Kids Cuisine

If you have difficulty getting your kids to eat their vegetables or fruit, here’s something you might want to have them try: watermelon. Why? Well, first off it’s fun to eat, especially on a hot summer day after playing in the yard. I honestly can’t recall a child turning down a slice of watermelon.

Second, watermelon is great for one’s diet — a 2-cup serving of watermelon is an excellent source of vitamins A (important for eye health), B6 (used to manufacture brain chemicals), and C (to bolster and stimulate the immune system, and it helps in collagen formation).

Watermelon is also cholesterol free, virtually fat free, and very low in sodium (I don’t know why some people sprinkle salt on their watermelon?).

Also, given it’s name, watermelon is an excellent hydrator. It’s 92-percent water, so it’s a great way to hydrate your kids while avoiding sugar drinks or sugary popsicles.

Watermelons are available May to September, though they’re at their peak from mid-June to late August. There are an untold number of watermelon varieties, so check out what your local market offers or visit a farmers’ market; you can get seedless watermelons, too (but that takes away the fun of having watermelon seed spitting contests).

The melon is also great for birthday parties. Here is one recipe (yes, it includes whipped cream, but it’s for a birthday party), and a recipe for a buffet arangement (they are from the National Watermelon Promotion Board).

Snow Capped Mountains

12 3-to-4 inch tall seedless watermelon pyramid shapes
Sweetened whipped cream
8 to 12 ounces white chocolate, shaved
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Arrange 3 pyramids on each of 4 serving plates. Top with whipped cream. Decorate with the white chocolate and shredded coconut and serve. Serves 4.

T-Rex Dinosaur

Materials:
1 round seedless watermelon
1 small yellow watermelon or other colorful fruit for slicing
1 channel knife (often found at the top of a vegetable peeler)
20-30 Wooden skewers for teeth
Toothpicks or hot glue gun

Wash the watermelons and cut ¼ inch slice off the bottom of the larger watermelon for stability.

Use a pen to sketch out the open mouth design as seen in the picture. Avoid drawing too far back on the jaw so you leave enough rind at the back of the jaw to support the top of the head.

Cut out mouth section and clear the mouth area of fruit. Use caution to avoid cracking the jaw. Hollow out the top of the head first to cut down on weight. Insert a large square of yellow watermelon inside the mouth to hold it open and support the top of the head. Take care not to overextend the jaw and crack the rind.

Cut the eyebrows and nostrils from a piece of the other rind. The eyebrows will be cut like crescent moons, and the nostrils are cut in the shapes of inverted teardrops. Use the channel knife to create the details on the eyebrows and within the nostrils (see picture for ideas).

Hollow out the eyes with a melon baller, cutting all the way through the outside of the rind. Attach the eyebrows and nostrils to the head with either toothpicks or a glue gun.

With the second melon (or other colorful fruit) and the leftover flesh from the dinosaur head piece, cut triangular shapes that mimic jagged teeth. Stuff these bite-sized pieces into the mouth of the dinosaur, filling in around the large square piece that is holding the mouth open.

Being very careful with the pointed ends, cut the skewers into various lengths and line the top and the bottom of the mouth with them just inside of the rind. Place them in with the pointed end out, using pliers to help securing them in place.

Caution: Pointed skewers are very sharp! Make sure that guests, especially young ones, use a long-handled serving tool to avoid having hands come in contact with the sharp skewers. You may even wish to remove a section of the skewer teeth prior to serving so the fruit can more easily be removed.