Have Fun Cooking With the Kids

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Probably one of the best and most memorable bonding experiences you can share with your children is preparing a meal or a snack with them. Letting your children help in preparing meals and snacks builds coordination, helps improve math skills, and establishes life skills. Besides that, it's also fun and a nice break from video games and cartoons. Below are some no bake and "low" bake recipes for snacks and meals you and your children will enjoy making—and hopefully, eating together.

Rice Crispy Treats have nearly become a traditional treat—or at the very least a small institution. With a little twist they can become new again to even the most experienced marshmallow treat veteran—like my 9 year old. Use fruity rice cereal, or chocolate rice cereal, or just about any cereal out there. Just make sure it's one you could easily cut with a knife after your confection has set.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter 4 cups marshmallow cream (about 1 jar) 5 cups fruity rice cereal

Directions

Melt margarine in large sauce pan over low heat. Add marshmallow cream. Keep stirring until the cream is melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Add fruity rice cereal, or chocolate cereal. Stir until well coated. Pour into a buttered 13 x 9 inch pan. Press down firmly using a spatula or piece of wax or parchment paper. Cut into squares after cooling.

For breakfast, few things top French toast. The question is: how do we involve the kids in a one person/one pan scenario? Try this recipe:

Baked French Toast Bites

Ingredients:

Approx. 1/2 loaf of stale bread 4 eggs 2 1/2 cups of milk (or half and half) 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup light brown sugar

Instructions:

Cut stale bread into 1 inch cubes and layer them on a cookie sheet or in a buttered baking dish, then set aside. Mix together eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over bread squares and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Stir together butter and brown sugar with a fork until mixture is crumbly and butter is evenly distributed. Sprinkle this mixture over the soaked bread cubes. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

French Bread Pizza

This was one of my favorites as a kid. This is probably one of the easiest and most fun recipes for you and your kids to enjoy because your child will have a chance to express his/her self creatively and really get a chance to get their hands dirty.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of French bread Pizza sauce (canned) Shredded cheese As many toppings as you can think up!

Instructions:

Cut the bread in half length wise then again down the middle. It should resemble a boat. Start with the sauce, add cheese and then toppings. I suggest that you make your pizza first so that your children can see how it's done, and so you can get a pizza before they have a go at all the toppings!

They will enjoy comparing notes on pizza making and hopefully a pizza food fight won't break out! You'll be amazed at the combinations your kids will come up with on their own and your kids will be pretty impressed with themselves.

Cooking with your kids should be a given. In past days, meal time and meal prep were considered bonding and tribal rituals that brought families and tribes much closer together. In these days families rarely eat at the same time, much less together. Perhaps a step backwards is needed to regain some of what we've given up to technology and prosperity. Maybe just that little bit of "extra" time will last a lifetime.

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