A-Z Dinners for Kids | Letter Z

The Meal:

Main Dish: Ziti (Baked)

Side Dish: Zucchini Bread

Dessert: “Z” Cookies

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Ziti Noodles:

1. 1 box of Ziti noodles
2. 1/2 cup of shredded cheese
3. 1 cup of pasta sauce

Zucchini Bread:

1. 3 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoon salt
3. 1 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1 teaspoon baking powder
5. 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6. 3 eggs
7. 1 cup vegetable oil
8. 2 1/4 cups white sugar
9. 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
10. 2 cups grated zucchini

“Z” Cookies:

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies
2. Any color icing (or black and white icing to create “Zebra” cookies

Cooking Directions:

Ziti Directions:

• Cook Ziti according to box
• Drain, and add into a cooking pan
• Cover with sauce and cheese
• Pop it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes or until Cheese is sufficiently melted

Zucchini Bread Directions:

• Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl
• Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans
• Bake for 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool

Outcome:

The Zucchini Bread is a great opportunity to get your kid to eat something somewhat healthy :).  I actually tell them its a kind of cake, and they eat it up.      I did the cookies with the icing because it’s an easy, no mess way to include the kids in the preparation.   They had fun putting the icing on, and even more fun eating it.   It was also great writing practice for them!

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A-Z Dinners for Kids | Letter T

The Meal:

Main Dish: Tuna Casserole

Dessert: Tarts

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Tuna Casserole:

1. Tuna
2. 1/4 cup of Mayo
3. 1/4 Chopped Onion (finely chopped)
4. 1 tablespoon of Relish
5. 1 box of Mostaccioli
6. 2 Cups of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
7. 1/2 cup of French Fried Onions

Tarts:

1. 12 frozen tart shells
2. 2 cups of milk
3. 3/4 cup of Riches Cream
4. 1/4 cup Corn Starch
5. 1/8 teaspoon of Salt
6. 4 Egg yolks
7. 2 tablespoons of Butter
8. 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
9. 1/2 cup of Strawberries
10. 1/2 cup of blueberries

Cooking Directions:

Tuna Casserole Directions:

• Cook Mostaccioli according to box
• Combine Tuna, Onions, Relish and Mayo in a 9×13 baking dish and mix well
• Sprinkle half the cheese over the tuna
• Drain the Mostaccioli noodles and put them on top of the Tuna and Cheese
• Add the rest of the Cheese
• Finish it off with the French Fried Onions
• Pop it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes or until Cheese is sufficiently melted

Tart (Custard) Directions:

• Cook Tart Shells in the oven at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes (or until browned)
• Combine Milk, Sugar, Cornstarch, Salt and Egg Yolk in a bowl (microwavable)
• Blend for about 5 minutes
• Place the bowl in the microwave and cook on high for 6 minutes
• Let Custard cool for 2 minutes and then whisk it until smooth
• Add the Butter and Vanilla and continue whisking until smooth
• Spoon the custard into each tart shell until full
• Cut up berries and place on top of each Tart

Outcome:

I have picky eaters, but they will always eat Tuna Casserole.  The trick is to give it to them with very little tuna, and lots of noodles.  Slowly, every-time we serve it I add a little more of the tuna to their servings.  Now, they love it and I don’t have to down the tuna servings!  The tarts came out awesome!  It’s such a different dessert than we are all used to in the house, so it was fun to have.

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A-Z Dinners for Kids | Letter R

The Meal:

Main Dish: Ravioli 

Dessert: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Brownies

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Ravioli:

1. I cooked it from a pre-made frozen batch
2. Pasta Sauce

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Brownies:

1. 1 batch of pre-made chocolate chip cookies 
   
2. 12 Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
3. 1 Brownie Mix (oil, eggs, water)

Cooking Directions:

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Brownies:

• Press cookies down in each square
• Put a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in each square upside down
• Mix Brownies according to box and pour into each square- filling to the top
• Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes

Outcome:

Did someone say the best dessert of my life?  Yes, that’s right.  Basically, all of my favorite desserts in one.  You can’t go wrong.  Do it, I promise you won’t regret a second of biting into that chocolatey, gooey, peanut-buttery taste of heaven.

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A-Z Dinners for Kids | Letter L

The Meal: 

Main Dish: Linguine with Olive Oil, Parsley and Garlic Sauce

Side Dish: Lettuce

Dessert: Licorice

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Linguine:

1. 1 box of linguine
2. 3 table spoons of olive oil
3. 1 table spoon of Garlic powder
4. 2 table spoons of chopped parsley
5. a pinch of onion powder

Lettuce Salad:

1. 1 head of lettuce chopped up
2. 1 medium sweet onion
3. 1 yellow pepper
4. Croutons
5. Dressing of your choice

Licorice:

1. Twizzlers!

Cooking Directions:

Linguine Directions:

• Cook Linguine according to box
• Combine oil, garlic powder, onion powder and parsley in a pan on the stove
• Let simmer for 10 minutes (stir routinely)
• Pour over linguine and mix it in well

Outcome:

I am a plain pasta person, so this was very new for me, but I definitely loved it.  I made a less garlic version for the kids and they each had seconds.  I also made a rule that they had to eat the salad (sans dressing) in order to get a Licorice.

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