Little Meals

Cooking can be good therapy for kids. Just ask Linda Franzo. “Back when I was a speech therapist, I used to work with physically challenged children, and I used cooking as a way to encourage them to talk,” Franzo says. “I got the greatest amount of speech with them when they were cooking.” Cooking as therapy evolved into a bookstore café where Franzo incorporated culinary lessons into story time, and today, she runs the Passionate Platter Cooking School in Slidell, La. “Kids naturally love to cook, and cooking can be great bonding for parents and their children—food and conversation are just the ultimate.”

Cooking with kids “doesn’t have to be a hassle, and indeed, it can be something as simple as making instant hot chocolate with whipped cream,” Franzo says. “Whether you and your children prepare slice-and-bake cookies or you make them from scratch, the end result is the same: your children still made something, and they received the same sense of accomplishment. And even the fussiest eaters, when they make something themselves, are more inclined to taste the food because they made it.”

By Jeanette Hurt, a food writer in Milwaukee, Wis. For a list of Passionate Platter classes for kids, go to passionateplatter.com or call (985) 781-4372.

Quick Kids' Pizzas

Mark Boughton Photography/Teresa Blackburn Food Styling

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Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 (13-ounce) can refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
2 ounces pepperoni

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Combine onion, garlic and oil in a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave at HIGH 30 to 40 seconds. Add tomato sauce and oregano; microwave 2 1/2 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Remember to use hot mitts when removing cup from microwave.
3. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Flatten each to a 6-inch circle and place on a large baking sheet. Spread sauce on dough; sprinkle with mozzarella and top with pepperoni. Bake 10 minutes or until bubbling. Serves 4.

Recipe by Linda Franzo, "Relish Cooking with Kids," May 2007.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 360 calories, 17g fat, 14g prot., 46g carbs., 2g fiber, 1100mg sodium.

Mini Stuffed Meatloaves

Mark Boughton Photography/Teresa Blackburn Food Styling

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Kids can make these fun meatloaves from start to finish.

Ingredients

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 slice deli ham (1 ounce)
1 slice mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup tomato sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine meat with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Shape to size of a 5-by-3-inch loaf pan.
2. Make a well down the middle of the meat. Place ham slice in well. Place cheese slice on top of ham. Close ham over cheese. Shape meat over ham. Place in pan and pour tomato sauce over top. Bake 30 minutes. Serves 2.

Recipe by Linda Franzo, "Relish Cooking with Kids," May 2007.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 180 calories, 7g fat, 28g prot., 3g carbs., 0g fiber, 1060mg sodium.

Puppy Chow for Kids

Mark Boughton Photography/Teresa Blackburn Food Styling

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Kids love the fun name of this sweet snack mix that is for people not dogs.

Ingredients

12 ounce bag chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter
6 cups Crispix cereal
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

1. Place chocolate in a large bowl and microwave at MEDIUM 1 minute. Stir until chips are melted. Add peanut butter; stir.
2. Pour cereal into a large bowl. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal.
3. Spoon sugar into a large zip-top plastic bag. Add cereal mixture and shake. Serves 10.

Recipe by Linda Franzo, "Relish Cooking with Kids," May 2007.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 330 calories, 14g fat, 6g prot., 50g carbs., 3g fiber, 170mg sodium.