Saturday 30 October 2010

Who says you shouldn't play with your food?

Remember when you were a kid and your Mum would tell you to sit up straight, elbows off the table and "don't play with your food" ('specially when scary Auntie Elsie was over for Sunday lunch)?

Well, I'm afraid I must be a big disappointment to her, cos now that I'm a Mum there is nothing I like more than having fun with food, and getting everyone involved in real 'hands-on' style.

Fun food days have been a big help in preventing our 13-year-old from becoming a fast food addict. Friends of his have loved our 'Hamburgers for Heroes' when we make our own burgers from good fresh ingredients, grill them and then lay them out with all the extras (buns, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, peppers, relish, etc.) and let the kids to build the burgers of their own choice.

Then we have 'Build A Pizza' evenings where we provide the pizza bases (or rounds of Arabic bread if we're feeling lazy) and a selection of toppings for them to create their own Italian wonder - anything from the simplest Napolitan to the most complex (or disgusting!) combo that the male teenage mind can come up with.



Today, it was 'Taco Time', or Mexican Day. And that meant meant whipping up a pan of Chilli Con Carne for the carnivores (plus a veggy version for weirdo Mum), then providing soft tortillas and various accompaniments like lettuce, tomatoes,


chopped peppers and onions,



fresh guacamole,

grated cheese and yoghurt to wrap up and stuff our faces with.


As you can see, it always go down well...





6 comments:

  1. We used to do the build-your-own-pizza too! And when the kids had birthday parties, that's what we did, and all their friends loved it. (When I say all, I mean about 3 or 4 ... we were a bit mean about parties.) We also used to do sausages in pitta breads, with all the salady stuff to put in on top. They liked that too.

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  2. Once I had taught my daughter how to do chicken fajitas and haddock chowder they became 'her' dishes...she was so proud of her prowess and they tasted great!

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  3. it's not fair to put these pictures here, now i am hungry :) i love mexican food!

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  4. Definately important to get the kids involved with making food. I must remember to keep doing ti as they get older then if the teens love it too! and thanks for your support on my blog. Cheers Mich x

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  5. That looks seriously yummy. I'm not a fan of the old guacamole after a terrible experience in Mexico but I totally love the idea of hands on food.

    We often have cajun chicken bits and different rices that we can pick and choose from. Love it.

    And let's be honest, you can't beat a good burger xx

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