Blog - Nursery Talk

Cooking with Children – Mothers’ Day Recipes

Little ones love to cook especially if it involves licking the goodies off a wooden spoon! It’s a fantastic way to spend time with your children – it’s fun, messy and in fact a great way for them to develop their confidence, learn about healthy food choices and develop a variety of skills including:

•      Maths – weighing and measuring ingredients
•      Science – mixing ingredients and observing what happens, discussing the process and seeing the end result
•      Time – seeing how long it takes to cook or bake
•      Creativity – decorating cakes and serving the dishes to family
•      Early Literacy and Communication – reading recipes and following instructions

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, why not dedicate some quality time to create delicious dishes and treats together?

These are some of our chefs’ favourite recipes that are certain to bring a smile to everyone’s face!

Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs with Herb Sauce – Jackie

Ingredients
500g boneless/skinless chicken breasts
15ml lemon or lime juice
15ml olive oil
½ tsp paprika
2 courgettes cut into ½ inch slices
8 baby tomatoes
8 shallots skinned
8 baby sweetcorn halved
1 red pepper deseeded and cut into 8 pieces
1 green pepper deseeded and cut into 8 pieces

Sauce
300ml plain yoghurt
30ml clear honey
15ml lemon juice
1 tbsp of chopped fresh mixed herbs
1 clove of garlic crushed

Method
1. Cut the chicken into small cubes. Place in oil, add lemon and paprika and mix well – leave to marinade for at least an hour
2. Oil 4 – 6 skewers (metal). Thread the chicken and vegetables onto skewers alternating until all ingredients are used up. Brush each kebab with any remaining juice
3. To make the sauce, crush the garlic clove with the flat side of a knife and add a little salt – it will become a paste. Then mix all the sauce ingredients together and put to one side
4. Grill the kebabs for 8 to 10 minutes turning during cooking
5. Once the kebabs are cooked, either drizzle the sauce over the kebab or place the sauce in a separate dish and serve separately

The kebabs can be served with rice or pitta bread and a salad.

Tuna Puffs – Jackie

Ingredients
500g packet of frozen puff pastry
2 x 185g of tuna
85g grated cheese
2 tomatoes
milk

Method
1. Thaw the pastry overnight
2. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6
3. Roll out the pastry and cut into 4inch squares to create 16 squares
4. Drain the tuna and flake into a bowl. Slice the tomatoes thinly and place a couple of slices in the squares
5. Put a little of the tuna mix and cheese on top of the tomatoes
6. Dampen the edges of the pastry with a little milk, fold one corner of each pastry square to form a triangle. Press the sides down to seal.
7. Place the triangles on a grease proof baking sheet, brush with a little milk and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden

Mother’s Day Hat Cake – Janice

Ingredients
225g butter
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Lemon zest
Jam
Pink icing
Rice paper flowers
Ribbon or bow if desired

Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
2. Beat the eggs and add to the butter mix
3. Fold in the flour and baking powder and add the lemon zest
4. Grease and line 2 round cake tins, pour the cake mixture and bake for 25 minutes (approx. 180 degrees but all ovens may vary slightly)
5. Turn out the cakes when cooled and cut one round smaller to make the top of the hat
6. Place the smaller round cake on top of the larger cake and use the jam to hold the cakes together
7. Cover the cake in pink icing and decorate with rice paper daisies. Use a ribbon or bow to decorate if desired