Kids in the Kitchen: Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups

I stole two kids for the weekend.

I don't have any of my own yet, so I need to borrow them in the meantime.

Thankfully, my goddaughter's mother is a very trusting woman, so I have my goddaughter and her little sister for three whole days.

Today was their first day here and we made dinner together.

I saw a commercial for these a few days ago using crescent rolls, so I added ham and the crescents to the shopping list. It's a really simple recipe, perfect for little helpers.

It's also really easy to change it up based on personal preference. You can change lunch meats, cheeses, or even add spreads, herbs and spices, or vegetables to your liking.

You will need:
2 cans of crescents (mine were 8 piece low fat)
16 pieces of cheese
16 pieces of ham (mine was reduced sodium and fat)

Have all the little helpers go wash their hands. While they're busy doing this, get the different components ready. I had each ingredient separate and ready for easy assembly once the kids got involved.

I assembled one and had them watch. After that, we took turns with each girl making her own roll-up and putting it on the baking sheet until we ran out of ingredients.

Pre-heat the oven to 375° and bake for about 12-15 minutes, watching closely because they start to brown quickly.

I served us with baby carrots and hummus on the side. Johnny loved them. He sat between the girls because they argued who got to sit next to him. (Nobody argued over sitting next to me...)

They were both really excited to eat the dinner that they made. Johnny and I made sure to tell them how good they tasted and what a good job they did. Both mentioned it was the best dinner and the best night a few times while eating.

In fact, they ate so well, both girls got to have a small bowl of ice cream. They gave dinner and dessert thumbs up! :)

Cheesy Toes with Stinky Dip

Another cutesy Halloween treat! This time, these came from the Cooking Club magazine. I kept the recipe as is, but changed the dip up some.


Please note: The recipe says it makes 5 dozen toes. Ours were ~1 1/2" long and we only got like 40.

Official warning: If you are on a diet please shield your eyes. I have my own growing thighs to worry about, I can't be held responsible for your undoing too.


Cheesy Toes:
2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cubed
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups flour
sliced almonds

Stinky Dip:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Pulse cheese, butter, and salt in a food processor until well-blended. Add the flour and blend until a dough forms. Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour until firm.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and shape into toes, making about 1 1/2 inch long, by 1/2 thick. Press a sliced almond onto the tip for a nail, and use a spoon to press "knuckle creases" into the dough. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes, until firm.

Heat the oven to 400° and bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown (I checked the bottoms because the tops didn't brown.)

To make the dip, simply combine all of the ingredients and stir well. Serve chilled dip with warm or room temperature toes.

YUM! The toes were deliciously cheesy and soft on their own, but the dip definitely kicks it up a notch! I'm not sure if it's the fresh garlic or the lemon juice, but there is a definite tangy, biting punch that is enjoyable for your taste buds! You can't help but giggle when you're munching these down - they really do look like little toes!

Witches' Broom Cookies

Bear with me, I'm in a cutesy Halloween baking mood. These came from Betty Crocker and were too adorable to pass up making!


1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
pretzel sticks/rods (*see note)

2 tsp shortening
2/3 cup chocolate chips
butterscotch chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°. Mix the brown sugar, water, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the flour and salt, mixing until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. It should hold together when squeezed with your fingers.

Shape dough into twenty 1 1/2 inch balls. Press onto the ends of each pretzel stick/rod. (Note: I purchased pretzel "dipping sticks" which were about 4" long and the perfect size. If you are using full-sized pretzel rods, break them in half.) Shape the dough ball into a broom shape, and use a fork to create "bristles."

Bake for about 12 minutes, not allowing them to brown. Remove from the cookie sheet and let cool.

Place the cooled cookies on wax paper. Over a double-boiler melt the chocolate and shortening. Spoon chocolate over the brooms, "sealing" the part where the pretzel meets the cookie. Optional: drizzle with melted butterscotch chips.



Tips:

• I read in some of the reviews that these do not keep well. In a closed container the cookie moisture tends to make the pretzels stale. These are best eaten day-of. (Don't mind if I do...)
• This would be a great recipe for kids to make with you. There are no raw eggs in the batter so it's safe for little mouths to "taste test."

The Big Two Six

In honor of my birthday, a very close family friend (and mother of my God daughter) made me a special cake from afar and shared it via Facebook. Thank you Lyn, Marissa, and Cecelia! I love you guys!!!

I thought I'd share it with you guys too, because it's fantastic!

The recipe for this "kitty litter cake" can be found here.

Doesn't it look real!? Perfect for Halloween or April Fool's Day!

I love the "escaping" poo on the edge!

Swirly poo made with tootsie rolls!

Obvious disclaimer: Use a brand new pan and a brand new scoop!

Kids in the Kitchen: Pasta Pie

Taylor went home Saturday, but the last meal we cooked together was a revisit with the visually impressive pasta pie I made last June! (Original recipe can be found here.) She had seen it on my blog and it was her one wishlist item that we make while she was here.

The first time was a pretty tedious process, but this second time with a pair of helping hands it went by a lot quicker. I think recipes that have labor intensive steps are perfect for sharing with kids because you can split up and share the work!


While I was browning the beef Taylor carefully used my microplaner to grate the Parmesan cheese.



Next, we swapped stations and she took over stirring the sauce and beef mixture while I got the pasta ready. (It was at this point Taylor noticed the sauce had bits of onion in it. I got a bit of a nose-crinkle and feared this might be an issue when the finished meal hit the table.)

Taylor was a big help standing all of the rigatoni upright in the spring form pan.

Then, her smaller fingers were the perfect size for squishing the sauce down in each noodle hole!


It popped out just as cleanly and impressive this time as last time, too!


The presentation is worth the extra assembling effort!

I'm also happy to say that Taylor was half-way through her serving before she even remembered that she didn't like onions! When it came time to clear the plates I saw one lone piece of onion that had been picked out and discarded to the side of the plate. Knowing Taylor had she not invested so much into helping make this recipe, she would have sat there and picked out every single piece of onion! I guess all that hard work made her forget and sit back and enjoy each bite! (Thanks again to Laura for the knork - Taylor loved it and chose to eat virtually every meal with it!)

Thank you for spending your Spring break with us Taylor! We had so much fun with you and miss you already!

Kids in the Kitchen: Taco Night

This is my cousin Taylor and she is 12 years old. Everybody say "Hi Taylor!"

Taylor is a picky eater. But, you know what helps? If a kid gets to make their food, they're a lot more likely to eat their creation. Not only that, but it helps them become familiar with ingredients and what is healthy.

They can read directions for step-by-step learning and help measure out all the ingredients to learn ratios and portions.

It also helps develop their motor skills to stir, chop, slice, and dice.

One of the best ways to introduce vegetables is in meals that are kid-friendly and familiar. Items such as tacos, pizza, and hot dogs. Each of these can have a variety of additions to try each time without altering the original meal so that they won't recognize it. We had taco night and Taylor tried refried beans for the first time! She happily scooped up her portion once she learned they were just pinto beans. The appearance wasn't that appetizing to her, but with a little explanation she learned something new and likes a new food!

Get creative with the leftovers too! We used the small helpings of taco meat, refried beans, veggies, and cheese to make quesadillas for lunch the next day. This would also be good as a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs or overtop a bed of lettuce as a taco salad with crushed chips!

A few tips to remember while cooking with kids:

-The first step of every venture into the kitchen is to wash your hands!
-Keep all pan handles turned to the side so they cannot be accidentally knocked over.
-Use a small, sturdy stool if kids are too short to reach the counter.
-Chop with the ingredient's flat-side down on the cutting board to avoid unsturdy surfaces.
-Keep everybody back from an open oven door.
-Warn when moving from one spot to another with a hot pan so there is a clear, safe path.

2 Lighthouses, Pizza, and a Sunrise

How do you counter any weight you might gain from eating pounds and pounds of homemade pasta?!

Climb (and descend) 214 steps to the top of the Currituck Lighthouse in 90° weather, of course!!

Emma, Jordan, my mom, Taylor, and myself in front of the lighthouse, after climbing it.

We also visited the Bodie Island Lighthouse, which is not open to climb. I still got my picture outside of it, though!

This picture of me and my brother (with long hair!) was taken at the same lighthouse almost 5 years ago for our Christmas card that year! Yes, that's my 1966 Mustang, Sandy, that I sadly had to sell two summers ago! (Recognize the black, elbow length gloves?)

The kids were also dying to try homemade pizza from my blog. I whipped up a few batches of Biz's pizza dough and we got to work!

Taylor rolled the dough with a rolling pin that probably weighs as much as she does!



















We each had our own half to customize to our liking!

There was a half batch of extra dough, so we made pretzels as a movie snack later that night.

On the last 5am beach walk we finally got a sunrise! The sky seemed to change every second, reflecting off the water and the sand.


That's it for my trip recap! If you'd like to see more pictures (or just be my friend), you can add me on Facebook! There's also a link on the right in the column to follow my blog on Facebook too!

Christina Marie

Create Your Badge

**I will now return to regularly schedule food blogging!**