Cooking for Kids: Fruity Hawaiian Cake

This is my all time favorite cake. My mom used to make this cake for us so not only is it delicious but it also comes with some happy memories for me. I hope you enjoy it!

Cake Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 11-ounce can mandarin oranges (undrained)
• 1 cup non-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 18 1/4-ounce box lemon cake mix

Topping Ingredients:

• 8-ounce can crushed pineapple (undrained)
• 1 cup non-fat sour cream
• 4-serving package instant vanilla pudding
• 4-ounce container light whipped topping

To prepare cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 13 x 9 inch pan or two 9 inch round pans with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites.
4. Drain mandarin juice into bowl. Add sour cream and applesauce. Beat for 30 seconds.
5. Add cake mix and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
6. Pour batter into pan. If using two round pans, divide the batter evenly between the two.
7. Spread oranges evenly on top of batter.
8. Bake 30 - 35 minutes for large pan or 25 - 30 minutes for round pans.
9. Cool on wire rack.

To prepare topping:

1. Combine crushed pineapple with juice and sour cream in medium bowl.
2. Add pudding and beat with mixer until thickened (about 1 minute).
3. Fold in whipped topping.
4. Spread on cooled cake. If using round cake spread some frosting between the two cakes before covering the top and sides.

I think this cake is even better the next day when it's fully chilled. I dare you not to eat 3 pieces in a row. In fact, I think I'll go have another slice right now!

Cooking for Kids: Meatball Madness

I've been on a meatball kick ever since I tried Trader Joe's turkey meatballs a few months ago. I'm pretty sure we've purchased (and consumed) about 20 bags since then. I can't help it. I love them.

I knew that I could probably make my own meatballs at home for less so I decided to give it a try last week. I started by searching for a recipe for the world's best meatballs. Not surprisingly there were loads of recipes to choose from. Am I the only one that suffers from recipe overload? I never know which one to choose. So I just took two recipes and combined them. And they turned out pretty darn good. My husband even said they might be better than Trader Joe's! What a compliment!

I thought I'd share my recipe on here mainly for selfish reasons. I know I'll never remember this marvelous meatball recipe 3 weeks from now when I'm down to 6 balls in my freezer and desperate for more. So here it is...

World's Best Meatballs

• 16 oz. ground italian sausage
• 20 oz. ground turkey
• 12 oz. ground pork
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk add milk to 1 tbsp. lemon juice to make 1 1/2 cups and let sit for 10 minutes)
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 4 tbsp. italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place wire rack on foiled lined baking sheet. Spray wire rack with cooking spray. (Very important step. I forgot to do this on the first batch and they were glued to the rack! Whoopsie!)
2. Mix buttermilk and bread crumbs together. Let sit for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to mash the bread crumbs into a smooth paste.
3. While the bread crumbs are resting, put the meat in a large bowl and add the salt, garlic salt, italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Stir the bread crumb mixture and add to the seasoned meat. Add the eggs and mix until smooth.
5. Form into 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs and place on wire rack.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes until browned and cooked through.

The two recipes I combined are from America's Test Kitchen and All Recipes. I didn't have all the fancy ingredients for the America's Test Kitchen recipe (prosciutto and gelatin) and I wanted more of the spices from the All Recipes meatball recipe. So I put the two together and came up with this one.

This recipe made about 75 meatballs. It was hard to keep track because my husband and I devoured more than a few before the second batch was finished cooking. After they cooled I placed them on a baking sheet in the oven and let them freeze for a few hours (or I should have done but I forgot about them and they stayed in there overnight - whoops again!). When I remembered the next morning I put them in a freezer bag for later consumption. I pulled a few out today and microwaved them for 2 minutes and they were still delicious. I hope you try the recipe and enjoy them!

Cooking for Kids: Pineapple Zucchini Muffins

Who doesn't love a big pile of muffins?

I pick up a box of fruits and veggies from Full Circle every week. Most weeks zucchini comes in the box. I am so not creative when it comes to using zucchini. It's either sauteed with some mushrooms or it goes in zucchini bread.

I thought I'd branch out a bit this week and make some muffins. Crazy, huh? And I even went way out on a limb and added pineapple! And they were absolutely delicious.

If you have some leftover zucchini (heck, go buy some zucchini just to make these!), give this recipe from Frog Prince Paperie a try. I won't tell you how many I've eaten so far. My plan was to make 2 dozen, eat a few, and freeze the rest. I'm not sure there will be any left for the freezer.

By the way, if you haven't heard of Full Circle you should check them out. They have delicious organic fruits and veggies at a pretty reasonable price. And they deliver!

Cooking for Kids: Hawaiian Pizza Puffs

Finley asked me to make pizza for dinner last night. I was happy for her input because it was about 4 p.m. and I still had no plan for the night. But I didn't feel like pulling out the big KitchenAid mixer to make homemade pizza dough. So I cheated and made these pizza puffs instead.

These are very simple and can really be made with whatever add-ins you'd like. I've made them with pepperoni and olives before. Next time I'd like to make a breakfast version with sausage and cheddar cheese. Or maybe some bacon. I do love my bacon!

Hawaiian Pizza Puffs (adapted from Rachael Ray's Pepperoni Pizza Puffs recipe)

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup ham, chopped or cubed
• 1 cup pineapple tidbits
• 1 teaspoon pizza or italian seasoning

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a muffin tin. You can use a mini-muffin tin or a regular size one.

2. In a medium size bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and italian seasoning together.

3. Add the milk and egg and mix together.

4. Stir in the ham and pineapple. Let sit for 10 minutes.

5. Stir the mixture and divide among the muffin cups.

6. Serve with warmed marinara sauce or some ranch dressing.

7. Enjoy!

Cooking for Kids: Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

This should probably be labeled "Cooking for Katie" because the kids had nothing to do with this meal. They were fast asleep while we were enjoying this cheesy goodness. They might get a few nibbles of the leftovers. I haven't decided yet.

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
(This recipe is adapted from Buns In My Oven -- love that name!)

5 oz cream cheese softened
1/4 cup sour cream
2 10 oz. cans enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar (divided)
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (divided)
2 cups cooked chicken - cubed or shredded
7 oz can of green chiles
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch of salt
dash of pepper
3 scallions sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
12 - 14 small corn tortillas (flour tortillas will work also, but I prefer corn tortillas in this recipe)

Cook the chicken and shred it or dice it. I either cook frozen chicken breasts in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or use the slow cooker in the morning so it's ready to put together in the afternoon. I also like to shake a little chili powder or homemade taco seasoning on the chicken before cooking it.

Combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 a can of enchilada sauce in a large bowl. You can use an electric mixer to really mix it up well. But I'm super lazy and don't want an extra thing to clean so I just mix it up with a spoon. I figure I'll just get a few extra yummy bites with chunks of cream cheese. Yum!

In a second bowl toss the chicken, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, scallions and cilantro together. Then add it to the cheese mixture and combine.

Spread the second half of the can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave so they are soft enough to roll. Add a dollop of the mixture down the middle of the tortilla and roll it up. Place it in the baking dish with the seam side down. Fill, roll, repeat until you've run out of baking dish. (You might have a bit of the mixture leftover along with a tortilla or two. These two things make a darn good quesadilla the next day.)

Open the other can of enchilada sauce and pour another good helping on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Go back a step or two and preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Sorry I forgot about that. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Top with some sour cream, cilantro, scallions or jalepenos. And enjoy!

Cooking for Kids: Banana Peanut Butter Popovers

I make pancakes or waffles for the kids at least once a week. But I'm getting a little tired of the same old thing. I found this recipe for Peanut Butter and Banana Popovers (shockingly not on Pinterest) and decided to try them out.

I've made popovers before (if you're British like my husband and have no idea what I'm talking about, they're very similar to Yorkshire Pudding). They were good, but didn't have a whole lot of flavor. I love these ones because of the extra flavor from the peanut butter and the banana. And what kid is going to say no to peanut butter and bananas?

Banana Peanut Butter Popovers (adapted from DoughMessTic)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup milk
• a pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• spray oil
• 2 small or medium bananas sliced

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a popover pan with oil. Ummmm... do you have a popover pan? Or even know what one is? Yeah, me neither. Use a cupcake tin and you'll do just fine.

Whisk the eggs, vanilla, sugar, milk, salt and peanut butter together. Add the flour and mix it all together.

Evenly distribute the mix between the cups. Add a few slices of banana to each cup. I only added two slices to each one. Next time I'll add a few more. You can never have too many bananas.

Put the pan in the 375 degree oven. Bake for 5 minutes at 375 then turn it down to 350 and bake for 20 more minutes.

Gently pull them out of the pan and dress them up with whatever sounds good. I was up extra early this morning so I drizzled mine with some maple syrup. And I knew it was going to be an extra long day with two sick kids so I added some chopped walnuts. And just because I'm the mom and I can do what I want, I added some powdered sugar, too.

I'm going to try these again with some different mix-ins. I'd like to try some sort of savory combination next. Maybe some bacon and cheese? Yes, please!

Want some more ideas for Cooking for Kids? Check out these other ideas.

Cooking for Kids: Pizza Cups

I seem to start all my crafting and cooking posts with, "Sooooo, I saw this cool <fill in the blank> on Pinterest the other day..." Well, this one is no different.

I've been seeing these wonton wrapper recipes make a splash on Pinterest the last few months -- taco cups, breakfast cup, lasagna cups. So, I decided to use up some leftover wonton wrappers tonight and make some pizza cups. They're easy and fun and you can even get all the ingredients ready and let your kids help with the assembling.

Ingredients:

• Wonton wrappers (24 to make 12 pizza cups)
• Shredded mozzarella
• Sliced olives
• Marinara sauce
• Cilantro
• Cooking spray
• Cupcake pan

Preheat the oven to 350º. Then lightly spray the cupcake pan with oil. Place a wonton wrapper in each cup.

Add a spoonful of marinara, a few olive slices, a pinch of cilantro, and a sprinkle of cheese. I have no exact measurements here. Just add what looks good. You want to fill each cup about half full.

Gently press another wonton wrapper in each cup. 

Then repeat with the fillings. Bake for about 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Finley looked at them and said, "Those look extra, extra delicious!" Then she devoured about 4 of them. Grady loved them, too, and polished off a few. It always feels so good to put some effort into a meal and have your kids appreciate it.

You can turn these wonton cups into pretty much anything you want. Add some pepperoni or salami for a meat lovers pizza cup. Or sneak in some veggies. I've also used leftover chili and topped the little cups with sour cream and salsa.

Here's a fun recipe for Chicken Taco Cups that uses a mini muffin tin. And here's another for Lasagna Cups. Next time I think I might try a BBQ Bacon Chicken Cup with a little ranch dipping sauce on the side. Mmmmmm... bacon! The possibilities are endless!

Cooking for Kids: Sausage Noodle Octopus

I decided to get the kids involved with dinner prep last night. I usually shoo them out of the kitchen (over and over and over again) while I'm scurrying around trying to get dinner on the table. It's such a battle. I'm going to try to get them involved a bit more so maybe there's less of a struggle every night at 5 o'clock.

Last night we made these octopus sausage noodle things. I don't know what else to call them. Maybe Sausage Spaghetti Spiders. That's a bit more catchy. But we went with the octopus thing. Which actually turned into a nightmare (literally).

Ingredients:

• Hot dogs or pre-cooked sausage
• Noodles - spaghetti or linguini (thin spaghetti will break too easily)

Slice up the sausage into little rounds.

Let your kids help by pushing the noodles through the slices of sausage. If they've been playing the Pipe Cleaner + Colander game they should be pros at this.

Grady kept trying to eat the sausage. That's why I highly recommend pre-cooked sausage. That kid will put anything in his mouth.

Boil them in a pot or a pan, using the directions for the noodles you chose.

Say cheese!

Do a quick photo shoot of your adorable little boy while the octopus are cooking.

Then enjoy the slithery, slimy little suckers!

About that nightmare... Apparently I talked a bit too much about octopuses (or is it octopi?) at dinner last night. Around midnight Finley woke up crying so I went to her room to calm her down. She was talking about a scary octopus but then she calmed down and said, "The octopus was nice though. It had toys!"

If you're looking for other recipes for kids, check out this recipe for one pot mac and cheese. It's super duper yummy!

Cooking for Kids: Mac and Cheese

Two thumbs (and a tongue) up

Are your kids mac lovers like mine? I'm pretty sure my daughter would eat mac and cheese all day, every day if we let her. And my son, well, he pretty much eats anything we put in front of him.

I've made homemade mac and cheese a few times using a recipe from the Betty Crocker Bridal Cookbook. It's great, but there are a lot of steps involved. I don't know about you, but I usually don't have time for a lot of steps. I've also made the kids Annie's Mac & Cheese quite a bit. It's organic so it's good for them, right?

Then a friend of mine told me about some one pot mac and cheese recipes that are made by cooking the noodles in milk. It seemed very similar to Pasta Roni Shells and White Cheddar, which I'm a little embarrassed to admit, I totally love. No wonder my kids love mac and cheese. Their addiction probably started in the womb.

I tried out two of these one pot mac and cheese recipes in the last two days. One is from White On Rice Couple and another one is from Macaroni and Cheesecake. They were both pretty similar. The White On Rice recipe cooked the noodles in butter, milk, mustard powder and salt. The Macaroni and Cheesecake recipe cooked the noodles in milk alone and added the salt and dijon mustard at the end. Both were super delicious. I think I preferred White on Rice Couple (probably because I love butter) but my kids did not have a preference. They loved them both.

Real men wear pink bibs

This little boy loved it so much he decided to style his hair with it. Totally put a kink in my bathe-the-kids-every-three-nights schedule.

If you're going to do a boxed mac and cheese night to save a bit of time, these one pot recipes will be just as fast. And even more delicious!

After a few tries, here's the recipe I like best.

Ingredients

• 2 cups noodles
• 2 cups milk (I used full fat since that's what my kids still drink, low-fat is fine, too)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup grated cheese

Directions

1. Combine milk, salt, mustard powder, butter and noodles in a sauce pan.
2. Over medium heat bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. (If you leave the room this WILL boil over and make a huge mess, if you stay in the room it won't. It's some strange law that noodles always follow.)
3. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, turn down the heat and let the noodles cook at a very low simmer.
4. Stir the mixture frequently. The cooking time varies based on the noodles you use. Just keep an eye on it and cook until the noodles are done and most of the milk is absorbed. You can always add a bit more milk and cook for longer if you need to.
5. Stir in cheese.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Take a little taste because you can't stand to wait.
8. Add a lid and wait impatiently for 5 minutes.
9. Stir and enjoy!