simple cooking that kids can do, ideas please

[KPPIP]

I will be looking after some children age 3 to 5 years and am desperate to find some very simple cooking ideas that the children can do. I know about chocolate cornflake/crispy cakes and also just icing a buscuit/small cake and thats it.
Please, please, please any ideas.

Bread! We made it for the first time a few weeks ago, and it was a real hit. Really messy, but great fun, and it feels like you've acheieved something!

Pizza?
I make the pizza dough in the food processor, they can help weigh out if wanted though you do have to wait 30 mins for it to prove (or buy ready made bases or muffins)

Then put out jar tomato pasta sauce, grated cheese, cooked bacon pieces, pepperoni, onion etc, the kids pile it on and its cooked 15 mins later.

On rainy days we sometimes get some of the ready rolled pre-pack pastry you can buy and make mini apple and jam tarts.
We're not fussy about perfectly shaped tarts....it's more a play dough which you can cook and really eat that makes it fun,

Muffins are good because you use oil instead of butter so the mixture is just stirred rather than beaten. Banana muffins are particularly good - dd really enjoys mashing the bananas with a potato masher. And they taste gorgeous, too. I have a good recipe if you're interested.
Bread is good fun, and gingerbread shapes using play dough cutters which can be decorated with raisins, sweets, icing etc. I like the sound of the jam tarts, Angelmother.

If you're making bread, the Jamie Oliver recipe he made on the beach is good. Can't remember exactly what he did but basically dumped a bag of flour on the counter and added water I think! Then put cheese, sun dried tomatoes, basil etc in and rolled it up. He did another one with sliced banana and choc spread I think. I've made these with DD when she was about 5yo and she really enjoyed it.

You could do marshmallow spiders. Large marshmallows, licorice laces cut into pieces for legs, mini M&Ms for eyes and some writing icing to stick the eyes on. The legs you sort of force into the mallow.

Lamingtons - search the web for a recipe but basically a rock cake i.e. fairly hard sponge baked the day before in a rectnagular tin. Cut into squares. Make up large bowl of chocolate icing. Dip cake into icing. Dip into bowl of dessicated coconut.

See www.nickjr.com they have some good ideas.

how about scones ? Theres a great recipe somewhere that has only SR flour , Lemonade and cream -really easy and quick (well its quick when kids arn't involved at least )
I'll see if I can find the recipe for you.
I'll have to dig around.

Gingerbread men are fun, and I remember when I was small (but probably bigger than 3-5) we used to make fudge- this simple version of chocolate fudge can be done in a microwave:

1 12-oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Place chips and milk in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Microwave, stirring at 1 minutes intervals, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth and thick. Pour into greased 8" square pan and cool. You can also melt the chips and milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat - just stir it all the time.

peppermint creams: Just icing sugar and little water with a drop or two of peppermint flavouring, and some green food dye, until it mixes together into a stiff paste. Then they can roll them into small balls with icing sugary hands, and lots of mess. Leave in the fridge for a couple of hours to get hard.

(seriously yummy )Banana choc chip Muffins.

1 egg
1/3 cup veg oil
3 ripe bananas
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 & 3/4 cups SR flour
1/2 cup choc chips

• Blend first five ingredients together
• Add remianing ingredients and stir, leaving lumps
• Pour into muffin cases
• Bake for 20 mins at 200oC (makes about 10)

Snickers, thanks for the peppermint creams recipe. We used to make these as children and I've been trying to think how they're done but I couldn't even remember what they were called, I just had a vision of minty blobs on a plate in the fridge! Blimey, pregnancy brain eh?

Kids love making fajitas(is that how you spell it)lots of wraps, chicken, salsa, etc. Then they roll there own.

Anything they can assemble themselves, like the fajitas and pizza ideas, always goes down well. Don't underestimate the attractiveness of the chocolate crispy cakes experience, though - there are good reasons why this is a perennial favourite.
Supervised use of a blender to make squishy fruit milkshakes is good too, and so is popcorn.

Buy some pizza bases and grated mozeralla and thinhs like ham and mushrooms and let them make up their own pizzas

I second the scones idea because they take the same amount of time to prepare as it takes for the oven to heat up and take about the same time to cook at it takes to do the dishes. At 18 months the sluglet helps bu tipping in the cups of flour and rummaging around with her fingers.

For each cup of flour use
Pinch fo salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
25 grams of butter.

Sift the dry ingredients and rub in the butter.
Make to a sticky dough with milk. Slap it around a bit on a board then cut the dough into squares (this can be done with a butter knife) Cook for ten to fifteen minutes at 220 degrees C.

To this basic mixture you can add cinnamon, raisins and a little sugar, or cheese or whatever takes your fancy.

Our favourites at the moment are flapjacks - dd loves making them and very easy too.

ok...here it is...
300ml cream
300ml lemonade.
3 cups sr flour (?) (this is where I get unsure as I am a non measurer)
just add wet to dry until slightly sticky and then fold on floured board and cut. (if too wet just add more flour as you do)
Makes a real nice light scone (not really sweet though which I prefer)

mmmmm flapjacks...now i want some!

coconut ice in different colours. Stuffed dates?

I peel cooking apples (Bramleys) and let my 3yo cut them into chunks with a playdough-type plastic knife. He gets to pile them into the pot, ready to be cooked into crumble!

He can stir other things at low heat, too.

We make Chocolate Truffles which are extremely messy (even for adults) but great fun. They are so simple but just divine.

1 can condensed milk (400g)
1 cup dessicated coconut
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 packet plain biscuits

Crush biscuits and mix all ingredients together (leaving some coconut for later). Roll into balls and cover with coconut and place in fridge.

I tend to use all of the coconut in the mixture and then use extra in a plastic bag to shake the balls in.

These are really yummy but the mixture is quite sticky so the kids will need to regularly lick their hands clean to be able to keep rolling balls. Putting them into a plastic bag and shaking them in the coconut will be fun for the kids too.

Just remember the kids, table and floor will be filthy by the end but it is such fun I think it is worth it.

make a jelly with them - vv simple indeed. Get them slicing fruit to add to it. Bananas are good since you don't need a sharp knife. My three year old loves slicing bananas. I just give him a blunt knife and away he goes.

If you want, get some cream and they can help you whip it.

Also there's always good old Angel Delight. Not very 'home made' but great fun to make - and it takes under 10 minutes from beginning to end.