Kids Cuisine

I was never a big fan of candy necklaces when I was a kid. The candy wasn’t very tasty, and once you started to eat parts of it, the remaining candy tended to get sticky. Yuck. I can, however, appreciate the idea of having a little snack to carry around with you.

FT Bletsas, a Greek cooking show host, has come up with the perfect solution — a healthy food necklace. These things are great, and a perfect activity for the end of summer or an after school treat.

Instead of candy, try putting other food items on string. I recommend dental floss (It was already going to be in your mouth anyway, so it must be sanitary, right?) and, if necessary, a sterilized needle. FT used cherry tomatoes for his necklace, but that seems awfully heavy and potentially messy for a kid.

Older kids may be able to handle the threading themselves, but it can take a little force to push the needle through the fruits or veggies. You might want to “drill” the holes with the needle first, then let the kids do the threading. Or, it might be better to let your child choose the design but have a grownup put it all together.

Here are some ideas for what you could use:

• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Cheerios or Froot Loops (these already have a hole!)
• Grapes
• Carrots (hard to push through)
• Raisins
• Craisins
• Dried apricots
• Prunes
• Kumquats
• Figs
• Dates

(Photo from the FT Bletsas site)