2 recipes that lure kids to eat dinner
Ah, what to feed the kids? It’s a nightly dilemma heard ’round the country.
Some parents make dinner for themselves, then something else for the kids. At times, it can be the only way to get them to eat. I can see a certain 5-year-old eating a peanut butter sandwich while the rest of us are digging into a full meal. It happens.
Meal planning can get lax in the summer with fluctuating schedules. Now that school has started, so does the ongoing challenge of getting a meaningful meal off the plate and into a child.
Betty Crocker has posted 11 “kids most-requested dinners,” guaranteeing a clean plate.
We know kids like simple and have been known to eat the same food day in and day out for weeks. That’s comfort to them. (Think of it as the culinary equivalent to reading them the same bedtime story, over and over and over ...)
Often, pizza, bite-size pieces of chicken and spaghetti are the main hot foods you can get into them. Put together something with ground beef, tomatoes and cheese and you’ve usually got a winner. Nothing too spicy or exotic.
So, consider Simple Hamburger Hot Dish from the 11 kid-friendly dishes (see them at bettycrocker.com/recipes). The other is Smoky Barbecue Chicken Tenders, which actually can be switched to Ranch Chicken Tenders by swapping ranch dressing for barbecue sauce.
Either way, it’s something they can pick up with their fingers, because when they’re hungry, 5-year-olds abandon utensils.
See the recipes on Page 2B.
Contact me at sboyle@bnd.com, 618-239-2664 and follow me on Twitter @BoyleSuzanne. Write to 120 S. Illinois St., P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427.
Simple Hamburger Hot Dish
3 cups uncooked rotini, wagon wheel or other short pasta (8 ounces)
1 pound lean (at least 80 percent) ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (4 ounces)
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic powder and salt over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.
3. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar and pasta. Pour into ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish.
4. Cover dish with foil. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around edges. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted. Serves 6.
Tip: If the kids like things spicy, use 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chiles instead of plain diced tomatoes.
Smoky Barbecue Chicken Tenders
1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce
1 cup plain panko crispy bread crumbs
1 package (14 ounces) uncooked chicken tenders (not breaded)
Additional barbecue sauce, if desired
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. In shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. In large resealable food-storage plastic bag, place bread crumbs. Dip chicken into barbecue sauce. Place in bread crumb bag; seal and shake to coat. Place chicken on cookie sheet.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in center and bread crumbs are golden brown. Serve with additional barbecue sauce. Makes 4 servings.
Tip: Use any barbecue sauce for this recipe. Try honey, spicy or sweet barbecue sauce.
To make ranch tenders: In Step 3, combine 1/3 cup ranch dressing and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried) to replace barbecue sauce. Serve extra dressing for dipping.
This story was originally published August 29, 2016 at 9:24 AM with the headline "2 recipes that lure kids to eat dinner."