A lot of parents ask me, “How do you do it? How do you have a good experience in the kitchen with kids?” They tell me they can’t have the mess, they don’t want the disorganization – they just can’t do it. And I answer, yes, you can. Getting kids in the kitchen is a beautiful thing. The kitchen is a wonderful place to make memories – and those memories can be fond ones (as opposed to the miserable, crying ones). In fact, making food with children is an amazing multipurpose activity. Not only are there numerous fun learning opportunities with food as you talk about science, math, logistics, and chemistry but you can build self-esteem at the same time. And having the “carrot” of a delicious treat at the end doesn’t hurt either.
You’ll be fine if
you remember these points:
1) Know that you are making a memory. The
goal is not “snack” or “dinner.” The goal is a positive experience.
2) Know that mistakes will happen. When
they do, your job is to show that we can learn from mistakes and they aren’t
scary; they’re not the end of the world. (If I had a nickel for every time a
dish went wrong in my house, I’d have a lot of nickels.)
3) Pick the right time, one that is relaxed
and doesn’t have a deadline. Thirty minutes before candle lighting is not a good time for a kid project. Sunday
afternoon is better.
4) Prep everything beforehand. There should be enough space for the helpers and for
you. Most food projects can be made on the dining room table and transferred
when needed.
Measure all the
ingredients beforehand, ready to be added at the right time. For example, if you’re making an apple cake and the recipe calls
for two cups of flour, one cup of sugar, and half-a-cup of oil, you would
measure all these and put them into small bowls. You peel and slice the apples.
Then, depending on the age of the kids, they can “measure” the amount and pour
it into the bigger mixing bowl. If they’re really young, they can just dump it
in. This way, the frequency of an entire bag of flour spilling on the floor will
be greatly reduced. In fact, the entire mess will be greatly reduced.
5) Know that the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. Have fun,
and your kids will, too!
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Rainbow Latkes
Who says latkes
have to be white or brown? These multicolored ones are fun to make and to eat. A
great activity for kids is to peel all the veggies that need peeling. Create a
workstation and a “discard bag,” so that any helpers can “clean as they go,” thus
making the final clean up that much easier. I list the ingredients for all
the variations and then describe the process at the end.
Red Beet and Red Onion Latkes
3 medium red beets, peeled and
shredded
1 small red onion, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, beaten
2 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Orange Sweet Potato-Carrot
Latkes
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and
shredded
1 small white onion, grated
1 medium carrot, peeled and
grated
1 egg, beaten
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. brown sugar (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
Yellow Squash and Corn Latkes
2 medium yellow squash, grated
1 tsp. turmeric
1 egg, beaten
2 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Green Zucchini Latkes
2 medium zucchini, grated
1 white onion, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, beaten
2 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Blue Cabbage Latkes
1/2 purple cabbage, grated and microwaved
for 30 seconds
1 egg, beaten
2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Purple Latkes
4 medium purple potatoes, grated
1 egg, beaten
2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Directions for all latkes:
Preheat oven
to 200° F. to keep latkes warm while you are working on the rest. Prepare paper
towels and line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper.
For each color latke, use a food processor fitted with the coarse grating
attachment and shred main vegetable into a medium bowl. (You can do this by
hand, but it’s so much faster with a machine.) Squeeze out as much moisture as
possible and discard the liquid. (This is fun for kids to do.) This is the key
to crispy latkes! Then add remaining ingredients and mix.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add canola oil. The oil
should be about 1/4 inch deep. Working in batches, place 1/4 cup of latke
batter per latke into the oil. Be careful not to crowd the pan. Fry one side
until well browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. (If it browns too quickly, lower heat.)
Then flip and fry the other side. Drain on paper towels. Keep latkes warm in
the oven and repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve plain or garnished with applesauce or sour cream.
No Mess Easy-Shmeasy Treat-Filled Doughnuts
This recipe was featured in my
column last Chanukah. I repeat it here because it really is awesome.
12 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls
12 sandwich cookies for filling
(or Smirks, Reese’s, homemade brownies, Lindt balls, or something else
yummy, like marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate chips for s’mores)
2 sandwich cookies for garnish,
crushed
1/2 c. melted chocolate for
garnish
Defrost rolls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment
paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Rolls should
be an inch apart to allow the dough to rise. Spray rolls with
cooking spray. This stops them from drying so you don’t have to cover them.
It takes 3 to 5 hours for
the rolls to defrost and start rising.
So take them out at least 4 hours before you want to fry them. (You can
speed this process by defrosting the frozen rolls in
a warm (not hot) oven at 150 degrees or less.)
When the rolls are defrosted, add the filling. Pull the
dough around the filling and make sure it is completely closed.
To fry: Let the dough rise
for another 30 minutes (it will rise faster in the warm oven). Preheat
your deep fryer to 350°. If you do not have a deep fryer, pour 2- to 3-inches
of oil in a frying pan and heat the oil until the dough bubbles upon
contact. Fry doughnuts until golden brown. If
the rolls do not flip over
by themselves, flip them so that both sides are golden. Transfer doughnuts to a cooling rack lined with paper
towels.
Put the melted chocolate into a
bowl and dip the doughnut into it,
twisting so the whole top gets covered. Sprinkle with crushed cookies.
Finally, invite me over. Seriously
– I love doughnuts!
Bracha Shor loves hearing from you. Contact her
at bshor@sweetandgoodcatering.com, and get more inspiration by following her on
Instagram @SweetandGoodCatering.
