kidsinthekitchen – The Wild Gems

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

July 12, 2024July 12, 2024 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

What You Need:

1 large zucchini or 2 small ones finely shredded

1 beaten egg

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 handful of dark chocolate chips

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Steps:

1. In one small bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

2. In a separate medium/large size bowl mix the beaten egg, sugar, vegetable oil, and shredded zucchini with an electric mixer.

3. Begin adding the dry ingredients (the flour and spices) to the wet ingredients (the egg and oil) slowly till batter is consistent. Add in the chocolate chips.

4. Generously butter up the loaf pan and pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

5. Allow bread to cool for a moment and enjoy!

Cheesy, Saucy, Baked Pasta

May 24, 2024May 24, 2024 The Wild Gems1 Comment

What You Need:

Between 1 1/2 lbs and 2 1/2 lbs of ground beef or sweet ground up sausage or you could do a lb of each of meat

2 jars of your favorite marinara pasta sauce we like ragu

1 lb of your favorite pasta noodle (ziti, rigatoni, macaroni, or spiral pasta are all good ones)

3 zucchini’s chopped green and yellow

3/4 of a sweet onion finely chopped

4 – 5 tablespoons of Olive oil

1 heaping tablespoon of jarred minced garlic

2 cups of Mozzarella cheese or extra depending on your cheesy level

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

Steps:

1. Heat up a large skillet while you chop your onion, and zucchini. Once skillet is heated through add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion, zucchini, and garlic until soft. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Then set aside.

2. Cook pasta as directed in a large pot. (Tip: once the water begins to boil, add a few dashes of salt. THEN add your pasta. That will flavor your pasta) Once cooked, drain your water, and add the pasta to a 9 x 13 baking dish.

2. In the same skillet you cooked your veggies, add your meat. If using ground beef season as you normally would (I like to use salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, a little turmeric, and maybe a little oregano.) If you’re using the sausage you don’t need to season, should already be seasoned. Once cooked, drain fat if needed.

3. Add the veggies to the meat and mix well. Add both jars of pasta to the meat and veggie sauce, reserving about 1/2 cup of sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the sauce and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning mix. Allow the sauce to cook for just of minutes or until heated through.

4. Add the reserved pasta sauce to the naked pasta in the baking dish and mix well. Along with a tablespoon of olive oil.

5. Next add the meaty and veggie sauce to the pasta and mix well. Then add in 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, give or take and mix well.

6. Once fully mixed, top with the rest of the Parmesan cheese and then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375 for 25 mins covered with foil. Once the 25 minutes is completed, removed foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

7. Allow to sit for a few minutes, garnish with fresh parsley (optional ) and serve with your favorite crusty bread with unsalted butter.

Enjoy!!!

Maple Cinnamon Apples Made In The Skillet

April 19, 2023April 19, 2023 The Wild Gems2 Comments

What You Need:

2-3 apples chopped (skin left on)

2 tablespoons of water

A few dashes of cinnamon

1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup

1 tablespoon of granola (optional)

Steps:

1. Chop your apples and place in skillet with the 2 tablespoons of water. Place lid and allow to simmer on a medium low for 5 mins.

2. Add the butter, cinnamon, and maple syrup to the skillet and place the lid on the skillet and allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until soft. Throw in some granola while hot and toss around (optional)

Top with ice cream or whip cream! Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Granola

April 17, 2023April 18, 2023 The Wild Gems3 Comments

What You Need:

4 cups of oats

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

1/3 cup of real maple syrup

1/4 cup of unsalted butter melted

Steps:

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Add all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix well with hands.

2. Scatter uncooked granola on sheet and bake at 300 for 45 mins, mixing one or two times in between. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sprinkle on ice cream, top with yogurt, or eat as is! Enjoy!

Ree Drummond’s Waffle Recipe Is The BEST EVER

January 30, 2023January 31, 2023 The Wild Gems2 Comments

I think I won some mom brownie points with these waffles this past weekend. They are scrumptious! And well, with a stick of butter of in there, of course they are!

Don’t you love when you try a new recipe and you are pleasantly surprised! Of course sometimes you try something new and you experience disappointment. But sometimes the recipe risk is the best thing ever!

I’ll be making these today and actually freezing them so my girls can eat them for the rest of the week. We topped our waffles with fresh strawberries, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. I hope you enjoy these as much as our family did!

For the direct link to the recipe CLICK HERE

Ree Drummond Waffle Recipe

What You Need:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of milk (preferably whole milk)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 eggs plus 2 additional egg whites

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted (original calls for salted, I’m just not a fan of salted butter)

Steps:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt)

2. Mix the wet ingredients (milk, eggs, egg whites, vanilla extract, and melted butter)

3. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix well.

Enjoy!

25 Cute Breakfast Art Ideas That Will Make Your Children Or A Loved One Smile

January 28, 2023January 28, 2023 The Wild Gems1 Comment

Cute breakfast food art doesn’t have to just be for children! As I was searching for ideas for my girls I thought, you know what, my husband would loved these too.

Which is why the title is for ‘A Loved One’ .

I’m so excited to try some of these out.

Which numbers will you make?

Note: Most of these photos don’t have watermarks so I don’t know who should receive credit! If any readers know please let me know!

This would be perfect for Valentine’s Day or maybe an anniversary.

Imagine making this as a hint and surprising your kids with a trip to Disneyland!

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Perfect for our malt o meal breakfast days.

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Imagine being served this as a surprise breakfast :).

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Bagel and cream cheese and berries. yum.

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Which on is your favorite?

Easy Pizza Dough Recipe With 5 Ingredients

September 7, 2022September 8, 2022 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

servings: 2 pizzas

baking instructions: bake at 500 degrees in a 9×13 glass dish for 10 to 12 mins or until edges are crisp.

What You Need:

1 pack of active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon of sugar

3 tablespoons of olive oil plus more for coating

3 3/4 cups of flour plus more for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Steps:

1. Whisk together 1 1/3 cup of warm water (you don’t want the water hot, it will kill the yeast) and the sugar. Then mix in the yeast and allow to sit for 10 mins until mixture is a little foamy and bubbly. Once the ten minutes are up add the tablespoons of olive oil.

2. In another large bowl mix together the flour and salt. Creat a well in the middle and add the water and yeast mixture. Knead dough for a minimum of 5 minutes adding more flour if necessary until dough is smooth and stretchy.

3. Divide dough in half creating 2 dough balls. Brush each dough ball with olive oil, placing each piece of dough in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for an hour and a half.

4. Once dough is done rising freeze one and prepare the other. Rub olive oil all over a 9 x 13 glass dish. Arrange your dough in the glass dish leaving some space in the corners to spread. Add your sauce, seasonings, and toppings.

5. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until nice and crispy on the edges. Remove pizza from glass dish and place on a charcuterie cutting board and serve while hot.

Enjoy!

Pie Crust Recipe For Galette Baking

September 5, 2022September 6, 2022 The Wild Gems2 Comments

This pie crust is flaky and delicious! Perfect for all sorts of galette baking!

Servings: Makes 2 pie crusts

What You Need:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted cold butter chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

1/2 cup of ice cold water

Steps:

1. Add the flour, salt, sugar, and butter into a medium/large bowl and mix until crumbly like texture (I like and prefer to use my hands). The other option is to use a food processor and pulse until butter is broken up and no more large chunks remain.

2, Next add the cold water to batter and combine together until one large dough ball.

3. Divide dough in half. Freeze one half for another time and place other dough ball in the fridge until ready to bake.

4. When ready to bake line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough into a circle but be sure to not make it too thin. Fill galette with filling and then fold the edges. Brush the edges with egg white. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

That’s it! Now you can get creative with your fillings!

Apple Or Peach Filling Recommendation:

Slice 4 medium apples or peaches unpeeled or peeled and toss in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Once mixed well place filling in prepared dough, topping off the apples or peaches with 1 tablespoon of chopped butter.

Refreshing Fruit Salad With Honey Lime and Mint

April 19, 2022April 19, 2022 The Wild Gems1 Comment

What You Need:

6 cups of fresh mixed melon fruit such as cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew.

1 1/2 tablespoons of raw honey

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of lime juice

A pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of fresh chopped mint, and extra for garnish

Steps:

1. In a small bowl mix together the lemon, lime, honey and salt. Pour juice mixture over the chopped fruit.

2. Right before serving add the chopped mint and mix well.

*can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 12 hours*S

Enjoy!

Spring Time Lemon Bars

April 5, 2022April 6, 2022 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Spring time calls for lemon bars! The perfect tart, sweet treat to enjoy in some beautiful weather! This is also a great recipe to make with your little ones! Especially when pressing the dough!

Let’s get started!

What You Need:

For The Crust:

8 tablespoons of unsalted butter softened

1/2 cup of white sugar

2 cups of flour

A pinch of salt

For The Filling:

6 eggs

3 cups of white sugar

2 grated lemons for lemon zest

1 cup of fresh lemon juice

1 cup of flour

Powdered sugar for dusting

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350.
For the crust, mix together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until combined. Then add the flour and salt. Mix well, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
Once all combined flatten the dough into a 9 by 13 glass baking dish.
Bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned. While crust is baking prepare your filling.
For the filling, mix together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over hot crust and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is set and not wobbly. Let cool to room temperature. Then chill in the fridge for an hour.
Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares. Enjoy!

Tip: place lemon bars in freezer for 30 mins and once removed will be easier to cut squares!