Cooking up a storm!

All the children I look after love baking.  Pouring in ingredients, mixing and stirring, kneading dough and rolling out and using cookie cutters all make for a great experience.  Getting children involved with the cooking process from a young age really gets them excited about food and gives them huge satisfaction.   When food is presented as a collaborative experience children seem more interested in trying new things.

Making bread is a magical thing to do and always makes me wonder why we settle for that tasteless, cardboard rubbish they sell us in supermarkets.  Whenever we make bread the children and adults all seem to polish off the loaf by the end of the day.  Here is my favourite bread recipe that is so easy to make and never fails.          

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10121/bread-in-four-easy-steps

Combining cookery and messy play.  One tip: never leave two toddlers unattended in a room with a bag of flour.  As I found out to my cost on one occasion, the temptation is too great for them not to pour the whole bag out all over the room!

Happy cub at tasting time :)

The children also love making pizza.  I usually make the base with the recipe below and have bowls of fruit and vegetables (like pineapple, mushrooms, sweetcorn, peppers, spinach, etc) and grated cheese plus a squeezy tube of tomato puree that the children love squirting onto the base and then smoothing out with a spoon.

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/2122/quick-and-easy-pizza-dough.aspx

Cakes and biscuits are always a big favourite to make too.  Since Ethan was about two and a half he has been asking to help make dinner as well.  He likes pouring pasta in the pan for me, cutting up vegetables with a cutlery knife (with my help) and stirring.  He always eats more dinner if he has had a hand in making it.  We picked up a cheap apple shaped corer and slicer from Wilkinsons which all the toddlers love using to cut their snacks up with. 

What are your favourite recipes to make with your little ones?