Cooking for your children has got to be one of the most difficult tasks. Unless it tastes nice and looks interesting, most children are unwilling to eat the food. That is why adults have to try to look for ways to make a nutritious but still interesting food to eat. One thing you can do is transform the kitchen into an edible monster laboratory. Kids can then create their own crusty creatures. Try it out!
Materials :
- Store-bought bread dough
- Toothpicks
- Concentrated food-coloring paste
- Scissors
- Garlic press
- Raisins
- 1 egg white, optional
- 1 tbsp. water, optional
Step 1 :
To begin, heat the oven to 400° so it will be ready when your monster-makers are finished sculpting.
Step 2 :
Divide the dough evenly among the kids, reserving a chunk for colored dough. Mixing in the color is probably best left to an adult, since the process can get messy in the wrong hands. Here’s how to do it: Divide the designated chunk into smaller balls, dip a toothpick in the coloring paste and dab one of the dough balls, then knead until the desired color is achieved.
Step 3 :
To create their monsters, kids can try a variety of techniques, such as rolling balls and snakes of dough, cutting out shapes, using scissors to snip a furry texture, or using a garlic press to create hair. Raisins also make great eyes, spots, collars, or buttons.
Step 4 :
Carefully place the finished monsters on a greased cookie sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let them rise an additional 10 to 15 minutes before baking. If you want a shiny finish, whisk together 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon of water and brush on just before baking.
Step 5 :
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Then hand each monster-maker a glass of milk with his creation and watch the freshly baked treats disappear.
Tips :
Having a couple of loaves’ worth of bread dough in the freezer comes in handy for spur-of-the-moment affairs.
