Toddler Tuesday: Cooking with Sam

Low fat Cranberry Orange Muffins


This week's learning lessons:
             Go over the names of all the ingredients
              Discuss textures and colors of all ingredients
              Discuss how the measuring cups are different sizes
             Show how to mix with a whisk
             Practice counting with muffin tins
             How to gently crack and egg
             Show what happens when you mix sugar and butter
       




Ingredients 
2  cups, plus 1 tbsp of unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plus 1 tbsp of sugar
4 tbsp of unsalted butter (softened)
2 large eggs
1tsp of grated zest from orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain low fat yogurt
1 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
2/3 cup orange juice

1. Turn on oven to 375. Then go over the first few learning lessons (see above).

2. Help your toddler measure out and combine all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1/4 cup of sugar.   Then whisk together and set aside.

3.  Put additional 3/4 cup of sugar and soften butter into a mixing bowl.   Mix for about 4 minutes.  Have toddler help you scrap down the sides of the bowl if needed.

 (oops a mess...clean up!)

4. Have toddler add 1 egg at a time to the mixing bowl.  Mix well between each egg addition.

5.  While the mixture is at a low speed add in a third of the  flour mixture followed by a third of the yogurt mixture.  Repeat until all of the flour mixture and yogurt are mixed in.  Be careful not to over mix.


6. Put cranberries and orange juice in a microwave safe bowl and cover with saran wrap.  Put in microwave for 1 minute and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes.  Then strain the cranberries and discard the juice.

                                        

7. Combine 1 cup plus 1 tsp of sugar with 2 tsp of grated orange zest.

8. Combine cranberries and remaining 1 tbsp of flour and fold into the batter. 

                                 

 9. Use an ice cream scoop to divide batter into each muffin cup. Back for 25-30 minutes.

10.  Official toddler taste test.

*disclaimer -  you know your child best.  If you feel your child is not quite ready for some of the steps seen above then modify to do what is most appropriate for your child *

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Next week:Apple crisp

Toddler Tuesday: Cooking with Sam

Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes


This week's learning lessons:
              Learn how to pour liquid into the bowl
              Learn how to mix without spill batter everywhere
              Learn that different kitchen utensils have different purposes
              Watch how pancakes get fluffy
              Go over "hot" with the skillet
              Learn how to cut pancakes into smaller pieces




Ingredients (mostly taken from the Bisquick box)


2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Optional 

Chocolate chips

banana

1.  Pour two cups of Bisquick mix into a large bowl

2. Show toddler how you pour milk into measuring cup.

3. Allow toddler to pour milk into bowl.

4.  Crack egg into a small bowl and allow toddler to add egg to bowl.

5. Show toddler how to mix everything together using circular motions. 

 See the batter getting less lumpy!  Keep it up Sam.

6. Sam telling us that the skillet is HOT!  Yes, yes it is.

7. Toddler adding a little oil to the skillet using a tbsp.

8.  Have an adult scoop pancake batter onto skillet

9.  Time to add some chocolate chips and mushed up banana.  Oh yea, gotta make sure those chocolate chips didn't go bad....taste test!

10.  Sam again reinforcing that the skillet is HOT!

11.  Daddy showing Sam how to use a spatula to turn the pancakes.

12.  Sam insisting that HE cut the pancakes into smaller bites.  Yes that is a butter knife but it was good for his to practice.

13. Yummy!  Also good to freeze them separably for a quick weekday breakfast.

*disclaimer -  you know your child best.  If you feel your child is not quite ready for some of the steps seen above then modify to do what is most appropriate for your child *

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Next week: Low Fat cranberry orange muffins

Toddler Tuesday: Cooking with Sam

Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Eggs

Cooking can be a wonderful activity to do with your child.  There are so many learning lessons that can be incorporated and I will try to list those with each recipe that we try.   

This week's learning lessons:

              Go over color of the eggs and the ingredients

              Learning to say all the ingredients.  

              Differentiation of  the different textures of the ingredients

              Practice pouring objects from one place to another

              Start to understand how we measure 

              A talk about *hot*

       

Ingredients (taken from classic rice krispies recipe)

6 cups of Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal

3 tablespoons butter

4 cups of miniature marshmallows

chocolate (I will confess, we used up all the random Valentine chocolate laying around)

Sprinkles

plastic easter eggs

1. Show toddler how to pour cereal into a large measuring cup. 

2. Have toddler pour cereal from measuring cup into an extra large bowl. 

3. Have toddler measure out the 4 cups of marshmallows and 3 tablespoons of butter and put into a pot.  This would be a great time to have a discussion about HOT!  We even sang a little made up song about the hot stove.  Adult: stir until completely melted and then pour into extra large bowl.

4. Help toddler to mix it all together.  Then a taste test of course!  Ok, it takes great onto the eggs.

                             

5. *Note - this step goes much easier if you spray all the eggs with PAM.  Show your toddler how to stuff the eggs with the rice krispies mixture.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes.  

                    

6. Another taste test.  Still good.

7. Make a small double boiler.  Fill a pot half way with water and bring to a boil.  Then find a bowl just big enough to lay in the pot above the boiling water.  Place chocolate in bowl and allow to melt.   (don't know why I don't have a picture of this sorry).


8.  When the chocolate is melted remove from heat and allow toddler to dip the egg in the chocolate.  Then a little double dip for the egg into some sprinkles!

9.  Allow to dry.  We even put them in the freezer for hardening.

10.  Final taste test!

*disclaimer -  you know your child best.  If you feel your child is not quite ready for some of the steps seen above then modify to do what is most appropriate for your child *




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Next week: Chocolate-banana pancakes