Guest blogger Megan Jessop reminds us that fancy dinners aren’t just for adults on Valentine’s Day. Here’s an easy twist on a classic ‘high brow’ dish that’s easy to make, and your Lil’ Valetines will love.

A Romantic Dinner for Your Kids

If you have ever opened up one of Julia Child’s cookbooks, you have likely looked over the recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu or Chicken Kiev. Both of these dishes involve pounding chicken breasts thin and stuffing them with ham and cheese or herbed butter. Then you must roll the breasts tight so that the contents don’t fall out. Finally you must bread each breast with flour, egg and breadcrumbs, and then bake or fry in oil. This is truly a romantic dish and an impressive one too. But who can get to this on a daily basis? Instead I’ve come up with a version that is so fast and tasty even your kids will look forward to helping you make it and will eat every last bite.

For two single servings

• Four Chicken Tenders cut up in small pieces (any chicken would work)
• 12 Ritz Crackers (you could use breadcrumbs but Ritz crackers makes this dish tasty)
• Tablespoon of Butter
• Two Slices of Ham cut up in small pieces
• Two Slices of Cheese (use your child’s favorite, but Swiss cheese is Julia’s preference)
• Two oven safe ramekins (small cooking bowls)

Instructions

Take your cooking bowls and butter the bottom and sides. Break three Ritz Crackers in the bowls, making a thin layer (You could also use breadcrumbs for this step). Next, put down your layer of chicken pieces, making a thick layer. Then, add a layer of ham, followed by your a layer of cheese. Then top your meal with one more layer of crackers (three each again). Kids love to break up the crackers and will be eager to help with all of the assembly of this meal.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Once out of the oven, use a knife to cut around the edges, making it easier to remove the meal to a plate. Serve with some steamed veggies and you have a complete meal.

When I make this dish for my kids I make six servings and freeze the extras for another day. It is already an easy dish to make, but this saves me even more time. It is best to take them out of the freezer and defrost before baking.

One final note: This dish can be made family style in a large baking dish. Simply use the same assembly pattern: butter, crackers, chicken, ham, cheese and then crackers again in the proportions needed to fill your dish. Bake the same and make sure all the Chicken is cooked.

Enjoy! — Megan Jessop

About the author:

Megan Jessop is a Child psychologist and mother of two preschoolers. Megan is also a writer and member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

My son is now two-going-on-three, and woke up this morning with a runny nose. Joy!  A cold! He’s in pretty good spirits and dancing along to “Barney”, but he’s got a nose like a leaky faucet. Worse, he keeps trying to use Mommy’s arm for a tissue. And my shirt… and my hair… Eww!

Of course, I immediately looked on the internet to see what I could do to try and modify this unhygienic behavior.

Baby Center.com had this advice:

It might help your child to learn to breath in (sniff) first, so he gets the hang of purposeful nose breathing. Holding one nostril shut may help him better identify this action. You might also try a visual aid — like a mirror or a little piece of tissue under his nose — so he can see when he’s blowing air out of his nose.

Keep in mind that you want to teach your child to blow gently. Forceful nose blowing can cause the mucus in his nose to back up into his middle ear or sinuses, raising the risk of infection.

Your child might be inspired by his own little package of tissues (you can find them with colorful designs and even superheroes on the package). Make sure you also teach him to put his used tissues in the garbage can and to wash his hands after he blows his nose.

Children’s book author Melissa Wiley has a genius idea to teach toddlers to blow their nose. She shares it on her blog. I don’t want to give it away here, so you’ll have to go to her blog to get the tip. However, it seems like this technique works best if you teach it BEFORE your child actually has a cold.

Hmm… looks like this won’t be an over-night fix. Better go grab a new box of tissues!

Looking for a fun and easy winter project to make with the kids? Guest blogger Megan Jessop shares her super easy, kid tested, home made play dough recipe.

Home Made Play Dough

by Megan Jessop

This is by far the best home made play dough recipe ever. As a former preschool teacher and having tried them all I am here to tell you this is the only home made play dough you will ever need to try. It is easy to make, has great consistency and it lasts a long time.

You need:

• 1 cup flour (full cup or slightly over is OK)
• ½ cup salt (again full ½ cup or slightly over is OK)
• 3 teaspoons cream of tarter (or as I call it “the magic ingredient”)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• liquid food color (use at least 20 drops but for real rich color use up to a teaspoon)

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside

2. Place liquid ingredients in a pot and heat to a near boil (so it steams and you can see the bubbles)

3. Pour liquid over the dry ingredients and mix. Your consistency should be softer than store play dough. As soon as the dough cools (but still warm) it is ready to be used. If your consistency is too wet add a mix of salt and flour to your work surface and keep kneading until it feels dry to the touch.

Be sure to store your play dough in a zip lock bag to keep it moist, and it will last for months.

This is a great winter project. Kids love it when it is still warm it adds a new quality to the texture and warms our winter hands. Have fun!

About the author:

Megan Jessop is a Child psychologist and mother of two preschoolers. Megan is also a writer and member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.