Crazy Kids Cuisine

Well, we are well into summer. Are you running out of ideas for you kiddos for lunch? Here are a few fun & simple ideas to get your kids excited for lunch.

1) Octopus Dogs and Seashells

Boil shell pasta and serve with sauce of choice (my kiddos like all noodles just plain with a little shredded cheese over. Boring, I know) To make the octopus, slice hot dog up center about half way up. Then cut each of those "strips" in half, then in half again to create 8 legs. Boil gently or microwave and serve over bed of seashells. Oh, we added a little mouth and eyes too, simply carved into the dog with a paring knife.



2) The "Starving Artist's Lunch"

Give each kid a white canvas (paper plate) and a variety of snack foods. Ie crackers, cut up meat, cut up cheese, baby carrots, grapes, raisins, etc. and have them create a face, design, etc. Great tool for teaching colors, patterns, etc. Who said you shouldn't "play with your food"?







3) Fun Shaped Sandwiches

Cookie cutters aren't just for cookies. My kids gobble down sandwiches like nobody's business IF they are cut into a fun shape. Our favorites are PB & J and summer sausage and cheese. For a "hot meal", make grilled cheese. Cut everyone's in a different shape and practice naming shapes. Or play a guessing game like "who's sandwich has 3 straight sides?".




4) Kid's Sushi

I saw this recipe in a parenting magazine. My girls really liked them. Take a slice of bread. Spread peanut butter and/or jelly and/or honey on it. Far to one side, place a row of sliced bananas. On top of each banana slice, place a strawberry slice. Roll it up tight starting with the fruit side, rolling it into a cylinder. Slice into little "sushi rolls".




5) Anything on a stick

Wasn't there something in the movie "There's Something About Mary" about there not being enough foods on sticks? Well, we like to do fruit kabobs. If you are worried about skewers being too sharp, try little straws/coffee stirrers. For a complete meal, serve fruit kabobs along with skewers made with cubed cheese, cubed meat, pickle chunks, olives, and pepperoni.




6) Quesadillas

My girls love quesadillas. AND it is a great way to use up leftovers in the refrigerator. We have a quesadilla maker, but a frying pan works just as well. Place tortilla in pan/maker, top with meat, rice, cheese, etc. Place another tortilla on top. Heat and flip OR close maker. Cut into triangles. A pizza cutter works great. We make a dipping sauce with half ranch/half salsa.




7) I LOVE eggs.

Do you have one of those heart shaped pancake thingys? Well, we made an egg in one the other morning. Be sure to spray the mold with cooking spray. Spray frying pan really well and heat pan. Lay down mold and crack egg into center. Cook till set. Remove mold and flip. We served it with a piece of heart shaped bread too (cut with cookie cutter) to soak up the yolk with. You can buy those molds, two in a pack for a reasonable price. We saw a two pack at Cost Plus World Market for only $3. Or, use the molds for any type of pancake too. Check out my recipe for chocolate chip banana pancakes. YUMMY!






So, hope that your kiddos like these as much as mine do.

Check it out...

Check it out! Someone posted a recipe from MY blog. Woot woot! AND, I don't even know her. Just thought I'd share my excitement. While I'm here, anyone have any requests? Looking for a certain recipe?

http://annie-mmmmmmgood.blogspot.com/2010/05/chicken-stir-fry.html

Chicken Tacos

My friend recently blogged about her favorite things of summer 2010 and this was #7 "favorite summer meal". I've never had a bad meal at her house, so I gave it a go. They were different than what I expected, but still good. The chicken had a very subtle flavor and was sweeter than I thought. But paired with all the toppings, it came together.

Here's the link (for copyright purposes), but I'll also type it out for you so you don't have to jump around.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chicken-tacos/Detail.aspx

1 lb chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
1 c lemonade
2 tbls olive oil
1 tbls lime juice
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf

plus tortillas, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.

In medium skillet, combine first 5 ingredients. Add seasonings. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink. (about 15 to 20 minutes)



Warm tortillas in microwave or oven. Put out chicken, tortillas and fixings and let each person create their own wrap to their liking. Viola!

*Note: We added rice to our tortillas too. I wanted to have black beans as a topping option too, but I didn't have any on hand. Next time I will add them.

Bert's Best Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

We're talking Bert as in Bert & Ernie...this recipe also comes from "C is for Cooking: Recipes from the Street". I had blueberries that I needed to use up AND I was looking for something that Ellie could help me with.

1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 c oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 c oats
1 pint fresh blueberries

Cream together sugars and butter until fluffy. Beat in oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix in oats gently. Then carefully mix in blueberries as to not "smoosh" them.

Spread batter into greased 9 X 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool and cut into 24 bar cookies.

*note: even though is says "bar cookies", they are very moist and cake like. Not condensed like a bar cookie.

Orange Ginger Pork Chops

Man, I've been grilling out A LOT lately. I just keep coming across these yummy marinades, so....hopefully you too like to grill in the summer.

Now I know the ingredient list looks long, but a lot of the items are things already in your pantry.

1 tsp ground ginger OR 4 tsp minced fresh ginger (you know I like fresh ginger....remember, buy a root & peel it and keep it in your freezer. Grates easy AND isn't wasted AND is there when you need it)
1 garlic clove, minced (I buy a jar of minced that you keep in the refrigerator. 1/2 tsp = 1 clove. Again, always there when you need it.)
1 tbls canola oil
1/2 c sherry or chicken broth (we used chicken broth)
1/4 c honey
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tbls sesame seeds
1 tbls grated orange peel
3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
4 bone-in pork loin chops
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbls water

In saucepan, cook ginger and garlic in oil for 1 minute; remove from the heat. Stir in the broth, honey, soy sauce, sesame seeds, orange peel and hot pepper sauce. Mix well. Pour 1/2 c into a small bowl and set aside. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add pork chops. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Add reserved marinade. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.

Drain and discard marinade from the pork. Coat grill rack with nostick cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill chops, covered, over medium heat for 4 minutes. Turn; baste with sauce. Grill 15-20 minutes longer or until juices run clear, basting occasionally.

Zesty Honey Mustard Chicken

I have to admit, I only thought this recipe was "okay". However, my husband and my six year old LOVED it. My husband actually ate two whole pieces. AND said it was a definite make again recipe. He hasn't been too crazy about a few of my recipes lately, so I feel that his enthusiasm warrants a post. Hope you like it as much as he and Peyton did.

1/2 c mustard (I used Dijon)
1/2 c honey
1 tbls salt free seasoning blend (I used Mrs. Dash original)
1 tbls Worcestershire
1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut in half (or chicken breasts, which is what we used)

In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients; mix well. Carefully loosen the skin of the chicken; spoon some of the mustard sauce under the skin.

Coat grill rach with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Place chicken skin side up on grill rack. Grill, covered, over indirect heat for 20 minutes. Turn; grill 20 to 30 minutes longer or until juices run clear, basting occasionally with remaining mustard sauce. Remove chicken skin; cut into serving size pieces. (We just used skinless breasts, but the glaze still gave the chicken a lot of flavor.)

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are sooooo good. I like to pretend that because they have oatmeal in, that they are good for me & my cholesterol!

1 c sugar
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter or margarine
1/2 c shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
2 c oatmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butterscotch chips (however, I use about half the amount)
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (however, I use about half AND use milk chocolate)
1/2 c walnuts, chopped (I omit these since 2 family members to not "eat things with nuts in")

Combine sugars, butter, shortening, eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in chips and walnuts. I make them "Monster Sized" using my large Pampered Chef cookie scoop or about 1/4 c per cookie. (I tried to show you how big they are by placing the cookie on a regular sized napkin for reference. Big cookie, right?) Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Adjust time accordingly if making normal sized cookies.