Kids in the Kitchen

I am home with three kids ages 2, 4 and 6 for most of the Summer. We call it Camp Ima and we have a good time and the kids have gotten even closer, but it is not without its challenges, fights, screams, whines and cries. I cry and whine as much as the kids do, but we also laugh, hug and kiss, so all in all we are having a great time.

One of our activities every couple of days is to cook something fun. We are home on most days for a couple of hours while my 2 year old naps, so we have to do something other than television. Here are some of the foods that we have made and how it has worked. I think there are some great ways to get your kids involved in cooking and they love to eat anything that they made.

1. Chocolate Truffles

I made the chocolate ganache by pouring 1 part hot milk (in this case coconut milk, traditionally cream) over 2 parts shaved dark chocolate. Stir it up, if it is not melted fully, you can continue to heat over a pot of boiling water. Allow to sit in the fridge overnight.

The next day we had our activity turning the ganache into truffles. I figured it is better than finger paint, at least they can safely lick their fingers after wards. We took a spoon each and took out a spoonful of chocolate, then we rolled it in cocoa powder, you can also roll in finely chopped nuts or coconut. Then they put them on a tray covered in wax paper.

It worked great, they were not perfect little balls, but they were nice home made creations. The mess was very contained like any art project. I thought this was a real winner, the kids did not even get bored with it, so it was nice long activity.

2. Spaetzl (will link to recipe soon)
This German pasta is very hard to find kosher, so I learned a way to make it at home in a colander. I mix the batter and then the kids help pour it into the colander over a pot of boiling water. I held the colander and they helped to push the batter through the holes.

This came out great, but it is not easy. Maybe it would work better for older kids, but I was too afraid of them being so close to the hot water and it was hard for me holding the colander up over hot water and it was a mess too. I am going to work on this one.

3. Gnocchi
We made a potato gnocchi. They helped mix up the dough with me and then we each took a piece and rolled it out to a big rope and cut out little pieces. I like my gnocchi really small, but the kids made large balls out of it. They had fun and they ate it, but the large ones were way too dense for me. Still, it was good project, not too messy and takes a nice amount of time.

4. Challah
We have always made challah, they love to take the dough and make it any shape they want. It does not take enough time though, they now quickly roll it and shape it and say done.

5. Smoothies and Popsicles
We make smoothies all the time and sometimes pour the mixture into popsicle makers for later. Always a good treat, the choose their fruits and help process by pressing the button and then taste to make sure it is just right.