Kids Cooking and Cookbook Blog Site

What is the difference between the national brand, the store brand, and a generic brand of food? You may have heard your mother talk about these when she goes to the store. She might say, “get the store brand”.

What is the difference? I heard all of you say loud and clear – it’s the MONEY! We’ve all heard our parents and others talk about the high cost of everything, including food. Here is an an interesting activity comparing prices on different brands of food.

Let’s say you are going to the grocery store to buy food items on your shopping list. You want to compare prices on a can of whole kernel corn, for example. The easiest way is to find a like size can in each of the three categories – the national brand, such as Del Monte and then the store brand, such as Hy-Vee, and then a generic brand. How did they compare? It may surprise you to see the difference.

If you can carry this one step further and are able to buy each of the cans of corn, here is another experiment. When you bring the groceries home and are ready to do a little testing, open each of the cans of corn. (Hopefully you were able to find small cans of corn). Analyze them on the following points:

1. How does the color compare? Which one looks more appetizing?

2. What is the texture like? Are the contents of the can firm, or mushy?

3. Taste a sample of each and determine which tastes the best to you.

What would be the conclusions to your experiment? Based on these tests, and the cost comparison, which would be the best buy? Share this information with your family. And me, too, if you would like.

Now, what will you do with the opened cans of corn?

Here are some suggestions:

Heat corn and eat
Add to corn bread
Make corn chowder
Make Corn fritters

Stay tuned – as the Chef may find one of his favorite Corn Chowder recipes to share with you.

No matter how young or old you are, everyone cherishes comfort food. What is “comfort food”, you ask? This is classic home-cooked food that is prepared and enjoyed regularly throughout the year. It is usually the food most requested by the family.

In most homes there are different favorites for each season. Springtime might bring to mind roasted herb-crusted chicken, steamed baby peas and carrots and strawberry pie. Bar-b-q chicken, grilled hamburgers, and potato salad make us savor the thoughts of summer picnics in the park.

September and back-to-school brings a new order to cooking. Autumn craves harvest classics, like roasted vegetables, candied carrots, butternut squash soup and pumpkin or apple pie for dessert. Cold winters are filled with rustic beef stew, hot, steamy soups, and a variety of casseroles with warm crispy bread fresh from the oven.

It is the general feeling of a lovingly cooked meal that creates fond memories of home cooked comfort food. There is as much fun in preparing a treasured recipe as in eating the finished product.

As a ’round the year classic, nothing says comfort food like macaroni and cheese. And I’m not referring to the kind you find in a box! If you haven’t eaten homemade macaroni and cheese you are in for a real treat. This easy meal can be dressed up for company by mixing in gourmet cheeses or made heartier by adding cooked chicken and peas. But for the real deal try this:

Homemade Mac & Cheese

1 pound  elbow or other medium size pasta
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
(a mix of sharp and mild cheeses is best)
1/2 cup butter
5 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, optional
4 cups of milk

Follow package directions when cooking the pasta. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and seasonings. In an oven-safe large pot, add butter, melting it on low. Next, stir in the flour mixture. Pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Add the cheese and cook over low heat until the cheese is melted. Add in pasta and stir until completely coated. Bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  For a nice crisp topping turn oven to a low broil for 3-5 minutes, but watch carefully.

Serves 8-10

To add a special topping, crumble 12-16 round butter crackers and sprinkle over the top before baking.

Serve with a crisp green salad and you are ready for homemade comfort food goodness!

This cake that will be sure to put a smile on Mom’s face. Kids love to make something special for their Mothers – and Moms like to be pampered on their special day. Here is a gift for Mom that combines two ingredients dear to Mothers’ hearts – flowers and sweets.

The following recipe is from Amy Houts book, Cooking Around the Calendar With Kids – Holiday and Seasonal Food and Fun. It is called

Spring Flowers Cake

Choose any prepared cake mix that coordinates or goes well with any spring flowers you may have, such as daffodils, tulips, or lilacs. Follow the cake mix directions for baking in a bundt pan. This is a pan made of heavy metal, generally, with scalloped sides and a hole in the middle.

When the cake comes out of the oven, place it on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then, gently, take a dinner knife to release the cake from the sides of the pan, unless it is already loosened. Have an adult place a serving plate upside down over the top of the cake pan and turn the cake over onto the plate. Pull the pan up off the cake. The pan and cake will still be very hot at this point.

Let the cake cool. To serve, dust with powdered sugar or serve plain.

Now here is the fun part – collect a bunch of spring flowers and wrap their stems in aluminum foil. Then pop this spring bouquet into the hole in the center of the cake. Won’t Mom be surprised when she sees you have made a lovely dessert centerpiece for her?

1. Make a weekly list of menus before you go to the store. It’s a good idea to plan meals around advertised specials. This advanced planning serves as a guide to your grocery shopping and will save you money and time.

2. Have a list and organize it according to categories in the store, such as frozen food, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc.

3. Use coupons to save money on items you need and use. Just because you have a coupon doesn’t mean you should buy the item. Compare costs and only use the coupon if it will serve your purpose.

4. Shop when stores are less crowded. Depending on your schedule, shopping is easier when the stores are least crowded which is often early in the morning, mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

5. Don’t go to the store hungrey. When possible, you should shop after you have eaten. Otherwise, everything will look good and you will probably over buy – and maybe over-eat!

6. Compare prices on different brands.

7. Buy foods that are in season. These are generally less expensive than buying them out of season.

8. Most prepared foods cost more than those made “from scratch”. You have to weigh the comparisons. For example,  you could buy whole cheese rather than shredded cheese because it will probably be cheaper if you shred the cheese yourself. Again, you will have to compare the costs.

9. Using dry milk in cooking can stretch the food dollar.

10. The type of store at which you shop makes a difference in the cost of food. You may find a particular store that meets your needs or you may shop around for the best buys. Some consumers have many choices of stores, such as self-serve supermarkets versus specialty supermarkets. There are discount supermarkets, farmers’ markets, delicatessens, twenty-four hour convenience stores, roadside stands, and others.

These are just a few ways to save time and money. Can you add more? The Chef would love to hear what you are doing to save time and money at the grocery store.

Today being May Day, have you surprised someone with a May basket? This is always a fun activity.

You need some flowers, which can be any kind, maybe even the little violets coming into bloom this time of year. Then you need to place them in a container which you have made out of construction paper and decorated. Add a handle for hanging on a neighbor’s door. Some like to add other small gifts besides flowers in the baskets.

The really fun part is when you go up to the door nice and quiet, ring the door bell, and run away. Then when the neighbor comes to the door, he or she finds your lovely basket of flowers, looks around, and probably says, “I wonder where these came from?” Your neighbor will be so surprised. The trick is to not let your neighbor see you! If you get caught, you are supposed to get a kiss.

For your small gift to add to the May basket, why not wrap some of the cookies from the recipe below? They will add a really special touch to your May Basket.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1’2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In mixing bowl, place softened butter and the sugars. Beat until well creamed. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Blend in dry ingredients.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. With spoon, scoop small amount of dough and shape by hand into a ball. Place rolled dough on lightly greased baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Dip fork into flour and flatten each cookie with a crisscross pattern.

Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies.

You may even want to double this recipe because it is really very good!