Cooking With Kids:
Hey y’all! So pleased to be joining you for the very first time over here at RTSTH. I’m Brett from Being-Bianca.com; IT executive by day (and yes, it’s as fun as that sounds) … blogger, mommy to Lil B, serial re-decorator, chef for our family of 3 and creator of fun pretty much the rest of the time!
One of our favorite family dinners is “Make Your Own” night. I’ve found this to be such a fun treat to engage my little guy (he’s two) in the dinner prep process and get him to try different fruits and veggies that would otherwise be met with a stern, two year old emphatic “NO”. We’ve also found this menu equally fun for dinner parties with friends. Bigs and littles alike seem to love the menu and enjoy just how fun and social prepping a meal can be.
To keep our menu kid friendly, we typically opt for make your own pizzas and fruit “pizza” cookies for dessert. Recently, we celebrated sweet Colby’s (my furry King Charles Cavalier) birthday with a little Bow Wow Bash and make your own pizzas were the perfect week night menu. Lil B just loved pulling up his step stool and helping me out.
To plan your own event, begin by chopping all the ingredients. Get creative! Try broccoli on your pizza, maybe even roasted chicken. This is a great opportunity to deviate for the traditional ingredients and give your guests (and littles) a chance to try something new (and healthy!). Ready made individual size crusts are available in many grocery stores (deli section) you can add to the fun by tossing your own crust. Once the guests prep their pizza and you pop them in the oven, it’s time to decorate your dessert!
Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe to prep the cookies. If your littles are older and you are feeling adventurous, have them join you in making those too! If you need to cut corners; bakery bought cookies work just as well (sssshhhh…. our secret!). Prep frosting by combining 1 bar of reduced fat cream cheese, 3/4 cup of confectioner’s sugar and just a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring. Lil B loves to stir this together so I definitely oblige (warning – if you have little ones, mix the sugar and cream cheese a bit to get it started, else your kitchen will be covered in sugar!).
For our desserts, we top the iced cookies with kiwi, mango and a wide array of berries. These are so delish, the littles will hardly realize they are eating so many antioxidants and healthy vitamins!
I just love how Lil B lights up with pride when he presents me his fine work of culinary art with an ever so cute “I did it!”. Make your own night has become a staple at our house because it’s easy to pull together in a flash and it’s so much fun!