What's not to love about kids in the kitchen? The mess? Well, here are a few kid-friendly recipes that don't require much clean up, nor do they take much time to create. Have fun and allow culinary and art skills to grow in tandem.
Before setting up for these adorable kid-friendly recipes, make sure to collect all ingredients first. Kids don't do well when ingredients are missing. Kind-of like grumpy imperials, they want it now!!!
Mr. Ham-Face Sandwich
Ingredients:
- Hamburger bun or egg roll for face
- Sliced ham for tongue
- Sliced pimiento-stuffed olives for eyes
- mustard, mayo, butter, cheese, lettuce
Directions:
- Slice rolls in half.
- Slice pimiento-stuffed olives in half.
- Place ham, cheese, lettuce in middle of each roll, leaving a long portion of ham exposed as the tongue.
- Place olive slices where eyes belong.
- Add any condiments to sandwich as desired: mayonnaise, mustard, butter, etc.
- Try serving with sliced cucumbers and zucchini instead of chips (good luck with that).
Cheese-Toes-and-Fingers Puff Pastries
Ingredients:
- olive oil spray
- puff pastry sheet (thawed)
- 1 - 2 eggs
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or other favorite cheese)
- sunflower seeds (for fingernails)
- jelled fruit slices (for toenails)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Lay out thawed puff pastry onto counter. Cut out shape of hand and foot, repeat until all pastry is used up.
- Spray olive oil onto baking dish. Place hands and feet on dish (not yours, the pastry hands and feet).
- Brush beaten eggs onto hands and feet.
- Drop grated cheese all over hands and feet.
- Place sunflower seeds on each finger to represent fingernails.
- Place jellied fruit pieces onto each toe to represent painted toenails.
- Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes.
Apple & Peanut Butter Smiles
Ingredients:
- bright red apples, cored and sliced in 16ths
- lemon juice
- peanut butter
- small marshmallows and cubes of white cheese for teeth
Directions:
- Slice apple from top to bottom in 16ths and drizzle lemon juice over all to keep from browning.
- Spread peanut butter over top side of each apple slice.
- Place marshmallows side by side, like teeth, on top of apple slices, held in place by peanut butter. Place cheese cubes on alternating sets of lips as teeth.
- Put apple slices together so they look like top and bottom lips with teeth in between.
- Photo Op Alert: make sure to take photos of children with LIPS & TEETH in place.
Parental involvement means more to children than any amount of money spent on lavish gifts and parties. Be a part of their fun, don't sit on the sidelines expecting others to get their hands dirty. Allow the kids to make choices about games and food, but be there fully to help the fun unfold.
If you liked these kid-friendly recipes, try these party food recipes, or these apple recipes, or these heart-shaped desserts for more fun in the kitchen.
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