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Posted December 6th, 2011 by Colleen in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

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My daughter loves to cook.  Since she was 3 we have had our own “cooking show” in our kitchen.  She actually thought (and still may think) that their were TV cameras in the oven…and would always focus her talking to it…lol!

Cooking with her or my son is a huge joy for me.  Recently, I was making a batch of this soup (a favorite of mine) when my daughter skipped in the kitchen and said “oooooh…whatcha makin?”  I said “soup…want to help?”  She said “SURE!”  So we began “filming” our latest show…it always starts out with “Welcome to Charlies’ Kitchen…I’m Charlie and this is my mom!”  “Today we are making XXX”  We have a blast!!

My husband happened to be watching us from the other room and was cracking up at our “show”.  Charlie was on my back – piggy style so I could safely bring her to the stove and allow her to both hear and see how to saute garlic appropriately.  When it came time to add the tortellini..she said “can we throw them in?”  I said SURE, why not?   And we proceeded to throw some across the kitchen into the pot…we really had fun…and then we sat down and enjoyed the soup.

The fun, the teaching, the memories and the delicious dished we cook up – to me are PRICELESS! 

Tortellini Soup

-adapted from Not Your Mothers Weeknight Cooking

2 TBS olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (down to 1 for kids who are not a fan and up to 6 for those that are)
48 ounces of chicken broth
A few dashes of red pepper flakes (if you/they like spice)
1 package of fresh cheese tortellini
14 1/2 ounces of crushed tomatoes (the whole can)
6-12 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves…depending on your taste
Freshly shaved Parmesan Cheese for garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the garlic and saute for no more than 45 seconds (do not brown). Add in the chicken broth and red pepper flakes.
Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add in the tortellini and cook for half the cooking time on the package. Add in the tomatoes, reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking until the tortellini is tender. Stir in the spinach and cook until it wilts (about a minute). Season if necessary with salt and pepper.

The flavors of this soup are good immediately – something I don’t usually find with soup – normally I like to let it sit a bit. The soup was just as good the following day!

Happy Cooking!!

Posted October 26th, 2011 by Colleen in Colleen, Lunch, Soup, Uncategorized | No Comments »

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I am one of those Mom’s that stays away from boxed cakes mixes and prepared frosting’s.  It’s one of the ways I cut down on the partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup that ends up in my family.  My kids love whipping up the cakes, cookies and cupcakes plus I feel better about the choices I am making in feeding my family.

The BEST yet batter I have found for chocolate cupcakes and cakes comes from none other than Hershey’s – it is light, it is moist and it is addictively delicious!

Why not try it out on your kids today? 

Hershey’s Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Heat your oven to 350°F.
Line your cupcake pan (or grease your cake pan if making a cake). Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add in eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin…it’s oooooook).

Bake 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and frost as you wish.

I love this with Butter Cream Frosting from my other site!

Happy Cooking!

Posted June 21st, 2011 by Colleen in Colleen, Desserts, Lunch Box, Uncategorized | No Comments »

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Summer is here and you know what that means – the kids want ice cold treats – stat!

I remeber growing up and loving to get my hands on the freeze pops my mom would stock the freezer with – blue and green were my favorite!  A big box of 100 freeze pops went a long way when you have 5 kids!  Now that I am a mom and a little conscious about what I feed my family, I don’t continue that tradition.  There is just to many “unnatural” ingredients found in them.

Instead my kids and I make popsicles!  My kids are not a fan of fruit pieces in their pops, instead they opt for juice pops and sometimes they add in some yogurt for added texture and taste.  My kids love making the popsicles and of course they love eating them too.  I love watching them have fun creating their treats, thinking up flavor combinations and of course I feel good about what they are eating.

What you will need:   Popsicle sticks and either popsicle molds or dixie cups

The tangerine pop is 100% fresh squeezed tangerine juice – that’s it.  We poured the juice into a dixi cup and froze it overnight. (Just insert the stick about 1 hour after you place cups in the freezer if you are using cups and when ready to eat, use sissors to cut the cup and continure ripping the rest of the cup away).

Let your kids select fruits that interest them…such as oranges, lemons, limes, taggerines, grapefruits, kiwis, watermelon, etc.  Squeeze every last drop our of your chosen fruit(s) add some sugar to the more sour fruits or depending on the palate of your kids any fruit.

Another option is purchasing 100% organic juices from some supermarkets.

If you want to incorporate yogurt into the pops, just fill the molds/cups part way with your chosen juice, then add a layer of yogurt and in another 2 hours or so add another layer of juice or vice versa – no rules here!

Enjoy!

Posted June 3rd, 2011 by Colleen in Colleen, Desserts, Fruit, Kid Fun, Snacks, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

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Spring is in the air and Summer is just around the corner…can you feel it?  The kids sure can!  One great way to spend time together as a family is by cooking together.        It might be a treat that takes a few minutes to create or a 4 course meal that each family member had a hand in…whatever the case, kids love to have fun with food.        Kids 2 to 22 can’t say no to that!

Here are 4 fun treats for outdoor dining! b: Create your Own Cones – Unleash your inner Picasso!

Cooking together not only creates wonderful memories, it bonds, it empowers it’s fun and tasty too!

Ice Cream Pie – an interactive dessert…create one for the person to your left!

The only thing better than a strawberry is a strawberry stuffed with fresh whipped cream!  Try Stuffed Strawberries..Yum!!

For a super special treat (that is a craft too)!  Make some Edible Sand Art.  It makes a fantastic party activity that acts a a goodie bag item too!!

What is your family’s favorite treat?

Posted May 15th, 2011 by Colleen in Colleen, Desserts, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

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Gotta love a family with 3 young Junior Chefs in their house!  That sure must make for some great fun and  good food!! 

Meet Destiny 7, Tylan 4 and Avery 2

They help their Mom with a great site called the 4 Little Fergusons

 State: Kansas

Fun fact about our state:
At one time it was against the law to serve ice cream on cherry pie in Kansas.
And the world famous fast-food chain of Pizza Hut restaurants opened its first store in Wichita, Ks.

My favorite food to cook is:

Destiny: Any dessert 

Tylan: Pancakes

Avery: Cupcakes

My favorite food to eat is:
Destiny: Spaghetti and Roasted Asparagus
Tylan: Chicken and Rice
Avery: Salad, muffins and jelly beans

I like to cook because…
Destiny: It is fun and my mom has good recipes.
Tylan: I like to dump the flour in.
Avery: I’m a good helper.

When I grow up I want to be:
Destiny: a horse trainer     

Tylan: An astronaut/Dad

Avery: A Mommy                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

A recipe to share:
http://4littlefergusons.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/bestie-banana-bread/

Thanks Destiny, Tylan and Avery!  Can’t wait to see what you cook up next!

Posted May 12th, 2011 by Colleen in Junior Chef Spotlight, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

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Can you believe our site is 1 year old!  Time sure flies by when you are having fun!!

To celebrate we are giving away 3 copies of our cookbook along with a cooking tool set for kids…Both you and the children in your lives are sure to have fun with a copy of Picture Me Cooking today…as you cook up some fun and tasty recipes and tomorrow when you flip through the pages and see the photographic history of your children and their loved ones in the kitchen as well as the lastchapters pages filled with the hand-writing of loved ones passing on their signature recipes!  Just a few of the features that make the book so unique!

How to Enter:  Between 5/11 and 5/18, comment on any post during the time period and earn an entry for each comment, tweet about this giveaway or the cookbookand earn an entry for each tweet ( twice once daily), become a fan on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter or become a Follower and earn an additional entry.

Winners will be announced 5/19!

Looking forward to the next 12 months as we get more kids in the kitchen and cooking with their families, capture the memories of those moments with the help of Picture Me Cooking, the cookbook with a twist for kids, as well as share new recipes and highlight Junior Chefs from around the Globe!

Contest Period May 11 – 12:00 Am EST May 18

Good Luck and thanks for your support of Picture Me Cooking!!

Posted May 10th, 2011 by Colleen in Giveaway, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

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I just HAD to share this recipe for Brownie Cookies I came across in an issue of BON Appetit Magazine awhile back.  My family (and me too) went nuts over these cookies – they are a new Kennedy favorite for sure!

They are more difficult to make than the recipes I typically post here, however A – your kids WILL love them and B – they can certainly help you make them!

I don’t think I have shared here before that I also have my own recipe site, Souffle Bombay, where I post recipes I enjoy, some for adults,  some for families and some for kids to enjoy.  It’s natural for me to cross over some of the recipes I post here over there and vice versa from time to time.  On my other site I am currently in the middle of a recipe challenge – I am making myself cook up 40 NEW recipes – so I will end up with some new favorites to enjoy – you can certainly incorporate an idea like that into your own family – how about your challenge your family to cooking up 10 new recipes in a month – have everyone find a few they would like to try from cookbooks, magazines, blogs etc and then make them come to life!  I bet your kids would enjoy all the tasting along the way!  Paste pictures up on your fridge and cook them up one by one – a fun Spring family project!

And guess what???

You will be sure to find a few new family favorites that you and yours will be enjoying for years to come!

If you want to cut down the cooking time  on these cookies you can certainly use a fudge box brownie mix – however I have to say, for me part of the appeal of baking these beautiful cookies  is that I KNOW what every ingredient is PLUS the brownies actually make enough for two batches – so use 1/2 now and freeze the other for your next batch!

Brownie Chunk Cookies
-Bon Appetit
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 recipe of chilled Old Fashioned Brownies (below)cut into 1/2 inch chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, Whisk first 2 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Beat butter and both sugars in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Gently fold in your chilled brownie chunks.

Using a 1/4 to 1/3 cup size cookie / ice cream scooper or a tablespoon, scoop your batter and drop onto your prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Flatten the mounds with your fingers to about a 1 inch thickness.

Bake for 14-20 minutes depending on the size cookie made – or until just golden.

Old Fashioned Brownies
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teas vanilla
4 large eggs
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan/dish with parchment paper (allow an overhang). Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat, whisking till smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk sugar and vanilla into chocolate mixture, whisk in eggs then flour. Spread the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan, then refrigerate overnight. When ready to make your cookies, lift chilled brownies from the pan and cut in half. Freeze half for next time and cut the half you are using into 1 inch chunks.

Feel free to add in a cup of your favorite nut!

Happy Cooking!

Posted March 29th, 2011 by Colleen in Colleen, Desserts, Snacks, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

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I LOVE this smoothie and my kids do too!  Seems we can never make a batch big enough!

What else can you whip up this quick, that is this pretty, that packs a HUGE vitamin and mineral punch AND an immunity BOOST to boot??

As the weather gets warmer and your kids are running, bouncing and playing outdoors and working up a thirst…show up with a tray full of these and watch them disappear!  This freezes well too, so go ahead and make a double batch – for a quick thaw microwave for half a minute or so, stir and serve.

For breakfast on the go, a snack, drink or dessert this kids smoothie is sure to please!

Banana Berry Smoothie

2 cups cranberry juice

1 whole banana (frozen for a thicker smoothie)

8 oz container of a strawberry, raspberry or mixed berry yogurt

2 1/2 cups of  frozen berries (strawberry, raspberry and blueberry mixed)

Using your blender add in the cranberry juice, yogurt and the banana.  Blend until combined.  Add in the frozen berries and blend until thick and rich like a milkshake.

For an extra special treat, layer with some fresh whipped cream!

This is a great recipe for your kids to take the lead on!!

Happy Cooking!

Posted March 22nd, 2011 by Colleen in Breakfast, Colleen, Desserts, Drinks, Fruit, Snacks, Uncategorized | No Comments »

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Banana bread, cake, muffins or cookies are always a hit…right??

The sweetness of bananas going brown are just an amazing flavor to work with.

When shopping, we always buy 2 bunches of bananas, one for eating by themselves and one in anticipation of when we can whip our next lunchbox, snack or dessert treat!

My kids give me updates on what’s happening with the soon to be brown bananas…eagerly waiting for the day they are ready for us to get cooking!!

The addition of cinnamon is a nice variation from standard banana bread flavoring.

Cinnamon Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking soda

dash of salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

4 whole brown bananas (3 if they are large ones)

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix flour,  baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl, set aside.
In a small bowl or mug, combine the milk and the lemon juice, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar, add in the vanilla.   Add in the eggs.  Add the bananas and using a potato masher (or let the kids squish them first in their clean hands…kind of fun!), mash them into the butter and sugar mixture.  Add in the milk mixture, stir well.
Add in the flour mixture and the chocolate chips, stir well, until fully mixed.

Spray or butter your cupcake pan, fill 3/4 with the batter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  The bigger the muffins the longer the cooking time.

For something extra special, add some crumb topping to the muffins!

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

4 TBS butter, cut into pats

3/4 tsp cinnamon

Combine all into a small bowl and mash with a fork until crumbly, sprinkle on the muffins prior to baking.

Happy Cooking!!

Posted February 25th, 2011 by Colleen in Breakfast, Colleen, Desserts, Lunch Box, Snacks, Uncategorized | No Comments »

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