A Recipe for Creating Traditions from a St. Louis Master Chef

The smells of gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies wafting through house officially signal the arrival of the holiday season. Baking absolutely stands out as a cherished holiday tradition, albeit one that some of us must moderate in order to stay in our current jean size.
 
Vicki Bensinger, a local cook who also teaches in-home culinary classes and has her own cooking blog, says that cooking with your children provides lots of benefits during the holidays and throughout the year. “What I found was that it creates tremendous bonding among all of us,” says Vicki. “My children (now 21 and 24) wouldn’t bicker with each other during our baking times. They would be focused and creative in their own way and have fun together.
 

“When our projects were done, they immediately received gratification by seeing their creation and eating it, giving them confidence and assurance of a job well done.”
 
And there are educational benefits, too. Vicki says cooking helps children with math skills through measuring and weighing of ingredients. But most importantly, cooking together provides the opportunity for lots of laughter, smiles and good times – spending time with each other without rushing from one sporting event or after-school activity to another.
 
If you’ve never established a tradition of cooking with your children, Vicki has some tips for getting started:
 
1. Select an easy recipe, one that your children can be actively involved in without your getting stressed.

2. Gather all the ingredients ahead of time, whether it’s to bake special holiday cookies, a cake or a more involved gingerbread house.
 
3.  Pick the right time – during winter vacation or on a snow day. Or schedule time on a Saturday or Sunday.
 
4.  Invite the kids to help.
 
5.  Once you start, stay relaxed, don’t yell or ridicule but rather praise their efforts and they’re sure to love it.
 
“The key to success is patience,” Vicki says.
 
Two of the easiest recipes to make with kids, according to Vicki, are Rice Krispy holiday treats in various shapes and colors (you can find the recipe for these delightful goodies on the box or here) and Stained Glass Cookies:
 
Stained Glass Cookies
 
Ingredients
·       1 C. sugar

·       2 sticks butter

·       2 eggs

·       1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

·       3 C all-purpose flour

·       Assorted, brightly colored hard candies (like Jolly Ranchers or Life Savers)

·       1 (2 to 3-inch) cookie cutter

·       1 small cookie cutter to fit inside the larger shape (to cut a shape out of the center of the cookie)

·       Ribbon for hanging cookie (optional)

 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With a mixer, cream the sugar and butter until smooth. Add the egg and the vanilla extract. Mix in the flour. Remove the dough from the mixer and press into a rectangular shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove from the refrigerator and cut dough into thirds. Roll out dough, one piece at a time to a 3/16-inch thickness. Cut out as many large shapes as possible. Repeat with all of the dough. Cut a small shape or shapes out of the center of each large shape. Place the hard candy, by color, into small plastic bags. Place a towel over the bags and crush the candy with a meat mallet. Place all of the cookies on parchment lined sheet pans. In each of the 
holes, fill with different colors of crushed hard candy. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown, and the candy has melted.  Make a hole at the top with a straw if you plan to hang the stained glass cookie. Do not fill that hole. When cooked you can string ribbon through the hole.

Vicki also shared her play dough recipe, which she says she couldn’t have lived without when her kids were bored from being cooped up inside the house because of bad weather or illness. I’ve personally made homemade play dough myself, mainly because my preschooler bestows super-hero status upon me whenever I do, bragging for days to everyone who will listen that “My Mommy makes play dough!!” Even if you don’t get that kind of positive reinforcement, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.
 
Homemade play dough
 
Ingredients

·       2 1/2 cups flour

·       1/2 cup salt

·       1 tablespoon Alum (can be found in the spice section at the grocery store)

·       1 3/4 cups boiling water (can use from your coffee pot)

·       2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

·       Lots of food coloring

 
Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Mix the alum, water, oil and food coloring in a separate bowl; add to the flour-salt mixture. Knead well, adding extra flour if sticky. Now you're ready to create with your play dough, which can be stored in an airtight container or zip-lock baggie for several months with no refrigeration needed.

For more recipes (and some incredible, and appetizing, photos of Vicki's own creations), visit her web site.
 

By Michelle Cox, contributing writer for SmartParenting