Thanksgiving is known for turkey, delicious sides, and tasty pies. Between roasting the turkey and cooking up all the side dishes, there’s little time left to make pies from scratch. Homemade pies can take hours in the kitchen, but not with these quick and simple recipes! Both recipes for Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie and French Apple Pie have the crust baked right into the pie itself – taking away tedious steps and saving you time in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

Whip toppings, if desired

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 9-inch pie plate.
2. Stir all ingredients except whipped topping until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled. Serve with whipped topping. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 6 servings

Tips & Tricks:

Save even more time on Thanksgiving day by making this pie ahead of time! It keeps great in the refrigerator and is delicious served chilled or at room temperature.

Ingredients:

Filling

3 cups sliced peeled apples (3 large)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

Streusel

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/4 cup chopped nuts

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons firm butter or margarine

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 325ºF. Grease 9-inch glass pie plate. In medium bowl, mix apples, cinnamon and nutmeg; place in pie plate.
2. In medium bowl, stir remaining filling ingredients until well blended. Pour over apple mixture in pie plate. In small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over filling.
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Store in refrigerator.

Makes 6 servings

Tips & Tricks:

If apple pie isn’t your favorite, try using peaches, berries, or pears instead of apples in this simple and versatile recipe!

Video:

For more tips and a video how-to by Cricket Azima, view the video below.

 

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

With busy mornings and kids headed back to school, it can be difficult to serve a nutrient-packed breakfast every day and easier to grab a sugary cereal or skip breakfast altogether! Breakfast is an important meal that gives your body and mind the boost they need to get going in the morning. Studies show that eating breakfast has great cognitive benefits, including improved memory recall time, improved grades, and higher test scores – meaning a healthful breakfast is not only important for your kids’ bodies to grow, but also important for their brains to grow. Help your kids start the school year off right by beginning their days with a high-quality protein breakfast to provide them with the energy and nourishment they need to make the grade!

Sugary Cereal Facts

Many kids’ breakfast cereals contain over 60% of the recommended daily amount of sugar in one serving, and some contain as many as six different types of sweeteners!

Breakfast cereals are one of the biggest sources of added sugars in young kids’ diets – ranking 5th – just after sugar-sweetened beverages, cookies, candy, and ice cream. Cereals with cartoon characters on the box usually contain the most added sugars, with a typical serving containing as much sugar as three chocolate chip cookies!

Eggs to the Rescue!

Stop that morning sugar high and prevent the afternoon crash by selecting a high-protein breakfast, like eggs, over cereals and yogurts that contain added sugar.

Eggs are naturally sugar-free and provide one of the highest quality proteins of any food available! A single egg has more than 6 grams of protein, with almost half of the protein found in the yolk. Not only is protein an important nutrient that is necessary for muscle growth and body repair, high-protein meals have been shown to keep you feeling fuller for longer than low-protein meals.

Quick and Easy Recipes

Get your daily dose of high-protein eggs with these delicious, simple recipes by Cricket Azima:

Breakfast Cake

Breakfast Pizza

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Labor Day is right around the corner – that means the end of the summer and the last of summer’s sweet berries! Make the most of summer’s final bounty with a simple, delicious dessert that’s perfect for your Labor Day barbecue. This strawberry shortcake recipe made with biscuits comes together in a flash and is sure to be a hit with young and old, alike!

Ingredients:

1 quart (4 cups) strawberries, sliced
¼ cup sugar
2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick® mix
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
½ cup whipping cream

Servings: 6

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. In large bowl, mix strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside.

2. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.

4. Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.

Tips & Tricks:

To save time and add some fun, set up a make-your-own strawberry shortcake dessert bar! Kids will love getting hands-on and making their own fruit-full creations.

Video:

For other tips and a visual guide of the recipe, view the video below!

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner.  Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children.  She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Summertime has a bounty of colorful fruits and veggies to fill our families’ plates. With so many choices in the grocery store, sometimes it is hard to remember what is really actually in season! Our friends at Cooking Light have put together a guide to summer produce, along with recipe ideas, and tips to picking out the perfect piece of produce. So get your families’ tastebuds ready to savor the  best that mother has to offer this summer!

Peaches

The state fruit of Georgia, peaches are in season from May to late September. To select, look for fruit that is firm; with a taut, unblemished skin; and no signs of bruising or wrinkles. If you smell peaches when you walk up to the stand, you know they are ripe.

Click here for recipes and tips!

Watermelon

You can find fresh watermelons between May and September, but they are at their peak from mid-June to late August. To select, choose a firm, symmetrical, unblemished melon with a dull rind, without cracks or soft spots, that barely yields to pressure. Some people swear by the “thump” test, but experts say that method is unreliable for determining ripeness. Rather, look for a pale yellow patch, indicating where the watermelon sat on the ground while ripening on the vine.

Click here for recipes and tips!

Plums

A plum’s skin is tart and a little rough, yet its flesh is sweet, soft, and juicy. When you cook plums, something magical happens. The sweetness of the flesh, tartness of the skin, and spectrum of colors come together in harmony. To select, feel for plums that yield slightly to the touch; but don’t squeeze them. Let the fruit sit in your palm. It should give a little. If you buy firmer fruit, though, don’t put it in the refrigerator or the kitchen window—put it in a paper bag in a dark place for a day or two. After the plum is picked, the sugar level remains the same, but the acidity falls, so it only seems sweeter.

Click here for recipes and tips!

Basil

There are more than 60 types of basil, all members of the mint family. Basil is available year-round in supermarkets, but summer is the herb’s best season. To select, look for basil that isn’t wilted and doesn’t have dark spots. And if you’re growing your own, be sure to harvest it on a sunny day, as the sun will bring out the essential oils that won’t be present otherwise.

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Figs

Keep figs stored in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator’s produce drawers, where moisture levels are higher. Figs require little work. Simply give them a good rinse, pat dry, trim the stems, and enjoy.

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Tomatoes

Heirloom is a term used to describe any tomato plant that’s openly pollinated (by wind and bees) and has been cultivated for more than 50 years. Seeds from the best plants are saved at the end of the growing season for future use. They come in many shapes and sizes—from the two-pound beefsteak to cherry tomatoes as tiny as currants. Because they ripen on the vine and are not stored under refrigeration, heirlooms are more likely than hybrids to have succulent flesh. But they vary in texture, running the gamut from firm, and barely seedy to soft and moist. Some seem at once juicy and firm.

Click here for recipes and tips!

Corn

A type of grass, corn is a New World food. May through September is peak season. To select, a fresh husk is the number one thing to look for. Nice deep brown silk tips or ends mean it’s ripe, but the whole silk shouldn’t be dried up. Open the tip of the husk to see if the kernels are all the way to the end of the ear; kernels should be plump and milky when pinched.

Click here for recipes and tips!

Eggplant

Store eggplant on the countertop—not in the refrigerator. Choose a spot that’s away from direct sunlight. Choose a container that allows for circulation, like a vented bowl or perforated bag. Peeling a standard globe or Japanese eggplant is optional. Leave the skin intact for contrast, or remove it for a paler look.

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Zucchini

Summer is the perfect time to savor just-harvested zucchini. It’s peak season is June through late August, but you may see zucchini in markets in some regions year-round. With its slightly curved cylinder-like shape, this green summer squash is perfect for blending with other ingredients or in simple preparations highlighting the taste of fresh herbs. Because zucchini has a high water content, it doesn’t require much cooking; raw, it adds nice texture to a salad of greens or a crudités plate. Like its yellow summer squash counterpart, zucchini is also a good source of vitamins A and C, and fiber.

Click here for recipes and tips!

Summer Squash

Unlike winter squashes, such as butternut or acorn, summer squash has edible skin and seeds. The most common summer varieties are yellow squash (also called crookneck), pattypan squash, and zucchini. Whether you’re gathering them from the backyard or from the supermarket produce bins, choose small, firm squashes with bright-colored, blemish-free skins.

Click here for recipes and tips!

Blueberries

Of all the popular summer fruits, blueberries have an advantage, nutritionally speaking. They’ve earned the distinction of one of the most potent source of antioxidants, which help counteract heart disease, cancers, and other types of illnesses. Blueberries are also full of fiber and high in vitamin C. To pick the best of the crop, look for powder-blue berries that are firm and uniform in size. Store them in a single layer, if possible, in a moisture-proof container for up to five days, and don’t wash until you’re ready to use them.

Click here for recipes and tips!

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner.  Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children.  She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.