Kids & Cooking

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This year Hazel has really wanted to start cooking on her own. She has been helping me in the kitchen for a long time, but really wants to be able to cook on her own now. I'm always interested in checking out new books that help encourage her with her cooking because it is an important life skill. The first book we are sharing today is a book where she took it and tried a recipe on her own and it was a huge success. (Unfortunately I did not take any photos of her creation. Sorry!!) The book is Say Cheese! by Ricki Carroll and Sarah Carroll. 

Around the World in 12 Dishes: Korea Chap ch'ae

Have you entered my current giveaway? It ends Tuesday!!

Around the World in 12 Dishes is traveling to Korea this month. On Sunday we shared a Korean Cinderella tale called Kongi and Potgi. Today we are going to share our experience trying some Korean recipes and music and stories. We also did a few easy Korean crafts.

Coloring Page from RainbowKids

The dish we spent the most time making together was Chap ch'ae or Mixed Vegetables with Cellophane Noodles.  We found the recipe in Cooking the Korean Way by Okwha Chung and Judy Monroe. We compared recipes in a few books. We all loved this meal.

Chap ch'ae (adapted from Cooking the Korean Way)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
1 boneless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
1 package of cellophane noodles
6 tablespoons oil (unless you have the pan I have)
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup baby spinach, washed
5 teaspoons sesame oil
(Note: we took out the black mushrooms and water for them and the bean sprouts)

1. In  a large ziploc bag combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, garlic, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds. Add chicken and seal and distribute the mixture among the chicken. (Note: if you do not have toasted sesame seeds, toast them first by putting them in a frying pan with no oil and on medium heat. Stir and cook until they are brown and smelly nutty.)
2. Cook and drain noodles according to package. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In a large frying pan or wok, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and fry, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken is white and tender. Remove from heat and add chicken to noodles. (We have a new pan that does not require oil to cook, so we did not use any oil for the cooking. I love this new pan!)
4. Wipe out pan. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and cook vegetables. (The recipe says to do this separately, but we did it together as a stir-fry.) Then add vegetables to chicken and noodles. 
5. Combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, sesame oil and remaining sesame seeds. Pour over mixture.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 While this was cooking and we were eating we made Oi naeng guk or cold cucumber soup (the recipe also came from Cooking the Korean Way). We however did not really like it, so we are not going to share it with you. A different night I made Pulgogi (Barbecued beef) which we loved, but Hazel did not help make it and I didn't take any pictures (it was eaten before I got my camera out). The recipe also came from Cooking the Korean Way.

We have been enjoying some Korean stories as well. Here are the variety of picture books we have found at our library. One goes through the alphabet and describes things in Korea. Another counts to ten in English and Korean and relates each number to something in Korea. Then there are traditional stories as well as modern stories.

 We also made some crafts. One that we did was a simple version of the Korean game, Yut-nori.  There are simple instructions on TLC. We used dot markers instead of stickers and I let Hazel do it. We used glass gems as our playing pieces.

We also made a traditionally dressed paper doll. We got it from Education.com. Hazel loved this craft and wants me to make more clothes for her.

We also made a Tradtional Korean Sam Taeguk Fan from a template found at 4 Crazy Kings. I let Hazel choose the colors and had not shown her theirs, but she picked the same colors.

Our final exploration of Korea has been listening to some music we got from the library. The first two CD's we listened to came from the adult section and they were all right, but we did not listen to them too long. We have not listened to the children's music yet, but I'm planning on bringing it in my car tomorrow on our way to school.

So that is our exploration of Korea. Have you cooked any Korean food that you would like to share in our trip around the world? This blog hop is brought to you by the following amazing blogs! Please be sure to visit them to see what they cooked this month.

Adventures In Mommydom - Afterschooling for Smarty Pants - All Done Monkey - Crafty Moms Share - Creative World of Varya - Glittering Muffins - Here Come The Girls - Kid World Citizen -  Mermaids’ Makings - The Educators’ Spin On It - Maroc Mama

Also check out Around the World in 12 Dishes on Pinterest. Be sure to follow so you will not miss a thing! The Korean Placemat is available here and the Korean Passport Pages are available here. Now it is your turn to share or to be inspired to try some of the recipes shared at this blog hop!

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20 Recipes Kids Should Know Review

Disclosure: We were sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hazel has always loved cooking and wants to really learn how to cook on her own. I have gotten her a few cookbooks over the years. Tonight I am sharing a new one, 20 Recipes Kids Should Know by Esme Washburn and photographs by Calista Washburn. This is one of my favorites of all of them. 

Spring Means Gardening--Fruits, Vegetables & Cooking Farm Fresh!

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Spring is in the air!! Up in New England the weather is slowly getting warmer--or at least more consistent. We have been having a roller coaster of temperatures this year. As spring starts up people start thinking about about gardening and fresh fruits and vegetables. Today I am sharing three picture books that focus on just that--gardening, fruits, vegetables and cooking with fresh garden harvests. All three books have an age range of 4 to 9. And all three books are being released today!! The first is I Love Strawberries! by Shannon Anderson and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett. 

Happy Earth Day -- Let's Get Gardening

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy Earth Day! We've all seen the news. As people are staying at home the Earth has begun to heal. The pollution is down in the big cities. The animals are becoming more relaxed and trying to take back their space. One of the things I find most interesting is so many people are planning gardens. Seeds and plant companies are having trouble keeping up with the orders. I checked out my normal seed catalog site and discovered many vegetables are sold out. And one of the times I was on they were not even taking orders that day so they could catch up with their orders. This never happens. So today I thought I would share two resources for gardening. One is about herb gardens (more for adults) and the other is about gardening with kids and how to help them connect with the natural world. 

Chef Edna -- New Biographical Picture Book

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today is day two of the new picture books released this week. I have four to share with you so make sure you check out yesterday's and the next couple of days' posts! Today we are going to look at Chef Edna by Melvina Noel and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. It is a book that shares the life of the Queen of Southern Cooking, Edna Lewis with 4- to 8-year-olds. 

Exploring Switzerland with books, music, and food

Have you entered my current giveaway? This is one you do not want to miss!!

 For the month of April, we explored Switzerland. We have enjoyed learning about many things about Switzerland and from Switzerland. Switzerland is officially the Swiss Confederation and is a small landlocked country in Europe. It is a very mountainous country with the Alps and Jura as some boundaries of the country.

"LocationSwitzerland" by User:Rei-artur - Original by User:Vardion, Image:A large blank world map with oceans marked in blue.svg. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Green Kids Cook -- Kids' Cookbook Review in honor of National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day! Do you let your kids take over your kitchen or do you have them cook beside you? Hazel takes over the kitchen when baking but when cooking she usually still needs my help. Since it is a national holiday it seems the perfect time to share with you a new children's cookbook! The book is Green Kids Cook:Simple Delicious Recipes & Top Tips by Jenny Chandler. It is recommended for ages 7 to 14 or with adult supervision for younger kid. This book provides healthy recipes, promotes eating more vegetables and also has information about being green as well as some green craft projects.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

On Saturday Hazel decided instead of playing outside in the gorgeous weather she wanted to bake cookies. She was persistent so I gave in. We looked through a few recipe books and decided on Bert's Best Blueberry Oatmeal Bars from C is for Cooking by Susan McQuillan, RD. The nice thing about this book is it gives the instructions that the kids should be able to do. Of course, Hazel wants to do all of it, but that is besides the point. Hazel insisted I wear her chef hat. She had it on with her matching apron, but I was too slow with the camera. Sorry!

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars (adapted from C is for Cooking by Susan McQuillan, RD)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (ok the recipe calls for all purpose, but I used whole wheat)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (now you know Hazel will be happy with this!)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil (we used canola)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Lightly spray  the foil with a cooking spray.

Hazel measured the flour herself!

2) KIDS: In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

And she measured the cinnamon herself!

3) In mixer bowl, beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in oil, eggs and vanilla. With wooden spoon, mix in the flour mixture until blended. Stir in oats and blueberries.

Apparently in our house, step 3 is for kids as well!

4) KIDS: Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

5) Bake until golden brown 30 to 35 minutes. Put pan on cooling rack. Once cool lift foil to remove from pan and then cut into 24 bars.

I found this neat site My Fitness Plan that gives you the nutritional breakdown from famous recipes including this one. (It may ask you to sign up but I just hit close and it gave me the information.) Then I used that information to calculate the Weight Watcher Points Plus and each bar is 4 points plus.

I would add walnuts next time to this recipe!! All of us enjoyed these and are still enjoying!!

This is where I share...

Blueberries Part 2: Cooking and Baking

So last week I shared that we went blueberry picking and that we made mini blueberry pies. The post got long so I didn't share our adventures in blueberry jam making and blueberry muffin baking. So today I'm going to share those adventures. Our main reason to go blueberry picking was to make blueberry jam. We wanted some for Christmas gifts and just to enjoy ourselves. I had read the recipe in the pectin I bought that we needed five pints of blueberries (which is 2.5 quarts), so I planned on picking three quarts and we picked 3.5 since we were having so much fun.

Well after making the mini pies we started on the jam. We did the pies first so I could run the jars through the dishwasher. We followed the recipe and instructions that came with the Sure Jell. They can be found here. We started by mashing the blueberries by hand.

Hazel did not like doing this and we needed six and a half cups of mashed blueberries, so we took out the food processor. She liked this method much better and was pretty good at making sure they didn't get too pureed.

This of course went much faster as well. Then we measured the sugar. Mixed 1/4 cup with the pectin and followed the directions on the recipe that comes with the pectin. Before we started cooking I made sure my jars were all set to go and put the lids in boiling water.

By this point Hazel had lost interest and since it was all on the stove and involving rather hot temperatures I didn't care. She went off to play while I did the cooking. Needless to say there are no pictures since you need to work fast. I do not have a canner but used a large pan that has a steamer dropped into it and it worked well. The recipe said it would make 9 cups and I got 12 jars (or about 12 cups).

The next morning Hazel wanted to make blueberry muffins. I wanted to change up our normal recipe, so I did some searching. I tweaked the one I found at The Pioneer Woman.

I used three cups minus two tablespoons of whole wheat flour, one teaspoon baking soda, two teaspoons baking powder, one cup oatmeal, pinch of salt, dash of nutmeg, teaspoon of cinnamon and a half cup of sugar. Hazel mixed these for me (and helped with the measurements). Then we beat an egg, added 1/4 cup of olive oil, mashed one ripe banana, and what ended up being 1.5 to 2 cups of nonfat Greek yogurt (the recipe was dry with my additions so we kept adding more yogurt until we got a consistency we liked).  Hazel beat these with a whisk.

Then we added the dry ingredients (and adjusted with the yogurt).

Hazel started mixing it all up but it was had to do, so I took over. Then we added two cups of blueberries.

Then we stuck liners in the muffin pan and scooped it out. Hazel did the scooping and I assisted with another spoon to help get it out of her ladle.

If you plan to eat them warm, use foil liners!! Otherwise it doesn't matter. The paper ones worked fine once they were cool. We baked them according to the recipe at 385 for 20 minutes. Oh, and we got 24 cupcakes with my additions! We brought some to the children's librarian since we had Move and Groove that morning and some to my mother-in-law since Hazel went to spend time with her after Move and Groove and then I think I ended up eating most of them. They were delicious! We finished them this morning.

So that is our new recipe for blueberry cupcakes. What have you been up to with all the great summertime fruit?

This is where I share...

Jolene: Adventures of a Junk Food Queen -- Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with the Children's Book Review and Alexa Palmer to participate in this virtual blog tour and will receive a small stipend. All opinions are my own.

Do you have a picky eater? I know so many kids who only like junk food. It can be so hard to get kids to eat healthy. Today I get to share an award-winning book that teaches kids about healthy eating in a fun way! The book is Jolene: Adventures of a Junk Food Queen by Alexa Palmer and Catharine Kaufman and illustrated by John Martinez and Hayden Mills. 

Irish Chicken and Leek Pie--and some signs of spring!

Well this year (March through February) I have joined some great bloggers in traveling the world through dishes. Our first stop is Ireland. Since I shared a bit about Ireland the other day with the first of the Irish Cinderellas, I will skip doing it again. I am very excited to join this group, because I see it as such a wonderful way to expose Hazel to new cultures and countries and for her to learn a bit more about the world. 

Before we take our trip to Ireland, however, I am going to share with you the reason we did not make Irish Soda Bread today and why Hazel did not help me with the Irish Chicken and Leek Pie for dinner. We had a beautiful feels like spring day. So we went out to play this afternoon. When Steve got done with work, he came out and I came in to cook dinner and go to my Weight Watchers meeting. 

Hazel and I went on a walk around our neighborhood looking for signs of spring. We saw budding trees, birds, and the tops of flower plants poking up. We went home and filled a suet feeder with scraps of yarn, wool roving and ribbon and hung it on a tree and we filled the bird feeder. Then Hazel pulled out her magnifying glass and eventually pulled out her garden shovel and rake and dug in the garden. When I came back out, Hazel had been joined by our next door neighbor who is eleven but still loves to play with Hazel and they were having a great time rebuilding their fairy house. And for those of you who read our post about the snow storm last week, here is what is left of Hazel's snow mountain.

It is amazing how fast it is melting!! I am glad robin has woken Sister Spring up!

Ok, now back to Ireland! Today we tried a recipe from a book I got out of the library, Cooking the Irish Way by Helga Hughes. It came from the children's section so I thought it would be great to get Hazel and I trying some Irish cooking. I decided to try the chicken and leek pie. I was not sure how Steve and Hazel would feel about the leek aspect, but figured I would give it a try. Overall, we all loved it. Hazel was not totally sure about the leeks, but ate them mixed in with everything else.

I did change the recipe a bit, but not too much.

Chicken and Leek Pie (adapted from Cooking the Irish Way by Helga Hughes)
1 package ready made pie crust (I bought frozen, but would have preferred refrigerated)
6 slices of uncured precooked bacon (this is the only way we really do bacon in my house)
1 tablespoon olive oil (The recipe called for bacon fat)
2 small leeks, chopped (I bought already cleaned ones)
1 1/2 cups of chicken breast already cooked and cut into bite size pieces
6 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
4 tablespoons nonfat milk
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (I put these in in case Hazel or Steve would not eat the leeks)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
2 tablespoons milk for glazing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Press one of the crusts into pie pan. Cook/heat bacon in microwave and then chop it.

In skillet heat oil. While heating put chicken and leeks into large ziploc bag and add flour. Shake to coat chicken and leeks with flour. Put chicken and leeks into oil and discard excess flour. Stir and brown leeks and chicken. Remove from heat.

Stir in the bacon, rosemary, pepper, milk, sour cream and mixed vegetables. Then spoon into pie crust. Sprinkle parsley on top. Then cover with second pie crust. Glaze with milk by using brush or paper towel. Cut slits in pie (unless you used a frozen one like me and it already had slits/cuts through it). 

Put in oven for 20 minutes at 400. Then turn temperature down to 350 and bake for 15-20 minutes longer, until crust is a light golden brown.

We had ours with the suggested salad. Then Hazel and I had strawberries for dessert. A delicious meal!! We will be trying some more Irish recipes this week, so stay tuned!!

You can find an Ireland coloring placemat right here and the passport right here (the cover for the passport is right here for you!).

Fairy Tales in Different Cultures--Domitila

Ok, in honor of Cinco de Mayo (one day late) we will do another Mexican Cinderella. This one is called Domitila and the version we read was adopted by Jewell Reinhart Coburn. We had big plans to do lots of Mexican crafts to share with you for Cinco de Mayo, but it didn't happen. I have realized two things, the weather is nice so we want to be outside and Hazel needs time just to play with her toys right now, so most of the crafts will wait until after her school and classes end. Since we shared Adelita, another Mexican Cinderella, two weeks ago, we will not share all the information about Mexico. However I thought it would be fun to share a bit about Cinco de Mayo. 

Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for the fifth of May. It is a special holiday in Mexico because it commemorates the day Benito Juarez, who was president of Mexico, led his followers to a temporary victory on May 5, 1862 against the French army led by Archduke Maximilian of Austria in Pueblo. The French did eventually succeed to throw out Juarez, but after pressure from the United States, France withdrew and Maximilian was executed. Juarez returned to Mexico and remained president until his death in 1872.  (Source: Fiesta! Mexico's Great Celebrations by Elizabeth Silverthorne )

Now onto our story for this week: Domitila! One of the things I love about this book is on every other page is a picture and on the word pages there is a beautiful trim with a Spanish phrase on top and the English on the bottom. Each phrase is a piece of good life advice or saying.

On a rancho in the Mexican state of Hidalgo lived a poor farmer and his wife with their only child, a daughter named Domitila. The family worked hard and were very happy together. Her mother always told her, "Do every task with care, and always add a generous dash of love."  Together they built the bricks for their adobe casa. One day there was a very bad storm their house was destroyed and Domitila's mother became ill. Their small corn patch was also destroyed. Her father sent Domitila to the governor's mansion since he heard they were paying well for cooks there and her money could help feed them until they could grow some more corn. 

While cooking in the governor's mansion her cooking skills were recognized and she became the second cook. One night she was in charge of cooking dinner for the abuela and the eldest son of the governor.  The arrogant son was upset at what she served and called for her. The abuela told him to try the food first and he loved it.  The next morning he expected food just as good, but during the night Domitila had been called home since her mother was gravely ill. 

Source

She arrived home too late to see her mother. She stayed with her father in mourning. In the meantime, the eldest son decided to find the mysterious cook.  He only knew she was a great cook, lived on a rancho in Hidalgo and made beautiful leather pieces. He rode all over Hidalgo in search of her.  An evil widow sent him on a wild goose chase and then went to Domitila's father's casa so she could trick the governor's son into marrying her daughter.

While visiting Domitila's casa, the evil widow ends up tricking Domitila's father into marrying her. Now Domitila has to serve her evil stepmother and lazy stepsister.  Domitila discovers what it is like to work without happiness and love. 

Meanwhile, the governor's son smells the delicious delicacies of Domitila's at the fall fiesta. The women at the fiesta tell him all about Domitila and where to find her. Sure enough he finds her and falls in love with her. They get married and the evil widow and her daughter run away. Domitila's father joins the happy couple at the governor's mansion where they all live happily.

I loved the positive messages throughout the book and that Domitila worked to help her parents. She did not need rescuing by the governor's son. I really enjoyed this story.