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Recipes Kids Can Make for ‘National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day’

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Today, September 13th, is recognized as National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day. If you could use a little helper with your dinner preparations tonight, here are a few recommended recipes to try. Not only are these meals fun and creative, but also give you the perfect opportunity to pass on your culinary skills to the next generation, no matter how big or small!

kids take over the kitchen


For Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day, we hope that you enjoy the fun and memory making of preparing these meals together as a family. Food is an everyday essential that can be a bonding experience for parents, children, and siblings of all ages! So connect with us on Facebook and let us know what your experience was like as you try these recipes out with your youngsters.

Today, let your kids take over the kitchen!


 

kids take over the kitchen Recipe via Food Network Kitchen

Sloppy Joe Sliders


For little kids: Let them measure out the vegetables.

For big kids: Help them stir the meat and assemble the sliders.

Ingredients:


1 tbsp.                  Vegetable oil
1 lb                         Ground beef
1 tbsp.                  Chili powder
3/4 cup                Ketchup
1 tbsp.                  Light brown sugar
1 tbsp.                  Apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup                Crinkle-cut baby carrots (fresh or frozen works)
1/2 cup                Corn (fresh or frozen works)
8                              Potato slider buns
1 cup                     Thinly shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup                Dill pickle chips
Kosher salt to taste

Directions:


Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, and cook, stirring frequently, until the beef begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and 1 tsp. salt, and continue cooking until the meat is cooked through, 2 minutes more.

Drain off any excess liquid, and add back 2 tbsp. of it. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the ketchup, sugar, vinegar and 1/2 cup water and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the carrots and corn, and cook, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender and heated through, 5 minutes.

Scoop some sauce onto 1 half of each slider bun, top with a handful of shredded cabbage and a pickle chip and serve.

 

kids take over the kitchen Recipe via Food Network Kitchen

Pizza Kabobs


For little kids: Let them dump the ingredients into the bowl, stir them up and tear the basil leaves over the skewers.

For big kids: Let them measure out the ingredients, roll out the dough, and thread the skewers.

Ingredients:


1 cup                     Marinara sauce of choice, warmed, for dipping
1/3 cup                Olive oil, plus more for oiling the grill grates
2 tbsp.                  Italian seasoning
1/2 lb                    Pizza dough, cool to the touch
1 pint                    Grape tomatoes (24 to 30)
12 oz                     Cooked sweet Italian chicken sausage links (about 4 links), sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 lb                         Fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 cup                Fresh basil leaves
Grated Parmesan, optional
Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Kosher salt to taste
All-purpose flour, for dusting

Special equipment: Eight 12-inch wooden skewers

Directions:


Soak eight 12-inch wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. Prepare a grill for medium heat. Cut a 12-inch-square piece of aluminum foil.

Stir together the oil, Italian seasoning and 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl.

Dust a work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 11 x 6 x 1/4 inches. Using a pizza wheel or a knife, cut the dough into 1-inch strips, then into 1-inch squares. Add the dough squares, tomatoes and sausage to the seasoned oil, and toss gently to coat.

Working quickly to keep the dough from getting warm, thread the skewers, alternating sausage pieces (skewer them through the casings), tomatoes and dough squares (skewer them through opposite sides of each square, keeping them as flat as possible so they cook through). Leave 1/2 inch of the skewer at both ends empty. Each skewer should have 4 pieces each of sausage and dough and about 3 tomatoes.

Grill the skewers, covered, until the tomatoes have dark grill lines and the dough squares have started to puff, 2 to 3 minutes. Put the prepared foil square on the grill, and transfer the skewers onto the foil cooked-side up, so that they are almost touching. Top with the mozzarella, and grill, covered, until the tomatoes are soft, the dough squares have doubled in size and the mozzarella has melted, 3 minutes more.

Divide the skewers among 4 plates. Tear the basil leaves over the tops. Serve with the marinara sauce, for dipping, and pass the Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

 

kids take over the kitchen Recipe via Food Network Kitchen

Taco Cheeseburger


For little kids: Let them help tear the cheese and measure the salsa.

For big kids: Let them help shape and season the beef patties and shred the lettuce. Everyone can assemble his or her own taco.

Ingredients:


3 tbsp.                  Chili powder
1/2 tsp.                 Ground cumin
1 1/2 lbs.             Ground round beef
2 tbsp.                  Vegetable oil
4                              Slices American cheese, halved
8                              Soft or hard corn tortillas
1 cup                     Shredded lettuce of your choice
1                              Fresh tomato, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup                Salsa or preferred sauce
Kosher salt to taste
Sour cream, for serving

Directions:


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees to warm the tortillas.

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin and 1 tsp. salt. Stir until well mixed.

Divide the ground beef into 4 equal sections, about 6 oz. each. Gently form the meat into thick disks, then place on a piece of wax paper. Press the patties until they're about 1/2-inch thick and 6 inches in diameter. Sprinkle each patty on both sides with the spice mix, using about 1/2 tbsp. per burger. Cut each patty in half, giving you 8 pieces.

Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. When the pan is hot, add 1 tbsp. of the oil and place 4 of the patties into the pan. Cook until the meat is browned half of the way up the side, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side. Place a half-slice of cheese (torn into a few pieces so it fits on the burger) to cover the patty and melt over the top. Cook until the patty is well-browned on the bottom, another 2 1/2 minutes. Remove the burgers from the pan to a plate, tented with foil, to allow the juices to redistribute, at least 5 minutes. Scrape out any crusty bits on the bottom of the pan and pour off the extra grease. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and repeat the process for the remaining 4 patties.

Place the taco shells on a sheet pan to warm in the oven for about 5 minutes. If using soft tacos, wrap the stack of 8 in foil and warm for 5 minutes.

Line the center of the taco shell with some lettuce and insert the burger. Slide 2 tomato slices alongside the patties and top with 1 teaspoon salsa and some sour cream, and serve.