A Twist on S’mores and Traditions

When we went camping last month, we brought along ingredients for s’mores. For my boys, it just wouldn’t be camping without s’mores. I didn’t grow up with s’mores. While we did roast marshmallows when we camped, I don’t remember having s’mores until pre-teen slumber parties. I have to confess, s’mores are a little sticky sweet for me. But it’s a tradition. So I usually have one. On our campout, my oldest son decided to roast a banana. It fell in the coals a few times, but he pronounced it a hit. He didn’t share, so I can’t vouch for it. … Continue reading

What To Do With a Box of Food?

Last week, our family got a produce box from SHARE Colorado. Their goal is to help families save money on their groceries while encouraging the building of relationships with their neighbors in the community. You don’t have to be in any particular income category to participate. The minimal profits of the program go to provide food for families who can’t afford them. They also encourage families to volunteer. My main goal was to save a little money. Feeding three growing boys is getting very expensive. My husband and I call them “the locusts” because it seems like they breeze through … Continue reading

Pumpkin Pie – Welcoming the Change of Season

Right this minute, I have a pumpkin pie cooling on my counter. And it smells wonderful. One of my sons loves pumpkin pie. It’s his absolute favorite dessert. I’ve been promising him all summer to make one as soon as we had a cool day. This summer I just didn’t want to have the oven on for the hour and fifteen minutes they take to bake. And today was our first cool day. I don’t think it got over 70 degrees today. And don’t think he needed reminding – it was the first thing out of his mouth when I … Continue reading

Trail Mix Day Fun

Today is National Trail Mix Day. (Isn’t it amazing how everything has a day?) Mixing up trail mix can be a fun thing to do with your children. It’s also a great snack to bring along for Labor Day picnics and parties. What I love about trail mix is that there are so many great flavor combinations. In other words, it’s hard to get trail mix wrong. It’s also a great cooking project for kids. Younger children can scoop, measure, and mix. Older ones can mix up this snack on their own, and come up with their own flavor combinations. … Continue reading

Baked Potato Night – Cooking With Kids

My husband is one of those rare people who don’t like potatoes. He’ll eat just about other vegetable, but except for french fries, he doesn’t eat potatoes. My kids and I love potatoes any way they are made – boiled, baked, twice-baked, mashed, or creamed. So sometimes, when we know my husband won’t be home for dinner, we plan on baked potato night. If it’s been awhile since you really oven baked a potato, not just microwaved it – let me persuade you. Bake the potato. Turn the oven on 400 or so and wait an hour. If you are … Continue reading

Summer Slushie Fun

Even though my children love slushies I hesitate to buy them often because I cringe at wondering just what exactly is used to make blue raspberry flavor. I’ve never seen a blue raspberry, and I’ve never seen a natural food that glowed in almost florescent colors. But slushies are fun. And they are a great way to cool off. A few summers ago we bought a snow cone maker. My thought was that we could pour our own real juices over the ice. That part worked, but we had to remember to freeze the ice in a special container. The … Continue reading

Homemade Ice Cream Fun

Last weekend, we decided to buy an ice cream maker. In some ways, it seems kind of silly to go to the trouble of making homemade ice cream when the store probably carries a hundred different and delicious varieties. I just like the idea of occasionally making our own ice cream, though. I like for the kids to know where things come from, and how they are made. I also like being able to make things from real ingredients instead of long chemicals that we can’t even pronounce. Making our own ice cream is fun, and it is not that … Continue reading

Fun in the Family Kitchen

I’m a big believer in having children help out in the kitchen. For one thing, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It’s fun to have company. For another, while kids cook they learn about science, measuring, and chemistry. I also think it is part of my parenting job to teach them at least basic kitchen skills. Later in life they will need to feed themselves and their own families. I picked up The Family Kitchen: Easy and Delicious Recipes for Parents and Kids to Make and Enjoy Together by Debra Ponzek. After looking her book, I’m even … Continue reading

Strawberry Shortcake – Heirloom Recipes

One of our favorite family desserts is Strawberry Shortcake. We make it the old-fashioned way. The cakes actually look more like biscuits, and are truly just sweetened biscuit dough. I love knowing that my great grandmother made this same dessert for her family, and maybe she even had it as a child. I love that by eating this yummy dessert, we are passing on family heritage. And I love teaching my children to make a family recipe. Someday, maybe, they will tell their children that their great-great grandmother made this for her family. Here are some interesting facts about strawberries … Continue reading

Homemade Lemonade – Kid Recipes

The warmer weather, and talk of school being over in a few weeks, has my boys anxious for the summer. Yesterday, at the grocery store, one of my nine year olds begged for a bag of lemons. A couple of years ago we discovered that homemade lemonade is actually very easy to make and is incredibly delicious. The only drawback is that juicing the lemons is a little messy. I think making lemonade from scratch is worth the mess though, for a lot of reasons. We live in such a fast-paced world. Taking a little extra time for a superior … Continue reading