Valentine’s Day – The Creative Kitchen

Cooking Light: Chocolaty Valentine’s Day Treats

TCK — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 10:30:22 +0000

Who doesn’t love a chocolaty treat every now and then? Our Friends at Cooking Light created simple chocolate treats that everyone is sure to love. Make this Valentine’s Day special by making these delicious desserts with your kids and loved ones!

Chocolate-Granola Apple Wedges

“Try something new and swap out the traditional chocolate covered strawberries for apples. If you can’t find Braeburn apples, Gala or Fuji varieties also stand up to dipping and add a touch more sweetness.”

Chocolate-Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

“Bittersweet chocolate and dried cherries lend the perfect amount of sweetness to hearty oatmeal cookies. Double the recipe and store extras in the freezer for whenever you need a healthy treat.”

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Drops

These no-bake cookies come together in a snap! Extra chocolate chips provide firmness, texture, and a shiny gloss to these cookies and allow for the use of less butter. Make this quick treat for parties or whenever your sweet tooth calls.

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.

Product Review: Choceur Mini Chocolate Bears

TCK — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 10:30:16 +0000

There’s nothing more smile inducing than Choceur Mini Chocolate Bears! They are sweet in flavor and shaped like cute teddy bears. Their mini-milk chocolate bears are individually to reveal a perfect bite of creamy, rich, milk chocolate – the perfect treat to make any child smile – young and old alike!

From the Mouth of a Kid:

The bears are so cute. I like letting them melt in my mouth!

From the Eyes of a Parent:

A special treat from time to time is always welcomed in our home and chocolate is the go to! These rich milk chocolate bears are the perfect little bite of pure milk chocolate goodness that my children and I love! Their high-quality flavor, affordable price, and adorable aesthetic make them a family favorite! My children loved learning where on the world map the bears came from.

Flavorful Features:

Choceur Mini Milk-Chocolate treats comes three holiday types:

Mini Bears
Mini Santas
Mini Snowmen

Choceur Chocolate also comes in bars in a variety of flavors such as:

Smooth White Chocolate
Dark Hazelnut Chocolate
Rich Almond Milk Chocolate
Creamy Milk Chocolate
Fruit and Nut Milk Chocolate
And more!

The Icing on the Cake:

No artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors
Naturally gluten-free
Made with real milk
Made in Germany
All-natural chocolate

Time to Eat?!

For dessert or a special treat.

Good to Go?

Yes, the small teddy bear shaped chocolates are individually wrapped. Note that they must be kept in a cool, dry place.

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.

Product Review: Gearharts Fine Chocolates Peanut Butter Pups

TCK — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 09:30:31 +0000

Halloween is here and it’s the perfect time of year to ease our chocolate craving so say “Trick or Treat” to Gearharts Fine Chocolates! Their Peanut Butter Pups are an exciting spin on the average peanut butter cup. Made from premium milk chocolate and Virginia artisan peanut butter, these peanut butter pups are a delectable, creamy treat that are cute to look at and fun to eat! You’ll even feel good about buying the pups—five percent of their sales go to Companions for Heroes, an organization that matches rescue pets to wounded veterans.

From the Mouth of a Kid:

The pups are so cute! I love them! They taste creamy and chocolaty, too!

From the Eyes of a Parent:

My family loves peanut butter and chocolate, so I was so excited when I found these better-for-you peanut butter chocolate treats! The pup’s dark chocolate face and toasted almond ears are a great addition to the milk chocolate and peanut butter, plus they’re adorable – not only your kids will think they’re cute!

Flavorful Features:

Gearharts Fine Chocolates Peanut Butter Cups come in two packages:

Peanut Butter Pups
Valentine’s Day Peanut Butter Pups Puppy Love

Gearharts Fine Chocolates also sell:

Chocolate assortments
Bars and Confections
Drinking and cooking chocolates
Gift boxes
Other specialty items

The Icing on the Cake:

Peanut Butter Pups are made from premium milk chocolate and are hand piped with Virginia artisan peanut butter. The pup’s face is made from dark chocolate and toasted almond ears.
Five percent of all Peanut Butter Pup sales go to Companions for Heroes, an organization which matches rescue pets to wounded U.S. war veterans.

Time to Eat?!

Peanut Butter Pups are great any time you or your family’s chocolate craving hits or for a delectable dessert.

Mix it Up!

Gearharts Peanut Butter Pups are great as a gift for other parents and their families or can be eaten at your little one’s birthday party.

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.

Cooking Light: Valentine’s Treat

TCK — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 23:31:20 +0000

Sometimes everyone needs a little treat! There is still time to make your family feel special this Valentine’s Day using commonly found kitchen ingredients! Our friends at Cooking Light have created a smooth and silky chocolate pudding recipe that everyone is sure to love. Forget the powder mix our grandmother’s used to use and make this simple recipe from scratch, no preservatives or additives here! So whip up a batch now just in time for a special Valentine’s dessert. And to make the treat extra special for kids place a little surprise at the bottom of the serving dishes, like a marshmallow or berry!

Chocolate Pudding

Custard-style puddings, like this one, often call for egg yolks because they possess thickening qualities and add rich flavor to the final dish. We also use corn starch in combination with the eggs because it adds a pleasing silky sheen in addition to thickening the mixture.

Click here for the recipe!

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.

Organic Valley: Beautiful Blueberry Cheesecake

TCK — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:02:05 +0000

Wondering what dessert to make for Valentine’s day? Why not a beautiful blueberry cheesecake from our friends at Organic Valley, made with LOVE for your special Valentine, that the kids can even help to make! Make sure to check out the notes at the bottom of the recipe to see fun ways that your kids can join in on the baking!

Ingredients

2 ¹⁄₃ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick Organic Valley Unsalted Cultured Butter
¹⁄₄ cup sugar
5 Organic Valley Cream Cheese packages
1 cup sugar
¹⁄₄ cup all-purpose flour
5 Organic Valley Grade A Extra Large Brown Eggs
¹⁄₄ cup Organic Valley Reduced Fat Milk 2% Milkfat
1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
¹⁄₂ teaspoon lemon zest
¹⁄₂ cup organic all-fruit blueberry spread

Please note: Begin preparing the cheesecake one day before you plan to serve it.

To prepare the crust:
1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Wrap outside of 10-inch-diameter springform pan with heavy-duty foil.

2. Food Processor Method: Combine all ingredients in processor. Blend using on/off turns just until crumbs are moist.

To prepare without a food processor (as we did)… Leave graham crackers in their plastic sleeve packaging and place into a heavy duty plastic zip lock bag. You may use a rolling pin to create the crumbs. Or set up the kids with clean socks and let them crush the graham crackers with their feet! Beware that the plastic bag doesn’t tear or burst. This is a great way for kids to help out in the kitchen and get their “sillies” out before the serious tasks of cracking eggs and measuring milk begin.

Place crumbs in a medium mixing bowl, add melted Organic Valley Unsalted Cultured Butter and organic sugar. Mix well.

3. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of prepared pan. Bake until crust begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool. Maintain oven temperature.

Make filling:

1. Using electric mixer, beat room temperature Organic Valley Cream Cheese and organic sugar in large mixing bowl until well blended. Beat in organic flour. Add Organic Valley Large Eggs one at a time, beating just until combined. Beat in Organic Valley 2% Lowfat Milk and organic vanilla. Carefully pour filling into crust.

2. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake cheesecake until just set in center and top is slightly puffed and golden brown, about 1 hour. Turn off oven; keep door closed. Let cheesecake stand in oven 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from roasting pan. Refrigerate until cold, at least 6 hours. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Make topping:

Stir organic blueberry spread (we used Cascadian Farms) in large skillet (not cast iron) over low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Add blueberries; toss to coat. Spoon blueberry mixture over top of cake, spreading evenly. Chill until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Now here’s the fun part! Run small sharp knife around sides of cake to loosen. Release pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Cut into wedges, wiping the knife after each cut. Add extra blueberry sauce on each individual piece if desired (the more the merrier!)

Kids in the Kitchen:

Cheesecake is quite easy to make, and children love to help out with every step! Maya and Mikaia loved creating graham cracker crumbs with their socking feet. We put on some fun music (Raffi) and the girls danced and hopped to their heart’s content.

Pressing the crust into the springform pan is something even the littlest kitchen helper can do (and it’s fun to snitch a taste, too).

Maya (age 6) practiced cracking eggs into cups, and handed them to me one at a time as I whirled the cream cheese mixture. Mikaia (age 3) poured in the flour, milk, and vanilla, while Maya learned the fine art of zesting a lemon.

The taste test…”It’s really creamy and cheesy and it turns purple in my belly” – Mikaia (age 3). Maya has a fascination with luxuriating in the bathtub, and felt the cheesecake would be a great accompaniment to a long bubble bath (Happy Valentine’s Day). “This is heavenly Mama! Can I eat it in the tub? Thank you cows for making all the milk for this yummy Cheesecake!” – Maya (age 6).

iVillage: Sweet and Healthful Valentine’s Treats

TCK — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:00:25 +0000

Feed your little sweethearts something sweet on Valentine’s day, AND good for their bodies too! Our friends at iVillage put together these scrumptious snacks that are adorable, easy to assemble and healthful too.

Pancake Love Notes
For kids who “heart” pancakes, start the day with a sweet breakfast message. Put pancake batter in a squeeze bottle and help your kids spell out Valentine love notes or X’s and O’s. For a healthy twist, try this Green Tea Oatmeal Pancake recipe from Lisa Marie Nocera of Smart Food and Fit. Get the recipe.

Apple Heart Sandwiches
Who needs bread for a sandwich? Let the apples of your eye build their own healthy snack sammies. We love this idea from Happy Together, which combines sliced apples, peanut butter, granola and chocolate chips. Make it festive by using a heart shaped cookie cutter to “core” each apple slice. Get the how-to details.

Chocolate Pretzel Dippers Pretzel Sticks
Pretzel sticks get a seriously cute upgrade when they’re dipped in milk chocolate (or dark for you, mama) and topped with a candy heart. (Serve them up in a pretty paper cone if you want to get all Pinterest-y!) These dipped pretzels from Creatively Christy are easy to make assembly-line style, and hit that crunchy-salty-sweet snack trifecta. Get the how-to details here.

Strawberry Yogurt Cones
Want your kid to swoon over yogurt? Squeeze that ho-hum Go-Gurt tube into a waffle cone and top it with strawberries and a few candy sprinkles. (Go ahead and make one for yourself, too.) Get the recipe.

Fruity Cupid Kebabs
Let’s face it: Food is just more fun when it’s on a stick. So borrow this easy idea from Allergy Smallergy and slice fruit (melon works best) into flat pieces and let your kids cut them into heart shapes with cookie cutters; then help them thread the pieces onto bamboo skewers. Get the how-to details here.

A Week of Valentines: Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch & Strawberry Shortcake

TCK — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 01:59:40 +0000

Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli is a sweet bedtime story to tuck your little sweetheart into bed with on Valentines Day! This review of Somebody Love You Mr. Hatch from our friend Cameron Crane at Little Pickle Press outlines this adorable story that teaches kids about how giving special treats to the ones you love on Valentine’s Day can make your loved ones feel very special and make you feel very happy inside! AND just in case you want to make a special sweet Valentine’s treat with your little sweetheart after reading the story we included Cricket Azima’s delicious recipe for strawberry shortcake.

The Story: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch is the story of a lonely man who lives a very dull life. Every day, he wakes up and puts
on the same old suit and follows the same old routine. He goes to work, he reads the paper, and then he goes to bed. One day his routine is interrupted by a knock on the door. To his surprise, the mailman delivers him a very special package—a heart shaped box of chocolates with one simple message: “Somebody loves you.” Mr. Hatch is blown away. Suddenly, his life doesn’t feel so dull. After all, how can life be dull if somebody loves you?

The next day, Mr. Hatch is sure to be extra nice to everybody in the neighborhood. He even bakes delicious brownies for each and every one of the children. Life for Mr. Hatch is more delightful than ever, when suddenly the mailman knocks on his door once more. This time, the message he brings is not so wonderful—the package he delivered was meant for somebody else.

When Mr. Hatch comes out of his house in his old drab suit, and once again begins to follow his same old routine, the community bands together to lift his spirits and show him just how loved he truly is.

Recipe: Strawberries are sweet just like you! Check out this video from Cricket and Betty Crocker with tips to make the perfect strawberry shortcake just in time for Valentine’s Day. And to make this treat extra special use a heart shaped cookie cutter for the biscuits!

Cooking Light: 100 Calorie Chocolate Hits

TCK — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:59:54 +0000

Love chocolate but are nervous about the calories? Then look no further than these tasty 100 Calorie Treats from our friends at Cooking Light. With only 100 calories these make the perfect Valentine’s treat for you and your family!

Pistachio-Coated Chocolate-Dipped Apples

Dip 3 apple wedges into 1 (0.375oz) melted dark chocolate square (such as Hershey’s). Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon crushed salted pistachios.

Mexican Chocolate Pudding

Stir 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper into 1 fat-free chocolate pudding cup. Top with 1 tablespoon fat-free whipped topping.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel

Smear the end of 1 pretzel rod with 1 teaspoon creamy peanut butter. Dip into 1 teaspoon melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Gooey Turtle Brownie

Drizzle 1 mini brownie bite with 1/2 teaspoon caramel syrup. Top with 1 toasted pecan half.

Crispy Chocolate Snack

Gently stir 2 tablespoons crispy rice cereal, 2 teaspoons chopped dried cherries, and 1 teaspoon toasted chopped almonds into 1 tablespoon melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. Dollop onto wax paper and let dry.

February Calendar of Events

TCK — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:17:59 +0000

Happy Sweethearts Month

Show your children or family that you love them through food this Valentine’s Day!

Enroll today in one of our Valentine’s cooking events!

City Treehouse Valentine’s Event

Ages 2 to 6. Saturday, February 9th, 3 PM – 4 PM

Treat your little sweetheart to a hands-on cooking class. Children will create sweet strawberry salsa and Valentine’s Day cookies, which they will wash down with delicious Organic Valley milk. To register please contact City Treehouse at 212-255-2050.

Valentine’s Event at Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center

Ages 2 to 5 (plus one caregiver). Sunday, February 10th, 12 PM – 1 PM

Ages 6 to 9 (drop-off). Sunday, February 10th, 2 PM – 3 PM

Ages 10 to 12 (drop-off). Sunday, February 10th, 4 PM – 5:30 PM

Calling all junior chefs! Make this Valentine’s Day extra-special by learning how to whip up a yummy, colorful Valentine’s brunch that will surely please the whole family. You’ll add sweet strawberries to homemade pancake batter, choose your favorite vegetable colors to fill fluffy frittatas, and say “I love you” with heart-shaped cookies, still warm from the oven.