home made pizza Archives - Have Sippy Will Travel

The Piccolo Chef Cookbook

Cooking with your kids is a lot of fun, and it’s the best way to teach them some great healthy eating habits! The Piccolo Chef Cookbook by Tina Fanelli Moraccini and Lilian Palmieri is a healthy way to start getting the kids not only interested in helping you out in the kitchen but getting them to eat it too.

We’re all busy sure but meal time should be family time also. Why not get them in the kitchen and pitch in on making the meals as well? The idea being Piccolo Chef is encouraging the kids to be a part of that meal. It boosts confidence and even creativity. My own kids have so much fun helping me make a meal and they are more willing to eat it rather than when I simply just set food down before them. You engage them in the entire process they are much more likely to get something more out of it, and that’s worth all the time in the world. It’s quality time spent as a family and they will have so much fun you’ll want to do it everyday!

The cookbook is full of inviting pictures, wonderfully illustrated throughout . Each recipe is easy to read and clearly written directions. There’s tips throughout each as well, nutritional and even kitchen tips to help you and the kids create some wonderful meals. With Chapters on Breakfast through dinner and even snacks you have everything covered. There aren’t any hard recipes in here either, so they are truly kid friendly, and appeal to both adults as well as kids. I really enjoyed the breakfast section, with school in full gear we need healthy yet friendly morning meals and this book had wonderful ideas. The California Frittata was my favorite while the kids begged for the Buckwheat Pancakes.
[Read more…]

Mexican Pizza with Del Monte – Win a Gift pack and $25 Gift Card

Just wanted to share a recipe with you all for some interesting pizza.

On pizza night I like to make the pizza from scratch- we have a pizza stone and I like to make the dough. It takes a while, but with practice and patience, a great meal is worth the wait. (And it makes your house smell great all day long.)

Dough/Crust

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 packet yeast

1/4 cup sugar

dash salt

at least 4 cups warm water, maybe a bit more

To make the dough you must give yourself 3-4 hours before cook time in order to get the perfect dough. First of all get 2 cups warm water, about the same temperature as bath water and mix in your sugar until it is dissolved. Once dissolved mix in the yeast packet and let it sit someplace dark and warm. Personally we use the microwave, but DO NOT put it on. Let the yeast sit for about 15 minutes until the yeast wake up and start bubbling and making a foam at the top of the water. At this point take your dry ingredients, the flour and the sale, mix, then add your yeast mixture. You will have to add more water. This is the part where you have to eye ball it. You want the dough to form a ball. This is also one of the fun parts of the recipe that kids can help with you want to mix it with your hands. We always end up having to add more water so its a good idea to start out with 4 cups of warm water so there isn’t a scramble to the sink with dough covered hands. If you don’t use all the water, don’t panic. Once your dough ball is formed, put it into a big bowl which has been greased with olive oil and put a warm damp towel over the top of it and let it sit in a quiet warm [Read more…]