Kids Cuisine

Do you watch Heroes? I missed the hype when this show started last year, but I’ve started watching the first season on DVD, and it seems pretty entertaining so far. Not necessarily little kid friendly, but a nice option for teens and adults.

One of my favorite characters on the show is actually a kid — Micah Sanders, the superintelligent son of Niki Sanders. He is fun to listen to (huge words, little mouth) and just plain cute.

What does this have to do with kids’ food, you ask? Well, if you happen to win the contest I am about to describe, you and your kids will get to meet Micah himself, Noah Gray-Cabey!

Wear Ever, the baking pan company, is looking for some extreme cookie recipes. If your kid likes unusual flavor combinations, this could be his or her time to shine. Last year’s winner made “Chips and Dip” cookies, which included both potato chips and pretzels! The contest is open to parent-child pairs with kids ages 5-15.

The top five cookie makers will compete in a bake-off in New York City, and the winner will receive a $10,000 savings bond. The runners up will each win a $1,000 savings bond. That is some pretty serious money for a kids’ baking contest.

If this sounds like something you and your kids might be interested in, start experimenting now. Entries must be in by January 7th; just go to www.wearever.com to enter.

To give you a little taste of the competition, here’s the recipe that won last year:

Chips and Dips Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
½ cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup coarsely crushed potato chips
¾ cup coarsely crushed pretzels
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chips

Preheat oven to 350°

In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Gradually add the flour and mix well. Stir in crushed potato chips and pretzels. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 3-inch logs. Place on ungreased Airbake Ultra cookie sheets, 1½ inches apart. Bake 14 – 18 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on baking sheets. Melt semisweet chocolate chips in microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring frequently, until completely melted, about 1 minute. Dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a sheet of waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. Melt white chips in microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring frequently, until completely melted, about 1½ minutes. Dip the other end of each cookie into the melted chips and place on a sheet of waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.

Yield: about 2 dozen.

(Recipe and photo from wearever.com)