5 Fun Kids Cooking Activities

Do your children like to spend their time making awesome mud pies or are they constantly stirring up some of their best grass soup? Then maybe it's time to let them loose in the kitchen with these fun kids cooking activities.
1. Allow your kids to create a new recipe. Pick out 5-7 ingredients that you think might go together and can be baked in a pie pan. For example, eggs, cheese, barbecue sauce, salt, flour, garlic powder, and corn chips can go together. The kids can also try a combination of cinnamon, eggs, flour tortillas, caramel sauce, and bananas. You may need to help them figure out "reasonable" amounts of each ingredient. There's no right answer; just have fun with it.
2. Start a Kids' Recipe Book. Everyone has recipes they love, including the kids. Have your child pick out 10 of his or her very favorite recipes. Either you or they can type the recipes out on the computer in a cool font with borders and some clipart. Print them out and "laminate" them with clear contact paper. They can then put the recipes in their very own cooking notebook.
3. Give your child an easy kid-friendly recipe to prepare on their own. Kids love to spread their wings and do things "all by myself." Give them the opportunity by handing them a super easy recipe and explaining how to do it. Depending on their age and skill, talk about kitchen safety and that you will be handling the oven/stove part of the task.
4. Have the kids take pictures of each other while cooking. They can make a small scrapbook filled with photos of their proud cooking moments. They will really enjoy this now, but also after they've grown up. Looking at the scrapbook and their kids' recipe book may remind them of good family times.
5. Decorate the cupcake challenge. Most kids have no problem creatively decorating a cupcake when given the proper toppings. Add a twist to the activity by getting out any possible toppings you can think of and asking them to decorate the cupcake to look like a cat or a flower. They'll come up with some decorative toppings you didn't think of.
All these kids cooking activities give you the chance to teach your kids the ins and outs of cooking. Your children also get the chance to learn many things in an atmosphere of fun. Give your child every opportunity to be creative in the kitchen and your child will thank you one day.

How to Cook Patty Pan Squash

"Awww, how cute," is the reaction of some people upon being introduced to patty pan squash. Also called scalloped squash, they are part of the summer squash family but the smallest of the lot, measuring as little as an inch across.
Patty pans are a light green when young but shade toward white when mature. Their shape has been compared to that of a flying saucer. You can find them in the stores and farmer markets from summer into early autumn. Choose the smallest ones available if you want the best taste and texture. If you handle them carefully, you can store them in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Patty pan squash is a great source of vitamins C and A, as well as folic acid. A cupful of this squash has less than 30 calories.
You needn't make a fuss over cooking patty pan squash. Just keep it simple. To cook patty pans whole, wash them well, place in a steamer basket over some boiling water, and steam 4 to 6 minutes or until tender (test with a fork).
As an alternative to steaming, you can try roasting patty pan squash in your oven. It's almost just as easy. Get a pound's worth of patty pan, trim off the skin, and cut each squash into halves or quarters. Toss with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and a little salt. Place the patty pan pieces on a baking sheet and roast on the top rack of a pre-heated oven (420 degrees) until they are tender enough to pierce with a fork, which will be about 10 to 15 minutes.
Patty pan squash is also excellent when sauteed. Slice three or four medium-sized squash along their diameter, drop into a pan on top of the stove, add a tablespoon of butter, and sautee until the slices have browned on one side. Turn and continue sauteeing until the second side has browned. If you like, you can toss the sauteed patty pans over cooked pasta.

The New Food Network

This refers to the poison Food Network, the network indirectly responsible for almost all that ails us. If you acquiesced a few weeks ago, believing you're going to gain weight this holiday season - regardless - you're probably right. Man, they've got it wired.
If you are not eating organic, as much as possible, you're in trouble. In the early eighties, the buzz was just starting regarding genetically modified foods, (the new Food Network), and whether we would know the difference. Fast forward to today: almost every product in every store has some sort of "modification", as though nature needed an improvement. Aren't bananas just the perfect fruit, complete with their own carrying cases? Did it need "adjusting"? All for profit.
Problem is, no one knows the effect of all of this tampering. I can see one clearly; everyone seems to be getting fat. It's so easy. Corn, which has become a primary ingredient in darn near everything, has been modified to contain so much sugar and starch, you can hardly eat it. Corn on the cob tastes like powder. The poison Food Network produces isles and isles of empty calories at your local market.
It also produces high fructose corn syrup, which has been identified as the main culprit in the "bottomless pit" syndrome (your stomach). Your brain never gets the message "we're full - stop eating". Your body is still waiting on something, anything it can use for energy. If it doesn't get it, the message continues, "keep eating until you give me what I want!!!"
You'd be amazed at the difference when you consume a completely organic meal. No acid reflux; you are satisfied and eat normal portions, and your body goes to work, so thrilled you finally gave it something useful. And guess what? You automatically start losing weight. The old Food Network, organic food, is still giving you an option.

Quick and Easy Cooking Tips With Top 10 Seasoning Ingredients

For many cooking beginners, they find it difficult to master the taste of the good with some good sense; sometimes there too much salt and soy sauce, sometimes too little sugar, sometimes not enough flavor, and always seems like short of something in the taste.
Here is a piece of handy summarized and short list that will help you get the right seasoning for your foods, especially for those who are looking for quick and easy cooking methods, this will really help a lot.
1. Miso Paste
With the recent years of Japanese foods popularity and health consciousness, many people like to eat and cook Japanese foods. Miso paste is the most frequent used seasoning ingredients in Japanese foods making.
Basically it is very easy to get in the hypermarket these days, there are two types, the red miso and the white miso. The red miso is more salty and spicy in nature, suitable to cook in soup or go very well with fish based cooking. The white miso is more sweet based, suitable for frying and simmering dishes.
2. Kimchi
Kimchi can eat with rice or noodles directly, however it is a very good seasoning and flavoring ingredient in cooking also. There are basically two to three types of kimchi that originated from different country like Korea, Taiwan and China. Taiwan kimchi is suitable to eat with rice or just by itself, Korean kimchi is a bit salty and spicy, which is more suitable to use in frying, soup making and meat seasoning.
3. Curry Stock or Powder
Cooking curry is never easy, but everything changed with the widely available curry stock or powder in the market. There are Japanese style curries, Indian style curries, Jawa style curries, Thai style curries, and many more.
4. Fresh Chicken Stock or Block
It preserved the fresh young chicken taste, it is more healthier over MSG. It is very suitable and better taste in stir frying vegetables, cooking noodles, steam fish, and others.
5. Thick Soup Stock
This is very efficient in cooking thick creamy soup. Just mix it with boiling hot water. If you like more ingredients, you can cook it over medium fire with vegetables, meat, seafood, chicken, and so on.
6. Deep Fried Red Onion Toppings
Slice the small red onions and deep fry in pork oil. It is very delicious to sprinkle some on top of noodles, stir fry vegetables and soup.
7. Chicken Soup Stock
This chicken soup stock is used in preparing soup, can replace MSG and salt for stir fry dishes.
8. Sesame Sauce
There are two type of sesame source, one is white and the one is black. Black sesame source is good to go with meat, where white sesame is good to go with noodles and vegetables.
9. Mayonnaise
It has many flavor in mayonnaise and it can serve with many different type of dishes whether it is raw green salad or some deep fry dishes.
10. Dashi Stock
Natural extraction from fish. It helps in bring out the taste of the food but just adding a little on the dish. Mostly task delicious to go with season type cooking.

Cooks Go to School Too

One can find a cook almost anywhere. They prepare food at restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, large companies, hospitals and many other large settings. Their duties vary according to the size and type of the establishment they work with. Some of the cooks are even allowed by their employers to create some new dishes or make some changes and new innovations in the existing dishes.
You have probably heard the saying "Cooks go to school too". But do they? A majority of cook positions require very little training or education in the concerned field. Most of the cooks in restaurants do not require even a high school diploma. However, to gain promotion and better increments, a high school diploma can be helpful. There are many vocational schools that provide training programs which includes cooking techniques, sanitation and safety and food handling guidelines.
Generally, head cooks are expected to have formal school training in cooking with few years of experience. This training period can range from 6 months to a couple of years. Basically, a program of small duration is meant to provide an entry level job in the industry. For senior level positions, a formal schooling with considerable experience is desired.
The training also includes an understanding of inventory methods, menu planning, and food storage procedures. Some of the programs even include a solid foundation in food service management, computer accounting, inventory software and banquet service. Paid internships and summer employment are offered by some hotels and restaurant chains, for those willing to initiate their cooking careers. With the demand for specialized and sophisticated cooks growing every day, it is not a strange fact that cooks go to school too.

Healthy - Cooking for Kids

Getting the children involved is the best ways to resolve this issue as usually preparing the meal gives them sense of control over what goes into the meal and make them willingly to gulping down all whatever is on their plate. Of course please make sure that you only do this activity on weekends.
I've learnt that, an eating regime which is not flexible or too full of 'nutritious' input would result in them becoming more and more uninterested to practice a balanced diet, what's more to sit down at the dining hall for each meal. As the saying goes... moderation is the key to success.
Reward may play an important role here. As time goes by, when they managed to finish the food, praise them. Make them be a super hero or a super nutritious agent of some kind. Be their one and only cheerleading squad. You could also use some tactics to allure them such as a trip to the playground or a treat to their favorite ice-cream parlor once in a while but only till they have cultivated good and healthy eating habits.
Patience is vital during the course of persuading or so called instilling good eating habits among the kids. You could expect for the worst and not for an immediate result. This would only on a majority of the times end up in frustrations as children need more time to adapt than us; adults. Ensuring you start the healthy eating habits from as earlier age as possible will help transitioning children to new and more fulfilling nutritional food groups. Once they start to acquire the taste it should be easier for you to create no fuss meals.
It would be best to introduce this habit gradually and administer to them small portions of healthy foods at a time. Feed and display on the table those healthy snacks for them to nibble and enjoy in between the meal. Sneak in some health goodies in their school bags and lunch box. An attractive meal will boost their appetite to savor it before even noticing that's what supposed to be a healthy diet.
A Strict NO Food for them is:
1) Ice-Cream
2) Carbonated drinks
3) Burgers
4) Pizza
5) Hot dogs
6) Bologna
7) Whole milk
8) Chocolate bars
9) French Fries
10) Cheese all the time

Steak Cooking Tips

These great steak cooking tips will help you cook the sort of steak that you thought only professional chefs could create!
· One of the most important steak cooking tips is to start out with a good steak in the first place! A poorly cooked steak that is of prime grade will still likely taste better than a low grade steak that is cooked well.
· Look for a steak with marbling throughout. This will ensure that it is flavorful and remains juicy.
· For a great steak, get a great cut of meat like top loin or filet mignon.
· Refrain from cutting open your steak to see if it is done! Doing so will release valuable juices.
o To see if your steak is done, touch it! A firm steak is well done, a springy steak is medium, and a soft steak is rare. The more often you cook your steak, the more obvious this will be.
o If you have a meat thermometer, use it! A medium rare steak will be about 145 degrees.
· Ditto on turning your steak with forks - you want to keep all of the juice and flavor contained in the steak. Instead of using a fork, use tongs (long-handled ones are best... then you do not have to get too close to the heat).
· Realize that if you have a large and thick cut of meat, it will continue to cook, even after you have removed it from the oven. Therefore, take it off a little early or serve them immediately!
· Do not be worried about cooking and serving a rare steak. Once you have browned all sides of the steak, you have effectively killed off any bacteria. This is because the steak can only be contaminated with bacteria on the outer service. Therefore, you simply need to make sure that the outside of the steak has been thoroughly cooked.
· Use seasonings and marinades to enhance the flavor of your steak, not to mask it. You may find that you do not need any seasonings beyond salt and pepper! A good steak will already be tender.
· When grilling, be sure that the grill is extremely hot. When it is very hot, it will sear the outside of the meat and lock in the juices. (For the same reason, preheat your broiler if you are cooking your steak in it).
· If cooking your steak in a pan, be sure to oil your steak rather than the pan.
· Once you are done cooking your steak, take it off the heat source and let it "rest" for at least five minutes. This will allow the juices to spread out.