Good - Fix-It and Forget-It Cooking with Kids

Acknowledgments Rebecca Good Fennimore brought her love of food and cooking, and her experience as a sixth-grade teacher, to this projecthelping to select recipes and to adapt them, and serving as a liaison with the food stylists and photographer. Thank you, Rebecca! I am also grateful to Bonne di Tomo, one imaginative and diligent food stylist, along with her assistants, Sarah and Lisa. Many thanks, too, to members of our staff who brainstormed and offered helpful ideas and even some cooking prep: Kate Good, Jan Mast, and Barb Carper. Thank you, Sweet Infinity, for sharing some of your retro dishes and serving pieces. Thank you, Jeremy Hess, for your professionalism and utter goodwill. And Merle, whose idea I believe this book was in the first place, I dont have enough words to express my gratitude.

Phyllis Pellman Good Copyright 2016 by Good Books, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. All photography 2010 by Jeremy Hess Photographers/JH Design by Cliff Snyder All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Good Books, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Good Books books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications.

For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Good Books, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or . Good Books is an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.goodbooks.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. Print ISBN: 978-1-68099-126-0 ebook ISBN: 978-1-68099-137-6 Printed in China Table of Contents Fruity Waffle Topping Big Juicy Burgers Crunchy Snack Mix The Simplest Baked Potatoes Chocolate-Covered Pretzels Welcome to the Kitchenand This Cookbook! Hey Kids Now you can make real meals! With the help of this fine bunch of recipesand a slow cookeryou can fix breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Tempting Tortilla Casserole When you make food with a slow cooker, you have to think a little differently. Tempting Tortilla Casserole When you make food with a slow cooker, you have to think a little differently.

Because the food takes longer to cook (rememberslow cooker), you will probably want to prepare a recipe the evening before you are going to serve and eat it. In other words, if you decide to have Lip-Smacking Lasagna on Wednesday night, prepare the recipe on Tuesday night. Cook it during the day on Wednesday. Or if its summertime and youre at home during the day, prepare Tempting Tortilla Casserole early in the afternoon so its ready by suppertime. You can make a whole meal with this Cookbook if you have two or three slow cookers. Suggest that to your parents.

Theyll love your help in the kitchen. And now and then as you make these recipes, youll need their help, too. You can be a teamthe Real-Meal Cookers! Happy Cookingand Eating! To the Adults Who Are Cooking with Kids Take your children a step beyond nachos and cupcakes. Let them prepare a tasty main dish in that easy-to-get-along-with appliancethe slow cooker. Perhaps your biggest job related to this Cookbook is helping the child plan ahead. Several hours separate the preparation of the dish from serving and eating it.

On weekends and during the summer, the child can fix the recipe in the morning or early afternoon for that evenings dinner. During the school year, the child will probably need to prepare thew recipe the evening before the day of serving it. A few other suggestions: Be willing to yield your space to the child who is cooking. While a child should never be left alone to cook, be prepared to let the child occupy your kitchen as fully as necessary. Try as much as possible to serve as a coach, rather than being in charge. Youll need patience.

Efficiency is not the highest value in this experience! Youll need flexibility. Kids like to experiment with new ingredients and different procedures than given. Through it all, remember to be an encourager! Realize that children enjoy the tactile experience of cooking. Theyre as interested in the process as they are in the final product. Expect messes. Show the child how to clean them upcheerfully! Consider taking the child along grocery shopping.

That will enlarge his/her understanding of the whole food process. Cooking is a natural activity for kids. Allow your own sense of wonder to be renewedalong with the childs! Invite the child to prepare a dishor twofor a gathering of family or friends. Cooking together is one friendly and engaging way to bring your children into the kitchen with you. When they help to fix a meal that they and their family enjoy, theyll be back to make more! Learning to Know Your Slow Cooker Slow Cookers Have Three Main Parts The electrical unit. This is the outer part with the cord attached and the dial on the front.

The inner crock. This is the bowl that you put the food into. The lid. Important Safety Alert! When a slow cooker is turned on and cooking, all 3 parts get hot. Use potholders when touching or lifting any part of a slow cooker thats working. A slow cooker stays hot for a while even after its turned off.

Keep your potholders handy. Learn Your Slow Cookers Personality Some slow cookers cook hot and fast. Others cook more slowly. Most of the recipes in this book give you a range of cooking times. For example, 3-4 hours. When you make a recipe for the first time, cook it for the shortest amount of time suggested in the recipe.

If the dish isnt quite finished at the end of that time, cook it for another 30-60 minutes, or until the dish is fully cooked. When the recipe is cooked just the way you like it, write the length of cooking time that worked best in your cookbook. Yup. Write in your book. Then youll know the right cooking time the next time you make the recipe. How Full Should You Make Your Slow Cooker? Slow cookers usually work best when theyre full.

Dont Lift the Lid while your slow cooker is cooking! When you lift the lid, heat escapes and slows down the cooking. If you just cant resist, add 15 minutes to the cooking time for each time you take off the lid to check how the food is doing. A Big Question: When should you turn on the slow cooker so the food is ready when you want to eat it? Slow cookers are designed to cook food slowly, so you need to plan ahead to make sure your food is ready to eat on time. Turning On Your Slow Cooker4 Easy Steps 1. Pop the inner crock into the electrical unit. 2.