Summer is the perfect time to introduce kids to the wonderful world of cooking. This week’s menus offer you tempting recipes that are easy enough for little ones to help prepare, yet delicious enough to appeal to everyone in the family. Not only can you teach your youngsters some of the basics of meal preparation, you might just get them to try a few new foods.

Plan-Ahead Time-Saver:
Making a batch of Easy Chocolate Brownies at the beginning of the week gives you plenty of leftovers to use for dessert for the Mac and Cheese Made Easy Menu as well as for snacks or special treats.

Kid-Pleasing Stuffed Pocket Menu
Here’s a quick meal to enjoy after that Little League game, a soccer practice, or an afternoon at the pool. Have the kids help you make the brownies, chop the pepperoni, and cut up the vegetable dippers earlier in the day. Then, quickly put together the rest of the meal when you get home. Be sure to set aside some of the brownies for the parfaits in the Mac and Cheese Made Easy Menu.

Top Chef Tip: To store the brownies, cut them into bars and place the bars in an airtight container, separating the layers with waxed paper. You can keep the brownies at room temperature for up to three days or freeze them up to six months.

The Menu

• Vegetable dippers (baby carrots, celery sticks, and bite-size florets of broccoli and cauliflower with purchased sour cream dip)
• Pizza Stuffed Pockets (makes four pockets)
• Easy Chocolate Brownies (use leftover brownies for parfaits in Mac and Cheese Made Easy Menu)

Baked Chicken Fingers Menu
With this easy recipe, the kids can enjoy restaurant-style chicken fingers right at home. Even better: the chicken is baked, not fried. Show the kids a little about balancing a meal by serving carrots (or another favorite vegetable) and coleslaw with the chicken. Letting the children choose their favorite fruits for dessert is a delicious and healthful way to round out the meal.

Top Chef Tip: Here’s an easy way for kids to make coleslaw. Pick up a bag of shredded cabbage with carrot (coleslaw mix) and a bottle of coleslaw dressing, and let the kids mix them together.

The Menu

• Baked Chicken Fingers with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce
• Carrots
• Coleslaw (purchased from the deli counter or homemade)
• Assorted fresh fruits (watermelon chunks, cantaloupe chunks, seedless green grapes, peach or nectarine slices, strawberries, and/or pineapple chunks)