Calling all young chefs! February is Bake for Family Fun month. Here are some excellent ways to celebrate together.
Learn a New Recipe
If you’ve never cooked before try one of these tasty and easy recipes. Make sure you ask an adult to help you out!
Berry Crunch
For 2 glasses you need
- 4 handfuls fresh berries
- 4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 8 tablespoons crunchy cereal
Equipment
- Bowl
- Fork
- Spoon
- 2 glasses
- Put most of the berries in a bowl and mash with a fork. Save a few for decorating the top.
- Count the spoons of yogurt into the bowl with the mashed berries and mix with a spoon.
- Spoon a bit of cereal into the bottom of the glasses.
- Spoon some fruity yogurt on top of the cereal. You still start to see layers.
- Spoon a little more cereal into the glass, and then some more yogurt.
- Finish with saved berries on top.
From the book Kids in the Kitchen by Amanda Grant
Orange and Carrot Pops
For 12 pops you need
- 10 medium carrots, cleaned and peeled
- 6 oranges, cut in half
Equipment
- Juicer OR grater and muslin cloth
- Popsicle mold
- Collect the juice from the carrots. If you have a juicer use that. If not, you can grate the carrots and squeeze it in a piece of muslin cloth over a bowl.
- Squeeze the juice from the oranges.
- Grate one of the orange peels for some orange zest.
- Mix together the orange juice, carrot juice, and orange zest. Pour into your molds.
- Freeze for six to eight hours.
From the book Party Food by Claudia Martin
Pucker-Up Pickles
This recipe makes 2 cups of pickling vinegar. You can double or triple the recipe if you want to make more pickles.
Ingredients
- Small cucumbers
- Onion or garlic (optional)
- Container of white, cider, or rice vinegar
- Salt
- Sugar
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Mixing spoon
- Knife
- Small jars
- Slice cucumbers into coins or spears.
- Pack them tightly into jars. Add onion or garlic if desired.
- Mix 2 cups of vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt, and 8 teaspoons of sugar. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolves.
- Pour the vinegar mixture over cucumbers. Screw lids on tightly.
- Refrigerate pickles for 1-2 days.
From the book Kitchen Science Lab for Kids Edible Edition by Liz Lee Heinecke
Pretend (Mud) Cooking
Get out the aprons and some old clothes. Find some measuring cups, measuring spoons, potting soil and water and put together a full menu of mud dishes.
Make sure you have paper and pencil so you can record your measurements. Each pretend recipe will need a different amount of soil to water. Some might require sand, or flower garnishes. A stick might be a great chicken drumstick and thick mud could be shaped into a marvelous cake.
Check out other mud play ideas in this article from Early Childhood Today.
Measuring, recording, and testing out different mixes can be a great way to practice real cooking without the stove or going to the grocery store. Just playing around with these tools will teach you how to use them and get you ready to follow recipes when your adults have time to help out.
Read the Recipe
What kind of library would we be if we didn’t share some excellent books to check out? These are some of my favorite picture books with recipes.
Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang
Bee-Bim Bop! by Ho Baek Lee
Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed
The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred by Samantha R Vamos
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard
Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie by Jack Bishop
What’s your favorite recipe to make with your family? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
"Kids cooking" by brklynchou is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0