Bonne Bouchee: Holiday Cooking with Kids

by Sandra S. Juneau

Remember those fabulous holiday dishes you loved so much as a child? Holiday cooking is a celebration of family traditions, and kids love getting into the act! As a child, if you were lucky enough to be included in the holiday cooking, you were doubly treated, with first tastes of delicious dishes being made, then anticipation of the full feast ahead.

Coordinating a full holiday meal can be overwhelming, so take the mystery out of holiday cooking and make it a fun, family affair. Include the whole family in planning the menu and let everyone pick a favorite dish. Keep it simple by breaking your holiday tasks into stages for do-ahead dishes and for last-minute prep, then assign teams of two or more to take charge of each dish. Your kids will be given the lifelong treasure of savoring the familiar tastes and smells of their holidays past. This will bring them visions of family feasts that will forever transport them to cherished memories of those shared traditions.

Hints For Cooking With Kids

• Always have adult supervision in the
kitchen with kids.
• Assign age appropriate tasks.
• Keep the recipes simple.
• Assemble all ingredients before starting to prep.
• Wash hands before, during and after handling food.
• Don’t let kids wear loose or overly long sleeves, and tie back long hair.
• Don’t let kids eat raw foods (like cookie dough), or lick fingers.
• Have fresh fruit or nuts handy for snacking.
• Invite your kid’s friends to join in and let them pick a cooking theme.
• Allow your kids to explore their natural culinary creativity—and keep it fun!

The Miller Family’s
Holiday Favorite

For busy moms like photographer Abby Miller, cooking together with all three of her kids—Stella, 9; Trevor, 6 and Gage, 5—has its own special rewards. Abby says, “It’s always a joy and quite therapeutic for me to spend time in the kitchen with my children, who enjoy helping me pour, chop, crack, mix, stir and, of course, taste! Their dream is to cook for me one day, but I’m not quite ready for that one yet!”

Everyone in the Miller family enjoys this Spinach Casserole as a holiday favorite. According to Abby, “My boys love this recipe so much that they request spinach on a regular basis. Now that’s music to a mother’s ears!”

Spinach Casserole

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 - 10oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of excess liquid
1 yellow or Vidalia onion, chopped medium
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons feta cheese
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper and Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil to medium heat, and then add onions, sautéing until limp. Add the tomatoes and whisk in the beaten egg. Mix in the uncooked spinach. Add cottage cheese and feta and season to taste with salt, pepper and Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.
Grease a baking casserole dish with remaining olive oil. Pour spinach mixture into casserole and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until sides are bubbly. Yield, 6-8 servings.

Celebrating Hanukkah
With the Brillers

Stephanie Briller and her daughters, Kayla, 7, and Brooke, 4, enjoy cooking for Hanukkah. This traditional recipe for latkes (potato pancakes) comes from one of their favorite books, called “Grandma’s Latkes.” Because the latkes are fried in oil, they symbolize the Hanukkah miracle, which celebrates the ancient legend of the sacred oil lasting for eight days after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. Stephanie explains, “Every year at Hanukkah we have a great party, which allows us to celebrate our religion and traditions with our non-Jewish friends and family. On this particular night of Hanukkah, we share the lighting of the menorah with our guests, have a traditional Hanukkah meal (latkes, deli meats, bagels, etc.), and await the arrival of the Hanukkah Fairy! When my husband was growing up, his grandfather would dress up as the ‘Hanukkah Fairy’ and come in and give all the kids presents. This is a wonderful childhood memory for him, a tradition which we now carry on with our children and extend to include our children’s friends and families.” Stephanie emphasizes, “The Hanukkah Fairy is not a traditional Jewish character, but rather someone my husband’s grandfather simply made up for his grandchildren!”

Grandma’s Latkes 

3 large potatoes, unpeeled but thoroughly cleaned
1 small onion, finely grated
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Applesauce—optional accompaniment
Sour cream—optional accompaniment

With food processor or hand grater, finely grate the cleaned, unpeeled potatoes into a mixing bowl. Add grated onion, mixing thoroughly. Add the beaten eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit for ten minutes to thicken. Pour off any excess liquid.
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, and then drop mixture by tablespoons into the pan. When latkes are brown around the edges, turn over and cook the other side until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

Many people enjoy latkes with applesauce or sour cream served on the side!
 
Roland Juneau and Sean Fury: Keeping Cajun Tradition
Whenever 12-year-old Sean Fury gets together for cookin’ with his grandfather, Roland “Poppie” Juneau, there’s bound to be fun in the kitchen or out around the grill. The holidays are especially great with so many tempting treats just waiting to be cooked up. True to nouveau Cajun tradition, the Juneau family now includes fried turkey and Sweet Potato Chips in their holiday feasts. Once the fryer is heated, it’s easy to throw in a few cut sweet potatoes and fry up some chips. Depending on their age, let the kids peel and slice, then have the dads or granddads tend to the frying. Kids love shaking on the sweet-spicy seasonings—and snacking is allowed at any age!

Sweet Potato Chips

Fresh sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (allow 1 potato per person)
Peanut oil for deep frying
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper, optional
1 paper bag for shaking seasonings

Slice peeled sweet potatoes into thin rounds, using a stainless steel knife or the vegetable slicer attachment of a food processor. Set aside. Heat oil to 350 – 375 degrees. Fry chips until they float to the top and turn a light golden brown, being careful not to burn them. Remove to drain on paper towels, and then shake chips in a bag with combined sugar, cinnamon and cayenne pepper (for a hint of extra spice). Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 250-degree oven until ready to serve.