Recipes Your Kids Can Make with You

Kids love to get involved in the cooking process when you let them help out in the kitchen. Older kids can handle the oven and grill competently with supervision. What can you cook up with your kids this weekend? Note: For vegetarian alternatives to the recipes below, simply omit the meat.

Grilled Chicken Kebabs

Children love assembling these kebabs and making their own combinations of colorful ingredients. Serve over rice or with baked potatoes for an easy weeknight meal.

Makes: 6 servings

12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 vidalia or other sweet onion, sectioned into 8 pieces

1 can pineapple slices or 1 whole fresh pineapple, cut into chunks

2 red sweet peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1. Light the grill ahead of time to make sure that it is ready when the kebabs are finished.

2. Have the kids skewer the chicken, pineapple and vegetables in an alternating pattern. Fill each skewer two-thirds full without crowding the ingredients.

3. Add spices and olive oil to a clean half pint jar and shake until well combined. Using a basting brush, have the kids paint each kebab with the olive oil mixture.

4. Grill on hot grill, turning occasionally until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

5. Remove from skewers to serve, although kids often like to eat the chicken and vegetables directly from the skewers.

Nutritional info per serving: 238 calories, 9.8 grams fat, 21 grams carbohydrates, 16 grams protein, 312 mg. sodium.

Pita Pizzas

Making pizzas with kids is far more fun than ordering takeout or buying frozen. Kids love to personalize pizzas with their own particular method of arranging toppings. Top purchased pita breads with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella. Set out bowls with several different toppings and let kids go at it. Remind them to mark their pizzas with toppings so that they can recognize their own when they come out of the oven. Bake directly on the rack at 400 degrees until cheese is melted.

Suggested Toppings:

Chopped ham

Pepperoni slices

Sliced tomatoes

Diced green and red sweet peppers

Diced sweet onions

Sliced green or black olives

Pineapple chunks

Sliced mushrooms

No-Boil Tuna Pasta Bake

The old-fashioned way of making a pasta bake involves cooking the pasta in boiling water ahead of time, then adding it to other ingredients and baking it. There's an easier way that uses fewer dishes. Even kids can put together this simple one-dish meal by themselves.

Makes: 6 servings

1 16 oz. box pasta such as macaroni, penne or rotini

1 28 oz. can pasta sauce

28 oz. water

1 cup shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese (have kids shred cheese if not preshredded)

2 6 oz. tins tuna, drained

1/2 cup black olives, sliced

2/3 cup sliced white mushrooms

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Combine well all ingredients in a large, deep baking dish; it will appear watery. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees until water is absorbed and pasta is soft. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and serve hot.

Nutritional info per serving: 544 calories, 14 grams fat, 65.5 grams carbohydrates, 38.5 grams protein, 1.4 grams sodium.