Three Foodie Gifts Your Kids Will Love

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(photo courtesy of WildOliveKids on Etsy.com)

I was in a local department store on November 1st, stunned to hear holiday music being blared over the speakers. This is the year I have promised my self that I will get all of my gift buying done early. As much as I don't want to think about the holidays being right around the corner, putting off shopping much longer will turn me into a last minute shopper once again. I refuse to let that happen.

To start my search for the perfect gifts, I decided that one thing I wanted to get my kids was gifts for the kitchen. They love to help me cook so it is time to get them some things that will make their time in the kitchen more enjoyable. While browsing the internet, I found three things that are on my list of potential gifts.

1. A Child Size Apron - As I mentioned before, my kids always love to help in the kitchen, but allowing them to help means that I have to let go of the notion that they and the kitchen will be tidy when we are done. I think that one thing that will at least keep them looking clean after an afternoon of kitchen time would be an apron that is just their size. One of my favorite shopping websites, Etsy.com, has a variety of aprons that will fit just about any personality! From a fancy and colorful filly apron, a personalized apron with their name on it to an apron with Dinosaurs, Etsy has an apron just right for the little chef in your life!
2. Have you seen these Little Cook Tool Kits from Sassafras? I can't wait for my 5 year old to open this gift! She has a lot of play kitchen tools, but the tools from the Little Cook Tool Kit are actual real tools that can be used while cooking with Mom and Dad in the kitchen. High quality and durable, your budding chef will love these tools especially made for kid size hands.
3. My oldest child is finally at the age where he can read, and I recently discovered that means recipes too! I think it is time he gets a cookbook of his own and he can help actually plan and make our meals. There is a large selection of kids cookbooks out there and you will have to decide the cookbook that would be best for your childs ability and taste. I personally have my eye on The Southern Living Kids Cookbook and The Mom and Me Cookbook.

Whatever you decide to do as gifts for your children this year, make sure to remember to include something to help them hone their skills in the kitchen. The lessons they will learn from spending time with you while cooking will last with them a lifetime.

This Post was written by Kristen Doyle

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Tasks for Kids in the Kitchen

I think it is very important to get kids into the kitchen as early in their life as possible. There are so many tasks that they can handle at a young age and by allowing them the opportunity to help out, you are giving them the confidence they need to feel like a valuable contributor to the family. In addition, there are some things that my four year old daughter swears up and down she doesn't like to eat, but put her in the kitchen and have her actually help to make the dish, and it is a completely different story. She has pride in what she helped make, therefore she is excited to eat it when it is presented to her at the table.

Here are just a few things you can do to involve your children with tasks in the kitchen:

• Washing Vegetables - Put a stool up by the sink for them to stand on, give them a veggie scrubber brush and let them go to town. They will love it so much, you will probably have the cleanest veggies around!
  
• Rolling Dough - Give a kid a rolling pin and some dough and you have got a fun and productive activity way for them to get involved in mealtime!
• Chopping Veggies - I know... this probably makes you nervous. I learned a great tip from the blog Steamy Kitchen. Give your children (age 5+) what I know as a "Crinkle Cutter" and a child size fork. Have them hold the veggie in place with the fork while with the other hand using the Crinkle Cutter to chop vegetables. Of course, your child should always be supervised when performing this task!
• Measuring and pouring - By allowing your kids to learn about the measurements involved in cooking, you are teaching them valuable math skills. They won't even realize they are learning something when they are in the kitchen with you!
• Stirring - This is one of the simplest tasks for the smallest of children. Don't fret if they make a small mess doing this. Just let them go and have fun!
• Cookie Dough - My kids love to help make cookie dough into balls or to roll and cut dough into cookies.

You may have to give up the fight to keep a pristine kitchen when your kids are helping out, but the sacrifice is well worth the smiles you will receive in the end!

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This Post was written by Kristen Doyle from Dine & Dish

Reconnect Over Mealtime

(photo courtesy of Food For Talk)

One of my biggest passions in life is encouraging parents to make family mealtime a priority. I believe one of the easiest ways to connect as a family is to sit down for family mealtime each night. Turn off the television, the telephone and any other electronic distractions and focus on the members of your family.

Julienne Smith, author of Food for Talk, a boxed set of conversation starters, is also a huge advocate for making family mealtime a priority. “The benefits to children of family mealtime are extremely positive and powerful. The University of Michigan study of children's time found that more meal time at home was the single strongest predictor of better achievement scores and fewer behavioral problems in school. Meal time was far more powerful than time spent in school, studying, church, playing sports, and art activities.”

With Julienne’s conversation starters, you can get your children to open up by using one of her conversation starter questions each night as you sit down to eat. The Food for Talk conversation starters help parents to get past the only question some can think of each evening, ”How was school?”, and creates an environment for a dynamic, open and interesting dialog between you and your family.

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This Post was written by Kristen Doyle from Dine & Dish.

Grilling Tips 101

In the U.S. the temperatures are high and grills are being fired up everywhere. Like my intentions of every summer of years past, I am bound and determined to finally learn how to grill. I have always left that job up to my husband and rightfully so as he belongs to an award winning Kansas City barbecue team. With my determination to learn how to grill in full force, I finally decided to ask my husband what he feels are some of the best tips for those of us just learning how to grill.



Hubby, aka Nick, first suggests that the beginning step to grilling is making sure you have the right tools. “When cooking outdoors on a charcoal or gas grill, having the right tools available is as important as what you are cooking. I would suggest that the beginning griller start out with a starter set of long handled grill tools. This set should include a pair of tongs, a spatula, skewers, a basting brush, and a pair of fireproof mitts. In addition to these items, a wire brush to clean your grill after each use is extremely important. These items can easily be found at your favorite house wares or grilling specialty store.”

Another tip Nick shares is intended to help prevent flare ups. “Many people want to use sugar based or high oil based marinades, but what they do not realize is those types of marinades, when in contact with the flame from a grill, will catch on fire quickly. Choose marinades that are not sugar based and wait until the last few minutes of grilling to baste your meat. By following this instruction, you can keep the flare ups from being a common occurrence on your grill."

Whether you choose to use a marinade or a rub, prepping your meat prior to grilling is essential to ensuring a full flavored meal. “I like to use rubs on most of the things I grill. When I use a rub, I always make sure to add the rub to the meat about an hour before I plan on grilling it. This way, the essence of the rub has the chance to soak into the meat, and once completely cooked, provides a rich flavor to your meal.”

Cooking temperature is one of the trickiest things about grilling. Nick says, “Unlike an oven, the temperature of the grill heat is one variable that people find difficult to work with. If your heat is too high, you will end up with dry and overcooked food. If the temperature is too low, you take the risk of your meat being undercooked. One way to safeguard against having temperature issues is to sear your meat on both sides at a high temperature and then lower the flame and cook until your meat is done. To ensure that your meat is fully cooked, invest in a good instant read thermometer. Piercing your meat constantly to check doneness releases the flavor. An instant read thermometer will keep the flavor trapped inside and will allow you to easily tell if your meat has cooked to your desired doneness. For those of you who are like me and find grilling to be intimidating, it is time to put those fears to rest. Grab your tools and these tips, fire up the flame and go get your grill on.

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This Post was written by Kristen from Dine and Dish

Tips for the Beginning Cook

As a newlywed ten years ago, I would feel so proud when I would come home from work and share a home cooked meal with my husband. At that time in my life, home cooked usually included a box of Hamburger Helper and a can of green beans. If I was feeling extra ambitious, I would toss in some slice and bake cookies into the oven and we would have dessert. It was not until after my first child was born and I left the corporate world to raise him that I began to take an interest in cooking. I felt a need to take on a more domestic role, to feed my family better, and to nurture an inner desire to be more accomplished in the kitchen.

Over the years, my culinary skills have improved and the confidence I have in the kitchen has greatly increased. When I think back to the time in my life before I became an accomplished cook, I try to recall what kept me from venturing into the kitchen in the first place. Looking back, the obstacles that I had to overcome could be summed up under the categories of confidence, equipment and time.

Confidence

I grew up with a mom who had a huge dinner on the table every night. Everything was homemade and even though I spent a lot of time with her in the kitchen, I did not spend a lot of time absorbing what she actually did in the kitchen. As I started to spend more time in the kitchen as an adult, I began to set small goals for myself. I would start out cooking one or two new recipes a week, building up a repertoire of favorites. I would clip recipes that seemed fairly basic and straightforward and would eventually move on to recipes that were slightly more complex. It was not until I began to gain confidence in the kitchen that I was able to embark on trying out some of the family recipes my mom used to make. By building up my skills, then attempting more complex recipes after the basics were accomplished, I built a solid foundation of self-assurance that gave me the courage to move on to the more challenging recipes. If I would have done it any other way, it most likely would have resulted in my getting discouraged and giving up on future culinary endeavors.

Equipment

Most people, especially newlyweds, have drawers full of kitchen gadgets… most of which are unnecessary for the beginning cook. As you start to cook more, you will soon realize that the most necessary tools for cooking are: a really good knife, a basic set of pots (frying pan, stock pot, saucepan), a meat thermometer, a cutting board and measuring cups/spoons. With these essential tools, you can accomplish a lot of fundamental tasks in the kitchen without breaking the bank on useless gadgets.

A pantry stocked with basic ingredients is also important when learning to cook. Essential pantry lists can be found in most major cookbooks or by doing a quick keyword search on Google.

Time

Creating home cooked meals does take some time, which is often why people shy away from attempting to venture into the kitchen. Simply put, the thought of spending whatever extra time you have in your day in the kitchen is not appealing to a lot of people. What if I told you that with a little ahead planning, your time in the kitchen can be minimal and you can still serve your family home cooked meals? Sitting down once a week to plan your weekly menus out, doing a quick grocery shopping trip of items you may need, and doing any advance prep for your meals the night before can make whipping up a meal after work as easy as stopping by the nearest restaurant for carry out.

There are a lot of resources out there in the form of magazines, food blogs, cookbooks and television shows that offer ideas for quick and easy weeknight meals. Take advantage of those resources, especially as a beginning cook, and you will discover that being accomplished in the kitchen is easier than you had ever imagined.

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Are you interested in contributing to The Daily Tiffin? Drop us an email: blogmeeta@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing your ideas.

This Post was written by Kristen from Dine and Dish.