HELP! I want to make a fun looking dinner for kiddos!

  • Thread starter Thread starter LynnieLew
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

LynnieLew

Guest
Help! I am having two of my cousins kiddos over (tomorrow) and want to make a fun looking dinner for them and my kiddos.
I looked on the web but didn’t see any recipes to show HOW the dinners will look. I need ideas for fun looking and good for them.
Thanks! My creativity is shot tonight, working late at home. 🙂
LynnieLew
 
A favorite website for fun recipes is…
familyfun.go.com/

One of my faves and a hit with my kiddos…octopus hot dogs!

Buy a package of hotdogs and boil some water on the stove. Take a knife and cut the bottom half of the hot dogs so they are 6 or 8 strings hanging down from the top half. when you boil it it will look like this.
octodog.net/
You don’t need a special machine, a knife will do. Serve atop mac&cheese and there you go!
 
Also search the family Fun website for “april fools” recipes. Those are very clever and cool looking. Especially liked the cupcake meatloaf.
 
Kids love things on skewers or toothpicks. Skewered fruits or veggies that normally would be ignored are now fun to eat. Sandwiches cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters are usually a big hit. A grilled chessed cut in a circle with grape tomato eyes held on with toothpicks and a pickle spear for a mouth, very easy and fun. Pita pocket bread or tortillas filled with just about anything.
 
May I suggest a taco-bar? Kids love putting tacos together, with all the fixings. We also add quesadillas to the mix, along with refried beans and rice…and they can help with the prep, too!
 
How about split pea soup with cauliflower on the side and V8 for a drink? Mmmmm.
 
They could make their own ‘pizzas’ either with tiny pre-made crusts or english muffins…have cheese, toppings and sauce out…

They could also make their own fruit ‘pizza’ for dessert…plain sugar cookies…strawberry cream cheese to spread (or vanilla icing if they must!) and cut up fresh fruit to put on…
 
I make really good Mexican “pizzas” that you could adapt for kids.

Crust is a tortilla
Spread with refried beans
Toppings of your choice–I like black olives, onion, green pepper, avacado, green olives, tomato
grated cheese

Place under broiler until cheese melts and edges of tortilla brown and curl. Serve with taco sauce.

You could make “faces” on the tortillas–slices of Roma tomato for eyes, avacado slice for mouth, black olives for nostrils etc. You could even supply the cut-up goodies and have the kids make their own faces.

For easy Mexican rice I cook the rice with a can of tomatoes (the kind that have green chiles in them) and serve with the pizzas.

For “salad” make celery “cars.” Cut celery into about 4-inch lengths, fill with peanut butter, use two toothpicks (the sturdier round kind) for “axels” and carrot coins for “tires.” Place raisins on p.b. for “people.” My kids used to love making these up and a good way to get veggies eaten.

Have fun!
 
Anything that the kids can have a part in making is bound to go over well. The taco bar is a great idea – another popular one in my house is do-it-yourself pizza, where the kids put toppings on their own mini-pizzas.

Or, you could do “breakfast for dinner” with pancakes and eggs, and let the kids help mix the pancake batter and scramble the eggs. You can make smiley-face pancakes to, with banana eyes and mouths made of a line of raisons and an orange-slice nose. Incidentally, my kids don’t notice that I use reduced calorie syrup and Eggbeaters.

Just a thought.
 
40.png
Marquette:
I make really good Mexican “pizzas” that you could adapt for kids.

Crust is a tortilla
Spread with refried beans
Toppings of your choice–I like black olives, onion, green pepper, avacado, green olives, tomato
grated cheese

Place under broiler until cheese melts and edges of tortilla brown and curl. Serve with taco sauce.

You could make “faces” on the tortillas–slices of Roma tomato for eyes, avacado slice for mouth, black olives for nostrils etc. You could even supply the cut-up goodies and have the kids make their own faces.

For easy Mexican rice I cook the rice with a can of tomatoes (the kind that have green chiles in them) and serve with the pizzas.

For “salad” make celery “cars.” Cut celery into about 4-inch lengths, fill with peanut butter, use two toothpicks (the sturdier round kind) for “axels” and carrot coins for “tires.” Place raisins on p.b. for “people.” My kids used to love making these up and a good way to get veggies eaten.

Have fun!
Click to expand...
My kiddos wont eat mexican - but I LOVE the celery car idea!!!
 
40.png
bquinnan:
Anything that the kids can have a part in making is bound to go over well. The taco bar is a great idea – another popular one in my house is do-it-yourself pizza, where the kids put toppings on their own mini-pizzas.

Or, you could do “breakfast for dinner” with pancakes and eggs, and let the kids help mix the pancake batter and scramble the eggs. You can make smiley-face pancakes to, with banana eyes and mouths made of a line of raisons and an orange-slice nose. Incidentally, my kids don’t notice that I use reduced calorie syrup and Eggbeaters.

Just a thought.
Click to expand...
Yup! That is what we decided to do! Make your own pizza.
I figured it would be all that complicated and fun for the kids!
Thanks!

PS- LOVE the breakfast idea too!
 
Catholic Dude:
How about split pea soup with cauliflower on the side and V8 for a drink? Mmmmm.
Click to expand...
Actually, V-8 is quite good in an old-fashioned glass, over ice with an ounce of vodka and a dash of tabasco, and maybe a lime slice. But, maybe not for the kids!
 
I’ve never met a kid yet that doesn’t like macaroni and cheese. It may not be fun to look at but most kids love it.
 
40.png
beckyann2597:
A favorite website for fun recipes is…
familyfun.go.com/

One of my faves and a hit with my kiddos…octopus hot dogs!

Buy a package of hotdogs and boil some water on the stove. Take a knife and cut the bottom half of the hot dogs so they are 6 or 8 strings hanging down from the top half. when you boil it it will look like this.
octodog.net/
You don’t need a special machine, a knife will do. Serve atop mac&cheese and there you go!
Click to expand...
We do this too, but then I cook top ramen, and use green food coloring in the broth, it will turn the noodles green, drain off the broth and serve the noodles as a bed for the octopus hot dogs.
Octopus and Sea Weed!!
 
40.png
shannin:
I’ve never met a kid yet that doesn’t like macaroni and cheese. It may not be fun to look at but most kids love it.
Click to expand...
I can introduce you to 2!

Also, one of mine will not touch a hot dog. He once read what was in them, and that was the end of that!
 
Go to the Food Network and look up Sandra Lee’s program “Semi Homemade Cooking”. She has several episodes dedicated to cooking for/with kids in her archives. Lots of fun, easy recipes.
 
There was a party that I had went to and they had pound cake cut up to look like french fries and some strawberry or raspberry sauce(the katsup) to dip them in …the kids loved them. The problem is I don’t know how to make the sauce so if anyone knows how please tell us:) .
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top