Burger Bar
May 24, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Kids in the Kitchen
by Nora Sherman
May 24, 2009
When the days are long and all you and your grandchildren want to enjoy the backyard, the ultimate kitchen playdate spends as little time as possible in the kitchen. A “burger bar” is a twist on the grill-out, as Lauren Bank Deen explains in Kitchen Playdates (Chronicle Books, 2007). These recipes for toppings and condiments are ready in minutes, and their exotic, vibrant flavors engage young cooks/eaters. Adding just a bit of cayenne to the bacon, chipotle to the mayonnaise, or jalapeño to the tropical-fruit salsa is an exciting introduction to spices for young palates, but you can always make two versions, one without the heat.
Grill enough hamburgers and turkey and veggie burgers for everyone, and let people add their own toppings, such as sugar-and-spice bacon, chipotle mayonnaise, pineapple and mango salsa, and marinated feta cheese, as well as the traditional ketchup and mustard. Don’t forget the toasted buns!
Deen suggests rounding out the outdoor meal with campfire potatoes(prepared both in the microwave and on the grill) and coconut ice-cream sandwiches for dessert.
Sugar-and-Spice Bacon
“The crispy coating of brown sugar and cayenne here hits just the right note,” Deen writes in Kitchen Playdates. “I usually make a third of the batch without the cayenne for the kids.” A slice or two, cut in half, makes an unusually sweet and spicy bacon burger. It’s especially good on turkey burgers. Sous-chefs-in-training can do the prep work – setting up the foil-lined baking sheet – and the cooking, while little line-cooks can sprinkle the bacon with the flavor.
Ingredients:
1 pound bacon
1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Baking rack
Baking sheet
Aluminum foil
Paper towels
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place a baking rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place the bacon across the rack. Sprinkle the sugar and cayenne over both sides of the bacon. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crispy. Drain on paper towels.
Chipotle Mayonnaise
Add just a bit of the canned chipotles to start and encourage children to taste before adding more. Little line-cooks can do the measuring and mixing, while sous-chefs-in-training can do the chopping.
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon or more (to taste) of canned chipotles in sauce, chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Chopping knife
Serving bowl
Mixing spoon
Combine the ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Pineapple and Mango Salsa
If a sous-chef-in-training is doing the chopping, be sure she washes her hands carefully after handling the jalapeños and avoid any contact with her eyes or face. A little line-cook can juice the lime with the help of a citrus squeezer or juicer, but you should leave the zesting to a sous-chef-in-training (with more kitchen experience). If young children will be eating the salsa, you may want to reserve some for them that omits the jalapeño.
Ingredients:
1 pineapple, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 mango, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, diced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Chopping knife
Serving bowl
Mixing spoon
Zester
Citrus juicer
Combine all ingredients in the serving bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until about 20 minutes before serving.
Marinated Feta Cheese
A welcome alternative to Cheddar cheese, this marinated feta cheese elevates a basic burger to something worthy of a grill by the side of the Mediterranean. Little line-cooks can crumble the feta and mix the ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 pound feta, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Chopping knife
Serving bowl
Mixing spoon
Zester
Citrus juicer
Combine all ingredients in the serving bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Source: Grand Parents
Kitchen Lessons
May 11, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Kids in the Kitchen
by Ramin Ganeshram
May 11, 2009
Chef Jacques Pépin, and daughter, Claudine, have kids sample different tastes
Watch any of Chef Jacques Pépin’s cooking shows and you witness not only a master cook at work but also a master instructor, eager to impart his vast base of culinary knowledge to viewers. It is a role he continues off-screen as a dean of Special Programs at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, and most recently, as a teacher to his 4-year-old granddaughter Shourey.
Pépin is unabashed about the importance of developing a child’s palate, an attitude he says, that comes from being from a family of cooks.
“For me the moment for a child to be in the kitchen is from the moment they are born. For my family in France, many of whom were in the restaurant industry, the crib is in the kitchen out of necessity,” he says. “But the children, they nourish themselves on the noise, the scents, the tastes. There is no place as sacred as the kitchen. You smell the smell of family, hear the noise of mother and father, all of that changes you forever.”
Watch any of Chef Jacques Pépin’s cooking shows and you witness not only a master cook at work but also a master instructor, eager to impart his vast base of culinary knowledge to viewers. It is a role he continues off-screen as a dean of Special Programs at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, and most recently, as a teacher to his 4-year-old granddaughter Shourey.
Pépin is unabashed about the importance of developing a child’s palate, an attitude he says, that comes from being from a family of cooks.
“For me the moment for a child to be in the kitchen is from the moment they are born. For my family in France, many of whom were in the restaurant industry, the crib is in the kitchen out of necessity,” he says. “But the children, they nourish themselves on the noise, the scents, the tastes. There is no place as sacred as the kitchen. You smell the smell of family, hear the noise of mother and father, all of that changes you forever.”
Source: Grandparents
No-Roll Sugar Cookies
May 11, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Kids in the Kitchen
By Mary Newton
Winterset, IA
May 11, 2009
Ingredients
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
2 eggs
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream together sugars and butter with a mixer at medium speed. Add eggs and mix well. Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and vanilla; mix well.
3. Roll dough into walnut-size balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake about 10 minutes, until light golden. Makes 4½ dozen cookies.
Yield: 4 to 5 dozen.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional facts per cookie: 80 calories, 5g fat, 1g protein, 9g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 65mg sodium.
Source: American Profile
Sour Cream Raisin Bars
May 11, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Kids in the Kitchen
Elsie Probasco
Bartley, NE
May 12, 2009
Ingredients
2 cups raisins
1½ cups water
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1¾ cups old-fashioned oats
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups sour cream
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish.
2. Combine raisins and water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes; drain well and set aside to cool.
3. Combine brown sugar, butter, oats, flour and soda in a medium bowl; mix well. Press half the mixture (about 2 cups) into the bottom of pan to form a crust. Bake 7 minutes, until partially cooked and slightly set.
4. Combine egg yolks, granulated sugar, sour cream, cornstarch and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and resembles pudding, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the raisins and vanilla.
5. Pour onto crust and crumble remaining oat mixture evenly over top. Bake 25 minutes, or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Makes 36 bars.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional facts per bar: 190 calories, 7g fat, 2g protein, 29g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 80mg sodium.
Source: American Profile