Recipes Archives - Page 7 of 13 - Look What Mom Found

S’mores Cookies #recipe

June 11, 2014 by Melissa

In honor of the dad in our home, Rob, we came up with a treat for the nights we don’t get to spend by the fire. You see, we outfitted our yard with a firepit this spring, bought some chairs then bought some vintage furniture and are re-doing it and bought a hammock and got some tree stumps to act as tables so we have a cozy place to hang out as a family. Rob doesn’t like s’mores though. He’ll eat one but that’s it. He does love cookies so here are the S’Mores Cookies we made JUST FOR HIM.

It’s a pretty simple recipe actually. I started with my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and doctored it up with some mini marshmallows and a small chocolate piece if you’re trying to please a real chocoholic (Rob)when it was done baking.

S’mores Cookies (with extra chocolate)

Ingredients

graham crackers broken in half (almost whole box)
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
broken up chocolate bars*

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter and sugars together until smooth and fluffy.

Beat in eggs one at a time till combined then add vanilla.

In a small cup dissolve baking soda in 2 tsp of HOT water.

Add baking soda mixture and salt to batter, mix lightly.

Beat in flour till well combined.

Add chocolate chips and marshmallows and mix for a few seconds.

Arrange 1/2 graham crackers close together on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Drop rounded spoonfuls on graham crackers and bake for 9-12 minutes. This should leave you with a soft gooey center and oozing caramelized marshmallow.

*Top with a piece of chocolate bar(optional) and set aside to cool for 5 minutes and enjoy.

Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days but are best eaten in the first 2 days.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe #kidsinthekitchen

May 29, 2014 by Melissa

Baking is one of the easiest and most fun ways to get your kids involved in the kitchen. It’s especially awesome when the child asks to make a particular dish. This Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is something I’ve been making for 12 years and everyone loves it. I’ve made little modifications over the years but it’s pretty perfect the way it is. We make it so much that Shae can do most of the prep, mixing and measuring on her own.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

3-4 ripe bananas, peeled and broken into large pieces
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350° and butter a loaf pan.
In a large bowl cream together butter and brown sugar till creamy.
Add eggs one at a time and vanilla, blend well till combined.
Add in flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and combine till smooth.
Drop in banana, nuts and chocolate and blend till combined but bits of banana are still visible.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan (or muffin tins).
Bake for 60-70 minutes, a toothpick should come out clean.
Let cool in loaf pan for 15 minutes, slice and serve.

Substitute the chocolate chips and nuts for whatever else you may like, such as cinnamon chips, dried cranberries, sliced almonds or JUST banana.

As you can see Shae did most of the work. I pulled ingredients out of cabinets, told her the measurements and let work the mixer. I love this time together. I hope she holds onto these memories as she gets older and starts memories with her own children.

Enjoy the time you have today and spend time doing small things. Making a sandwich together, mixing up chocolate milk or even enjoying a shared bowl of ice cream all count for making memories and getting your kids in the kitchen.

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.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

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

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

An InLinkz Link-up

Chewy Coconut Cookies #recipe

May 15, 2014 by Melissa

I’m a cookie brat. I’m particular about the flavors and types of cookies I eat. I don’t eat packaged cookies except for the occasional Oreo or Samoa. I prefer my cookies fresh, made from scratch and warm. This means homemade cookies often get eaten before they’re even cooled. These Chewy Coconut Cookies are especially good when warm out of the oven.

I’m really the only one in the house the loves these cookies so that just means more for me. I realize that’s a curse I bring onto myself but I’m willing to sacrifice for these sweet chewy treats.

Ingredients

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flaked or shredded coconut

Directions

Start by preheating your oven to 350º.

In a large mixing bowl add butter and sugars. Combine till smooth.

Then add egg and vanilla and mix till fluffy.

Gradually add flour/baking powder/baking soda/salt mixture and coconut.

Chill batter for 30 minutes.

Drop even rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet 2″ apart.

Bake for 9-12 minutes till edges are browned. Cool on wire racks.

Cookie should be crisp on edges and underside but chewy in the middle. Store in container with tight-fitting lid. Makes 30 cookies.

This cookie is for the coconut lover. Upping the coconut flavor is simple with the addition of coconut extract and more flaked coconut. You’ll end up with something that resembles a macaroon but that’s not a bad thing.

Mac and Cheese Muffins #kidsinthekitchen #recipe

May 8, 2014 by Melissa

I hate to admit this but Shae prefers boxed mac and cheese to my homemade kind.The rest of the family prefers mine so most of the time she’s out voted. Sometimes when time is of the essence I have to rely on the boxed kind even though I don’t like it very much. I found a way to kick up the flavor and presentation but using one of my favorite methods, muffin shaped food.

Adding prepared mac and cheese, and some other yummy ingredients, to muffin tins creates something magical. The Mac and Cheese Muffins come out with a crispy crust and creamy inside, making them very different from their boxed beginnings.

These Green Onion Mac and Cheese Muffins turned out incredibly good. I’m going to add green onions more often because they add a great fresh onion taste without the harsh bite white onions tend to do.

Ingredients

2 boxes of box mac and cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (we used mexican blend and mozzerella)
1 cup milk
2 tbls softened butter
4 stalks of green onions chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
bread crumbs
*any chopped meat of choice

Directions
Preheat oven to 375° and coat your muffin tins (12 cups)with cooking spray.

Prepare your macaroni according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Have you child add in all of the ingredients plus the cheese packets except bread crumbs and mix, mix, mix.

Taste to be sure it tastes the way you like it and adding meat or veggies if you choose.

Now it’s time to spoon your mixture into the muffin tins. Fill them all the way till almost overflowing. Top with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes till bubbly and browned.

We enjoyed along side of Italian sausage and peppers.

Shae loved that she did most of the work!
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.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

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

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

An InLinkz Link-up

Italian Meatloaf Muffins #recipe

May 6, 2014 by Melissa

Everything tastes better in the form of a muffin. Muffins are cute, a great portion size and appealing to all ages. That’s why I love making meals in muffin form like these Italian Meatloaf Muffins.

It’s Thursday, that means Shaun has basketball clinic from 3:15-5:15 then Lacrosse practice from 6:00-7″30. By the time we get home and he gets the stink showered off of him it’s bedtime. These days call for dinner in the car. If you know me you know I don’t do fast food for dinner. Maybe it’s guilt from too many years of drive-thru dinners or just knowing I shouldn’t be so lazy and just make a good dinner.

Meatloaf muffins are easy to make, quick to cook and can be eaten on the go. I made these right before I picked Shaun up from practice so they were still warm but I’ve made them in the morning, packed them up and had them in stored for trouble-free meals later.

Start with your favorite meatloaf recipe but I’ll share mine. My kids actually really love it. It’s something they actually cheer for when I tell them it’s for dinner.

Ingredients
1 1/2lbs ground meat of choice. I prefer traditional meatloaf mix and loathe all ground turkey.
1 1/2 cups of finely shredded/chopped veggies of choice. This time I used carrots, garlic, red & orange peppers & onions. sautéing before adding to meat adds great flavor
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1tsp freshly cracked pepper
1tsp kosher salt
1 egg
*1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1TBLS dried
*2TBLS chopped fresh oregano or 2tsp dried

Directions
Using your hands mix the all ingredients but don’t overmix. You should still see the ground meat texture.
Fill 12 muffin cups with the meatloaf mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes till cooked through.
Top with shredded mozzarella and a side of marinara or favorite pasta sauce.

*There are many variations of meatloaf you can make just by switching the ingredients that go into your ground meat & veggie mixture
Mexican-add cumin and garlic, top with salsa and shredded cheddar
Greek-add oregano and mint, top with crumbled feta and cucumber yogurt sauce
BBQ-add chopped chipotle peppers and top with favorite bbq sauce

Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Power Bites #kidsinthekitchen

May 1, 2014 by Melissa

MOM! Can I have a snack?
It’s 2 hours before dinner and the kids are hovering looking for a snack. I hate to say no but I know giving in will just ruin their appetite. Shae suggested we make oatmeal power bites. They are small enough to curb an appetite but are still healthy so I don’t feel guilty.
Best of all they are a no bake treat the kids can do almost all by themselves.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Power Bites

1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter or other nut butter
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup coconut, toasted if preferred
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, any flavor
1/4 finely chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 dried cranberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Dump all of the ingredients into a large bowl. With a rubber spatula mix thoroughly till combined. Chill in fridge for 1 hour.

Form into balls with the palms of your hands. If you find the mixture too sticky add 1/4 more oatmeal. If the mixture is too dry add 1 tbls more peanut butter.

Store in fridge to keep them firm but these can be eaten at room temperature. They are high in protein and good fats so feel good about the kids popping 2 or 3 after a hard day of play.

*Make these how you want them to taste. Substitute with white chocolate chips, dark chocolate shavings, pecans, chopped dates or figs, nutmeg and smoked sea salt. It’s all about ratio, add about 1 cup of “toppings”.
**Boost the health factor by adding a couple teaspoons of flax seed, chia seed, hemp or wheat germ.

Would your kids eat these?

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

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

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

An InLinkz Link-up

Mom’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies #kidsinthekitchen #recipe

March 21, 2014 by Melissa

Baking cookies with your kids is probably the most fun you can have in the kitchen besides eating them. This week for #kidsinthekitchen we made MY favorite chocolate chip cookies. The recipe is simple, but you’ll notice a little twist in them. I’m not sure it that’s what makes them my favorite but I’ll keep making them this way.

Mom’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts of choice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter and sugars together until smooth and fluffy.

Beat in eggs one at a time till combined then add vanilla.

In a small cup dissolve baking soda in 2 tsps of HOT water.

Add baking soda mixture and salt to batter, mix lightly.

Beat in Flour, chocolate chips and nuts till combined.

Drop rounded spoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes till edges are just crisp. This should leave you with a soft gooey center and lightly crisp bottom.

Set aside to cool for 5 minutes and enjoy.

Cookie recipes like these are so easy for kids to help with. Ingredients are easy to measure or require little assistance depending on the child’s age. Give your child a spoon and let them scoop up dough to bake. Keep it fun.
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.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

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

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

An InLinkz Link-up

Fruit and Cream Filled Pastry Cups #kidsinthekitchen

March 13, 2014 by Melissa

I have a love hate relationship with baking but it’s one of the few things that the kids can always help with. That is until I came across profiteroles. These are not a kid friendly recipe.

The finished product though are a perfect kid friendly food. These bite size, dainty pastries are the just right vessel for anything you can imagine. Of course my family goes towards the sweet side and filled them with whipped cream and fruit but I’d like to serve these stuffed with chicken salad or fried chicken pieces with cole slaw.

Making the profiterole dough isn’t hard per say but it takes planning and organization. I’m sure Sabreena could handle making this but I wouldn’t let the other two mess with it. I used this video from Martha Stewart as my guide.

Shaun and Shae decided to fill them with fruit and whipped cream. Shaun went to work on slicing the strawberries while Shae munch on the tops. They each decided what to put in their own profiteroles and had a light and delicious snack.

They loved them and the recipe made plenty so we’ll be filling them with ice cream and chocolate sauce over the weekend for dessert.

The kids might not be involved in every step of a recipe but getting their participation on some of the process is just as good. Keeping them in the loop keeps them interested and that’s the whole point of #kidsinthekitchen.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

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

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sweet Irish Soda Bread #Recipe #KidsintheKitchen

March 7, 2014 by Melissa

While my Irish heritage is by maiden name only I still like to partake in some of the traditions. Irish Soda Bread is something we’ve never made though. I never really what it exactly what it was but after some research, recommendations and modifications we came up version that is truly tasty. Is it authentic, probably not but I’m ok with that.

Shae has been more involved in baking these days. I can hand her measuring cups and all the ingredients and she’ll dole out all of the ingredients for me. She even pours out the liquids to precise quantities.

This particular recipe called for a HUGE loaf of bread. Next time I’ll split it into 2 loaves so it is easier to handle. I also think I’ll make it in a bread loaf for a more uniform product. We’re eating this for snack, dessert and breakfast just as it is.

Sweet Irish Soda Bread

4 1/2 cups flour
1/14 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter softened, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a large dutch oven pot or 2 bread pans or 2 round cake pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & baking soda.

Blend in butter, raisins and almonds till butter is pea size crumbs.

Add egg, buttermilk & milk and mix till just combined.

Pour this batter into your prepared pan(s) and bake for 45-70 minutes depending on size of loaf. An inserted toothpick should come out clean and the top of your bread should be a beautiful golden brown.

If you’re lucky you’ll have some to enjoy for 2 days.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

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

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

Brown Paper Bag Microwave Popcorn #kidsinthekitchen

February 27, 2014 by Melissa

I’ve said it on numerous occasion, My Kids Love To Snack? We definitely encourage healthy snacking by providing plenty of fruits and veggies but there is not denying those cravings for a a salty crunchy eat from a bag kinda snack. How about Brown Bag Microwave Popcorn.

We love love love popcorn. The kids know to bring home a fresh full tub when they leave the movies. I buy the big wholesale club container of kernels so we can make my own in the air popper and sometimes we have a few microwave bags in the pantry. BUT this is definitely a better to enjoy popcorn fresher, healthier and easier then all those other choices above.

You’ll need 2 things

brown paper bag
popcorn kernels

Directions

Simply add 1/4 of popcorn kernels to a brown bag and close with a couple folds tightly creased.

Place in your microwave and cook for 2 – 2 1/2 minutes, laying down or standing up is fine. Our first bag was bit burnt at 2 1/2 minutes. Our second bag was better but still had a burnt aroma at 2:20. The magic number for us is 2:10.

Now it’s time to remove your bag from the microwave, add toppings, shake and enjoy.

The kids have been using a cheddar cheese popcorn topping but I like mine a little more simple. I like to add a big pinch of kosher salt and a few sprays of “fake butter”.

This is something the kids (depending on their age) can do pretty much on their own or with just a little help.

The bag doesn’t get hot to the touch.
There isn’t a huge scalding burst of steam coming out of the bag.
The measurements and ingredient list is so easy.
Clean up is done in a snap.
Serving size is perfect for one.

I’m loving this version of popcorn so much. I find it to be slightly crunchier than traditional air popped and the bag isn’t gross and greasy so eating right from it is convenient and clean. Try it and let me know how it turns out for you.
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.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

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

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

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