Hilltop Academy - Kids in the Kitchen: No-Bake Fruit Cheesecake and Chicken Fingers

Sep. 17, 2008

Kids in the Kitchen: No-Bake Fruit Cheesecake and Chicken Fingers

It dawned on me the other day that I post a lot of pictures and such of my kids doing "stuff" in the kitchen. For me, especially recently, it's been a practical necessity. I want my kids to learn to help in the kitchen, to feel comfortable...at home even...in the kitchen, to be safe in the kitchen, to take over the kitchen...okay, not really on the take over, but I think you get the idea. There's coming a day around here, where I won't be in the kitchen much (because I will be taking care of Peanut and sleeping a lot), and my kids must be able to know their ways around the joint in order for them to be able to eat and live. But I got to thinking that maybe some of you could benefit from some of our recipes and such, so occasionally I will post about some of our culinary endeavors with recipes and how-to's. Just recently Pioneer Woman announced that she's doing this too, so you might swing by her cooking site to see what her kids are cooking as well, although the first kid recipe she posted was carrot soup, and that just wouldn't fly around here.

A couple of Fridays ago, Harrison made his first cheesecake. We happen to adore cheesecake around here, so this was a BIG deal. This is an easy recipe for kids because it doesn't involve baking, and it's a good recipe for pregnant women who want to lick the bowl because it doesn't include raw eggs.

First, he made the crust...

...which includes graham cracker squares, butter and sugar. Kids might find it more fun to crush the crackers with a rolling pin, but Harrison happens to be fascinated with sharp-bladed objects, so we used my Kitchen Aid food processor. I happen to be fascinated with less mess, so it was a win-win situation for us. After pulverizing the crackers, he mixed them with the sugar and butter and pressed them firmly into the bottom of a spring-form pan.

Now it's time for the good stuff: the filling!

This filling consists of only one 8 oz. package of creamed cheese, a cup of whipping cream, sugar and vanilla. He used my beloved Kitchen Aid stand mixer to blend it all and then spread it evenly onto the crust (which had been in the freezer for about 10 minutes firming up).

Next up was the fruit topping.

We used canned mandarin oranges, but you could really use whatever tickles your fancy. After arranging the fruit, you make a quick glaze that you pour on top. Since we used oranges, our glaze was made from orange marmalade, heated on low until it was nice and melty. If you used strawberries, you'd use some strawberry preserves. If you used raspberries, you'd melt some raspberry preserves. If you use watermelon or figs or bananas, you're on your own....

After the glaze, you simply cover the cheesecake with foil and refrigerate it for at least 6 hours.

Later, you have a dessert that any kid would be proud of and make goofy faces over.

Ingredients

crust: 14 square graham crackers, 1/4 c. butter, 1 TBSP sugar

filling: 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened , 1 c. whipping cream, 1 tsp. vanilla

topping: 2 small cans mandarin oranges, 1/2 c. orange marmalade (or whatever fruit you choose)

That same night, Annaleigh was in charge of the actual meal, although I think all of us were totally willing to just scarf the cheesecake and call it a night. She made chicken fingers, dipping sauce, fries and a salad.

First, we made the breading for the chicken....

One thing that makes this recipe even more kid-friendly is the breading is made from a combination of Cheez-It crackers and regular bread crumbs. And, you can see, we chose to break up the crackers in the the food processor and nix the rolling pin again.

Then she began the breading process...

I think anyone who has breaded meat before, probably knows this process. She dipped the fingers in a little milk, then the crumb mixture, then arranged on a baking pan. Obviously, you need to stress the thorough washing of hands since they are knuckle-deep in salmonella. Then you simply bake in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or so.

And wa-la...

While the chicken was baking, we also threw in some frozen fries, and she prepared a salad. She also made some dipping sauce, which consisted of some mayo, Dijon mustard, and honey.

Ingredients

chicken fingers: about 1.5 lbs. of chicken breasts, cut into strips , 1 c. of Cheez-Its, 1/4 c. dry bread crumbs, 1/2 c. milk or buttermilk

dipping sauce: 1/2 c. mayo or salad dressing, 4 tsps Dijon mustard, 1 TBSP honey (I melt in the microwave for a few seconds for easier blending)

Oh...and for Pete's sake, make them clean up the kitchen....

...or otherwise, what's the point?!

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Comments

Sep. 17, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by teachingmisssmartypants

Aw, man! That made me hungry just reading it. I'll have to get over being such a control freak and allow my kids into the kitchen some day, too. Maybe when Lydia is 20. ;)