Category Archives: Cooking with Kids

Spider Crackers

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These are so easy to make, and you may already have the ingredients in your pantry.

Whole grain round crackers
Peanut butter
Pretzel sticks
Raisins, sprinkles, etc.

1.         Spread peanut butter between crackers.
2.         Add 8 pretzel sticks to the peanut butter (between the crackers) for the spider’s legs.
3.         Add a thin layer of peanut butter on the top cracker and decorate your spider’s face. We used raisins and sprinkles, but anything will work 🙂

Fun for the kids and easy for us — now, that’s my kind of snack!

Please share any other ideas you may have!

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I can’t believe I have a second grader. As I was leaving the classroom this morning, something happened for the first time … she didn’t want to kiss me in front of the other students. Sigh.

{1st Day of 2nd Grade}

I thought by now, I would have it down. But, it doesn’t get easier. I miss her. Carter and I are both counting down the minutes for pick-up, I’m so anxious to hear every detail about her day!

We have a little tradition for the first day of school. Nothing big or life-changing, but we started with preschool and it has stuck. We make homemade chocolate chip cookies and serve them on a special plate, which she only uses on the first day of school.

She wouldn’t kiss me this morning, but she did ask if there would be homemade chocolate chip cookies on her plate 🙂

I never had a great chocolate chip cookie recipe, until I met my husband. My mother-in-law introduced me to her very own prize-winning homemade recipe. Here it is:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature

6 Tablespoons granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon hot water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 – 6oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips (or you can also use Hershey’s milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350. Blend butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Add well-beaten egg. Sift flour, soda and salt in separate bowl. Add flour mixture to butter-sugar mixture. Add hot water and vanilla. Add chocolate chips. Drop by 1/2 teaspoons on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool slighty, then remove cookies and put on rack to cool. When cool, store in container with tight lid.*

*A great tip from my mom — Put a piece of bread in the bottom of the air-tight container. It will keep your cookies extra soft.

So, after we enjoy our cookies, she has requested grilled tilapia for dinner. She is keeping me busy today!

Do you have any traditions for the first day of school?

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

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5 ingredients + 2 storage bags + 5 minutes = Tasty Summer Treat

My creative friend, Staci, taught our Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group how to make ice cream in a bag. Now, if you’re like me … you may be doubtful about how easy & tasty it really will be. I was hesitant, but it was great! Then, my kids made their own at home and absolutely loved it! My 7-yr-old daughter thought it was a cool science experiment. My 3-yr-old son just enjoyed pouring the ingredients and eating, of course 🙂

Here’s what you need:

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup milk or half & half

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

6 tablespoons rock salt

ice cubes

1 pint size plastic food storage bag

1 gallon size plastic food storage bag

Here’s what you do:

1.  Fill the large bag half full of ice, then add the rock salt.

2.  Put milk, vanilla and sugar in the small bag, then seal it.

3.  Place the small bag inside the large one. Make sure both bags are sealed.

4.  Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.  TIP: This gets cold! I wrapped a towel around the bag and let the kids roll it on the counter.

5.  Wipe off the small bag, then enjoy!!

Hope you have fun cooking with your kids! I’d love to hear about the tasty treats you make with your children 🙂