Cooking with kids requires lots and lots of patience. You have to get yourself mentally prepared:
•all will NOT go according to plan
•there will be a BIG MESS, that you yourself will be cleaning up
•the final product will not look great, but it still may taste okay
•your “helpers” may quit on you part of the way through

All of this does improve as you cook with your kids more and also find out if they like it. If you don’t think you will have the patience to cook with your kids, hold off until you do. This way you will both enjoy the experience. However, if the kids are still pestering you to do something, let them play with play-dough or keep a tube of pop and bake biscuits, crescent rolls or cookie dough handy and let them be in charge of that. I use to keep some leftover pastry or bread dough in the freezer and bring it out whenever I was baking and let the kids roll it out, cut it and put it on a sheet.

If you are looking for some ideas of what to do with your kids here are some of the ones we have done around my house. You will have to make a judgment call on how well your kids do in the kitchen and which ones they can handle. My 11 year old can scramble eggs, my 9 year old makes sandwiches, my 7 and 5 year olds can add ingredients to a bowl and cut out cookies. Every child is different. Here are a few recipes that are easy to do and the kids will love to eat.

Yogurt-Peanut Butter Dip with Apple Wedges
Mix equal parts of vanilla yogurt with a creamy peanut butter. I use the all natural versions of both. Cut assorted apples into wedges using an apple corer/slicer thing. This whole thing, 5 and up can do all on their own. Ask them to put the mixture on a plate with the apples and serve as a snack.

Homemade Ketchup
•6 oz can of tomato paste
•1Tbsp white vinegar
•1Tbsp sugar or agave syrup
Mix together well and season with salt and pepper and more sugar or agave syrup or vinegar to taste, if needed.

Bread
Note/Suggestions: I use a bread machine and let the kids measure and add the ingredients, then start the machine. 3 hours later we have freshly baked bread. If you don’t have a machine you can mix this dough with a standing mixer or by hand, proof it and bake it in the oven. Both instructions are included.
Ingredients:
•1 cup warm milk
•1 egg, lightly beaten
•2 Tbsp butter, melted, but not hot
•1 tsp salt
•1 Tbsp honey
•3 ½ cups of bread flour (I usually use ½ white flour and ½ white wheat flour)
•1 envelop ¼ oz envelop of yeast or 2 ¼ tsp of dry activated bread machine yeast

Bread Machine:
Put the milk, egg, butter, honey and salt in first. Then add the flour and yeast on top. Set the machine to rapid white and press start. 3 hours and hot bread is yours.

By Hand or Mixer:
1. Warm the milk until it is the temperature of a child's bath, then sprinkle the yeast over the top and let rest for 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt, make a well in the center.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg and honey and add then add the milk/yeast and whisk.
4. Pour the milk, egg, and honey mixture into the well of the flour. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the flour and stir until a stick dough forms.
5. Alternative: Put all these ingredients into a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle and mix until the dough is formed.
6. Dump the concoction onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and springy.
7. Oil a large bowl with vegetable oil and put the dough into it and turn the dough until all sides are coated.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 1- 2 hours until it is doubled in size.
9. Punch down the dough and turn out to a floured surface. Knead 8 -10 time and shape into the shape dough you want or into rolls, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat. Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees. Let the dough rest while the oven preheats.
10. Bake for 45 minutes. When bread is golden brown and smells great, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Slice and butter. Everyone will love it.

Variations:
Add spices, cheese, nuts, raisins, you name it to this basic recipe. If you want a more Mediterranean flav, substitute the milk and egg for 1¼ cups water and the butter for olive oil. Use garlic, olives, rosemary and Parmesan cheese in the dough. Bread is fun and it tastes great and if you need academic justification…it is science and math project!

Looking for holiday cookies that are easy, big and fun Check out these recipes in The Classroom Cookie Exchange.

Beth Ann Bentley is the founder and publisher of iLunchBox.com, a Nutrition Educator and the mother of four school-aged children.