kid friendly Archives - Dine and Dish

Travel: Girls Weekend at The Four Seasons Hotel, Denver

Kristen — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 02:41:56 +0000

This past August, our family went on a family vacation to Colorado. I’ve promised time and time again to share with you all of the fun we had in Denver and Estes Park, and I’ve finally had the time to go through the 600+ (ahem) pictures I took so I can share some of them with you. We had a such a great time as a family in Colorado and I can’t wait to visit again!

The first leg of our road trip found us in Denver, Colorado. We decided early on that Nick and Jacob would have guy time in Denver while the girls and I lived it up together. While the boys took in a ball game and other boy things, the girls and I went shopping then got settled in a room at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel downtown. …

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Simple Joy {Recipe: Rainbow Tie-Dyed Sugar Cookies}

Kristen — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:45:35 +0000

Is it possible to find happiness in a cookie?

When that cookie is a Rainbow Tie-Dyed Sugar Cookie, the answer is a resounding yes!

There’s even more joy found when the whole family gets in on the action, piecing off dough and contributing to the giant, multi-colored log of psychedelic cookie dough.

Makes me happy. How about you?

Complete instructions, including a fabulous sugar cookie recipe, can be found on the blog, Baked Bree.

Don’t you just love the vibrant colors? I highly recommend AmeriColor gel paste. You won’t find a better product out there, in my opinion!

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Mom’s Cooking {Recipe: Oven Baked Kale Chips}

Kristen — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:26:40 +0000

My mom is an excellent cook but there were times in my life I would think that maybe she wasn’t so much. Like when she would make liver and onions. Or how about white sandwich bread with white hamburger gravy poured over it? I want to gag just thinking about it.

We lived in a house where choosing something else for dinner was not an option. If it was on the table you were expected to eat it, and that was that.

Our house is the same way. I’m not a short order cook and we have a rule where you have to at least take a bite of everything on your plate. With four kids sitting around the table, you can imagine we’ve had our fair share of resistance to eating some of the things I cook.

I was ready for the pouts and whines the other day when I placed a bowl of Kale Chips on the table. My friend Aggie raves about Kale Chips quite often and then Michelle published a post on her blog about them. With all the good things I’ve heard about Kale Chips and how even the most vegetable resistant kids love them, I thought I’d give them a try.

Let me end this blog post by saying this… 4 days later, Kale Chips have been baked each day. I love them, my husband loves them and the best yet… the kids love them. I’m so glad to know that my kids won’t be blogging about the nasty green things their mom used to make them eat. Kale Chips, in this household, have been a hit!

What is a food your parents cooked that you dreaded seeing on the dinner table as a kid?

Recipe: Oven Baked Kale Chips (from What’s Cooking with Kids)

Bunch of kale
Olive oil
Salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper (our addition but not required)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Hold the thick stem of each kale leaf with one hand. Pinch the base with the fingers of the other hand and rub them up the stem – the leaves will tear right off!
Put the kale pieces on a baking sheet lined with a silpat (a silicone baking mat) or with parchment paper.
Pour on a little olive oil and toss with clean hands. Sprinkle with salt (and pepper if your kids like that…)
Make sure they are in a single layer on the baking sheet sheet.
Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until crisp.

You can find more great, kid friendly recipes like this in Michelle’s new cookbook, The Whole Family Cookbook. Make sure to check it out!

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Kid Friendly

Kristen — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:02:54 +0000

I got a couple of emails after I posted my “kid friendly” menu on Monday. I guess I should have clarified. I know that my definition of kid friendly and other parents definition of kid friendly can be completely different things. I have been very blessed in the fact that my kids are not picky. They eat just about anything I put in front of them, but part of that is because I don’t cater to their tastes. I cook the recipes I want to cook, and they know that they at least have to try everything on their plate. I don’t make something different for them if they don’t like what we are having for dinner. I do always have fruit and vegetable options available that I know they will eat (so they don’t “starve”), but for the most part, they generally like our meals and eat what is put in front of them. I know I’d better count my blessings because my good fortune with picky eaters is sure to change when they get older. We will cross that bridge when we come to it, but for now I’ll continue cooking the way I do.

Lunch time is when we go for the all out kids fare at our house. Chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, PB&J… they get to have the limelight at lunch time. One very kid friendly recipe that my kids go crazy for are Extra Cheesy Crescent Mozzarella Wedges. I love it too because it is so easy to put together and really tastes great.

The ingenious people over at Pillsbury have created a product to make this recipe (and ones like it) even more simple. Crescent Recipe Creations… a product just like the Pillsbury crescent rolls, but with out the perferated seams. Isn’t that brilliant? This will make making the Extra Cheesy Crescent Mozzarella Wedges, Grandma Doyle’s Breakfast Pizza, and more recipes like that so much easier!

The folks at Pillsbury sent me some other great products to try out. Stay tuned for what is new at Pillsbury!

Extra Cheesy Crescent Mozzarella Wedges

22 min | 5 min prep

SERVES 8

1 (8 ounce) package Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Place dough out on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet.
Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Brush with butter; sprinkle with garlic powder, Italian Seasoning and cheese.
Bake at 375 degree oven for 15-17 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is lightly browned.
Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Searching for more kid friendly recipes? These food bloggers have some great ideas:

Val’s Kid Friendly Broiled Zucchini Rounds with Cheese from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Turkey Meatballs with Cilantro from Family Style Food
Homemade Chicken Nuggets from Taste and Tell
Pigs in a Blanket from Cast Sugar

The winner of the Cabaret Brewed Chocolate is…. Chuck from The Knead for Bread Blog! Congratulations Chuck and thank you to all who participated. More giveaways coming up, so stay tuned!
We will be saying goodbye to one last friend today. Read about it here.
Adopt a Blogger participants… you should have heard from your match by now. If that hasn’t happened, please contact me to let me know!
I recently wrote an article for The Daily Tiffin on ways to get your kids involved in the kitchen. Read it here.

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