Cooking Activities

Call it a crisp or call it a crumble, it's one of the best food ideas to ever have come out of merry old England. It is simple to prepare, involves enough steps to keep children interested, and uses no choppers or blenders. In the words of a central New York mom, "It was easy to cook and clean up, too." Lynda Hannan of Cincinnati reported, "This was great served slightly warm, and I have to say it was mighty tasty cold from the fridge the next morning. . . . Enough of these evil desserts!! This one was totally delicious-- I just scraped the last bit out of the pan and it did a fast vanishing act!" INGREDIENTS: * 1 large baking dish Filling: * 1 quart blueberries or 1 quart blackberries * 4 large peaches, peeled and sliced * 1 1/2 cups sugar * 2/3 cup of flour * 1 teaspoon cinnamon Topping: * 2 cups flour * 1 cup brown sugar * 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats * 8 ounces butter * 3/4 nuts, coarsely chopped (your choice) DIRECTIONS:

Nothing says summer like a tall, cool glass of lemonade. And everyone knows how disappointing the store-bought drinks, powders, and concentrates can be. Wouldn't it be great if you could make delicious, homemade lemonade, with a strawberry twist, or as Anne P. suggests, " We actually made two batches, one with fresh raspberries." Grab the whole family, head to the farmer's market, and get ready to enjoy the tangy-sweet flavor of homemade strawberry (or raspberry or peach or . . . ) lemonade.

The Ice Cream Sandwich, a variation of the Earl of Sandwich's namesake, can be a two-stage affair, either eaten immediately or frozen for snacks later. The cookies are an easy mixing job, although with younger the children the less simple it is. Ice cream scooping may be a great way to get the older siblings to show their dexterity and strength, while the younger ones can place the ice cream scoops and wrap the sandwiches."These ice cream sandwiches that we made are the best," exclaimed the Krabacher kids. The Hannans echoed their sentiments: "What a great cookie recipe!!! It was tough saving enough cookies to make the ice cream sandwiches!!!"

Let's make Sally Lunn bread and then turn it into a memorable sandwich dripping with juice from fresh tomatoes! As the story goes, a young girl in eighteenth century Bath, England, sold buns that were dark on top and light underneath, likened to the sun and moon (Sel et Lune). Keep saying it fast and you'll get "Sally Lunn." Because the bread takes 1 hour to rise and then another rise of 1 hour before baking for 45 minutes, this can become a morning or afternoon project punctuated with trips for the kids to clean up their rooms or read something from their summer lists.

It is high summer. It's hot as blue blazes, and they don't call them dog days for nothing. The children are cranky, and you would just as soon have them sit outside in the shade of the old oak tree. And you would like to keep things simple, so send them out with a big bowl of homemade watermelon popsicles, sliced by you of course, and have them pick out the seeds. Watch out for those like Rachel LaClair, age 9, who "ended up eating more watermelon than she deseeded." The Hannans put everyone on task but reported, "Our watermelon had tons of seeds so Mom pulled out most of them with the kids attempting to fish out a few, but they really chased them around the bowl a lot.

As anyone with kids knows, the kitchen serves as Home Headquarters. It's a place that continually churns out one, two, or three different menus at once, depending on the fussiness of taste buds in the home. But more than that, the kitchen is where planning takes place, important phone calls are made (ie: ordering pizza), and even where kids prefer to play (a couple of pots and a wooden spoon still have an edge over the latest toys around). The following wired guide won't make kitchen living any less busy, but it will help tame the culinary chaos.