cooking with kiddos...

Cooking with kiddos is big fun at our household. Sometimes so many little fingers (and spills) can be frustrating but these rules help me enjoy.

1) Kiddos help when the food is for our family. If I want something to look just right or taste the way it should I don't ask for kitchen help. 

2) Before we start we have all the ingredients on the counter and each child gets to choose their special ingredient. They are responsible for that ingredient: holding, pouring, measuring, stirring, cleaning up, etc. The unchosen ingredients are added in a rotation or by a parent.

3) Never sweep the floor before kiddos cook...the dirtier the better. That way I don't mind if they spill a bit, after all I needed to sweep anyway.

4) A little saran wrap on the counter or table goes a long way.

5) Special cooking apparel is so fun!

6) The time together is worth way more than the resulting treat/meal.

Today we made cookies. I love doubling the recipe so there is plenty of dough to freeze. Just wrap a "log" of dough in saran wrap and freeze. Try to get it as smooth as possible so once the dough is frozen it is easy to unwrap. Just slice and bake once the wrap is removed. I love having cookies ready at a moments notice. Great for a special snack or just to cover of the smell of too many stinky feet in the house. :) 

Enjoy!

Tasty pork chops...

This is one of our family favorites. It is so easy and my kiddos love to help. I always make extras to freeze.:)

Cranberry Pork Chops

12 thick cut pork chops (with or without bone)

2 small bottles of catalina salad dressing

2 cans of cranberry sauce (I like the whole cranberry sauce)

2 packets onion soup mix

Spray bottom of casserole dish, and place pork chops in a single layer. Let the kiddos mix all the other ingredients and enjoy letting the little hands spoon the mixture over the chops. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes for boneless or 50 minutes with bone.

If you are freezing them line a cookie sheet and lay pork chops in a single layer. Let the kiddos mix all the other ingredients and enjoy letting the little hands spoon the mixture over the chops. Freeze them for appox. three hours (on until they are firm) and place in a ziploc. Remove as much air as possible and freeze. Label: Bake at 350 for 40 minutes for boneless or 50 minutes with bone. Thaw the pork chops in the fridge overnight before cooking. 

Enjoy!!

Sew simple pillow...your kiddo can do this

I found four placemats for $3.00 and couldn't wait to see them on my girl's bed. No, we don't set the table on our kiddo's bed, we turned them into pillows. I made the first two and my oldest made the  third one. It took about 10-15 minutes and it couldn't be simpler! Using a seam ripper to take a few of the side stitches out. We recycle old pillows by re-using the stuffing for new projects. Once the pillow is stuffed hand stitch (like we did) or machine sew a few stitches to close the hole. Enjoy!

Note: not every placemat will work for this craft, just make sure you look at before you start taking it apart. :)

finger paintin' good!

Warm day, kiddos in clothes that I don't mind painted...sounds like a perfect time to finger paint. They worked together on this masterpiece.  I think I may have enjoyed hearing their imaginations run wild as much as they enjoyed painting.Fingerpainting is simple at our house. You fingerpaint, you play in the water, you dry in the sun THEN you come back inside. :)

Nighttime reading

We just got new beds for the trio. They were simple beds from Ikea, but I just love the way they turned out once I added a book sling. Now, as they are tucked in tight each night they have a library at their fingertips.  The bookshelf is very easy to make, don't nudge your hubby. LOL Girls can use tools too! I used 1X4 inch pine for the sides and 5/8 dowels for the middle. Start by cutting the 1X4 pine to the desired height of your bookshelf. I cut a curve on the top to make it look pretty. :) A jigsaw works well and is very easy to use. Cut two 1X4 brace pieces the width of your desired bookshelf minus the width of your sidepieces. (48.5-1.5inches in my bookshelf). Cut your 2 dowels to the desired width of your bookshelf - one width of your side piece. (48.5-.75 inches in my bookshelf)

The second step is easy. Sand all of your 1X4 pine pieces. The smoother your wood, the less splinters in little hands. Take your time and you will appreciate the results.

The next step creates a place for the dowels to fit into your side pieces. Using a drill bit(pictured below) the size of your dowels drill half way thru the side piece. You decide the location of the the holes. The sling will fit onto the dowels to hold the books in a later step.

Simply nail or screw the pieces together. Pre-drill the holes for all of the screws that you are using.  A carpenter's square helps to keep the shelf square. Use screws on at least one side of the shelf so it can be taken apart to add the sling and later storage.

A coat of paint has the frame ready to install. The sling is very easy. One piece of fabric two inches wider than your desired sling and a length equal to twice the sling width plus 12 inches. Sew two loops or pockets for the dowels to fit inside. Make sure the top pocket is long enough to ensure the good side of the fabric shows on the front side. Happy reading!!