Monday, March 16, 2009

Fun for Kids- Turkey Burger on a Stick, Parmesan Popcorn and Peanut Butter-Oat Bars

Here are a couple of fun recipes for kids. I saw these Turkey Burgers on a Stick in the most recent issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray and thought that they looked like a really fun lunch. I used smoked gouda as the medium-hard cheese inside and cooked them in my electric skillet. My kids really enjoyed them, dipped in ketchup. I tried one too and they were okay. The flavor of the evaporated milk, cornflakes and cheese was a little strange for me. Cute idea anyway. If I made them again, I would definitely play around with the ingredients.
My kids love popcorn. They want me to pop it constantly. I do it the old-fashioned way. I heat 3 Tbls of oil in a heavy-bottom pot and add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels. Then I put the lid on, but leave a tiny crack so some of the air can escape. My 2 year old loves watching it pop. I remember a neighbor growing up that used to make us popcorn smothered in butter and then she would sprinkle Parmesan on top. I reduced the amount of butter a little bit and this popcorn reminded me of being a kid.
The Peanut Butter Bars came about on a whim. We wanted a quick treat, preferrably a bar cookie. I just threw in whatever nuts I had, I think walnuts and put the mini chocolate chips on top. They were good. We got alot more than 20 bars though. I guess we cut them into smaller pieces.




Turkey Burger "Drumsticks"Jean Grub adapted From Every Day with Rachael Ray
February 2009
1 pound ground turkey breast
one 5-ounce can evaporated milk
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cups crushed cornflakes
2 ounces medium-hard cheese (I used smoked gouda)
In a bowl, mix the turkey, 1/4 cup evaporated milk, the onion and 2/3 cup cornflakes; season with salt and pepper. Divide into 12 portions.
Cut the cheese into 12 small sticks and thread onto each of 12 skewers.
Wet your hands with evaporated milk, then mold some meat around each cheese piece, shaping into 3-inch ovals.
Pour the remaining milk into a bowl. Add the remaining cornflakes to a plate. Dip each "drumstick" into the milk, then coat with the cornflakes. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and fry each drumstick until browned, about 12 minutes.

Parmesan Popcorn by Mary Ann
10 cups popcorn
1/2 stick butter, melted
grated parmesan cheese
Pour melted butter over freshly popped popcorn. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese and toss to coat well.


Peanut Butter-Oat Bars from myrecipes.com
Prep and Cook Time: about 1 hour.
1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups regular rolled oats
2/3 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
2/3 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1 1/3 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I just sprinkled these on top instead of melting them)
1. In a bowl, mix butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in flour, oats, peanuts, and coconut until well blended.
2. Press dough evenly into a buttered and floured 10- by 15-inch baking pan. For chewy bars, bake in a 350° oven until edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes; for crisp bars, bake until slightly darker brown, about 5 minutes longer. Spread with peanut butter. Let cool about 15 minutes.
3. Seal chocolate chips in a heavy 1-quart zip-lock plastic bag. Heat in a microwave oven at 30% power until chips are soft, about 2 minutes. Squeeze chocolate to one corner of bag, then use scissors to snip a very small hole in the corner. Squeeze chocolate in thin lines over peanut butter. Chill until the chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes. Cut into 20 bars

Up Next- Tuesdays with Dorie

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

this is really a treat for the kids! especially the turkey burger on a stick,

Marie Rayner said...

Everything looks great as always Mary Ann, and those two cuties of yours are adorable!!

Maria said...

Fun recipes for the kids! My niece is coming over this week, I will have to try them out!

Not Another Omnivore said...

Those peanut butter oat bars look fantastic!

NAOmni

Cathy said...

Awesome all the way around! I just bought an air popcorn popper at Target the other day. We had movie night on Friday and the kids had a ball watching it pop. Next time I am definitely going to try your parmesan version! I've got to make those bars, too -- yum!!

Anonymous said...

Fun recipes! Your peanut butter oat bars looks delicious. Your kids are gorgeous!

Kerstin said...

Freshly popped parmesan popcorn sounds so good right now! What a great snack idea. Your kids are super cute!

The Blonde Duck said...

I'm all over those peanut butter oat bars. Oh yum! And I'll eat anything on a stick!

Alexis said...

WOW, you are always so creative! I love getting ideas from you. They definatly go into my meal plans for the week.

Steph said...

Those bars look amazing!!! I'll have to try oat bars some time soon, but I still can't decide what exactly I should have in them and on top of them. If only I was more decisive..haha

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