In the Kitchen with the Kids

Some days the whole family will be home together, but we aren't really together.  Do you know what I mean?  One kid's on the laptop, another is texting.  Dad's doing yard work and I'm in the kitchen, cooking.  I wanted to figure out a way to get us all together, interested in the same thing.  Candy, cookies & cupcakes!  No one can resist that.  So, we all spent the day in kitchen making yummy treats and lasting memories.

Bringing your kids into the kitchen, no matter what age, can bust the boredom of the day, but it can also teach them about fractions (two halves make a whole) and science (how baking powder helps biscuits rise).
If your kids are too old for those lessons, like my teenager and soon-to-be teenager, tempt them with treats!  Then get in the kitchen and have fun!  It doesn't matter how the dish turns out, it only matters that you had fun making it together.

LEMON BLOSSOMS


1 pkg (4 serving size) lemon pudding mix
1 cup baking mix (Bisquick or make your own - I have a recipe in my Biscuit post)
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Zest from 1/2 a lemon
juice from 1/2 a lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and baking mix with a whisk.  Add oil and egg.  Mix until dough forms a ball.  It will be a thick batter.  Shape into balls (about 1 tablespoonful).  Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Using a glass dipped in powdered sugar, flatten each ball.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes or until just lightly golden brown on edges.  Cool completely. 
To make glaze:  Mix powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice together with a whisk.  Adding more sugar or juice as needed to reach glaze consistency.  Dip cooled cookies into glaze and let sit until glaze hardens a bit.
*I call these Lemon Blossoms because they look like flowers! :)

CHOCOLATE BILLIONAIRES


25 caramel candies (about half a 14oz bag), unwrapped
1 1/2 TBS water
1 cup rice krispies cereal
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips(you can use milk chocolate if you like that better)
1/2 TBS shortening

Place caramels and water in a microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave to melt, stirring every 15 seconds.  This doesn't take long!  Keep an eye on it.  When melted, stir in rice krispies.  Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto wax paper sprayed with cooking spray.  Put in fridge to chill.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave (same as caramels- stir often.  Doesn't take long)  Dip chilled candies into melted chocolate.  Place on wax paper.  Chill until set.  Store in an airtight container.

These taste like a 100 Grand Candy Bar! 




This next recipe was kind of made up by my daughter.  She saw a picture of tie-dyed cupcakes online, but no recipe.  So she figured out how to do it.  They are so cute and fun to make!


TIE-DYED CUPCAKES


1 box white cake mix
4 egg whites
1/2 cup oil
1 1/4 cups water
food coloring

Mix cake mix, egg whites, oil and water in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for 2 minutes.  Divide batter into 6 small bowls (about 1 cup batter each).  Using food coloring, tint each bowl of batter a different color.

Here's the Color Chart we used:
Red = 20 drops of red
Turquoise = 9 drops blue, 2 drops green
Peach = 9 drops yellow, 3 drops red
Yellow = 20 drops yellow
Purple = 7 drops red, 5 drops blue


Starting with one color, spoon about 1 TBS of batter into greased muffin tin, off center toward one side.  Repeat for all 12 cups.  Then, using a different color, spoon 1 TBS of batter toward the other side of the muffin cup, but also overlap the first color a bit.  Keep alternating the colors of batter 1 TBS at a time, slightly overlapping colors, until all muffin cups are full. 

 Bake at 350 degrees for 19-23 minutes.
They come out looking like this:

So get your kids in the kitchen and have some fun together.  They may hate it at first (teenagers), but you will all end up laughing and enjoying yourselves.  How can you not when you're eating candy, cookies and cupcakes?