cooking with kids

Cooking with Kids: How to make homemade pretzels

I’ve never considered myself a pretzel fan until my daughter Hadley and I devoured cinnamon-sugar pretzels as big as our heads from Styria Bakery at Christkindl Market. It was then that I had a life-altering realization: I don’t prefer salty but how I love sweet. That pretty much sums up my entire existence. My kids love to help me in the kitchen. My mother-in-law gave Hadley some fun cookbooks for Christmas so we’ve been doing a lot of baking. One of her favorites is Paula Deen’s My First Cookbook. What I like about it: this cookbook lays out everything they’ll need for each recipe–not just the ingredients but also the cookware,  measuring spoons, cutting board, etc. The instructions are really basic, perfect for little chefs. What I don’t li...

Trail Mix: make, eat, and write

Trail mix (often called Gorp) is one of my favorite snacks! It’s so filling, especially with almonds or cashews. You can make this snack as an activity with your kids, and even help your kids write up the directions. Go to the bulk aisle in the grocery store and select your ingredients . . . granola nuts chocolate chips banana chips pretzels raisins and so on. Set out these ingredients in individual bowls. Let your children scoop from each to make their own granola. Now, to add in some writing . . . Have your kids write out the directions to make granola. Help them think back and write it step by step. It wasn’t too complicated so this is a great start to direction writing. Illustrate. Add to your family cookbook or mail to a friend.