Category: Kids in the Kitchen

Posted in appetizers/snacks, Food, Gardening, Homemade Mixes, Kids in the Kitchen, No-Bake

Fresh Garden Vegetable Dip

Posted on by lmc

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Lately, the local farmer ‘s market is filled with a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Broccoli, carrots, and celery, are all quite inexpensive and take little effort to prepare for a quick summer snack. My own garden is coming along well but not quite ready to harvest. Looking over my plants, I see that the cucumbers, squash, celery, and tomatoes are all doing well but have a long way to go before they will be ready for picking. Thanks to soft, plentiful rain showers and lots of sunshine, this year’s garden looks strong and healthy. Although, last year’s garden was a complete flop. The drought in my area caused many gardeners to give up on the garden all together. I pulled out this recipe today as I am sure we will be reaping the benefits of our labor soon. I really enjoy the taste of this dip compared to that of the store bought powdered mix. All of the ingredients are common pantry items and the dip can be thrown together with little effort. It’s smooth, creamy, and flavorful and can be used on salads, for chips, or as a vegetable dip.

Garden Fresh Vegetable Dip

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving. Great for chips and vegetables.

Posted in Baked goods, Desserts, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, lunch box

Easy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Snack Cake

Posted on by lmc

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Growing up, I remember a boxed mix that my mom used to buy to make something called a snack cake. The favorite in our household was the spice mix flavor. Mom used to quickly bake it in a square pan and slice it into 9 squares. Once our family had grown to a count of 10 people, she was out of luck and needed to find a larger cake mix recipe…the traditional, full-sized cake mix that could be baked in a 9×13 pan.
What I like best about the snack cake is the ease of it all…only a few ingredients and no frosting needed.
This recipe is certainly a favorite. I pack quite a few lunches on a daily basis and this cake is really quite easy to slice, wrap and pack. As my oldest child will be heading to college in August, this will be a great cake to bake and send in a care package as I am sure she will be missing our traditional home-baked goodies. (And we will be missing her!)

Easy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Snack Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips; mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared baking dish; bake 35-40 minutes.

Posted in Baked goods, Chicken, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, Main Dish

Crispy Corn Flake (Baked) Chicken Strips

Posted on by lmc

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When I was in college, my roommate invited me to her hometown to spend the weekend with her family. My roommate’s mother was a wonderful cook, she prepared all kinds of goodies for us to munch on during out weekend visit. On Sunday afternoon, just before heading back to our college dorm, J’s mom prepared these delicious chicken strips with oven baked fries and a fresh garden salad. I thought the chicken was absolutely delicious. The meat was super tender, while the crust was flavorful and crunchy.
Years later, after I had graduated and was ready to start a family of my own, I asked J’s mom for this recipe. Oh, it’s so easy to make these strips…the oven baking eliminates the greasy mess that fried chicken leaves behind. Yet, these delectable strips are crispy and delicious. Once you try them, this might be the only way you prepare chicken for your family.

Crispy Cornflake Chicken Strips

4-6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 1/2 cups corn flake cereal, finely crushed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 15×11″ baking pan with non- stick cooking spray. In three separate mixing bowls, individually place the flour, butter, and corn flakes. Dip the chicken strips in the flour, then the butter, then the corn flake cereal. Place the coated chicken strips on a baking sheet.
Bake 20 – 25 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with ketchup, BBQ sauce, or ranch dressing.

Posted in Baked goods, Desserts, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, lunch box

Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies

Posted on by lmc

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This past weekend, we celebrated my daughter’s graduation from high school. I knew the temperature was predicted to reach 90 degrees so I got all of my baking out of the way during the week, while the temperatures were mild and breezy. A couple of weeks ago, I saw that the local market was having a sale on cake mix. I had cake mix coupons to stack onto the sale price so the final price came out to 75 cents per box! I bought 5 boxes and remembered that I had a great recipe for Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies. I thought that this would be a great addition to the dessert table at the graduation party. These cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle. They have great flavor and the guests really enjoyed them. Store in an air-tight container (if they last that long).

Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies

1 box yellow cake mix
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Combine cake mix, oatmeal, and sugar in large bowl; mix well. In a medium bowl, combine oil, eggs and extract; mix thoroughly. Next, add wet mixture to dry ingredients, stir well. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
Use a small ice cream scoop to drop on ungreased cookie sheets about 2″ apart. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Posted in Baked goods, Desserts, Food, Kids in the Kitchen

Cake Mix Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Posted on by lmc

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I love when my family has the opportunity to kick back in the evening and spend some time together. We often relax while watching a movie, sitting on the deck of our pool, having a bonfire, or just talking around the kitchen table. I always turn to this recipe for an evening treat because it is so quick and easy to assemble and everyone can join in to make their own favorite treat. I usually have the cookies made ahead of time. Then, I line up the counter with various tubs of ice cream flavors and an assortment of toppings. Everyone can load up their cookie sandwich with all of their favorites and enjoy family time together. In this busy world, I just love munching on this scrumptious treat and sharing quality time with those that I hold dearest in my heart.

Cake Mix Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cookie:
2 eggs
1 box of white cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Filling:
Ice Cream, any flavor
Toppings: Chocolate Chips, Sprinkles, Candies, etc.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs and oil.
Use a small ice cream scoop to make 1″ balls with the dough and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes and light golden brown around the edges. After five minutes, remove to a wire rack to completely.

For filling, place a large scoop of ice cream between two cooled cookies, press firmly to flatten ice cream a bit. Press chocolate chips into the ice cream for added flavor.

Note: Use any flavor cake mix, ice cream, or toppings, to make this a personalized family favorite.

Posted in Baked goods, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, lunch box

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

Posted on by lmc

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When I was a young girl, I would be asked to load up our Red Flyer wagon with a few of my younger brothers and sisters and spend the afternoon with them at the park. You see, I was the oldest girl in a family of 8 children. My mom would wash clothes, make meals, and tidy up the house, while I took care of the younger children in the family. It wasn’t unusual for me to have 5 little ones with me as I kept them occupied at the neighborhood park for a good portion of the day.
On one of my trips down the block, Mrs. Nolan, an elderly woman that lived in the corner house, opened her door and asked if we would like one of her freshly baked peanut butter cookies. Mrs. Nolan was a friend of the family so accepting a cookie would be no problem. After a few cookies and a glass of cold milk, we were on our way again.
On our next trip to the park, one of the children jumped out of the wagon at Mrs Nolan’s house and asked if we could go to see, “the cookie lady”. From then on, Mrs. Nolan was known as “the cookie lady” and we stopped nearly every day to visit her. She even had her husband assemble a small picnic table for us to sit at in her beautiful backyard, while she brought out cookies and milk.
As I think about my happy, innocent childhood, I remember a lovely women that spent her later years making 6 young children very happy as she fed us and talked with us under the shade of the oak trees in her welcoming backyard on Center Street.

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Extra sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray cookie sheets with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, stir peanut butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Roll dough into 1 inch balls (or scoop out dough with a small ice cream scoop) and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Press a cross into the cookie tops using the tines of a fork. Lightly sprinkle with extra sugar.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Posted in Desserts, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, No-Bake

Tutti Fruiti Frozen Popsicles

Posted on by lmc

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Well, I can’t take credit for this recipe but it happened by accident! M was in the mood for some homemade fruit pops and I had recently cleaned out my cabinet, donating the popsicle molds to the resale shop. Low and behold, while looking for a few great deals at JoAnn’s 70% off sale this week, I found some pink popsicle molds. These looked much better than our old ones and they were less than $3.00…so I bought them. 🙂
Looking around the kitchen, M decided to make up her own recipe for these refreshing frozen treats…

Throw all of your overly ripe fruit and a can of Dole tropical fruit (with juice) in the blender. Purée well. Pour the fruit purée into individual popsicle molds. Freeze overnight. (These can also be made in Dixie cups with popsicle sticks. Fill cups 3/4 full with purée. Freeze for 30 minutes. Then, slip the popsicle stick into the partially frozen popsicle and continue to freeze overnight.) Yummy and refreshing!

Posted in Baked goods, breakfast, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, lunch box

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Posted on by lmc

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Yesterday, while searching through the WordPress blogs, a recipe for healthy snack bars caught my eye. Late last night, after tidying up the kitchen, I couldn’t go to sleep without pulling out my stash of healthy ingredients to make these moist and flavorful treats. When my children woke (at the unearthly hour of 5am) to head out the door for swim practice, I had a few of these packaged and waiting for them.
I used an 11×7 baking pan for this recipe and they really couldn’t be any easier to make.
The original recipe can be found here.
Thanks, Anne, for a great recipe!
Below you will find my version of Anne’s recipe…

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
11/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cups chocolate chips (or dried fruit)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients. in a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, mixing until combined. Pour batter into a 11×7″cooking-sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle a few raw oats on top.

Bake 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Posted in appetizers/snacks, Brunch, Desserts, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, No-Bake

Grandma’s Creamy Pistachio And Pineapple Dessert Salad

Posted on by lmc

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This is a great recipe for those that enjoy cooking with young children. Use three simple ingredients, a plastic bowl, and a mixing spoon to make this summertime favorite. Children can dump and mix ingredients with very little difficulty.
This is a recipe that my mother-in-law usually prepares as part of the Easter Brunch spread. The mint green color of the pudding mix adds a refreshing flair to any spring or summer table. This flavorful dessert would be a great addition to a wedding or baby shower luncheon menu. For additional flavor and texture, try adding a 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts or some flaked coconut.

Grandma’s Creamy Pistachio And Pineapple Dessert Salad

1 (3 1/2 oz.) package pistachio instant pudding mix
1 (12 oz.) container Cool Whip topping
1 (20oz.) can crushed pineapple

In a mixing bowl, combine instant pudding mix and the container of Cool Whip topping; mix well. Next, add the entire can of crushed pineapple to the pudding mixture, thoroughly combine. Refrigerate for several hours and serve chilled.