1. Recipes

3 Dishes You Can Cook as a Family

4 minutes
Having children in the kitchen has a number of advantages. For one, if children get involved in cooking, they're more likely to eat the final meal. Plus, the entire family enjoys a fun time preparing delicious recipes together. The recipes we'll share today are just some examples of what you and your children can create together.
3 Dishes You Can Cook as a Family

Last update: 08 January, 2019

In today’s article we’ll share three great recipes that you can cook as a family and enjoy eating together.

Encouraging children to help out around the kitchen is a great way to encourage healthy eating habits from an early age. At the same time, it offers families an opportunity to spend more time together.

3 ideal dishes you can cook as a family

1. Turkey clown with potato balls

This recipe is easy to cook as a family and it’s also healthy. As you prepare it, your entire family will have fun together in the kitchen – something that children love.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds turkey breast
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • bread crumbs
  • oil
  • 2 carrots
  • 3 tomatoes
  • Capers
  • 1 pound of green beans
  • Water
  • 1 pack of instant mashed potatoes
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 375º F.
  2. Season the turkey with salt and pepper and then brown both sides in a frying pan with oil. Then, place the turkey on an oven dish, adding the chicken stock and water.
  3. Bake in the oven at 375º F until well-cooked – approximately 10 minutes. Set aside.
  4. Prepare the instant mashed potatoes, making sure they’re nice and thick. Add salt and allow to cool.
  5. Using wet hands, take small portions of the mashed potatoes and make balls. Then, coat them in egg (beaten) and then bread crumbs. Finally, fry them in hot oil.
  6. Cook the carrots and green beans until tender. Cut the carrots and tomatoes into slices. Place all the ingredients on the table so that your children can reach them.
  7. Place a slice of turkey breast on each plate. Then, let your children decorate it with the carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and capers – creating a clown.
  8. Lastly, use the breaded potato balls on the clown faces to act as a beard. Serve.
3 Dishes You Can Cook as a Family

2. Mini pizza bears

With this recipe, you and your children can play with pizza dough to create fun bear shapes. Before getting started, make sure everyone washes their hands well.

Ingredients

For the pizza dough:

  • 2 cups of flour
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • A pinch of sugar
  • 1 ounce of fresh yeast
  • 1 cup of water

For your toppings

  • 1 cup of tomato purée
  • 2 tablespoons of oil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Black olives
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Shredded mozzarella.

Preparation

  1. To make your dough, use a wide tray. Pour in the flour and create a mountain with a crater in the center. Break the yeast apart with your fingers and place it in the crater, along with salt, oil and a pinch of sugar.
  2. Add warm water, a little at a time, mixing the ingredients with your fingers to make a smooth dough. Cover the dough with a towel and allow to rise to twice its size.
  3. While the dough is rising, prepare your pizza sauce. In a frying pan, cook one clove of garlic, chopped, in a bit of oil. Add the tomato puree, salt, pepper and oregano. Allow to cook for several minutes and then remove from heat.
  4. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it into small portions to make mini pizzas. Separate one portion of dough to make ears for each mini pizza bear.
  5. Place the circles into lightly oiled pizza trays. Make small balls and place them around the mini pizzas so that they look like bear ears. Spread pizza sauce on the pizzas.
  6. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the pizza.
  7. Use the olives and tomatoes to make a mouth, nose and eyes for each bear. Make for 15 minutes.
  8. Be sure the pizza dough bakes through, but be careful not to burn the cheese.
3 Dishes You Can Cook as a Family

3. Wrapped sausages

This is the ideal dish to cook as a family in preparation for a birthday party or as a snack. Served along with an egg and carrot salad, it makes an excellent main meal. It’s delicious, fun, and easy to make.

Ingredients

  • Crescent dinner roll dough
  • Vienna style hot dogs, 8-10 units
  • Mustard
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Sesame seeds

“A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe”
—Thomas Keller—

Preparation

  1. Spread all of the ingredients out on the counter or table. Cut the crescent roll dough into triangles and cover with mustard. Wrap each hot dog in a dough triangle.
  2. Cut each piece into bite-size pieces. Arrange them on a lightly greased oven tray. Glaze with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds and Parmesan cheese.
  3. Bake until golden on top.
  4. Serve.

As you can see, the preparation of each of these family-friendly recipes is fun and simple. What better than to cook as a family, while spending time together and teaching your little ones their way around the kitchen?

 

All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.

  • Costa Rodrigues J., Pinho O., Monteiro PRR., Can lycopene be considered an effective protection against cardiovascular disease? Food Chem, 2018. 245: 1148-1153.
  • Zhao Z., Yin Z., Zhao Q., Red and processed meat consumption and gastric cancer risk: a systematic review and meta analysis. Oncotarget, 2017. 8 (18): 30563-30575.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.