our tomatoes. We’re also enjoying berry season–strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are everywhere and we’ve been using them in recipes (as you’ll see in our upcoming ‘bake-off’ episode of Two Kids Cooking TV) or just eating them fresh. Oh yeah, and grilling…there is nothing like the smell of meat cooking on an open fire. I realize you can grill in the winter, even in the great arctic Minnesota, but, when the temps below freezing, you’re really not outside smelling the deliciousness. And again, it’s fun to do the grilling thing with the whole family, burgers, brats, hot dogs, veggies–the whole works.

If you need some ideas for food and family fun, here are a few things you might find the Two Kids entourage partaking in:

• Berry Picking – When we were on our road-trip out to Appleton, MN to visit, we did some berry picking in Grandma and Wayne’s raspberry patch, but there are lots of pick-your-own places all over. After an afternoon of picking, a berry pie for dessert in the evening hits the spot.
• Family BBQ – The quintessential cooking method of the summer is grilling. For us, the grills are down at the pool in our apartment complex, so we work together to plan out what we’ll eat, prepare it for the trip down to the pool and then I cook while the kids swim. When it’s all done, we enjoy a leisurely, poolside, family meal.
• Celebrate a Vegetable – it is the time of year when lots of fruits and veggies are coming into season. Why not pick one or two and plan a whole meal around that in-season treat?
• Have a Picnic – We LOVE picnics. We don’t do anything super fancy, just whip together our favorite sandwiches, cut up some fruit and veggies, toss in a bag of chips and some beverages and we’re all set. Oh yes, and don’t forget our Hannah Montana picnic blanket ;D
• Ice Cream Party – Any sort of frozen treats work, but ice cream is traditional. When it’s hot we like to have our sundaes and eat them too. Occasionally we get creative with Popsicles or other icy treats, but like I said, Ice Cream is our favorite.

All seasons bring with them opportunities to spend time with the family, cooking and eating. And, each season provides a uniqueness to the food it offers. For us, summer food is all about freshness and simplicity, along with outdoor eating and adventure. Alex, Sophia and I hope your family gets out there and enjoys the summer food in your area together.

Happy Family Cooking!

Alex, Sophia and Mom (Kelly)

P.S. To get the whole family involved in your summer cooking, check out our Curious Chef 8 Pc Fruit & Vegetable Set, perfect for little hand helping with veggie prep. Or, if desert is more your style, why not have an Ice Cream Sundae party with the Curious Chef 22 Pc Sundae Sleepover Kit!

This week we’re rerunning one of our Thanksgiving episodes–Turkey Meatballs. Meatballs are not only easy to make with kids, but they’re fun too. All that squishing of meat and forming into balls–need I say more.

Enjoy the show!

Alex, Soph and Mom

P.S. The Two Kids Cooking Shop has just the tools your kids need to foster their inner-chef–check it out!

Alex and Soph LOVE shrimp. We eat a lot of it and their favorite way to cook it is with Lemon Garlic Sauce. As we shared when this episode originally ran in January 2010, this recipe is kind of like a shrimp scampi, but it replaces all that butter with a reduced broth. It’s really tasty and it’s actually kinda healthy.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Alex, Soph and Mom

P.S. Get the tools you need to enhance your child’s inner-chef at our new Two Kids Cooking Shop!

As I mentioned earlier this week, we’re on a little haitus…BUT, that doesn’t mean you won’t hear from us. We’re going to share a few of our favorite shows in reruns. We figure that since those TV shows do it, we can too, right?

Anyway, Pickley Tuna sandwiches are one of Alex’s favorites. In this episode, one of our very earliest, he demonstrates just how we make ‘em.

Enjoy the show!

Alex, Soph and Mom

P.S. Have you checked out our new Two Kids Cooking Shop yet?

We’ve been a bit quiet for the last couple of weeks, but we have a good reason—we’ve been putting final touches on our new online Shop! We’re still adding stuff as we test it out, but we couldn’t hold back sharing it any longer. Soooo, you can check out all of our Alex and Sophia approved products that support every kid’s inner-chef right here!

PLUS, if you sign-up for the mailing list, we’ll send you a discount code for 15% off on all orders from now until June 31, 2010!

Once you sign-up you’ll be one of the first to hear about:

• New Product Notifications
• Alex & Soph’s Product Reviews
• Discounts & Specials

Now go, check out the Shop!

Thanks again and Happy Cooking,

Alex, Sophia and Mom

P.S. We’ll be adding new products soon, and we’ll let you know when we do!

Walleye is the official state fish of Minnesota. It is also super tasty. So today Alex, Soph & I are sharing one way we Minnesotans like to eat our state fish–Pan Fried.

Fishing itself is a fun way to spend the day together as a family. Now, you don’t always catch walleye, but this recipe would work with any panfish – sunnies, crappies, perch, etc. Then, after catching your limit, hop of the lake and come on in for some family cooking fun–this is another one of our easy to cook with kids recipes. We’ll show you just how easy in this weeks show.

Enjoy!

Alex, Soph & Mom

P.S. Stop by our facebook page and become a fan!

Cooking is:

The preparation of food. The process or activity of preparing food for eating.*”

That’s a pretty simple definition, right?  There’s nothing in there about complicated techniques or exotic ingredients. Just plain and simple, ‘preparation of food.’ That means, cooking  can be as basic as washing and drying vegetables, or arranging pre-cut cheeses and meats on a platter, or sprinkling seasoning over chicken. All these things are cooking; And, kids could do any of them…even kids as young as 3.

Getting kids in the kitchen doing easy tasks starts them on an interactive journey with the food they eat. It provides them knowledge and some control over an essential part of their lives. Plus, when you focus on simple recipes that you can make together as a family, cooking can be lots of fun.

Cooking in general, doesn’t have to be super fancy and complicated. Although there are times when it is, when you bring the kids into the kitchen, the most basic recipes are fine–and they still count as cooking!

There are three tips that can help un-complicate the cooking process when working with kids:
- Use simple recipes or break more complex recipes into basic steps
- Assign or encourage age appropriate tasks for each child
- Review the process with all participants to make sure everyone knows the plan

Cooking is about getting food ready to eat–that’s it. It’s an activity that can easily be done as a family. And, with a little planning, delicious ingredients and a simple recipe, time spent with the kids in ‘the process or activity of preparing food for eating,’ will not only be easy, it will also always be remembered with fondness.

Now go, pick out a recipe, grab the kids, and cook something!

Alex, Soph and Mom

P.S. For even more tips on cooking with kids, sign-up for our mailing list (to the right)…you’ll get our free report, “Secrets to Making Cooking with Kids Stress-Free.”

*According to Encarta® World English Dictionary[North American Edition].

If we haven’t mentioned it, this past weekend was not only Sophia’s birthday, it was also the MN Fishing opener for 2010. So, in honor of all of the fisher people out there–including us–this is fish week!

That means that our The Kids Cook Monday is a fish dish, of course. Soooo, we are sharing a recipe we wanted try for Trout. I, the mom, cook lots of fish, but am not experienced in the Trout department. I have always wanted to try it though, so when I found this super easy recipe in ‘Joy of Cooking,’ I knew the kids and I could share it for the show.

The recipe is really easy to make with the kids, plus, Alex and I loved it! Soph wasn’t as enthusiastic, but I think it had more to do with the ‘whole fish’ thing than the taste. Enjoy the show!

Happy Fishing to All our Minnesota Fans!

Since this is Soph’s birthday week, we’re sharing a recipe for one of her favorite vegetables. Soph and Alex both love beets. We usually don’t do anything too fancy with them, but for the show we’re showing everyone how we make our Glazed Beets. All you need is a little orange marmalade and some cider vinegar and you’re all set!

We hope you enjoy the show. But, make sure you stop back next week when we share some Fish recipe’s in honor of Minnesota’s fishing opener, which is actually today.

Happy fishing everyone,

Mom, Alex and Soph

P.S. Happy 7th Birthday Soph!

This coming Saturday, May 15, my baby girl will be turning 7. I don’t get to be with her because she is with her dad this week, but we’ll be partying it up in June at her Hannah Montana Pool Birthday Party. And, I think on Sunday, when she comes home, we’ll be whipping up a special birthday dessert

I am blessed to have such an awesome daughter. She is full of energy and sparkle. She is funny and smart. We all have the best times together–spa nights, cooking up special meals or just snuggling on the couch. Just being with her makes me happy. I am the luckiest mom in the world.

Happy Birthday Sophia!

We love you!

Mom and Alex