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You are here: Home / Archives for Kids in the Kitchen

Kids in the Kitchen

Adorable Wilton Halloween Cookie Cutter Set PLUS Tips for Baking with Children

October 21, 2022 By Joi Sigers

Wilton Halloween Cookie Cutter Set

Wilton Halloween Cookie Cutters (Amazon link)

While I have always loved to cook and bake, it have never been more enjoyable and rewarding for me than when I am in the kitchen with one of my daughters (when they were children or today!) or grandbabies.

Children make the entire affair messier, slower, and considered (by some anyway) to a bit less “Instagram-worthy” – however, they also make it all a perfect and absolute joy. More about cooking and baking with children in a moment, but first I want to show and tell you about a wonderful set of Halloween Cookie Cutters (Amazon link) from Wilton. They’re pictured above and in many of the photos shown below of me and Maddox (4) in action yesterday.

Halloween Cookies with Maddox

Halloween Cookies by Maddox!

His little brother Jacoby (3) fell asleep just as the cookies were coming together, so we plan to make more next week so he can take part. That ought to be worth the price of admission!

This adorable set of Halloween cookie cutters includes pumpkin, ghost, and candy corn shapes. We actually ran out of yellow food coloring, so we pivoted mid-cookie decorating and turned the “candy corn” into witches hats.

Halloween Cookies with Maddox

Pumpkins, Ghosts and an Unexpected Witch’s Hat

As Maddox said, “That works anyways!”

When we went shopping for our sugar cookie and icing ingredients, we grabbed some really pretty sparkly sprinkles for the ghosts… they’re very much glamour ghosts, you understand. Fortunately we (somehow!) still had some of the Wilton Sprinkles I told y’all about yesterday. Jacoby was (wide) awake for that one, so (trust me) having sprinkles left is thisclose to a miracle!

Halloween Cookies with Maddox

The Wilton Halloween Cookie Cutters (Amazon link) are extraordinary – VERY well-made and comfortable to use (for small hands and larger hands). Some cookie cutters are floppy and awkward, these are an absolute dream. I know they’ll be used for years and years and years with my grandbabies… all three will will make memories with me with these and that fills my heart with all kinds of sweet joy.

Tips for Baking with Children

Maddox using Halloween Cookie Cutters from Wilton

Maddox Rolling Out the Dough

  1. Through out boy/girl stereotypes. As a mother of three girls who always helped in the kitchen and three grandabies who are all boys (ages 2, 3, and 4…  how cool is that?). I will admit that there are many things that are quite different between the two. However, cooking is wonderful fun for everyone! Helping clean up, afterward, isn’t quite as fun, but with the right energy, you can make it  as fun as possible (putting on a song they love like “Monster Mash” helps). Never assume the little boy(s) in your family won’t enjoy cooking and baking just as much as the little girls. After all, think of all the male chefs in the world. Their passion very well may have started in the kitchen with their parents, aunts/uncles, or grandparents.
  2. Supervise, don’t smother! When cooking with children, you want them to enjoy the experience… you want them to, hopefully, fall in love with both cooking and spending time with you. One sure way to keep that from happening is to criticize or hyper-direct their every move. Let them get creative…. let them do as many (safe) things by themselves as possible…. let them have an eye-level view of everything going on (a chair helps with the real short ones!)… let them have fun… and, for goodness sakes, let them be kids! When my girls were small and now with my grandbabies, I obviously knew that if I rolled the dough, it would be more even and if I chose the colors or did the icing, it would look more “professional” but where’s the fun in that?! Maddox decided halfway through the icing that he wanted some ghosts that were his favorite color (blue), so by gosh, we made that happen. He said they were “Sonic the Hedgehog ghosts” and he even put red shoes on one of them! Unfortunately, he bit the shoes off before I could get a picture (the shoeless Sonic ghost is pictures somewhere above.. just look for the bite marks!). If you make a child feel successful and confident, he/she will be much more inclined to want to pursue the interest. Make him/her feel like they’re letting you down or that you have to “correct” or “fix” their every move and you’re going to lose the cutest help you could ever hope for.
  3. Obviously, keep them safe. This almost goes without saying, but I have to say it. Be sure they stay away from knives, hot pans, hot water, and the stove.
  4. Use it (and everything!) as a FUN learning experience. Turn off the tv, apps, and the outside world and just live totally in the moment with your child(ren). Count cookies, use math, teach color combinations, shapes, etc. When making cookies, all sorts of opportunities for new words come up (rolling pin, flatten, dusting with flour…). I also love the fact that lessons for “planning” and “reasoning” comes up… for example, when cutting cookies, deciding which shape can be used as the dough dwindles down or which shape can be used the most often. Maddox figured out at one point (as I watched silently… the best learning is ALLOWED to happen after all) that turning the triangle shape “opposite” ways allowed him to keep from rolling the dough again…. not that he didn’t love doing that!

Maddox Concentrating on Making Halloween Cookies

Maddox, Concentrating on His Ghosts!

Also, keep in mind that (to a very large degree) people love to be around us because of the way we make them feel. Make the children in your kitchen feel loved, welcome, and downright cherished!

I want to extend a large, heartfelt thank you to Wilton for sending me their WONDERFUL products in exchange for telling you about them. They helped me create extra special memories this Halloween and I know they will for many years to come.

Find Wilton’s Phenomenal Baking Products on Amazon (Amazon link).

Wilton Halloween Cookie Cutters, Sprinkles and Pie Crust Molds

Filed Under: Cookies, Fall Favorites, Halloween Treats, Happy Holidays!, Kids in the Kitchen, Kitchen Gadget Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: Baking with Kids Tips, cookie cutters, kids in the kitchen, Wilton Halloween Cookie Cutters

Wilton Halloween Sprinkles and a SIMPLE Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

October 20, 2022 By Joi Sigers


Sweet Jacoby with Cookie

Jacoby (3) With One of His Creations!

Two of my grandbabies and I made Peanut Butter Cookies recently and decided we simply HAD to use our Wilton Halloween Sprinkles on top… it is the Halloween season after all! Like all Wilton sprinkles, they’re perfectly delicious and have ZERO hint of an artificial flavor (some non-Wilton brands do taste a little artificial).

Cookies with Babies

Peanut Butter Cookies and LOTS of Sprinkles

Our Gluten-Free 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

  • 1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Egg

SIMPLE Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix your ingredients – sugar, peanut butter, and egg – in a bowl. You don’t even need a mixer!
  • Spoon cookie dough into heaps onto an ungreased cookie sheet (use parchment paper for easier cleanup).
  • Cust fork in sugar and use the tines to make criss-cross pattern on each cookie before baking.
  • Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Do not overbake! They’re best soft.

Sweet Maddox with Cookie Crumb Lips!

Maddox (4) with Sprinkle Lips!

Now, obviously, you can use these sprinkles judiciously and make VERY eye-catching cookies, candies, pies, cupcakes, and cakes… but if you’re lucky enough to have little kitchen elves, you can make a joyful, chaotic, and beautiful creation!

Cookies with Babies

Let the Sprinkles Rain AND Reign!

You can find a great number of Wilton sprinkles and sanding sugars (Amazon link) on Amazon. The one my little kitchen elves and I used, here, is available on their website and in stores.

Cookies with Babies

Filed Under: Cookies, Fall Favorites, Food Reviews, Gluten Free, Halloween Treats, Happy Holidays!, Kids in the Kitchen, Quick and Easy Recipes, Reviews Tagged With: baking with kids, cooking with kids, gluten-free peanut butter cookies, Wilton Cookie sprinkles

Rule Breaker Blueberry Lemonade Bites: Plant Based Snack Full of Flavor

August 1, 2022 By Joi Sigers

Rule Breaker Blueberry Lemonade Bites

If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for healthier snacks, not just for the children in your life, but for yourself and other adults as well. Unfortunately, it can be a bit of a challenge finding snacks that are guilt-free and healthy, without tons of sugar, salt or other ingredients synonymous with snacks. Snacks you WANT to eat, ENJOY eating, and actually look forward to having again.

The frustrating thing is the addictive snacks (the ones we enjoy so much and look forward to again and again) usually have addictive ingredients like sugar and/salt. Sure, healthy snacks without tons of sugar and salt exist, but they’re usually are SO lacking in flavor that you don’t want anything to do with them. In fact, they’re often so bad, you worry that they’ll turn the kids in your life completely against “healthy food” all together!

When I was asked if I’d like to sample the healthier snack alternative, Rule Breaker, in exchange for telling my food blog readers about it, I jumped at the chance. I’m always interested in healthy snacks for myself AND even more so, for my three grandbabies.

I believe that one of the biggest reasons we have such a problem with diabetes and with overweight children and adults in America can be traced back to most of us developing somewhat of a sugar addiction very early in life. That’s why I want so VERY much for my grandbabies to start eating healthy snacks today so they’ll enjoy them tomorrow.

When bags of Rule Breaker Blueberry Lemonade Bites came in the mail, I anxiously tried one. After all, the flavor combination is one I’ve been hooked on for ages – blueberry/lemon tea, blueberry muffins with lemon zest, blueberry/lemon smoothies, etc.

The first bite was a knockout of flavor – the lemon and blueberries battled one another for dominance and it was a pleasure to be caught in the middle.

  • These would make ideal snacks for kids to take to school with them.
  • Perfect for the office – they don’t need refrigeration. Simply keep them handy for a quick bite whenever the need arises.
  • Great, healthy afterschool snacks.
  • Great for kids to take to band practice, sports activities.. anyplace a healthy boost could serve them well.

The next day, I anxiously gave one to each of the two grandbabies who were with me (Jacoby, 2, and Maddox, 4). I’ll be completely honest with you (as always)… the four year old, at first, refused to take a bite. When I convinced him to at least try one, he wasn’t a fan. In all fairness, though, he can be a really particular eater.  He loves blueberries and the taste of lemon, however, so I thought he might buy into these.

So far not only has he not bought into them, he won’t eve lease one! I plan to try again really soon. I think he may have been expecting more of a blueberry muffin and it simply isn’t muffin-like.

His little brother Jacoby, however, loves them! He ate the one I gave him, the other half of Maddox’s, and then asked for more. He wasn’t expecting a muffin, so I think that worked to his advantage.

The flavor is a perfect 10, even if their appearance isn’t lmao… they simply aren’t terribly yummy-looking. The texture and “mouthfeel” are different from most things kids are used to (I really think this is where Maddox got tripped up), but if we can get kids to become more familiar with healthier food, these things won’t seem so unusual to them.

That’s the mission!

There are other flavors and varieties of Rule Breaker Snacks on Amazon (Amazon link) and I think most of them would be a big hit with kids (though I’m absolutely sure most adults will love these Blueberry Lemonade Bites as much as me and the two year old do!) and adults. Chocolate, Birthday Cake, Pumpkin Spice, Mint Chocolate Brownie, and Chocolate Chunk Brownie are the exciting flavors. All are wonderfully gluten-free and vegan.

True story: Jacoby just walked up to me at the computer while I was working on this review. He looked at the picture below, recognized the bag, and said, “My want some, MiMi!”

So… MiMi is off to give her adorable Jacoby a snack we both feel good about. I think I’ll even see if Mr. Picky Pants will give them another try!

Rule Breaker Blueberry Lemonade Bites

Rule Breaker Blueberry Lemonade Bites

Filed Under: Back to School, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Food Reviews, Health Food Reviews, Kids in the Kitchen Tagged With: healthy snack review, healthy snacks, healthy snacks for kids, Plant-based snacks

Boo-tiful Halloween Dip Bowl Set (Love This so Much!)

October 8, 2021 By Joi Sigers

Not sure how I ever lived without this ADORABLE Halloween Dip Bowl Set (Amazon link).  This time of year is so wonderful it defies description. I have always been (and will always be) completely obsessed with Christmas and Thanksgiving but, quite frankly, I’ve only comparatively recently become obsessed with Halloween.

Maybe the older we get the more we truly, truly appreciate things that are just wildly fun and come with zero expectations… things that simply want to make everyone smile.

That’s Halloween season to a tee.

There’s a certain magic when you combine kids with Halloween. Now the kids in my life are all either in their 50s (husband), 30s (daughters and sons-in-law) or toddlers (grandbabies!) and making them smile is the one thing in the world that makes me smile the most.

Okay, my cats would figure in there too but their smiles are more audible than visual.

This colorful, fun, and deliciously unique dip bowl set is available on Amazon (they have so many beautiful Halloween dishes and decorations, I’m having a hard time not buying everything!).

  • 2-piece set
  • Nested set of two dipping bowls feature debossed sentiment rims, hand-painted interior stripes and exterior icon artwork
  • Material: Dolomite
  • Size: Size: small 2″ x 3 1/2″ | large 2

Please see the adorable Halloween Dip Bowl Set (Amazon link) for a closer look.

 

Filed Under: Fall Favorites, Halloween Decorations, Kids in the Kitchen, Kitchen Decor, Whimsical Kitchen

Wonderful Sandwich Cutters for Delicious “Uncrustable-Style” Sandwiches

October 6, 2021 By Joi Sigers

Uncrustable Style Sandwich Cutter

Sandwich Cutter (Amazon link)

If you have kids of any age in your family, you may already be familiar with the wildly popular, delicious, and… well… a little costly… Uncrustables. They’re sold frozen and you can conveniently thaw one or more as needed (they thaw VERY fast.. much to the pleasure of hungry kids). My oldest grandbabies absolutely love them. They fit in their little hands perfectly, allowing them to roam from one thing to the next to the next to the next.

My grandbabies love the peanut butter and jelly ones, so I buy the strawberry and grape varieties often. Only problem is, they don’t come cheap when compared with good old-fashioned jelly, peanut butter, and bread. But the sandwiches (even when cut into winsome triangles) don’t make these little cuties smile as much and, frankly, my world is consumed by making them smile.

I found something on Amazon that makes us ALL smile even more. Me because they’re fun, economical, and (most importantly) make my little buddies smile EVEN bigger because they’re involved with creating their own “Uncrustable-Style” sandwiches!

The Sandwich Cutter (Amazon link) allows you to choose your own fillings – just be sure you don’t overfill because the goodness will come through the roof! Peanut butter & jelly, Nutella – with or without the peanut butter, ham and cheese, cheese blends, pimento cheese, chicken salad, tuna salad… the options are nearly limitless.

The instructions are given very clearly and simply on the back and there’s even more information on the Amazon page when you click through.

One of the coolest things is you can use this tool to make up a LOT of handheld little sandwiches and freeze them. They’re just as good after being frozen as they are when fresh. It’s kind of magic, if we’re being honest.

The fact that kids can help you make them is one of the biggest attractions. I am ALL for getting girls and boys involved in food preparation and in making discoveries in the kitchen. These handheld sandwiches are IDEAL for school lunchboxes, taking to the office, afterschool snacks, and even a quick breakfast.

They’re available on Amazon….. Sandwich Cutter (Amazon link)… and can be used again and again and again and again. Each “again” adds up the money saved! This would make a wonderful gift idea for anyone on your list.

Uncrustable Style Sandwich Cutter Instructions

See Sandwich Cutter (Amazon link) for a lot more information and photos!


Filed Under: 2021 Christmas Gift Ideas for Cooks, Back to School, Daily Gift Ideas for Foodies, Gift Ideas for Cooks, Kids in the Kitchen Tagged With: cooking with kids, gift ideas, kids in the kitchen, sandwiches

Bamboo Pig Cutting Board…. Yes, Please!

June 2, 2020 By Joi Sigers

I have always had a total, complete, and all-consuming love for pigs. If my cats (the one animal I have an even greater affection for) allowed it, I would have one – a female I’d name Patsy Swine.

Come on, how could I not?

I often blog about pig collectibles and kitchen items on the food blog because I’ve heard from so many readers who love them almost as much as I do. I say almost because none of y’all have a name picked out for a pig you’ll never have.

This gorgeous bamboo pig cutting board is from Amazon and I am in love with it. It speaks to everything my own kitchen’s decor is about – a rustic/whimsical approach, heavy on pigs.

Here’s the thing – I have always loved pigs greatly. I even began “collecting” pigs for the kitchen over 12 years ago. Then something happened that made me fall even further in love with them and made me want to have them outside of the kitchen as well as inside of the kitchen…. this “something” that happened is a precious, lively, adorable 2 year old named Maddox and he (along with the rest of my family) makes my world go round.

Since he was about 6 months old, he has LOVED pigs and cats (I keep telling people he IS my spirit animal). While he loves all animals, there is a certain, palpable joy that comes over his face and into his voice when he sees a pig or cat (real, stuffed, drawing, figurine…). If it’s a cat, he laughs and meows. If it’s a pig, he laughs and oinks.

Why wouldn’t I want more of that in my life??!


Filed Under: Daily Gift Ideas for Foodies, Gift Ideas for Cooks, Kids in the Kitchen, Pig Collectors, Whimsical Kitchen Tagged With: bamboo cutting board, pigs in the kitchen

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Welcome to the Get Cooking Food Blog

My name is Joi (“Joy”) and Get Cooking is where I celebrate some of my greatest passions: Recipes, kitchen gadgets, gluten free food reviews, gluten free recipes, pig collectibles, chocolate, cookbooks, and coffee.

Lots of coffee…

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What’s New on the Food Blog?

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T-fal… As Good as Good Gets

The T-Fal Cookware Set (Amazon link), above, is absolutely one of the best cooking sets you’ll ever find. It’s on Amazon and available in several gorgeous colors.

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Contact me through e-mail at joitsigers@gmail.com and/or connect with me through social media (see above). ~ Joi (“Joy”)

I do not claim to have taken all of the photographs on this website. I did not take any of the “product” or “affiliate” merchandise photos, nor do I claim to own them. If you are a photographer that sees something you want removed, simply e-mail me!

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