Please Share With Your Friends!

Today, we have a guest post written by Kevin Fagan, who is the Content Manager at Lobster Anywhere, a mail-order seafood company based in New England.

As the winter approaches, the intense craving for warm and comfort food only increases. The few months of winter are the perfect opportunity to cook delicious meals for your family and friends.

And, if you want to use this time to bond with your kids, food is a wonderful way to do so. By involving them in the cooking process and cooking easy-to-make dishes with them, you can help them learn a wonderful and essential life skill while also building their interest in cooking and spending time with you.

So, if you want to create some beautiful memories with your kids, here are a few simple yet delectable recipes that I love to cook for and with my kids.

5 Easy Winter Recipes That You Can Make With Your Kids

If you’re looking for some simple yet tasty recipes that you can whip up in less time and with your children, these top 5 delicious recipes might be exactly what you require:

Comfy Hot Chocolate

All the kids love chocolate; this is a universal fact. So, if you combine their love for the sweet delicacy with the warmth of milk, not only will you have a drink they’ll love, but it will also be healthy for them. Let’s take a look at how to make it.

List of Ingredients

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp sugar (Optional)
• 2 cups of whole milk
• A pinch of cinnamon Powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups of water
• Whipped cream (Optional)
• Marshmallows (Optional)
• Sprinkles (Optional)

Cooking Instructions

• Take a saucepan and add 2 cups of milk to it.
•  Add your cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla extract to it.
•  Put the mixture to medium heat while gently stirring it. Don’t let it boil; just whisk it enough to avoid lumps.
• If the hot chocolate mixture feels too thick, add some water to it as you keep stirring it.
• When the consistency matches your desired requirement, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour it into cups.
• Add a bit of cinnamon powder to the cups along with the freshly made hot chocolate.
• You can then decorate it with marshmallows or whipped cream and sprinkles.

For a delicious cup of cocoa, follow this recipe.

Pro Tip: If you and your children prefer less healthier drinks, you can substitute sugar in your hot chocolate for jaggery or dates. Just make sure that you use a reasonable amount due to the high-calorie content of jaggery and dates.

Yummy Mac and Cheese

Ask any kid if they like mac and cheese, and you will hear nothing but a resounding yes. Not only is this recipe a classic comfort food for all ages, but it is also extremely easy to cook. Helping your kids learn how to make simple mac and cheese would help them appreciate the cooking that you do for them while also making them independent instead of eating straight-from-the-box foods.

Let’s look at the technique to whip up some mac and cheese in no time.

List of Ingredients

• 4 cups of macaroni
• 5 cups of water
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 1.25 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of whole milk
• Grated cheese, as required
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pepper and Thyme (Optional)

Cooking Instructions

• To begin, take a saucepan. Add 5 cups of water and 4 cups of elbow macaroni to it. 
• Add olive oil to the saucepan and let the macaroni cook for 7- 8 minutes until it turns al dente. 
• Drain the excess water out of the saucepan containing macaroni and set it aside.
• In a separate saucepan, add the butter and let it melt on medium heat.
• Now add the all-purpose flour and milk to the pan and gently stir to avoid burning.
• Once the mixture thickens, add your choice of grated cheese and all the other condiments, like salt and black pepper, as well as spices, like cayenne pepper and thyme, to the cheese sauce.
• Now add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and turn off the heat.
• You can top it with chili flakes or any other condiment of your choice.
•  Add it to the bowls and serve hot.

Pro Tip: If you or your children are lactose intolerant, you can use coconut or almond milk instead of the usual milk. For cheese, you can take advantage of nutritional yeast and cashew cream.

Appetizing Chicken Noodle Soup

Winters can often cause us to feel chilly. With the desire to roll up in a blanket comes the yearning to sip on some hot chicken soup and have noodles. Well, this dish is perfect for those days when you’re craving a simple but nutritious meal. It’s easy to make with children, so let’s learn this recipe for those cold winter days:

List of Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• Vegetables of your choice, chopped
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1.5 cups of shredded chicken thighs
• 2 cups of uncooked noodles
• Parsley to garnish

Cooking Instructions

• Add a little bit of olive oil to a saucepan, followed by all the vegetables.
• Cook the vegetables on medium heat until they turn tender.
• Add the minced garlic to the mix and cook a little longer.
•  Add the chicken broth to the saucepan and season with salt and pepper.
•  Once the broth comes to a boil, add in your shredded chicken thighs and noodles.
• Let the soup cook for about 15 minutes on medium flame.
• Add the spices to the soup and take it off the heat.
• Finally, you can pour the soup into bowls and garnish it with fresh parsley.

Pro Tip: For a flavorful chicken noodle soup, use chicken thighs instead of breasts. Also, season it as much as you want; it will only enhance the overall flavor of the soup. It will also act as a decongestant for anyone suffering from cold or flu.

Lobster Grilled Cheese

A simple grilled cheese sandwich is an all-time favorite of many. Due to its simple cooking time and technique, plus its delicious taste, it is often a comfort winter food for many. But what if you added a nutritious and delicious spin on the recipe to enhance its flavor? You can do that by making a simple lobster grilled cheese sandwich instead of a normal one. Here are the simple instructions that even a child can follow:

List of Ingredients

• Bread Slices
• 2-4 cheese slices
• Cooked lobster
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pepper and chili flakes
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Cooking Instructions

• In a bowl, mix all the seasoning ingredients with salted butter.
• Take a slice of bread and apply a generous amount of seasoning mix to it. 
• Take the other slice and place a slice of cheese on it.
• Keep both the slices on a pan and let them cook on medium heat for about a minute.
• On the melted cheese slice, apply a generous amount of lobster meat and heat it on the pan until the lobster is heated.
• Take the slice off the pan and put them together.
• Cut it into two and enjoy it with a dip of your choice.

Pro Tip: For a soft texture, you can use steamed lobster. It will go well with the crunchiness of the freshly toasted bread.

Soft Banana Bread

Cookies and banana bread are probably the first things that a child learns to bake. If you’re looking for something that can be eaten as a breakfast, snack, and dessert without the preservatives used in packaged foods, you can choose to bake banana bread with your children. It will help them learn the basics of baking and make it enjoyable for them at the same time. Let’s take a look at the recipe here:

List Of Ingredients

4 overripe and mashed bananas

• 1 beaten egg
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp sugar (Optional)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Chocolate Chips (Optional)

Cooking Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350° F or 175° C, while you grease the loaf baking pan.
• Take a mixing bowl and add the bananas and melted butter to it.
• Mash the bananas and add the beaten egg, salt, sugar, baking soda, and vanilla extract to it.
• Mix the flour into the mixture and combine it. Avoid overmixing.
• Once the mixture is ready, pour it evenly into the loaf baking pan.
• Add chocolate chips on top of the evenly spread batter.
• Let it bake for about 60 minutes, keeping a close eye on the center of the bread.
• Using a toothpick, check the center at regular intervals. Once the toothpick comes out clean, it means your bread is ready.
• Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool.
• Once cooled, transfer the bread to a wire rack. 
• Cut up the bread and enjoy it.

Pro Tip: More often than not, bananas are sweet enough on their own. If you want, you can skip out on the sugar to get a naturally sweetened banana bread. It will not only be softer but also make for a healthier snack.

Conclusion

Cooking is an essential life skill that needs to be learned by all. When you get the chance to teach your children to cook and enjoy the process from a young age, you can help them cultivate a habit of cooking on their own.

And, if you choose to cook a cup of yummy hot chocolate or tasty chicken noodles with them, it will not only serve as a lesson but a bonding experience that will be etched in their memory forever.