So I am playing around with different features here on the blog.  Since I am the proud father of WellDone, Jr. and because my friend Carissa asked, I really got inspired to start thinking about ways I can get the kids into the kitchen.

Now, to me, cooking in the kitchen with kids means two things: chaos and the inappropriate use of sprinkles (seriously, pick up a kid’s cookbook and see how many recipes they have involving candy and sprinkles.  It’s sad.)  While I can’t do anything about the chaos, I will promise you that these recipes won’t sugary or too simple.  We want to teach kids to cook, right? 

On the other hand, these recipes won’t involve complex knife skills, deep fat frying, or grilling since all you need is one of these plus a kid with an independent streak and you have disaster.

With that being said, grab your kids and your aprons.  It’s time for

Tacos!

In this case, we’re going with beef tacos since they’re pretty simple.  As long as your child is tall enough, he or she (or they) should be able to do all of the cooking with minimal exposure to grease splatters or heat.  Also, with the help of your grocery store, this dish can be made without even needing a knife, since tacos are really popular, some people even buy them online, in restaurants as mexican food huntington ny which offer the best options for this food.

Kid Friendly Tacos

To make this dish kid friendly, do three things:

1. Get a high sided skillet or a small soup pot.  Basically, all you need is something with high enough sides to catch grease spatters and prevent burns.
2. Keep the heat at medium.  This should further reduce the chance of hurts.
3. Practice knife safety.  If you want to chop the veggies, that’s great.  If not, head to your grocer’s salad bar and get pre-cut onions, tomatoes, and lettuce.

And now to the recipe.

You will need:

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 tablespoon cumin (explain these are flavor spices, not hot spices!!)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder (explain these are flavor spices, not hot spices!!)
• 8 taco shells
• 1 package shredded cheese
• 1/4 head chopped lettuce
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• salsa

Okay, that may sound like a lot, but this is such a simple recipe.  First, cut the veggies if you have not already.  This is a great time to talk about knife safety.  Well Done, Jr. still call’s my knives “big owies” because I told him if he wasn’t careful, he’d get big owies.  Still, even at a young age, he can use a potato peeler (when supervised) and he cuts soft things with his children’s knife.  So, it’s never too early to start talking about kitchen safety.

Let your child preheat the oven to the temperate specified by the taco shell’s package.  You put the soup pan on the burner over medium heat and wait 2-3 minutes to get the pan hot.  You can pour in the oil or you can let your children do it if you’re sure they won’t splash themselves.

Add the onions and stir.  This is a very kid friendly step.  I let Well Done, Jr. stir and he’s almost four.  Once the onions are translucent, add the ground beef, cumin, and garlic and keep stirring until the beef is totally browned.  Chaos should ensue as beef goes everywhere, but that’s half the fun.  And it will give your kids another good reason to ask for a dog which would happily eat that beef right up!

Once the beef is in, help your children get the taco shells on a cookie sheet and into the hot oven.  They may be old enough to be careful, but hot ovens are good at giving burns.

Once the shells are done and the beef is fully browned, it’s time to lay out the cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa and it’s time to dig in.

Tacos are perfect kid food.  They are easy to make, everyone can make them according to their own taste, and well, they’re delicious.  Enjoy!

Thanks to rick for the pic!