My daughter received a cookbook for Christmas one year and we all have enjoyed making the recipes from it. This cookbook, "
Mom and Me Cookbook: Have fun in the kitchen" by Annabel Karmel, is a well pictured, easy to understand format that attracts the child's interest, while keeping the recipes simple yet fun for the children to do. Young children are pictured participating in the making of the recipes (along with the author herself). We have all enjoyed doing many of these recipes!
Out of the 25 or so recipes in this cookbook, we have made several of them. They included "slurpy spaghetti", "perfect pasta", "sweet & sour chicken", "avocado frog dip", "chocolate fridge cake", and "coconut dream smoothie". The other day, we made "2-in-1 pizzas" and the children had a blast making their own little pizzas. Here is the dough recipe and a few pictures.
2-in-1 pizza dough
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs olive oil, plus extra for oiling your bowl
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 3/4 cups flour, plus extra for sprinking
dash of salt
any seasonings that you desire (ie oregano, basil, garlic powder ...)
Directions:
1. Mix the yeast 3 Tbs of water. Set aside until foamy.
2. Sift the flout into a bowl and add the sugar and salt (and seasoning if desired). Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
3. Pour the yeast, water and the oil into the well. use your hands to mix everything together.
4. Sprinkle flour over a clean work surface and knead the dough for about 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and elastic.
5. Oil a large bowl and put the dough into it, covering with a damp towel. Leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.
6. Is it ready? Poke holes in the dough and if the holes stay, it's ready! Punch down with your fists and place on a floured surface.
2-in-1 pizzas
pizza dough
pizza sauce
shredded cheese
toppings for your pizza:
green onions, cooked chicken, peperoni, diced ham, mushrooms, tomtoes, olives ....
Directions:
1. Knead the dough again. The cut it into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 7" cirlce and place on a baking sheet.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the pizza sauce on each pizza.
3. Put your toppings on the pizza. Get creative and make faces! Try tomato noses, olive eyes, sweet peper hair or any other combinations.
4. Sprinkle cheese over all your pizza. Bake them in the oven for 12 minutes, or until they are golden and bubbly.
Jennifer Dewing has experience in the restaurant business. She turned in her chef's hat and donned the many hats of a stay-at-home mother 7 years ago. She is now the mother to 5 children, 7 years and under. She home schools her eldest two children. Her husband is a professional chef and in their house, food is a big part of their family. Come visit her at The Days' Dewings
