Aren’t those adorable? When I was a little girl, I heard about a recipe for Celery Race Car Snacks and beggggggged my mom to make them with me. She did – just once – and I was totally smitten. I made them myself a few times as I got older, but eventually stopped.

When celery appeared in my CSA box last week, the idea immediately popped into my head. I could practically taste the creamy peanut butter on the crispy, cool celery. YUM! I am not a huge fan of celery, but when prepared this way, who can resist munching on it?

The best part is that this recipe can almost entirely be kid-made. Your child will need enough hand control to handle a dull knife (or be willing to accept help from you). Will and Paige both spread their own peanut butter in (Paige did need a little help). Next comes the assembly. You need a little mom-muscle to insert the toothpicks. Will took care of attaching his own wheels. Meanwhile, Paige lined her carrots up for easy stabbing (which I did, at her request). Finally, you add the chocolate chip driver — which is something any kid can do. Then it’s time to eat.

Doesn’t this beget playing with your foods? Well, yes, but sometimes that’s a good thing. Will tried — and loved — celery for the first time today. Paige wasn’t as fond of it, but she is certainly building a comfort level by touching and exploring its crevices. Generally, I am totally anti-playing with food, but really this is one time when it’s just A-OK. I thought mine might want to make race car noises and race them around their plates. Um. No. Once the driver was eaten and the wheels removed, they both turned them into pirate ships before devouring.

It’s a car! It’s a craft! It’s super fun.

In fact, I answered yes before I figured out the details of how I would manage to steal away for a few days sans kids.

Every time I think about the panel, I smile. I am speaking with two great food-blogging moms: Stefania from CityMama and Danielle from Foodmomiac. We spoke a few weeks ago about our perspectives and ideas about raising kids who eat well. I couldn’t help but feel a connection to these women as our perspectives aligned.

It’s sure to be a great panel. If you are headed to BlogHer, plan to drop in and listen!

In the meantime, I am hard at work preparing for the panel. I’ve been thinking hard about why my kids will try pretty much anything and why their food interests are so ranging. Here are five things I do, that you can too.

5 Tips for Getting Your Kids to Try New Things

1. Let them touch it. Look, we all were taught not to play with our food, but seriously sometimes getting wrist deep in dough or getting all touchy-feely with a veggie can be great for kids. It really helps them open up to foods they haven’t tried before.
2. Let them help you. Like #1, getting kids involved in the cooking process really helps kids to open up to new foods. Sure, a completed loaf of Zucchini Bread might be a little intimidating, but if you see if go from simple ingredients like zucchini, flour, sugar and oil to a loaf, then it’s not so much.
3. Show them where it comes from. If you live near a farm, it’s an awesome adventure for kids to see where their food comes from. Call ahead and the farmer may even let your kids walk through the crops and see peppers still on the plant and tomatoes ripening on the vine. Or, you can also take your kids to local Pick-Your-Own fields to experience harvesting first-hand.
4. Don’t assume they won’t like it. It does kids a great disservice if you just up and assume that they aren’t going to enjoy something. Kids are surprising and if you approach new foods with the belief that the idea that it could be their new favorite food, then they are more likely to want to at least taste it.
5. Don’t expect them to scarf it the first time. All it takes is one bite. Maybe it will be an insta-hit. Maybe they will tolerate it. Either way, eating just one bite of an unfamiliar food is a big step towards being open to trying new things. Plus, but requiring just one bite, you create an eating culture that encourages being adventurous.

And hey, readers, are you going to BlogHer ’10 in New York next month? Let me know in the comments if you will be there. I would love to meet and speak to you in person!

If there is one thing my kids love, it’s options. So, when I suggested that we make our own smoothies this afternoon, they were both totally psyched. We were in the grocery store when I mentioned it and Will’s reaction was priceless. “Smoothies? Really?!? Yay!” Then, when they saw the array of ingredients spread out on the counter, they were beyond delighted.

I started out by asking each of them if they wanted a creamy or an icy smoothie. They both choose creamy, so we started with a half cup of plain yogurt each. Then, they choose their fruit (strawberries and pineapple for Paige and banana and strawberry for Will). Finally, we topped it off with a 1/4 cup of milk and blended it all to perfection.

They loved that they got to dictate the flavors and also blend the drinks themselves. I love seeing the sense of accomplishment when they do things like this. It makes every spill and drip 100 percent worth it.

They both loved their creations. Paige’s was lightly sweet with a flavor that made her say “Oh! Yum!” Honestly though, I wasn’t as big a fan of her combination (no matter — it only really mattered that she liked it). And Will sucked his Strawberry Banana Yogurt Smoothie down in record time. Yes, he loved it.

For my part, I made a Banana Pineapple Smoothie … a light, chilly, refreshing drink with coconut water, banana, pineapple and ice. It was A-MAZING. Totally a must-make.

What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

P.S. Cate and I joke about being on the same wavelength … so you’ll imagine my surprise when I checked her blog tonight. This was a total coincidence. But head over to Sweetnicks for a Pineapple Orange Smoothie Recipe.

Our family is off having fun this week (check in Friday for pics, details and more!), so we’re pretty busy. But don’t worry: There is a whole great line-up of recipes that will post this week.

Today’s is a great, easy homemade iced tea. We all love iced tea and this one is a wonderful, refreshing one, perfect for any adventure. And hey, how timely! This month is National Iced Tea Month. Who knew that such a thing even existed!

This is a great, fast thing to make with children. My kids and I gathered in the kitchen this morning, measuring and counting out tea bags to get this ready to go.

It’s a fantastic way to practice counting skills and reinforce number recognition with your kids. We counted the tea bags by 2s, which is a great skill for my almost-5-year-old. And Paige, who is wise beyond her years, helped me figure out when I hit the four cup line on my measuring cup when measuring the water and apple juice.

As for the beverage itself? This is a ridiculously easy recipe for making iced tea. Sweetened with apple juice (a trick I picked up from my cousin when she introduced me to a fab Barefoot Contessa iced tea), you don’t have to worry about settling sugar or getting the proportions perfect since the measurements are just so easy. We use a funnel to make pouring the brewed tea way easier.

You’ll need a 1-gallon pitcher for this one. I picked mine up at Target. Splurge for a good one … the seal is so much better and you are way less likely to have spillage.

Off to our adventure … but be sure to check in this week — I have a great orzo recipe for tomorrow and a wonderful guest post on Wednesday. Total must-read from a fabulous blogger.

Easy Mango Iced Tea
yields about 1 gallon

8 cups water
16 mango black tea tea bags
8 cups chilled apple juice
ice

Boil the water. Add the tea bags and let brew for 10 minutes.

While the tea is brewing, add the apple juice to a 1 gallon pitcher.

Strain the tea bags using a heavy duty spoon and a fine mesh strainer. Discard the used tea bags. Pour the brewed tea into the pitcher. Add enough ice to make it one-gallon. Chill until ready to serve.

Today is Will’s last day of preschool. Ever. I can hardly believe it. You always hear people say that children grow up so quickly, but only in experiencing it can you appreciate just how true that is. It seems like just yesterday that I was uncomfortably pregnant with him and now he’s almost 5. Time really does fly.

I’ve been thinking the same thing about Paige recently … she’s gone from round-faced baby to thinking, plotting, planning little girl in no time. The other day, I was working on a recipe (this recipe, in fact), when Paige pulled up her trusty pink stool and started asking questions. I was photographing some cubed chicken at the time. She wanted to know what it was, why I was taking pictures and what I was going to do with it.

She followed me through the kitchen as I added all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and then stirred it all together. I explained every step of the process as I went, with her listening and watching intently and with great curiosity. She is at a point where she really wants to understand everything she sees.

These children … they are amazing.

In regards to this sandwich … it’s a wonderful, easy fast lunch that involves no heating of the kitchen (SCORE!). Perfect for hot days … or any day … the combination of briny olives, crunchy bits of cucumber, moist chicken chunks, creamy, salty feta and an easy dressing is fabulous on pita bread. For the chicken, I used leftover grilled chicken, but you could easily substitute rotisserie chicken or even those premade chicken strips (Trader Joe’s sells them in the freezer section).

It’s definitely a crowd pleaser.

Greek Chicken Salad Sandwiches
serves 4

1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/4 tsp kosher salt
??1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried basil
sea salt and ground black pepper
4 small (about 4″ round) pita breads or two regular size ones

Combine the cucumber and the kosher salt in a mesh sieve over a bowl or the sink and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the chicken, kalamata olives and feta cheese in a medium bowl. Set to the side.

In a small bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, olive oil and dried basil. Set aside.

Press gently on the cucumbers to remove any excess water and gently shake the sieve. Then, pour into the bowl with the chicken mixture. Stir to combine. Pour the dressing (the white wine mixture) over and stir well. Let sit for a minute or two before using.

Cut the pita bread into two half-moons. Divide the chicken salad evenly among the halves.

If using small pita breads, two halves is a serving. If using regular size ones, one-half is the serving.

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Hope you and yours are enjoying a lovely day together.

We woke up late this morning, had a little breakfast and then made a big batch of these cookies together. These cookies are a little hardier with a touch of oats, which makes them perfect for ice cream sandwiches (just take two cookies, spoon a little ice cream in the center, smush together and freeze until set). These will be the perfect dessert for the pool party we’ll be attending later today.

As for cooking with kids, cookies are perfect for making with your children since they offer ample opportunity for kids to get involved — even very young ones. Just be careful to realize if a step is just beyond your child’s ability. For instance, Paige today dropped two spoons into the running mixer while adding the flour … turns out, she still needs help holding spoons since she tends to let go once the flour is added.

What have you been cooking with your kids (or grandkids or nieces and nephews) lately? Share!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Hint of Oats
yields 3 dozen cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup oats (not quick-cook)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. KID STEP: Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

KID STEP: Sift together the all-purpose flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy in appearance. KID STEP: Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture a little at a time, until fully incorporated.

KID STEP: Add the eggs to the mixer one at a time, beating until incorporated after each mixture.

Add the chocolate chips to the mixer and mix for a few seconds to combine.

Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each mound. Cook for 9-11 minutes, until golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

With the mixer already swirling together butter, sugars and vanilla beans yesterday, all I could think was how much I hate that famous quote about necessity being the mother of all invention. It was playing on repeat in my head since mid-baking, I discovered that we were out of all-purpose flour.

So, I abandoned the recipe I was making and made Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies with a good amount of vanilla beans. My departure ended up creating these wonderful, chewy, chocolatey cookies … oh, they are divine. Buttery flavors, a fabulous texture and all that chocolate … YUM!

Something else good that came from making these? Will got to try something new … he broke the eggs for the dough. A few weeks ago, his school had a lovely Mother’s Day tea and one of the other moms mentioned that she loves to bake and her son often bakes with her. In talking about it, she told me that he loves breaking eggs, which is something that I have shied away from letting Will do before.

With a little help though, I discovered that Will is ready for this task … and better yet? It’s the most effective egg breaking I’ve done in a long time. Recently, I’ve had a problem getting a good clean break when cracking eggs. But this time? Clean and perfect. Guess I have a new egg breaker!

He also added the dry ingredients to the mixer, something he’s an old pro at.

I love cooking with Will. He loves to understand all the hows and whys of what we do. And while his never ending questions are really never ending, they are also such great questions. Why are you adding baking powder? What does it do? Why do you use so much flour? And even when he doesn’t help me make something, Will always wants to know how foods are made. He asks me about what ingredients I used, what steps I took … it’s awesome.

Are your kids interested in cooking? How do you encourage their interest?

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
yields about 24 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 vanilla beans (the seeds)
2 large eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla beans (scrape the seeds into the mixer) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until fluffy on medium-high speed.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.

With the stand mixer running on its lowest speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture one scoop at a time, until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the cookie dough in one-tbsp rounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between mounds.

Slide the tray into the oven and cook for 9-11 minutes, until golden on the edges. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

It’s spring break in the Caron household and we are ready for adventure!

Originally, I had hoped to whisk my kids (and my husband, if he could go) off to Florida for spring break this week. Unfortunately, it’s just not happening. I could blame it on many things (the budget, my work schedule, etc), but ultimately it just comes down to two things: I am not sure that my nine-year-old car is really up for that magnitude of a trip and I am willing to save the cash we would have spent this week for some fun vacay stuff this summer. Hopefully next year we can make it to Florida.

So, instead of that road trip, we are sticking close to home this week and having adventures all over the place. It’s going to be a very active week for us … we have plans for long walks, fun hikes, trips to the park and zoo and so much more.

It’s also a bit of a break week for my kitchen. Although I am still cooking, we are going uber simple for meals. As much as I love creating, I need a little break too. So, instead of a complicated Cooking with Kids recipe, this is our special (but oh so simple) trail mix for this week.

This is a Will creation. I piled a bunch of potential mix-ins on the table and let Will decide what went in and how much of it. He was so excited to be totally in control of the making. And the result? It’s perfect for snacking on the go.

What do you like to take for snacks on the go?

Our Trail Mix (for this week!)

walnut pieces
sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds
pretzel sticks
coconut
Blueberry Craisins
chocolate chips

Stir it all together and stick in a resealable bag. Eat over the course of a week.

From the moment I saw the recipe for Vanilla Snack Cake in Family Circle, I knew we had to make it. Cakes aren’t something that I make often, but they are something that we all enjoy. That was Friday; on Saturday, we bought the ingredients and made it.

Of course … as these things go … I misjudged how much Agave Nectar we had and had to make a big substitution (a smaller amount of honey, since honey has such a dominant flavor). In the end, the cake came out a lot like the photo. Will, who made it with me, adored it.

To be honest, the cake is dense and the frosting is heavy on the cream cheese. Not my favorite, but it was pretty easy and making something that Will likes this much is 100 percent worth it.

Not only does he like this cake though, he’s also so proud of it – sprinkles and all (though he did note that the one in the magazine didn’t have sprinkles). To hear him talk about it is amazing … but what totally made me all gooey was when Shawn complimented Will on the cake and thanked him for dessert the other night. “Daddy, thank Mommy too. She made it too,” he said. He totally could have basked in the limelight for making a tasty snack cake … but he didn’t just do that: He made sure that everyone knew that we made it together. Love that.

P.S. One of my lovely readers nominated me for Babble’s Best Mom Food Bloggers. If you have a second, please let Babble know how much you like Sarah’s Cucina Bella by giving me a thumbs up next to Sarah Caron! (Thanks, Toni!)

Vanilla Snack Cake
yields 24 servings
Adapted from Family Circle, May 2010

Cake

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup honey
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking oil spray.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and use a whisk to sift together.

In the bowl of a standmixer, combine the butter and honey. Using the paddle attachment, beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat well.

Lower the speed of the standmixer to low. Alternatively add a little bit of the flour mixture and a little bit of milk, until fluffy incorporated.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan, using a spatula to spread flat.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out cleanly.

Let the cake cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
from Family Circle, May 2010

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
6 tbsp agave nectar

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter and agave nectar. Beat with a hand-mixer until smooth. Spread on cake and enjoy

Chill the cake in the fridge, covered, until ready to serve.

Everyone seems to have a recipe for banana bread. It’s such a popular thing to make that I thought long and hard before even deciding to do my own. Seriously, there are thousands of variations on this simple thing: using overriped bananas to make a fabulous bread.

Still, my kids adore bananas in a must-have-daily sort of way. So banana bread? It’s a natural fit for us. This particular version has a subtle banana flavor that is enhanced with meaty walnuts and smooth, sweet chocolate chips.

This is a fabulous dessert bread, perfect for after a great meal. Or, serve it as an awesome breakfast treat. I’m happy to have it either way. However you eat it, be sure to smooth a little butter onto a warm slice — it’s amazing like that.

This is also a perfect recipe for cooking with kids because there are so many opportunities for children to get involved in the process. From the peeling and mashing of the bananas to the measuring and mixing, there are so many prime opportunities for them to help make this bread. I love seeing the pride in my children’s eyes when they say that they helped to make something like this … it’s beautiful.

Will and Paige had a blast making this bread. And as soon as it slid in the oven, they dashed outside for more playtime. Thank goodness for spring … we’ve needed this reprieve.

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread
yields 1 loaf

KID STEPS: Peel and mash the bananas. Measure the ingredients. Add them to the mixer. Older kids can also help with preparing the pan for baking and smoothing the top of the batter before cooking.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan with cooking oil spray. Set aside.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the mixture looks light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating well each time. Add the vanilla and bananas to the mixture and mix well on medium speed.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer running on its lowest speed, add the flour mixture to the bowl little by little, until just combined.

Add the walnuts and chocolate chips to the batter and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread with a spatula to even it out.

Slide the pan into the preheated oven and cook for about 1 hour. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before slicing and serving.