Cooking with Kids - Pita Pizza

My oldest daughter, Savannah Rose, is 2.5 years old and she loves feeling like a "big girl".  Being that she is still pretty little, we have only cooked and baked together a handful of times, but I plan on making this a regular activity for the two of us (and eventually the three of us when Matilda gets a little older).

Today for lunch I decided to make something I know Savannah loves - Pizza!  This recipe (if you can call it that) was super-simple and Miss S. was able to be involved the whole time.  I want to foster the love of cooking in all my children and I hope some of these early times in the kitchen will develop a life-long passion for the culinary arts.

Savannah put on her apron and Mama put on hers and off we went........

Pita Pizza

Ingredients:

4 large pita breads (we used flat-bread pita, but you can use the pocket kind too)

1 small can pizza sauce

1-2 cups shredded cheese (we used Italian 4-cheese blend)

Toppings for pizza (Miss S. loves black olives)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay four pita breads out on a baking sheet.

Spoon the sauce onto the pita and let your little one spread it all around with a spoon.

Put your shredded cheese in a little bowl (it's easier for little hands this way).  Let your little one sprinkle all the cheese on top.

Place your toppings each in a little bowl and let your little one put them on the pizzas.  We used sliced black olives because that's what Savannah and I like, but a few other ideas would be pepperoni, diced chicken, bell pepper, onion, broccoli, diced ham, pineapple, spinach and fresh tomatoes.  This is a great way to get some new veggies into your kids!

Finally, give your little lady/man the Italian seasoning and let them shake it onto the top of the pizzas.

Place pita pizza's in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Remove pizza from baking sheet and allow to cool.  Cut each pizza into four pieces and enjoy!  

Trust me, your little one will gobble this up and feel so proud of their edible creation!

Cottage Mama's Note:  The apron Savannah is wearing was mine when I was a little girl.  My parents brought it back for me from Beatrix Potter's house in England when I was about four years old.  So glad my Mom saved it!

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Change Up Bag Lunches with Tortilla Roll-ups

My Mom always did a great job packing our lunches while we were in school.  And yes, I was one of those kids whose Mom packed their lunch up until their very last day of high school - thanks Mom!

As most kids do, I went through phases of liking certain things more than others.  Only wanting turkey sandwiches with nothing but turkey and bread (how boring!) and loving peanut butter and jelly (minus the jelly).  But I always got excited when my Mom would change it up a bit with something new and Tortilla Roll-ups were definitely a pleasant surprise.

Now while I don't have school aged children yet, we had a playdate this week with a good friend and her little ones, so I decided to whip up some of these roll-ups for the occasion.

This is my grown up version of Tortilla Roll-ups (with lots of yummy things inside), but my girls love them, so your kiddos probably will too!

Tortilla Roll-ups

Serves 3 (big kids) - 6 (little kids)

Ingredients:
1 block cream cheese
1 can diced green chiles
1 small can sliced black olives
1 tablespoon fresh chives (or one green onion, sliced)
6 slices of ham
6 flour tortillas

Directions:
Set cream cheese out on kitchen counter for 30 mins. or so to allow it to soften.  Meanwhile, drain black olives and give them a rough chop.  Slice green onions or chop chives (both are tasty so use what you like best).  Place green onions (or chives), roughly chopped black olives, and canned green chiles into a large mixing bowl.  Stir to combine.

Add your cream cheese to the green onion, olive and green chile mixture.  Work the cream cheese into the mixture with a wooden spoon.  Mix until the cream cheese is completely combined.

Now for the roll-ups.  Using a spatula, spread 1/6th of the mixture evenly on top of a flour tortilla and place a piece of ham on top.  Roll up your tortilla.

Pack two tortilla roll-ups (or one for an elementary age student) for lunch by wrapping them in plastic wrap.

If your little ones (or bigger teen ones) prefer little finger foods, slice tortillas and pack in a small tupperware container. 

The sliced version make a wonderful appetizer or a finger food dish to bring to a party.

And hey, grown-ups love these things to, so even if you don't have kids, make some of these for yourself for lunch - you will love them - deeeelish!

Cottage Mama's Note:  If your children prefer are more simplistic recipe, just make these with plain cream cheese and ham.  It will still be something different than their regular sandwich. Pin It

Maple Pecan Coleslaw

So the title of this recipe may not sound 100% appealing to all of you; however this is one of my favorite coleslaw recipes of all time.  Even if you don't like coleslaw, I think you will find this one to be a winner.  The following recipe is my adaptation of a Nigella Lawson coleslaw recipe.  It's the perfect mix of sweet and savory.  A superb accompaniment along-side some smokey barbecue ribs or try it on top of a pulled pork sandwich - deeeeelish!!

Maple Pecan Coleslaw

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

1 medium-size head of cabbage

4 carrots

3 stalks celery

6 green onions

1.5 cups mayonnaise

4 tablespoons maple syrup

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (you can use white wine vinegar or rice vinegar too)

1 cup pecans, chopped

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Shred the cabbage.  You can do this with a knife or use your food processor.  You could also purchase pre-shredded coleslaw cabbage (though buying a head of cabbage is much more economical).  Place shredded cabbage into a large mixing bowl.

Wash and grate carrots.  Dice celery.  Slice green onions (white and green parts).  Place carrots, celery, and green onions in the bowl with the cabbage.

In a smaller mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar - stir to combine.  Pour dressing over the top of the cabbage, carrot, celery, green onion mixture and toss to combine.  Add chopped pecans and salt and pepper, to taste.  Toss again to combine.  

Allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight or for at least two hours to allow flavors to come together.

Cottage Mama's Note:  This is another recipe from Matilda's Summer Garden Party.  We used this slaw to top our pork sandwiches at the party - YUM!

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Loaded Potato Salad Recipe from Matilda's Summer Garden Party

So, I'm finally getting around to posting some of the recipes from my daughter, Matilda's Summer Garden Party that we had earlier this month.  The first recipe I would like to share with you is my Loaded Potato Salad.

I get weak in the knees for a good loaded baked potato.  I mean I love the works - butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, chives, salt and pepper - YUM.  A good, loaded baked potato was my inspiration for this wonderful potato salad.  Even if you don't traditionally like potato salad, give this a try - you might be a potato salad fan after all!

Matilda's Loaded Potato Salad

Serves 12

Ingredients:

2 pounds red potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled

5 green onions, cleaned and sliced

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salad water to a boil.  Add potatoes cut into 1 inch chunks.  Cook until tender, but not mushy (it's very important not to over cook your potatoes).  Cooking time is approximately 15 minutes.  Drain potatoes, place in refrigerator to cool.

Meanwhile, cook your bacon.  You can cut it prior to cooking, as I have done here, or cook the strips and crumble them later (it's up to you).  Once cooked, crumble each bacon strip and set aside.  

Add mayonnaise and sour cream to a large mixing bowl and combine.  Then add green onions (or chives, if you prefer), celery, bacon, and salt and pepper.  Finally add your cooked, cooled potatoes (don't worry if they aren't totally cooled - that's ok) and fold ingredients together to combine.  Taste and then adjust seasoning.  

Place potato salad in the fridge for at least an hour to allow the flavors to come together.  This is definitely a great make ahead dish, so feel free to make this the day before your party or event! 

Enjoy!

Cottage Mama's Note:  If it doesn't taste quite right to you, it probably needs more salt.  I find that salt can make or break a potato dish - just the right amount and you can hit it out of the park, too little and your flavor will fall very flat.  Keep tasting and adjusting as you see fit.  Remember you can always add more salt, but you can't take it out.

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Ginger Salad Dressing

image via anniesnaturals.com

I just tasted this salad dressing two minutes ago and I am so excited that I had to sit down immediately at my computer to share!  

Do you ever go to those Japanese restaurants where they cook at your table?  You know......i.e. Benihana's or Kobe.  If not, they usually give you this delicious salad to start your meal with this amazingly delicious ginger dressing. 

Well, this is it - it's that amazing salad dressing!!

I almost lost my mind when I tasted this and even better yet - it's a "lite" dressing.  Wooohooooo!  I'm not much of a salad girl, unless it has buttermilk ranch dressing, lots of cheese, bacon and croutons and then what's the point, right?  But this stuff is great and would be so, so, so tasty as a marinade for grilled shrimp, chicken or veggies.  If you are at the store and you feel the same way about the Japanese salad dressing as I do, you must give this a try!

YUM!

Cottage Mama's Note:  If you don't live in an area that carries the "Annie's" products, click here to visit their website.

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Easiest Appetizer EVER - Cream Cheese & Olive Crescents

This recipe is so easy, it's almost embarrassing........I don't even know if I should call it a recipe.

Yesterday I wanted to make something super yummy for my daughter and I for lunch (my 2-year old loves olives).  I was kind of in a comfort food sort of mood (what's new, right?) and this is what I came up with and boy was it good!!

Cream Cheese & Olive Crescents

Ingredients:

1/2 brick cream cheese

Marinated olives, chopped - I used an olive muffaleta spread, but olive tapenade would work well

1 package crescent rolls

Directions:

Cottage Mama's Note:  What do you think of my little tutorial?  Like the text on the pictures?

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Entertaining a Crowd

I love entertaining.  It is so wonderful to be able to welcome people into your home and serve them delicious food and drink.  Our house right now is not ideal for entertaining large crowds, but we can manage to host a pretty good medium-sized party.  My husband (who is an avid winemaker and homebrewer) always has the drink part covered and I am left to make sure we have an awesome meal!

This past weekend was my baby girl, Matilda Jane's baptism into the Catholic faith.  We had about sixteen close family and friends attend the ceremony and luncheon at our home following her baptism.  For our Matida's baptism, I decided it would be best to make food that could all be prepared ahead of time since we would be heading straight from the church to the party.  I don't like being in the kitchen preparing food when my guests are over because it doesn't allow me enough time to mingle and truly host.  If I am going to throw a party, I would like to make sure I get to attend it as well.

When planning your menu for your guests it is important to think about the type of event you are hosting, the number of people attending, and the types of food your guests would enjoy.  If it is a smaller group, then perhaps you will choose to do a plated meal, if a larger crowed, then generally buffet style is the way to go.  Menu planning is one of my favorite parts of hosting an event!

Here is the menu I decided on for my Matilda's baptsim -  Chicken Salad on Croissants, Ruthie's Spinach Salad, Caprese Pasta Salad, Apple Spice Bread, and Cake (which was provided by my in-laws).  My husband complimented these food choices with his own home-brewed beer, as well as a special beer called "Matilda" (fitting, right?), wine and champagne.

Entertaining Tip:  When having a party of six or more, always answer the door with a drink in your hand.  This will let you guests know that it is going to be a festive, relaxed time from the start!

Here are some of my recipes for entertaining a crowd:

Ruthie's Spinach Salad

Dressing

3/4 C. salad oil

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. red wine vinegar

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Salad

8 cups washed and dried baby spinach

1 C dried cranberries or cherries

4 ounces feta cheese crumbled

I/2 to 1 medium red onion thinly sliced

4-6 slices bacon -cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For dressing--combine all ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid.  Cover and shake well to blend.

For the salad--combine all ingredients--toss with dressing just before serving.

Six servings

Note:  This salad is WONDERFUL!  It is a perfect balance of sweet and savory.  Also, in this case, the salad is best slightly overdressed.

Caprese Pasta Salad

Easy summer salad. Great side dish to take to picnics or bbq's.

Cook time: 20 Minutes
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Ingredients
* 1/3 cup of olive oil
* 1/2 cup of drained, oil packed sun dried tomatoes
* 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon of capers
* 2 cloves of garlic chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
* 1 lb of fussili pasta
* 1 1/2- 2 cups chopped, seeded tomatoes
* 8 ounces of braided, marinated mozzarella chopped into 1/2 inch pieces. I use one from Trader Joes that has a good kick to it.
* 1 cup of packed fresh basil leaves
* 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
* 1/2 cup of minced, pitted black olives

Directions
* Blend first 6 ingredients in a processor until tomatoes are coarsely chopped.
* Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until tender but firm to bite.
* Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl.  Add dressing to hot pasta and toss to coat.
* Add chopped fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, Parmesan and olives.
* Toss well, cover and chill for an hour.  Bring to room temp before serving.  Can be made 6 hours ahead.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1 whole rotisserie chicken

1 cup mayo

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Debone entire chicken and shred.  Combine chicken, mayo, salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve on fresh croissants.  Makes 18 croissant sandwiches.  

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