Creating holiday memories in the kitchen
Corinne Powell December 10, 2012 3:50PM
Corinne Powell
Updated: January 13, 2013 6:03AM
As the holidays approach, involve children in the kitchen. The skills they learn will carry into adulthood, plus you’ll be creating wonderful memories. Here are a couple of recipes you may want to try.
Children and adults alike will enjoy making and decoraing these tree treats.
RICE KRISPIES TREATS
CHRISTMAS TREES
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 (10-ounce) package regular marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal or Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies cereal
Prepared green frosting
Red cinnamon candies
Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
Using buttered spatula or wax paper, press mixture evenly into 151/2-by-101/2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool slightly. Using 4-inch tree cookie cutter, cut into tree shapes. Decorate as desired with frosting and red cinnamon candies. Best if served the same day.
WRAP ’N’ STACK
SANDWICH TREE
Can’t decide what to bring to a tree-trimming party? Bring this edible tree. Made from mini sandwiches and trimmed with colorful vegetables, it can serve as a healthy alternative to the usual array of holiday sweets.
1 16-ounce can whole-berry
cranberry sauce
4 large (9- or 10-inch) spinach-flour tortillas or flat breads
Mayonnaise
3/4 pound thinly sliced Monterey Jack or American cheese
3/4 pound thinly sliced smoked turkey
1/2 head green-leaf lettuce
Toothpicks
Red and yellow bell peppers
Cocktail onions, for garnish
Spoon the cranberry sauce into a food processor and pulse it briefly.
Then lay the tortillas or flat bread on a flat working surface and lightly spread them with mayonnaise (a rubber spatula comes in handy for this). Now your kids can top each tortilla with a layer each of cheese and turkey. (Tip: When stacking ingredients, leave an inch margin along the top of the tortilla. Roll the bread toward that edge to keep the filling from falling out.)
Spread cranberry sauce on the turkey layers and cover them with lettuce. Snugly roll up the sandwiches, ending with the loose edges underneath.
With a serrated knife, cut each roll-up into 11/4-inch-wide pinwheels and insert a toothpick to hold each one together.
On a serving platter, arrange the pinwheels in rows to create a Christmas tree. Garnish with pepper-star ornaments (cut out with a small cookie cutter) and cocktail-onion lights.
VEGETABLE
CHRISTMAS TREE
Makes 20 servings.
1 bottle (8 ounces) fat-free ranch salad dressing
4 cups broccoli florets
1 broccoli stem
3 to 4 cups cauliflowerets
4 to 5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 medium carrot, sliced
Cover the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch glass dish with dressing.
Arrange broccoli in a tree shape, using the stem as the trunk. Place cauliflower around tree. Add tomatoes and carrot slices as ornaments.
