Tickle your Kid’s Taste Buds

Cooking for kids is tricky at best! They reject foods for all sorts of reasons: spice, texture, ingredients…. Here is a list of recipes for foods that I have found kids, I have come across, love. Some are favorites because they are mild or neutral tasting, others for their well-loved flavors and still others because they are just too tasty to resist.

1.  Orange Cranberry Muffins

These fruity muffins are packed with kid-friendly fruits and fruit juice and make a yummy, healthy breakfast or snack.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Makes:  12 servings

You’ll need:

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 navel orange, cut into eighths
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
  • Put the orange wedges, orange juice, egg, and oil into a blender and blend until smooth.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk to incorporate. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour the orange mixture into it and stir to make a thick batter. Stir in the cranberries.
  • Divide the mixture among the muffin tins, filling the tins about 3/4 full, and bake until the muffins are golden and push back when gently pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a rack and enjoy warm or toasted.

 

 2.  Macaroni and Cheese

Serves: 6

Total Time: 40 min

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Oven Temp: 350

You’ll need

  • 2 cup(s) Shell Macaroni
  • 1/4 cup(s) Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 1/4 cup(s) Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
  • 1/4 cup(s) Grated Provolone Cheese
  • 1/2 cup(s) Sour Cream
  • 1 can(s) (15-ounce) Diced Stewed Tomatoes, drained
  • 1 tablespoon(s) Unsalted Butter
  • 2 teaspoon(s) Fresh Oregano
  •  Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook macaroni according to package instructions, drain, and transfer to a 4-cup casserole dish. Stir in remaining ingredients and bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes.

 

 

3.  Noodle Pudding

Use bread crumbs, egg noodles, and cottage cheese to make this delicious recipe your kids will gobble up.

Serves: 6

Total Time: 1 hr 15 min

Prep Time: 15 min

Oven Temp: 350

You’ll need

  • 1 cup(s) Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon(s) Unsalted Butter, melted, plus more for greasing dishes
  • 8 ounce(s) Wide Egg Noodles, cooked and drained
  • 1 cup(s) Sour Cream
  • 1 cup(s) Cottage Cheese
  • 1/2 cup(s) Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 medium Onion, finely diced
  • 1 clove(s) Garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon(s) Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon(s) Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) Red Pepper Flakes, or to taste

 

  •  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, toss panko with melted butter and set aside. Butter six 1-cup ramekins.
  •  In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Divide noodle mixture between prepared ramekins and top with reserved bread crumbs. Bake for 1 hour. Serve hot.

 

 

 4.  Jelly Snack

An easy recipe for jell-o that kids will love because they can pick their favorite color.

You’ll need

  • 3 boxes of Jell-O (any colors you like)
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

 

 

  • Prepare the Jell-O using only 1 cup of hot water in three separate containers.
  • Chill for 4 hours until the Jell-O has set up. Cut the Jell-O into cubes and place in a 13×9 glass pan.
  • Keep Jell-O cubes in the refrigerator until ready to add the white layer.
  • In a separate bowl mix the 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin with 1/2 cup cold water. Add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and stir until dissolved.
  • Mix in the sweetened condensed milk. Allow the milk mixture to cool and then pour over the Jell-O cubes. Chill for 4 hours or overnight. 
  • The beauty of this recipe is not just the combination of the colors but that it can be sliced into squares and eaten out of your hand.

Written by Ravi Goel