What foods does your child like to make?

[Dr.Worm]

My dd is eleven and wants to be a chef someday.  Would love some recipes that you like to make with your kids or they make alone.  We are not vegetarian but vegetarian and vegan recipes are definitely welcome! Thanks so much!

[ollyoxenfree]

They both like to bake - muffins, cookies, cakes. I suppose kids (at least my kids) have a lot of motivation to bake treats and sweets - since they enjoy eating the results.

Yeast breads are fun for kids at this age, because of all the kneading - she can make pizza dough too, and then experiment with pizza toppings. 

DD started cooking pasta on her own at about that age. I would help her at the boiling water stage, but left her to manage the rest on her own (cutting up veggies for the sauce, grating cheese....). With a little patience, you can avoid boiling water by letting dried pasta (penne works well) soak in hot water, it just takes a while. 

She also likes making spring rolls wrapped in rice paper with julienned or shredded veggies (cucumber, carrots, beets), bean sprouts, mint and cilantro. You can add some shredded chicken or shrimp if you want a non-vegetarian version. If you can't find rice paper wraps, then lettuce leaves are a nice alternative. She experiments with dipping sauces - soy sauce based, or sweet chili sauce, etc. 

Meatballs and meat loaf are fairly easy and also quite forgiving of small mistakes. 

[treemom2]

My DD is 9 and she loves to cook.  She really enjoys making omelets in the mornings (usually just herbs and cheese).  She likes to make fried rice (she cuts up all the veggies then sautes them, mixes some egg with cooked rice and shoyu, then fries it all up in the pan) by herself.  She loves making bread, homemade pizza, quiches (I make the crust), cookies, etc. . .  Usually I show her a recipe or she helps me make something the first time then she likes to make it herself.  She's made so many omelets and so much fried rice that I don't even join her in the kitchen while she's cooking them.  

[mommy212]

My Lo is only 18 months so he doesn't do much besides "stirring" (ie spilling) the bowl and dumping stuff. When I was young though I loved to cook, and would make all sorts of stuff. Some fun stuff was:

fried rice

thumbprint cookies

stir fry is very easy to make, especially

mashed potatoes

french toast, pancakes

anything in a blender is fun- smoothies, creamy soups, hummus

carrot cake or muffins

fudge, with a little help

ice cream if you have a maker

beans

soups and stews

salads- just let them combine whatever veggies you have in a big bowl

There are lots of great cook books out there for kids, but a lot are filled with sugary junk food type dishes... I saw a nice one at the library a few weeks back, I'll see if I can find the title for you. 

[Dr.Worm]

Thanks so much guys! 

[Dr.Worm]

Can you guys give me the recipes for all these things?  I am not a very good cook myself lol.