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Making Chicken and Cheese Taquitos #kidsinthekitchen

December 26, 2013 by

I know teaching my son to cook and be self sufficient in the kitchen is so very important but it’s hard to do when he doesn’t want to learn. Shaun is 10 and uninterested in doing things for himself. He’s much rather spend his time playing video games and other boy stuff. Making these Chicken and Cheese Taquitos was a lesson in chopping, patience and listening to details.

Using leftover roasted chicken, veggies, and artisan cheese with some seasoning, we made a surprisingly tasty lunch. Consider checking artisan cheese online to get the right cheesy flavor while preparing the taquitos.

I would’ve preferred smaller corn tortillas but we used what we had on hand, burrito sized flour.

Making Taquitos #kidsinthekitchen

Shaun chopped up a couple cups of cooked chicken while Sabreena finely chopped red peppers. We added frozen corn, a cup of frozen corn and then spiced it up. I had the kids sniff each herb/spice and tell me what it reminded them of. Oregano smells like pizza and cumin smells like tacos.

Making Taquitos #kidsinthekitchen The details and patience part of this task came when it was time to roll up the taquitos. I had Shaun redo the rolling part if it wasn’t tight enough or if the filling came out. Moving them from the counter to the baking tray needed a gentle hand, one he doesn’t have. By the 5th one he understood to take it slow.

They got a brush of olive oil, went into a 425° oven and baked for 15 minutes. They were surprisingly very very good. I didn’t even complaints about the red pepper.

Making Taquitos #kidsinthekitchen

We’ll be making these again with a whole array of ingredients. Next time we’ll make pizza taquitos.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

You’ll find so many more ideas on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.
Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky




Making Garlic Parmesan Chex Mix

December 19, 2013 by

We’re getting ready for the holidays around here. The decorations are up, the baking has started and the gifts are piling up in their secret spot.  The kids are on a snack kick. Shaun is only ten but can eat like a man so I have to come up with new ideas. This Garlic Parmesan Chex Mix is a new snack mix that I prefer much better than chips or cookies.  And the best thing was he was able to make it pretty much on his own.Garlic Parmesan Chex Mix #KidsintheKitchen

 The idea for Chex Mix is simple, put together a bowl of related ingredients, add the flavoring and mix it up.  To get an extra crunch on savory mixes I like to toss them in oven for 10 minutes. For sweet mixes I like to pop in the fridge for the chocolate or caramel to harden up.

Shaun made this one for Rob because he knows his dad loves snacking food while watching tv. I like getting him in the kitchen helping out as much as possible. His attention span for cooking is short so I need to keep him busy. Chex Mix does the trick because there’s a lot of measuring and mixing he can do.  Stove work is ok too as long as I’m right next to him.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Rice Chex
  • 2 cups Corn Chex
  • 1 cup broken bagel or pita chips
  • 1 1/2 cup pretzel sticks
  • 1 cup oyster crackers
  • 1 cup lightly salted, roasted almonds
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
  • 1 tsp dried basil, crushed
  • pinch red pepper flakes, crushed
  • 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheesemaking chex mix #kidsinthekitchen

Directions

In a large bowl mix all of your snack ingredients.

making chex mix #kidsinthekitchen

making chex mix #kidsinthekitchen

In a small saucepan over medium low heat combine butter, oil, herbs and spices and blend till hot but not bubbling.

making chex mix #kidsinthekitchen

Pour over snack mix and gently but quickly stir to coat. Sprinkle cheese over mixture and blend again till coated.

Pour onto a cookie sheet and pop into a 350° oven for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool then enjoy.

Garlic Parmesan Chex Mix #KidsintheKitchen

The beauty of these snack mixes is you can adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes. Adding popcorn, goldfish, bacon bits or even switching the nuts can make any snacker happy. The same goes for the flavors.  If you enjoy the rosemary over oregano, make the switch.

These are simple go to recipes especially for the holidays. Get your kids in the kitchen and get their hands dirty with some mixing, prepping and cooking.
Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

You’ll find so many more ideas on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky



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Making Mini Muffin Corn Dogs #kidsinthekitchen

November 14, 2013 by

“I’ll take the mini corn dogs please”. This has become Shae’s meal of choice at our favorite restaurant. At first I used to cringe at the thought but they weren’t that bad but I knew we could make them better.  This was Shae and Shaun could have them for school lunch, something very different than sandwiches.

Mini Muffin Corn Dogs #kidsinthekitchen

Using this packaged cornbread mix is definitely a shortcut. Honestly I’ve never been able to master homemade cornbread. Either the texture is off or the flavor is dull.  This one is very tasty and sweet so it’s nice match to the salty taste of the hot dog.

Mini Muffin Corn Dogs #kidsinthekitchen

Shae prepared the muffin mix according to package directions and mixed it up.  I sliced the uncooked hotdogs into small bites.  As you can see she did most of the work, like usual.

As she was popping the hot dogs in the muffin mix she said “It’s like putting a cherry on top just different”.

After 22-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven they were done.  Package them up for lunches, snacks or even have for dinner.

Mini Muffin Corn Dogs #kidsinthekitchen

Shae likes her with honey mustard.

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.
Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky





Crispy Gnocchi #recipe

November 13, 2013 by

Crispy Fried Gnocchi have become my kids new favorite food. These now trump sausage sandwiches and pizza.  I can’t blame them. I dream about these. I crave them.

Crispy Gnocchi #recipe

One would think that we would eat them way more often with how much we all love them but honestly I hate fried food. Well actually I love fried food I just try really hard not to fry too much. It’s just not healthy. I won’t eat gnocchi any other way though.  The traditional boiled balls of dough are gross to me. These are completely different.

Ingredients

  • Gnocchi
  • Salt
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Oil for Frying
  • Spicy Tomato Sauce

Directions

In a wide pan at least 3 inches deep add about 1/4 inch of oil.  I like to mix canola and olive but since it’s such a quick process any oil will work.

Heat this up to medium – high for several minutes till you see it ripple.  Carefully add a single layer of gnocchi to hot oil.

Crispy Gnocchi #recipe

Cook for a few minutes each side but be careful it’s easy to overcook them then you’re left with little bullets.  I flip mine around with a wooden skewer, so simple.

Crispy Gnocchi #recipe

 

Once they’ve reached a beautiful golden brown remove them from the oil with a large slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels then sprinkle with salt and parmesan cheese.

I serve mine with a spicy tomato sauce.  I make mine with a simple pasta sauce doctored up with LOTS of garlic, red pepper flakes and crushed basil.




Creamy Corn Chicken Chowder #recipe

October 22, 2013 by

The temperature dropped about 15 degrees in the last couple of days. I’m now sporting pants and sweatshirts and shoes that require socks.  With this dip in the weather comes the longing for comforting and nourishing food that warms the belly.  SOUP.  I love soup of all kinds but it’s not the most popular in this house. I told the kids  they were getting Corn Chicken Chowder for dinner and surprisingly I was greeted with OHs and mmmmmms.

Creamy Corn Chicken Chowder #recipe

I’ve only ever had Corn Chowder from one place, WAWA.  While I always like it I knew it was missing a freshness. I also knew  it wasn’t at all healthy. I made my own soup using inspiration from several recipes found online and adapting to my own tastes, time and ingredients. The ingredient list looks long but most of it can already be found in your pantry and fridge.

Light but Creamy Corn Chicken Chowder

Ingredients

  • 3 slices of uncooked bacon
  • 2 cups of diced chicken (cooked or uncooked)
  • 2 lbs diced potatoes
  • 1 small diced onion
  • 2 stalks diced celery
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1/2 cup diced red pepper
  • 3 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 can cream style corn
  • 3-4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 -1 cup light half & half
  • pinch of Cayenne

Directions

In a large stock pot or dutch oven add your bacon and turn the heat up to medium.  I add mine in whole slices but you can chop it before hand. It WILL be used at the end.

When the bacon has crisped and rendered all of its fat remove it and all but 1 TBLS of the grease.

Add the potatoes, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and stir into the bacon grease and sauté for a few minutes. If your chicken is raw now is a good time it to capture some of the yummy bacon flavor.

Creamy Corn Chicken Chowder #recipe

Once the chicken has mostly cooked through add in the rest of the veggies(except corn) the garlic and thyme. Cook for a several minutes till veggies soften then add corn and canned corn and salt and pepper if needed. If you are using cooked or leftover chicken now is the time to add it.

Creamy Corn Chicken Chowder #recipe

Add broth and simmer till potatoes are cooked through. Using a hand masher work through the soup to smash some potatoes, this will naturally thicken the soup instead of adding flour or cornstarch.

Add half & half and cayenne, stir and serve. Top with crumbled bacon.

Creamy Corn Chicken Chowder #recipe

Additional toppings could be sliced green onions, shredded cheese or sour cream.  The smashing of the potatoes and addition of SOME half and half make this a creamy soup without the guilt of heavy cream and lots of butter.  In fact besides the initial bacon slices there was additional oil added.  The key is to have flavorful ingredients.

Creamy Corn Chicken Chowder #recipe

Celery is key, switch other veggies to suit your tastes but don’t skip the celery.




Baking Biscuits with the Kids #kidsinthekitchen

September 5, 2013 by

Last week I showed off my autographed cookbook from David Venable and said we’d be showing off a recipe from that book this week. The cookbook came with flags sticking out of certain recipe he thought I’d like or my kids would like. He was right. We made his Mom’s Mayo Drop Biscuits and everyone like them.

It was simple recipe, 5 ingredients that mixed up in just minutes and were ready in 15 minutes. This is a great recipe to get Shae involved. There was mixing, measuring, pouring and scooping; all great skills to work on in the kitchen.

Baking with Kids #kidsinthekitchen

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

I want to introduce you to our 2 new co-hosts, Lisa of HooplaPaloooza and Sarah of Play2LearnWithSarah. I hope you welcome them with open arms.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers, Sara at Sensibly Sara, Lisa of HooplaPaloooza and Sarah of Play2LearnWithSaraheach week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky




Veggie and Pasta Summer Salad Recipe Virtual Dinner Party Blog Hop

July 3, 2013 by

With Summer comes a whole new challenge with making dinner because I just don’t feel like it. We use the grill most of the time but sometimes I long for the cool weather standbys of pasta or potatoes. A cool crisp pasta salad is a great way to satisfy those carb cravings. This Summer Veggie Pasta Salad is the right balance of comfort food and fresh healthy lite fare.

Veggie and Pasta Summer Salad

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad

Ingredients
10 oz of pasta, I used rigatoni shape
2 cups of broccoli florets
1 cup snap peas
2 cups of baby carrots, quartered lengthwise
olive oil
salt and pepper

Dressing
1TBSP Dijon mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 olive oil
1tsp finely chopped garlic
handful fresh basil or 2 tsp dried basil
2 sprigs oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano

Directions
Bring large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to directions on box. While pasta is cooking heat up large skillet to cook veggies.

With a drizzle of oil in hot pan cook carrots with salt and pepper till just tender then set aside. Using the same pan add broccoli and 1/2 cup of water and cook broccoli till just tender then set aside. Do the same for the snap peas.

In a large bowl combine the mustard, vinegar, garlic and herbs. Add pasta and cooked veggies and mix into dressing. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Veggie and Pasta Summer Salad

Veggie and Pasta Summer Salad

Use any vegetable that you can get your hands on. I’ve made this with jarred roasted red peppers, zucchini, fresh off the vine tomatoes and garden peas. Experiment with other flavored vinegars or even try roasting vegetables. Add the ingredients that best suit those you are feeding.

 

To get the full Progressively Perfect Virtual Dinner Party blog hop experience, click the links below in order:

Appetizers

Salad

Drinks

Entrees

Coffee, Tea & Dessert

 

  • A Grande Life- No Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
  • The Naughty Mommy- Key Lime Pie
  • Latte and Legos – Spiced Vanilla Chai Latte

Late Night

  • The Turnip Farmer- Vodka Gummi Bears

Decorations, Outfits and Music




Pepperoni Pizza Puffs #recipe with Tyson Foods #WhatsYourTopping #CBias

June 13, 2013 by

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Cooking is my job. While Rob is usually on weekend breakfast duty the bulk of the dinners and planning is my responsibility. I like to plan out what is going on for the week so that all ingredients are on hand. This week since the kids are on summer vacation I planned a couple meal solutions besides sandwiches. One of them was Pepperoni Puffs. This muffin shaped fluffy bite is a treat for Shaun and Rob and they can often be found in lunch boxes year round.

Pepperoni Puffs #whatsyourtopping #cbias

Using Tyson Foods Diced Pepperoni has never crossed my mind. In fact I had never heard of it before until I was sent to Walmart to shop for it.

Our Walmart is a one stop shopping center. We go there for everything; groceries, household items, sheets, toys and games and more. Shopping for Tyson Foods Diced Pepperoni I thought was going to be easy but finding it turned into an adventure. I stood in the Meats section looking around with no success. I had to ask an employee. We both located the diced bacon (which I also bought) but it took some digging to find the Pepperoni. Finally! On the top shelf, fallen over in a black box we found them. Not an ideal spot for such a great brand I thought. Luckily I bought 2 because when I went back 2 more times there was none to be found on the shelves.
Shopping Walmart #whatsyourtopping #cbias
Tyson Foods #whatsyourtopping #cbias

When making the Pepperoni Puffs I snuck a few bites of diced pepperoni and was surprised at the level of spice. This is how I like my pepperoni. The first bag we used was gone in a day or two. It was used for a pizza topping and for pizza quesadillas. We use a ton of sandwich pepperoni in our house so I see having this on hand regularly for adding spice and flavor to a ton of different recipes.
The puff recipe is something I found somewhere online and doctored to suit our tastes. It can easily be adapted to house sausage, bacon or even chicken.

Print
Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 TBLS Italian seasonings
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1tsp chopped garlic
  • 1 cup shredded pizza blend cheese
  • 2 TBLS parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup Tyson Foods Diced Pepperoni
  • 1 cup of pizza sauce, warmed

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24-cup mini muffin or 12 regular size muffin pans with liners.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and seasonings.
  3. Add milk, egg, garlic, cheese and pepperoni and gently blend till combined using wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
  4. Scoop into muffin tins.
  5. Bake for 21-24 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
  6. Serve warm or room temperature with pizza sauce for dipping.
https://lookwhatmomfound.com/2013/06/pepperoni-pizza-puffs-recipe-with-tyson-foods-whatsyourtopping-cbias.html

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 TBLS Italian seasonings
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • 1 cup shredded pizza blend cheese
  • 2 TBLS parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup Tyson Foods Diced Pepperoni
  • 1 cup of pizza sauce, warmed

Pepperoni Puffs #whatsyourtopping #cbiasPepperoni Puffs #whatsyourtopping #cbias
Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24-cup mini muffin or 12 regular size muffin pans with liners.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and seasonings.
Add milk, egg, garlic, cheese and pepperoni and gently blend till combined using wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Scoop into muffin tins.
Bake for 21-24 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
Serve warm or room temperature with pizza sauce for dipping.

Pepperoni Puffs #whatsyourtopping #cbias

These are something the kids have eaten for school lunch that doesn’t have to be kept cold or warm, room temperature is just perfect. The mini muffin size makes for a great pop-able treat for after school and for parties. Doubling the recipe is simple so they can be frozen for eating later on. Sandwiches and salads can get boring so this is a tasty alternative




Homemade Brushetta #recipe

February 27, 2013 by

Somedays I crave a little snacking food. Lately it’s been all about tomatoes; fresh salsa from the deli, roasted beefsteaks with parmesan cheese and today it was brushetta that was calling my name. I made this a while back for my family and it got really good reviews. It’s such a simple dish I’m not sure why I don’t make it more often. This amount serves 4-5 but can easily be doubled or quadrupled for larger gatherings.

Print
Fresh Brushetta at Home #Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 Roma Tomatoes
  • 4-5 Sundried Tomatoes
  • 2 tsp finely minced garlic
  • 1 tsp dried basil or 6-10 leaves fresh basil finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
  • 1-2 tbls grated Parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
  • 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Rough chop Roma tomatoes, finely mince dry packed sun dried tomatoes or finely chop marinated sun dried tomatoes.
  2. Add all ingredients into a bowl, mix well and set aside for 1-2 hours.
  3. Serve with thin sliced baguette or as a pasta topping.
https://lookwhatmomfound.com/2013/02/homemade-brushetta-recipe.html

homemade brushetta recipe
The sundried tomatoes boost the flavor and the Balsamic Vinegar gives it a great earthy sweetness. Fresh tomatoes are best but if canned are all that is available then I suggest a high quality, no salt added organic diced tomato.




Pepperoni Soup Recipe

January 9, 2013 by

The recipe name sounds strange I know. Those outside my family look at me strange when I say we’re having pepperoni soup for dinner.  It was something that seemed like a special treat when I was growing up.  It’s something that my own family has grown to love and in fact Sabreena asked to have it for her birthday dinner last week.  Traditionally my grandmother used a Spanish sausage NOT pepperoni but I particularly like the pepper and spice that comes from it. My grandmother also called it pepperoni soup maybe because that was her translation.

Pepperoni Soup #Recipe, puerto rican comfort food

It’s very simple to make with very simple ingredients, most of which I have on hand. It can be made very quickly or left to gently simmer to develop more flavor. This is truly a one pot meal but prepared in steps.

Pepperoni Soup

Ingredients
  • 1lb of pepperoni or salchichon (traditional Spanish sausage)cut into bite size cubes. I usually ask my deli to cut me a 4″ slab of pepperoni then cut it down myself to size.
  • 2 bayleaves
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup chopped peppers
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1tsp pepper
  • 1tsp Adobo Seasoning
  • 1tsp dried oregano
  • 1 packet of Sazon
  • 12 cups of water
  • 1lb russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2″ chunks
  • 6oz spaghetti or rigatoni
Instructions

In a large pot over low heat brown and render off cut up pepperoni for 10-15 minutes.

Add chopped onion 7 pepper and cook till softened.

Mix in garlic and seasonings and cook for additional 5 minutes before adding water and potatoes.

Bring soup to mixture to slight simmer and cook until potatoes almost cooked.

Increase heat to bring soup to boil and add pasta.

Soup is ready to eat when pasta is cooked. Salt and pepper if needed.

Don’t forget to remove bay leaves.

Pepperoni Soup #Recipe, puerto rican comfort food Pepperoni Soup #Recipe, puerto rican comfort food

Pepperoni Soup #Recipe, puerto rican comfort food

sazon, what is sazon

this is Sazon

We use this in lots of of our meals. It adds a little something special to soups, sauces, meatloaf, roasts and rice.  When I mention Adobo seasoning i’m not talking about the peppers in adobo sauce I’m talking about this Adobo. It’s another magic ingredient that adds a special touch to everyday meals.

Goya Adobo Seasoning for meals




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