Any kid who can boil his own macaroni, melt her own chocolate, bake his own muffins or invent a peanut-butter-and-grilled-cheese sandwich is a winner.
More than 200 kids entered The Post’s Kids Cooking Contest, and each showed initiative and creativity. The entries came from cooks as young as 3 (we think Mom helped with the e-mail) and as old as 17. They were evenly split between boys and girls. They came from all over the Front Range, and beyond: Trinidad, Sterling and Grand Junction.
If you entered and did not win, know this: Just like when you cook something, you followed through and deserve an A+ for the effort of writing out your recipe, thinking hard about why you like to cook, and sending the whole thing to the paper. That’s a lot of effort – your commitment and creativity inspire us.
But we had to pick just five winners, one for each age group. We looked for passion, “do-ability” and new flavor combinations. Who else but a 6-year-old would combine raisin bread, peanut butter and American cheese?
Peanut Butter Crunch Munch
Kindergartener Alivia Apple of Centennial created this sandwich only kids (and discerning adults) could love. Serves 1.
Ingredients
Butter
2 slices of yellow American cheese
2 slices cinnamon raisin bread
Jif peanut butter
Some Boulder potato chips
Directions
Melt a small amount of butter in a medium skillet.
Lay one slice of cheese on bread. Spread peanut butter on cheese. Add crumbled potato chips. Add second slice of cheese and top with bread. Lay sandwich on melted butter, grill 4 minutes on both sides.
The Taco Ring
Sabre (“SAY-bree”) Allanah Morris, an Aurora fifth-grader, moved here a year ago from Texas and brought this recipe, adapted from The Pampered Chef, with her. She confesses to sometimes leaving out the vegetables. “I really don’t like veggies you know, ’cause I’m a kid.” Serves 5.
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef or turkey, cooked and drained
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 tablespoons water
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
2 packages crescent roll dough
1 medium green pepper
1 medium tomato, cubed
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup whole black olives, sliced
1 cup salsa
Sour cream for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cooked meat, taco seasoning, water and cheese in a bowl.
Arrange crescent triangles in a circle on a baking stone with bases overlapping in center and points to the outside. There should be a 5-inch diameter circle in the center.
Scoop meat mixture over crescent rolls. Fold points of triangles over filling and tuck under base at center. Filling will not be completely covered. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Slice and serve in wedges. Use veggies, salsa and sour cream like taco toppings. You can also garnish with the veggies if you are doing this recipe for a fancy dinner.
French Toast Breakfast Burgers
Littleton 13-year-old Ryan Beasley created this recipe with the help of his friend Tyler. Serves 4.
Ingredients
For the French toast:
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Dash cinnamon
Cooking spray
4 slices Texas Toast bread
For the breakfast burger:
3/4-1 pound fresh lean ground sirloin
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3/4 tablespoon grape jelly
Drop vanilla
Dash cinnamon
Other ingredients:
4 eggs
Salt and pepper
8 slices lean bacon
Directions
For the French toast: Combine eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir until fully mixed. Coat griddle with cooking spray and heat to medium. Dip bread into batter, coating both sides. Cook toast on griddle until golden brown. Set aside in warm oven while cooking the remaining dishes.
For the breakfast burger: Combine all ingredients. Form into patties. Cook on same griddle over medium heat until fully cooked; place in warm oven. After the burger is done, fry eggs on the griddle. Salt and pepper to taste. Fry bacon. Pat grease off bacon.
Remove French toast from oven. Put 1 slice on a plate. Place a breakfast burger on top of the toast. Place 1 egg on top of the bur-
ger. Put 2 slices of bacon on top of the egg.
In-Pineapple Feast
Fifteen-year-old soccer player Kira McCoy of Denver once hosted an “Iron Chef” birthday party and says she “just likes making stuff up.” Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
2 large, ripe pineapples
1 pound raw jumbo shrimp
1 can coconut milk
1/2 large onion, diced and sautéed about 5 minutes in 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 good handful (1/2 cup) chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut pineapples in half lengthwise, cutting right through the stem. Hollow out the fruit, discarding the hard core. Dice fruit and place in a bowl. Add shrimp, coconut milk, cooked onion, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, and scoop a generous amount into each pineapple bowl. Sprinkle extra cilantro on top. Place each pineapple into a loaf pan. (This prevents it from collapsing.) Cover with foil and bake 1 hour. Serve in the pineapple!
Mexican Shells
Deon Davis plans to take culinary classes at Smoky Hill High School next year, but he could probably teach them, as he’s been cooking since fifth grade. He says you can use fresh or any brand canned tomatoes and chiles, but he preferes the flavors of those listed. Makes enough to fill a 9-by-13-inch pan and an 8-inch square (or other smaller) pan.
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 medium or 1/2 small onion, chopped
Garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and/or Mexican seasoning blend
1 jar Pace Medium Picante Sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles or jalapeños (according to taste)
1 can Ortega diced green chiles
1 can Ortega diced jalapeños (according to taste)
1 package jumbo pasta shells (cook according to package)
Cooking spray
1 package Kraft Mexican shredded cheese (use only enough to cover top)
1 can tomato sauce
Toppings:
Sour cream
Chopped lettuce
Diced tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, etc.
Shredded cheese
Directions
In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onions over medium-high heat. While cooking, season with your choice of garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and/or Mexican seasoning. When no pink shows in the meat, drain grease and add picante sauce, diced tomatoes, green chiles and jalapeños. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring often.
Meanwhile, boil shells according to package directions to al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water and drain again.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray pan(s) with cooking spray.
Fill shells with the ground beef mixture and place in the pans. Pour tomato sauce in a zigzag pattern over tops of filled shells. Cover with Mexican cheese (do not over-cheese it, as it changes the taste).
Bake uncovered at 20-30 minutes, until cheese melts and shells are softer.
Serve covered with your favorite taco toppings and lettuce or eat plain like lasagna.
