Get Messy in the Kitchen with Yipes! Introducing Our Fun Fall New Recipe Series

We’re thrilled to kick off a brand-new series that’s all about embracing the messy side of growing up while encouraging independent, healthy habits in our little ones. It’s time to dive into the world of cooking with your kids, and we promise you’ll love every minute of it!

At Yipes!, we believe that growing up should be celebrated in all its messy glory. From sticky fingers to flour-covered countertops, cooking together can be an incredible bonding experience for parents and kids alike. So, grab your aprons and get ready to whip up some delicious dishes that will have your kids excited to be in the kitchen!

Recipe #1: No-Knead Bread

First up, we have a classic recipe that’s perfect for beginners. This no-knead bread from The New York Times Cooking is a fantastic way to introduce your kids to the world of baking. The best part? It’s almost impossible to mess up! The dough is mixed, left to rise, and then baked to perfection. Your kitchen will be filled with the irresistible aroma of freshly baked bread in no time!

Ingredients

One 1½-pound loaf
3⅓cups/430 grams all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
Generous ¼ teaspoon/1 gram instant yeast
2 teaspoons/8 grams kosher salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran, as needed

Step 1
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1½ cups/345 grams water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Step 2
Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Step 3
Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

Step 4
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

No-Knead Bread

Cooking | New York Times

Recipe #2: Mini Lasagna Cups

Who doesn’t love lasagna? Food Network Kitchen has come up with a brilliant twist on this classic Italian dish with their Mini Lasagna Cups. Kids will have a blast assembling these adorable and delicious individual servings of lasagna. Layering pasta, sauce, and cheese has never been so much fun!

Ingredients

One 24-ounce bag frozen spinach and cheese ravioli
4 tablespoons olive oil
One 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 small carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle.

Step 2
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Brush the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Set aside.

Step3
Combine the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, carrot, garlic and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a blender. Blend until well combined but not entirely smooth, about 20 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

Step4
Spoon 1/2 teaspoon sauce into each oiled cup, top with a ravioli, then with 1 teaspoon sauce and 1 teaspoon mozzarella. Repeat twice so that each cup has 3 raviolis layered on top of each other with sauce and mozzarella. Evenly divide the remaining sauce among the cups. Top each with 1 tablespoon mozzarella and 1/4 teaspoon Parmesan. Bake until the top of each lasagna is golden brown and bubbly, 18 to 20 minutes.

Mini Lasagna Cups

Food Network

Recipe #3: Fruity Skewers with Yogurt Dip

For a healthy and colorful snack that’s as fun to make as it is to eat, BBC Good Food’s Fruity Skewers with Yogurt Dip are the perfect choice. Let your kids get creative with their fruit combinations and watch as they thread chunks of juicy goodness onto skewers. The creamy yogurt dip adds a delightful touch that’s sure to please.

Ingredients

1 banana
strawberries
grapes
blueberries
natural yogurt
maple syrup
cinnamon
You’ll also need
chopping board
tea towel or kitchen paper (optional)
knife and optional straw
skewers
teaspoon
small bowl

Instructions

Step 1
Lay a dampened tea towel underneath the board to stop it from slipping
If your chopping board doesn’t have anti-slip grips, lay a dampened tea towel or sheet of kitchen paper on the work surface, then place the board on top to stop it from slipping.

Step 2
slice the banana
Peel the banana – for little fingers, this is easiest to do from the bottom – then, holding the knife securely and with your hand in the claw position, slice the banana. You should get about 12 rounds.

Step 3
Remove the stalks from the strawberries. You can do this by cutting them off with the knife or pushing a straw up through the strawberry and into the stalk.

Step 4
slice the strawberries in half
With your hands in the bridge position, slice the strawberries in half: hold each strawberry between your thumb and fingers, then carefully cut in half from the pointy end to the stalk end.

Step 5
Carefully push the banana slices, strawberry halves, grapes and blueberries onto the skewers
Carefully push the banana slices, strawberry halves, grapes and blueberries onto the skewers in any order you like – you can make a pattern or do this randomly.

Step 6
Prepare the yogurt dip. For the dip, mix the yogurt and maple syrup together in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the cinnamon and serve with the fruit skewers.

Fruity Skewers with Yogurt Dip

goodFOOD

Recipe #4: Kids’ Charcuterie Board

Want to create something special for a family gathering or a movie night? Buuck Farms Bakery has a fantastic idea – a Kids’ Charcuterie Board! Let your little ones arrange a variety of snacks, cheeses, and mini sandwiches on a platter. It’s a fantastic way to encourage their creativity and give them a sense of ownership over their snacks.

What to Include on a Kid’s Charcuterie Board

Fruit – I always do a variety of my kid’s favorite fruits- grapes, strawberries, sliced apples, blueberries, pineapple chunks etc. Bonus point if you can find the teenie tiny champagne grapes – my kids think those are SO fun.

Fruit Dip – Nothing better than a dip if you ask me. My favorite little hack in a pinch is taking some vanilla greek yogurt and stirring in a bit of Reese’s Maraschino Syrup. It makes it a fun pink color that the kids will love and a subtle cherry flavor. They also like snacking on Maraschino Cherries so I always add a few of those too.

Meats and Cheeses – Again, just a mix of whatever your kids like best. For the board pictured I did little pepperonis, salami roll ups, and cheddar and american cheese. I used tiny little cookie cutter to make little flowers, hearts, moons, and stars. The more fun you make it for the kids, the more likely they are to actually eat it.

Veggies – My kids have been LOVING baby corn recently and it makes me laugh because I used to love it as a kid as well. I took some Reese’s Baby Corn and paired it with a store bought creamy pesto dip and it was a huge hit!
Other Ideas – I also add crackers, goldfish, cheese puffs, candies… really anything I can find in my pantry. My kids are especially fans of the candy legos. A snack AND an activity.

Kid’s Charcuterie Board Tools & Utensils

Food Picks – These cute little food picks are the best. They make my kids think eating is so fun. I use them in their lunchboxes and with snacks. I got them here.

Serving Tray – If I’m making this for a crowd of kids I grab an oversized tray like this or if it’s just for my kiddos I’ll use something smaller like this.
Dip Bowls – Keeping a board clean and pretty has a lot to do with the little bowls you set inside to help separate items. I like these, but any small bowls will do!

Customize for Your Kids

Kids are picky. I totally get it. I’m usually making more than one option for lunches and dinners and BEGGING them to eat. But this makes snack time stress free because everyone can find something they love. I won’t lie…I’ve even served this for dinner because I never get a complaint.

Reese makes it SO easy to customize to your kids preferences. Baby corn not your thing? Sub it for some pita crackers and spinach artichoke dip made from Reese Artichokes. Not a huge fan of Maraschinos? Try the mandarin oranges instead – I actually eat these straight out of the can and have been since I was a kid. You could even do little mini pancakes with their Maple Syrup on the side to dip! There’s so many options – check them out here.

Kids’ Charcuterie Board

Buuck Farm Bakery

Recipe #5: Ten-Minute Naan Pizza

Last but not least, if you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner option, Domestic Gothess has the answer with their Ten-Minute Naan Pizza. Kids will love customizing their own personal pizzas using naan bread as the base and a variety of toppings. It’s a speedy, satisfying, and totally delicious meal!

Ingredients

2 shop-bought naan breads
6 Tbsp passata
1 tsp crushed garlic (from a jar)
½ tsp crushed chilli (from a jar)
salt and pepper to taste
dried oregano
150 g fresh mozzarella drained and sliced
50 g mature cheddar cheese grated
fresh basil leaves (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7/425ºF. Lay the naan breads on a lined baking sheet.

Mix the passata with the garlic, chilli and some salt and pepper; spread it evenly over the naan breads. Sprinkle over some dried oregano then top with
the mozzarella slices and grated cheddar.

Cook in the oven for about five minutes or so, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Scatter over some roughly torn fresh basil leaves and serve.

Ten-Minute Naan Pizza for Children to Make

Domestic Gothess

We hope you’re as excited as we are to get messy in the kitchen with these amazing recipes. Cooking together with your kids is not only a wonderful way to bond but also an opportunity to teach them valuable life skills. So, stay tuned as we dive into each of these recipes in our upcoming blog posts. Let’s make growing up a delicious adventure together! Remember, at Yipes!, we believe that growing up is messy, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Happy cooking!

Recipes for Kids