Tag Archives: cooking with kids

Cooking With Kids: Chocolate Chip Calzone

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Buddy loves to cook, and I’m always looking for fun, new recipes to try with him. This year, my husband requested a Chocolate Chip Calzone for his birthday instead of cake. It is a favorite dessert of ours, which used to be made in the Claimjumper Restaurant. I used this recipe to make the calzone.

To make the chocolate chip calzone, you need:

  • A can of pizza dough
  • White chocolate chips
  • Milk chocolate chips
  • Vanilla ice cream
  • Chocolate syrup
  • Whipped cream

We pulled out a can of pizza dough, white chocolate chips, and chocolate chips. Buddy and I unrolled the dough on a pastry mat. Then I had Buddy add a handful of chocolate chips in a line, and then he rolled the dough a bit. Then we added white chocolate chips and rolled the dough some more. We did this a few more times until we had rolled up the whole piece of dough.

I put the chocolate chip calzone on a greased baking sheet and then baked it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, once it started getting a little brown. Then I sliced it into 6 slices and topped it with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. It is so gooey and delicious, and so easy to make! It’s a hit in our household, and I hope we have it again soon.

Cooking With Kids: Dole Whip Popsicles

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Buddy and I have been on a Disney kick lately. So far this summer we have done a virtual Disney World twice, built Disney parade floats, and made Mickey Pretzels. And a couple of weeks ago, we tried to make another Disney inspired food: Dole Whip Popsicles.

*Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

The recipe we used was originally made by Today’s Creative Life. To make Dole Whip popsicles, you need an 8 ounce container of Cool Whip, a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

It was very easy to make the popsicles. We combined the Cool Whip, crushed pineapple, lime juice, and sugar in the blender. Buddy had a great time pushing the buttons to turn the blender on and the different speed levels. You want to keep going until everything is well mixed and the mixture is smooth. Then you pour the mixture into popsicle molds and put in the freezer.

The original recipe said to freeze 2-4 hours, but we found that wasn’t nearly enough. We had better results when we let the popsicles freeze overnight. While they weren’t quite as good as the original Dole Whip, the taste was very similar and everyone in my family really enjoyed them. We will definitely be making these Dole Whip Popsicles again.

Cooking with Kids: Mickey Pretzels

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This summer, Buddy and I have been doing What’s Cooking Wednesdays. He loves to cook, and it’s fun to have an excuse to find kitchen activities for him. Buddy has been asking to do Disney activities a lot recently, so I decided to make Mickey pretzels with him. It is a favorite snack of ours when we are in Disney World, and we were both excited to try it at home.

I got my inspiration from Smart School House’s blog. She uses a can of pretzel dough. I have seen other people use canned pizza dough for pretzels. I didn’t have either of those on hand, though, so I used the hot buttered pretzel recipe from King Arthur Flour. While it was a little more work to make our own dough, it wasn’t too difficult and they were amazingly delicious at the end.

We made the dough by combining 2 1/2 cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast, and 1 cup warm water in our mixer. Then we put in a greased bowl and covered with a light towel. The recipe calls for the dough to rise for 30 minutes, but we left it for an hour while Buddy napped.

When we returned to the dough, we split it into 6 equal sized pieces and rolled each into a long log. Our final pretzels were about the size of a dinner plate, so you could do more than 6 parts if you want smaller pretzels. After we made our logs we turned one into a circle to be a Mickey head. Then we split another one to be the two ears.

Next, we put 2 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 cup of boiling water and put it into a 13 x 9 baking pan. You are supposed to let the water cool a bit before dipping the pretzels. We dipped each pretzel into the mixture, and I used a spoon to bath the top part of the pretzel for 2 minutes. Then they went on the baking pan.

We baked the pretzels for 9 minutes at 475 degrees. They came out perfectly done. Then we brushed on 3 tablespoons of melted butter and put kosher salt on two. My husband dipped his in a cinnamon sugar mixture instead.

Our Mickey pretzels were even better than the ones in the parks! And the taste was very, very similar to the ones we get in the mall. We loved them and will be making more pretzels with this recipe in the future.

Cooking with Kids: Cranberry Cookie Bars

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It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here! My husband loves to cook, and he wanted to make something fun to bring to my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. He came across this recipe for Chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie Bars on Chew Out Loud’s blog and decided to make it with Buddy. It’s perfect because they were easy to pack up and bring with us in the car. And of course, it’s always nice to have additional sweets around during the holiday.

Buddy loves to bake, so he was excited to help. The original recipe makes enough for a 8 x 8 pan, but we decided to double it and put it in a 13 x 9 pan. My husband started by cracking two eggs in a bowl, and Buddy beat them for him. 

Then they poured the eggs into the mixer along with a stick of softened, salted butter. Next, they put 1 and 1/3 cup of brown sugar into a measuring cup, and Buddy helped to pack it down. Once they measured the sugar, they added it to the mixing bowl along with 2 teaspoons vanilla. Buddy got to turn on the mixer, which he loved. It made Buddy feel like a real chef to be the one to turn the mixer on and off.

Next, they added 1 and 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the mixer, and then mixed everything together. Finally, they mixed in 2 cups of fresh cranberries and a cup of white chocolate chunks. My husband and Buddy worked together to mix those last two ingredients into the batter.

The cranberry bar dough went into a greased 13 x 9 pan, which was also lined with parchment paper. They spread the dough out evenly, and then it baked for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. (The recipe says to go 30-33 minutes or until it is golden brown and puffy.)

Once the cookie has cooled, it needs to be cut into bars and topped with melted white chocolate. The final product looked fantastic, and tasted amazing! The fresh cranberries really give it great flavor, and the white chocolate was a great balance of sweetness. My family had a lot of fun making them together, and I’m looking forward to sharing them at Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Cooking with Kids: Lemonade Pie

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Happy Labor Day! It’s amazing that summer is already over, and fall is about to start. Hubby and Buddy made an amazing lemonade pie together this summer, and I wanted to share the recipe while it still feels summery outside.

Hubby loves to make desserts, and he often experiments with different types of pies. He came across this recipe for Lemonade Pie on Desserts Corner You Tube page. It was so easy and delicious, that the second time he made it, he let Buddy help.

Here are the needed ingredients:

For the Lemonade Pie

  • 1 5 oz can Evaporated milk
  • 1 3.4oz box of instant lemon pudding mix, one small box
  • 2 8oz packages of cream cheese
  • ¾ cup frozen lemonade concentrate

For the Pie Crust

  • 2⅔ cup graham cracker crumbs
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter, melted

Buddy and Hubby made the pie crust first. They broke up graham crackers and threw them into the food processor. Then Hubby let Buddy press the buttons to blend them. You could also throw them into a gallon ziplock and crush with a rolling pin. 

Then, they measured ⅓ cup of sugar and ½ cup melted butter and mixed them together. 

Once everything was mixed, they pushed it into a deep dish pie dish. They actually used a deep dish pizza dish, but it could also be done with a regular deep dish pie plate. When the pie crust is done, it needs to bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Then it has to cool entirely before the pie can be made and added.

Buddy needed to nap during the pie part of the process, but it is easy enough that he could have helped if he was awake. Hubby mixed together the can of evaporated milk and lemon pudding and set it aside. Then he whipped cream cheese with a mixer until it was light and fluffy. Next, he gradually added the lemonade concentrate to the cream cheese. Then he mixed it with the pudding and put it into the cooled pie crust. The recipe says to refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, but we have found that at least 24 hours is needed, and it gets firmer and better every day after. We like to top ours with fresh strawberries.

The flavor is so lemony and delicious! We all love it! It is a new favorite at our house, and I hope we’ll have it again before apple pie season starts.

Cooking with Kids: Mini Meatball Subs

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Buddy loves to cook, so I’m always looking for fun and easy recipes to make with him. When I came across the recipe for Meatball Sub Cupcakes on Plain Chicken’s blog, I knew it would be a great one for us. It’s easy to make, and definitely kid friendly.

To start, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees. Then I opened up a can of croissant rolls and laid them on a baking sheet. Buddy and I used our fingers to press the seams together. Then, I used a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 equally sized pieces. 

Next, I sprayed PAM to grease a cupcake pan. Then, Buddy and I pressed the dough into each of the cupcake tins. We tried to make the dough as square shaped as we could before putting into the pan.

After that, we mixed up a cheese mixture to go into each piece of dough. We stirred together 4 oz of softened cream cheese, 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning, and 4 oz shredded mozzarella. Buddy and I took turns mixing, and then we put a scoop on top of each piece of dough. 

Next, we put a frozen meatball on top of each section. Then we added some pizza sauce and put more mozzarella cheese on top. Our mini meatball subs cooked for about 20 minutes, until they were golden brown and the cheese was melted.

Once they cooled a bit, I used a flexible spatula to scoop them out. Everyone in my house loved them! Buddy and I will definitely make them again.

Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles

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For Make it Monday, I decided to make popsicles with Buddy. I saw a generic recipe in Real Simple magazine, and I knew it would be the perfect summer activity. Their suggestion was to use cut fruit and lemonade or lemon-lime soda for the popsicles.

*Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

I had a bunch of strawberries I needed to use up, so I decided to make strawberry lemonade popsicles. It was so simple and so delicious, I literally sat down to blog about them right after we finished.

As I cut up the strawberries, Buddy put them into our popsicle molds. (Ours were a hand-me-down, but these molds look great.) When we were done, I put some lemonade in a measuring cup, and Buddy and I poured it into the popsicle molds together. Then we let the popsicles freeze overnight. 

Today we came home from a long, hot trip to the park, so we grabbed lunch and then cooled down with the popsicles. We sat on our deck in the shade, and the popsicles were SO good! I’m not really a popsicle person, so we never have them at home. But these were so delicious, we will definitely do them again!

Do you have any other great popsicle recipes? Please share in the comments.

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Cooking with Kids: Easy Banana Bread

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Summer is going by so quickly, and I’m busy looking for fun activities to do with Buddy. A couple of weeks ago, Buddy and I were stuck inside on a rainy day, so we decided to make banana bread. I had some old bananas I needed to get rid of, and we happened to have all of the other ingredients already.

I found this recipe on Mr. Breakfast.com, and it seemed like an easy one to try with Buddy. We started by measuring a cup of sugar and whipping it together with a stick of butter. Buddy was so excited to be using the mixer, and he did a great job with it. 

Then I cracked two eggs into a mixing cup. Then Buddy used a fork to beat them before pouring them into the mixing bowl. 

Then we mashed three bananas, one at a time in the mixing cup. We took turns mashing with a fork, and then Buddy scooped it into the mixing bowl. Then we used the mixer to beat everything together. 

Next, we added 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 and 1/4 cup flour  to our batter. The recipe says an additional teaspoon of vanilla is optional, and we decided to add it. We also chopped up a little leftover baking chocolate and added it. Then we put it into a loaf pan and baked it at 350 degrees for about an hour. (The recipe says 40-50 minutes but my oven always takes a little longer that recipes call for.)

The banana bread was very moist and delicious. We both loved it! We will definitely make it again. If you have any other ideas for fun things to make with Buddy, please share in the comments.

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Cooking With Kids: Hawaiian Chicken

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I’m not much of a cook, but I want Buddy to learn how to cook. We’ve had a lot of fun together trying new kid friendly recipes together. This week, I want to share an old favorite of mine – Hawaiian Chicken. I love this because it is so easy, and so delicious!

The original recipe comes from Six Sisters’ Stuff’s blog. That version uses frozen chicken breasts, a can of pineapple, and a bottle of barbecue sauce. I’ve adapted it a bit over the years, and here’s how I do it.

I start by putting chicken breasts in the crockpot. We have decided that we like fresh, thin sliced chicken breasts the best. (Frozen works just fine though too.) I put them in the crockpot myself because I don’t really want Buddy to handle raw meat.

The next thing to add is the pineapple. We use pre-cut, fresh pineapple. I bought a small container, and Buddy dumped it into the crock pot on top of the chicken. 

Recently, I started adding green pepper to this recipe, and it adds a great crunch and flavor. I cut up the pepper, and Buddy added it to the crock pot. 

The last step is to add barbecue sauce to the top. We usually add most of a bottle, but it’s not always one full bottle. (More often than not, its whatever is left in the currently open bottle of barbecue sauce and then more as needed from a new bottle.) Buddy loves barbecue sauce, and he loves being the person to pour the sauce on top.

The Hawaiian chicken cooks in the crockpot 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low. I love that I can come home at 4:30 and still have time for it to be done before our 6:45 dinner time! We serve it over rice, and everyone in my family loves it. I hope your family does too.

Cooking With Kids: Banana Muffins

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Buddy and I got a snow day last week, and it was Buddy’s first snow day ever! We spent the morning outside in the snow, but I needed an activity to keep us busy in the afternoon. I decided it would be a great time to bake something, and I quickly found this recipe for banana muffins from The Busy Baker. Luckily, we had everything we needed to make the muffins.

We started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and putting muffin cups in the muffin tin. Buddy thought that was a lot of fun!

Then we put three ripe bananas in a bowl and mashed them with a fork. Buddy and I took turns mashing them, since it was a little difficult for him to do a thorough job of this on his own. 

Next, I measured 3/4 cup of white sugar, and Buddy poured it into the bowl. 

Then, I cracked an egg into a measuring cup, and Buddy added it to our bowl. We also added 1/3 cup vegetable oil and mixed it with a wooden spoon. We needed to take turns again to make sure that everything was combined. 

Next, we measured 1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour and put it into a different bowl. 

Then we added the rest of the dry ingredients (1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt) to the bowl and mixed with a fork. This step Buddy could do by himself. 

Buddy helped me pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones, and we took turns mixing it with a wooden spoon. We also threw in some chocolate chips to the mixture, although the recipe doesn’t call for it. (I used a small amount that was left in the bag, which was about 1/4 cup.) Then we used an ice cream scoop to add batter to the muffin cups. Buddy tried to help me with this, but it ended up being a lot easier for me to do it myself.

The muffins baked for about 25 minutes, and then they had to cool. (We did that during nap time.) When Buddy got up from his nap, we each had a muffin as our afternoon snack. They were very moist and so delicious! We both loved them, and Hubby did too! We will definitely be using this recipe again the next time we have to get rid of a few old bananas.