Cooking Ideas for Kids: Corn on the Cobcakes

Posted on 10/04/2010 by JessG

My mother is an expert baker — she ran an out-of-home bakery for nearly 15 years — and always considered it very important for me to learn the skill as well. Since I have three older siblings, Mom knew that cooking with children could be a bit, well, daunting. She also knew that the only way to I would learn is if I wanted to learn, and figured out that the best way to get me to really want to learn would be by making it a fun process. She always made it a point to choose fun things for us to bake. My favorite recipe was for cupcakes. They’re so easy to make, and a blast to decorate — you can make all sorts of cute designs.

Check out Hello, Cupcake! and What’s New Cupcake? by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson for super fun recipes for kids. You can make cupcakes that look like corn on the cob (see below), penguins, your friends — you name it.

Corn on the Cob Cupcakes (courtesy of Hello, Cupcake!):

  • Vanilla frosting
  • Yellow liquid food coloring
  • 24 vanilla cupcakes, baked in white paper liners
  • 3 1/2 cups small yellow, cream, or white jelly beans, such as Jelly Belly
  • 4 pieces yellow fruit chews (like Laffy Taffys or Starbursts)
  • 1 tablespoon black decorating sugar
  • 1 tablespoon white decorating sugar
  • 8 sets of corn holders (optional)



    • Directions:

  • Use a small bit of the food coloring to create a pale yellow frosting.
  • Working with 3 cupcakes at a time, frost them, then arrange 5 rows of jelly beans, close together, on each cupcake. Place the 3 cupcakes side by side on a corn dish or serving platter to resemble an ear of corn (see above picture). Repeat process with remaining cupcakes, frosting, and jelly beans.
  • If you decide to use Laffy Taffy rather than Starburst, cut the fruit chews into eight 1-inch squares. Soften the edges slightly by hand so that they look like melted butter. Place 1 square on top of each ear of corn. Sprinkle with sugars. Insert a corn holder in the end of each ear of corn, if using. Serve.
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    Cooking With Kids Helps Shape Their Future

    Posted on 09/27/2010 by EricM

    Why is cooking with children so important? Because it’s just another step in their education and development. When the time comes for them to live on their own, spread their wings and fend for themselves, it’s those meals they learned to make as kids that they are going to initially rely on.

    If or when your son or daughter goes off to college, they’ll more than likely have a meal-plan. While some schools and universities brag about their top rate cafeterias, the fact remains that no schools food supply is going to be comparable to delicious, old-fashioned home cooking. And it won’t take very long into that first semester for your child to realize that.

    So when they’re out on their own and they realize they can’t stand one more meal of cafeteria salad and chili-cheese-fries, they’re going to decide to cook on their own. And THIS is where all those cooking for kids lessons are going to come in handy.

    Your young adult will go back to those easy (and more importantly, HEALTHY) cooking recipes for kids they learned all those years ago and be able to whip something up that’s not only delicious, but good for them to.

    So look into cooking for kids with your children. They’re learning lessons not just for now, but their future as well.

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    Livestrong Offers Cooking Ideas For Kids

    Posted on 09/20/2010 by EricM

    I’ve been wearing a yellow livestrong bracelet since the summer of 2008. I wore one for a little bit when it got real trendy in 2005, took it off for a few years, then found it again the summer I moved to New York and haven’t taken it off since. I’m a big supporter of the cause, and am a frequent visitor to their website www.livestrong.com.

    And as a frequent visitor, I had to admit I was surprised when I found the organization for cancer research was offering easy cooking ideas for kids.

    That’s right. For whatever reason, the livestrong website has offered a few small, simple cooking for kids ideas. The list doesn’t have anything too complex or unique that you wouldn’t think of on your own, mind you. But I think I was just more stunned by the idea that livestrong would concern itself with children’s cooking.

    Some of their ideas: “Pizza… when it comes to kids, you can never go wrong with pizza.” Wow, that’s truly revolutionary. Who would have thought?

    “Lean chicken breast is an extremely nutrional meal and there are lots of ways to make it kid-friendly.” Well, sure. We could put it on pizza, right?

    “Peanut butter is a nutritious, quick meal kids love.” So Lance Armstrong wants us to just feed our children spoonfuls of peanut butter?

    Lance Armstrong never struck me as the cooking type. I guess this kind of shows why.

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    How To Keep Your Kids Cooking

    Posted on 09/13/2010 by EricM

    Looking for great new cooking ideas for kids? PlayingKitchen.com is just the place.

    Of course, if you’re looking for something on your own for cooking for kids, just start with the basics. Small, simple things, that wouldn’t even truly be considered cooking by many, can get young boys and girls excited about the idea of creating their own delicious masterpieces and furthering their interest in creating delicious cuisine.

    Simple dishes like pasta, stir fry vegetables, French toast, and grilled cheese can all be created by kids with minimal parental supervision. And the beauty of these simplistic platters is, their nearly impossible to screw up! One basic easy way to encourage young children is to give them the opportunity to see (and in this case, taste) their own success. With simple platters that will no-doubt turn out, you’re ensuring your kid will be content with spending their time cooking.

    I mean, just imagine it. Young child slaves away at the stove all day, only to have their omelet fall apart, the bacon burnt to a crisp, and the freshly-squeezed orange juice thick as cement due to all the pulp. No child is going to want to try that experience again!

    So when you’re looking for cooking ideas for kids, make sure to find platters that aren’t just easy to make, but have a high success rate. That’s the way to ensure your child has the best experience possible.

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    Bill Cosby’s Cooking Ideas For Kids: Chocolate Cake For Breakfast

    Posted on 09/06/2010 by EricM

    If there’s one thing that’s for certain, it’s that if you’re cooking with children, you’re going to end up with something delicious. That’s a certainty whether you’re making Harry Potter cookies, spaghetti and meatballs, or even just a peanut butter sandwich. That’s because cooking ideas for kids usually come with a twist.

    Legendary stand-up comedian and Philadelphia native Bill Cosby knows a thing or two about cooking for kids. So without further ado, we present the world-renowned Mr. Cosby and his reflections on cooking breakfast for all of his children on a morning when his wife refused to do so:

    Make sure to check back at PlayingKitchen for better cooking with children recipes other than…. Chocolate Cake For Breakfast

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    Don’t Let Work Interfere With Cooking for Your Kids

    Posted on 08/31/2010 by JessG

    Sue Shellenbarger, creator of the Wall Street Journal’s work-and-family column “The Juggle,” posted an article today about how many people have let cooking for kids “slip through the cracks” as they try to lead successful home and work lives.

    Shellenbarger discusses several things that make cooking with children easy. “For starters,” she writes, “good cookbooks for kids are easy to find. Cooking camp works well for some children; counselors often think of ways to make cooking fun, such as recipes with a ‘Harry Potter’ theme. Other parents hire party planners to organize cooking partiesfor their children. This has the added advantage of getting kids to try new foods in a festive atmosphere.”

    Getting your kids interested in cooking doesn’t have to be as painstaking as you think. Children by nature enjoy learning new things — you just need to present them the right way. If your child loves watching TV, put on the Food Network, as a mother in California does. As a result, her 8-year-old son started creating his own recipes. Another woman got her grandson into cooking by giving him a new belt when he accomplished a new level, similar to a karate belt.

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    Cooking With Children: Kitchen Safety Is a Must

    Posted on 08/26/2010 by JessG

    One of the other benefits of cooking with children at an early age is that you’ll get to teach them about cooking and kitchen safety at an early age. Firefighters in Albany, NY recently reported that 11 kitchen fires had broken out in August alone, several of which had been caused by a child. If you instill safety practices in your kids while they’re still young, they’ll remember them later on. The Culinary Institute of America has compiled a list of safety precautions that everyone — not just kids — should follow. Some of them include:

    • Wear shoes that cover your whole foot. Wear clothes that cover most of you. Long, baggy clothes, however, can catch on fire.
    • Keep your hair out of the way, tied back or in a hat.
    • Always use pot holders, towels or oven mitts when using the oven or handling something hot, making sure the pot holders, etc. are not wet (which will bring the heat right to your skin).
    • Always pick up a knife by its handle and never try to catch a falling knife.
    • Cut away from your hands and body and away from anyone near
    • you, paying close attention to what you are doing and always using a cutting board.

    For the complete list, visit the CIAKids’ Safety in the Kitchen Page. And remember: it’s not enough to tell your kids to do these things; when you’re cooking with kids they have to see you doing them too.

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    Cooking Recipe for Kids: Everyone Scream for Ice Cream!

    Posted on 08/26/2010 by JessG

    The best way to get kids interested in cooking is by teaching them to make the kinds of things they like to eat. An easy and fun cooking recipe for kids, one that they’ll surely love, is 10-minute ice cream. You’ll need:

  • a sandwich and a quart zipper bag
  • 1/2 cup milk (or soy milk, if your child is lactose intolerant)
  • 1 tbsp sugar (or sugar substitute, like Splenda or Sweet’n Low, if your child is diabetic)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp salt
  • 2 cups ice cubes (1 ice cube tray worth)

    • Mix the vanilla extract, sugar and milk. Pour into the sandwich bag and seal. Put ice cubes and salt into larger size bag, then put the bag with milk mixture into the ice mixture bag and seal.

    The bags both need to be completely for this to work, so be sure to double-check. Shake the bags for 5-10 minutes, until you feel the ice cream at the desired thickness. Wipe the salt off the smaller bag (unless you want salty ice cream!), then carefully pour the ice cream into a bowl. This recipe will make about one scoop.

    Tip: Once you and your kids have mastered this super-simple recipe, try adding some of your favorite candies or fruits.

    Check back soon for more cooking recipes for kids!

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    Welcome to the Playing Kitchen Blog!

    Posted on 08/05/2010 by KristenM

    Cooking with children can be a harrying experience. Most people would rather just plunk the kids down in front of the TV or computer than have them running around the kitchen.

    But there’s no reason you can’t give them a project of their own while you work on dinner — there are lots of cooking ideas for kids online — or even let them help you out. Letting them give you a hand in the kitchen is a great way to give them a sense of independence and make them feel like they’re doing something important, even with tasks as simple husking corn, snapping peas, mashing potatoes, stirring batter or decorating cookies. These are easy ways to introduce your kids to the world of cooking and decrease your prep work at the same time. Even if the little ones aren’t doing things quite as quickly as you’d be able to, remember that it’s important to instill in your children a sense of self-worth and helpfulness.

    Be sure to bookmark us and check back frequently for more cooking ideas for kids, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed. And always feel free to comment with your own great ideas for cooking with children.

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