Children love bite size snacks they can carry with them. Just about every child loves macaroni and cheese. You can make it special and portable by hollowing out a small dinner roll and stuffing it with mac and cheese. They won’t even need a spoon.

Stuff cherry tomatoes with a mixture of one cup of cottage cheese mixed with one quarter cup of Parmesan cheese. Fill a plastic disposable container large enough to serve the stuffed tomatoes, half full of water, then freeze at least overnight. At party time serve the tomatoes on the lid of the container placed on the ice.

For a variation stuff the tomatoes with chicken salad or tuna salad.

Chicken wings are fun and easy. Cut a chicken wing in three pieces. Save the bony wing end for making chicken broth. Bake the wings at 350 degrees until done. Serve at room temperature with dipping sauces. Mix equal parts honey, lime juice and mustard for a tangy dip. Or try equal party ketchup and brown sugar for a BBQ like sauce. Each child gets their own little cup of dipping sauce.

Miniature hot dogs and buns are always a hit. Buy the little franks and refrigerator biscuits. Cut the biscuits in half. Place one little frank in the center and roll up. Bake as package directs.

Grill baby burgers and place in a cut dinner roll, top with a slice of tomato, a lettuce leaf, and favorite condiments like mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.

Finally chop tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery. Defrost frozen peas. Shred lettuce and carrots. Layer the ingredients in a small 4 ounce, clear plastic glass. Place a tablespoons of Ranch salad dressing on the top. And you’ve got salad for kids on the go.

A variation of the salad to go is seven layer taco salad. Delete the peas and carrots and add taco meat, shredded cheese, and refried beans. Add a dollop of sour cream on top instead of salad dressing.

Peanut butter and jelly rollups are quick and fun. Spread a flour tortilla with peanut butter and jelly, then roll up tightly. Refrigerate for at least an hour so the peanut butter hardens a bit then cut the rolls into slices.

Keep portions tiny. Children are constantly being told to finish their food. Mini meals make it easy for them.

Sandwiches make great dinners especially if you pair them with a salad and coleslaw.  Start off with seven layer bean dip and chips, followed by a hearty sub sandwich accompanied by easy coleslaw, and ice cold lemonade. Children should always be supervised around food and of course knifes. Have them wash their hands thoroughly before beginning. Now get going on the fun.

What makes this seven layer bean dip different is everyone gets their own serving in a plastic cup. Set out an 8 ounce clear plastic cup for each person. Fill the bottom with about an inch of shredded lettuce, it will compress as the other ingredients are added and won’t take up as much space. Add chopped tomatoes and a one inch thick layer of refried beans patted down so it’s evenly covers the tomatoes. Layer on slices of avocado or guacamole, a couple of tablespoons of your favorite prepared salsa, topped with a few tablespoons of sour cream and a covering of shredded cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve with an individual bag of corn chips for each person and fork to get every morsel. Keep a few extra bags of chips on hand.

Make the sandwich the day before so the flavors have time to blend. Split a loaf of crust bread horizontally. Remove some of the bread from each half by pulling it out with your fingers. This is a good job for the kids. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t remove all the bread down to the crust. You’re aiming for a nice shallow depression in both halves so more filling can fit in.

Sprinkle each half with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. Dribble fresh lemon juice, no more than 1/2 teaspoon on each side. Layer on sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, sliced olives, and red onions. Push them gently down in the depression. Layer on roast beef, and havarti cheese. Or baked ham and cheddar cheese. Try sliced turkey and Swiss cheese. If you’re adventuresome use all the fillings. Put the other half of bread on the top of the fillings and press down. Wrap firmly in plastic wrap, in aluminum foil and then in a zip locked bag. You might have to cut the sandwich in half to fit in the zip locked bag.

Place the securely wrapped sandwiches in a roasting pan. Place a cookie sheet over the sandwiches. Put weights on the cookie sheet to press down the sandwiches. Or place a towel over the sandwich. Place on a hard surface, such as a wooden chair and have a child sit on the towel and smoosh down the sandwich for about 10 minutes. For some reason children find this hysterically funny. Then put the sandwiches in the roasting pan and weigh them down. Don’t unwrap the sandwiches until you’re ready to eat.

Easy coleslaw and it really is easy. 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon celery seed, 1/4 cup of cider vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar all whisked together until blended. Open a large zip lock bag. Place 1/2 large package of shredded cabbage in the bag and 1/2 the dressing. Zip the bag and shake. Then add the remaining cabbage and dressing. Zip the bag and give it a few more good shakes.

Use your favorite frozen lemonade mix. Add a festive touch with a few garnishes such as sliced strawberries, mint leaves, sliced cucumbers, or fresh basil leaves. Freeze individual strawberries, mint leaves, or lemon slices in ice cube trays and serve a few special cubes in each glass.

Most men enjoy a hearty breakfast so start your Father’s Day off with a meal the kids can help with. Fruit fizzies, Toad in the Hole and frozen melon pops are easy and kid friendly to prepare.

Fruit fizzies are fun and frothy. Fill a glass with ice, then half full with lemon lime soda, plain carbonated soda, or sparkling mineral water. Top it off with your favorite fruit juice. Garnish with an orange slice.

The frozen melon pops should be prepared the night before so they have time to freeze. Cut watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melons in bite size pieces. For faster preparation, buy prepared melon chunks from the grocer’s produce case. Dip in a mixture of half lime juice and half water for flavor and to prevent discoloration. Thread the melon chunks onto a wooden skewer and freeze overnight. Serve as they are or with a dip of yogurt sweetened with honey.

Toad in the Hole is a fun dish for kids. It doesn’t take a lot of expertise to assemble and is pretty hard to wreck. Spray an oversized muffin pan with cooking spray. This is important. Cooked egg can be very difficult to remove from a baking dish. The cooking spray makes it much easier. If you don’t have the large size muffin pan, use an oven proof 8 oz glass dish. You will need a slice of bread, cooked bacon, pat of butter, and an egg for each serving. The toad is the egg and the hole is the slice of bread.

Put 1/2 a pat of butter in the bottom of each muffin tin. Gently place a slice of bread in the tin pushing it down to form a hollow. Break an egg into a measuring cup and then slide the egg from the cup into the bread hollow. Breaking the egg into the cup allows you to remove any pieces of shell. Salt and pepper to taste. Place the other half of the pat of butter on top of the egg. Crumble one slice of bacon over the top of the egg.

If your Dad really loves bacon, before you add the egg to the bread hollow, crumble a slice of bacon directly over the bread in the muffin tin, add the egg and then crumble a second piece of bacon on top. Bake in a pre heated 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Check the egg to see if it’s done by jiggling it. If it’s wobbly it probably needs another minute or two of baking.

Remove the Toad in the Hole with two spoons. If Dad has a big appetite add some toaster hash browns to the plate. Start Father’s Day off with a hearty breakfast of Toad in the Hole.

You can also take something you already have in the refrigerator, such as standard Italian salad dressing, and build additional flavor through adding fresh herbs like cilantro, or spicing it up with chili powder.

Timing is important to get the most out flavor out of your marinade. Marinating for too brief a time doesn’t allow the flavor of the marinade to penetrate the meat. Overlong marinating time results in softening the texture of the meat too much. Here are some guidelines:

Tender beef cuts can be marinated for as short as 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours. These include Porterhouse, top loin, tenderloin, ribeyes, top sirloin. Less tender cuts need to be marinated at least 6 hours or as long as overnight. These include flank, skirt, top round, and chuck shoulder steaks. If you marinate longer than 24 hours, the surface texture of the meat can be softened more than you want. Meat with a mushy texture when you cut into it is not what you’re striving for.

For tender cuts of beef–Porterhouse, top loin, tenderloin, rib eyes, top sirloin-the marinade will do its job in as little as 15 minutes, or you can go as long as 2 hours with the marinating process. Less tender cuts need substantially more marinating time, at least 6 hours or preferably overnight. Flank steak, skirt steak, top round and chuck shoulder steaks all benefit from longer marinating.

You should marinate the food in the refrigerator, never at room temperature. Never reuse a marinade. It should be discarded after you remove the meat from it. Some marinades do make great sauces to serve with the dish. But do not use the marinade that has been in contact with the meat. Simply reserve some of the marinade for use in the sauce, and use the rest as the marinade.

The goal of marinating is to have the liquid in contact with as much of the surface of the meat as possible. If you are using a food-safe plastic bag for marinating, make sure that it is a fairly tight fit over the meat, so the marinade will be forced over more of the food’s surface. Similarly, it you prefer to use a nonreactive container like a glass dish, make sure it is large enough so the meat can lie flat, but again is a tight enough fit so the marinade will be in contact with as much of the meat as possible. It’s a good idea to turn the plastic bag over several times or turn the meat in the dish, in order to have uniform exposure to the marinade.

Here’s an easy recipe for pizza crust. It’s the crispy kind and makes enough for two 12 inch pizzas.

3 cups flour
3/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of the warm water the yeast has been dissolved in
2 tablespoon olive oil.

Add the oil to the water. Add the oil and water mixture to the flour. Stir with a spoon until too thick to stir. And here’s the part where you need clean hands. Using your hands incorporate the rest of the flour into the dough. The dough will probably be a little sticky, that’s okay. Dust a clean kitchen counter with a little flour. Place the dough on the flour and flatten it with the palms of your hands, pushing the dough away from you. Fold over the dough, give it a quarter turn and flatten it again. This is called kneading the dough. Kids love to help with this part of the process. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. That may seem like a long time so keep your eye on the clock. After the dough has been kneaded for 10 minutes it’s shouldn’t be sticky any more and be a bit elastic.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel and put in a warm place to rise. Get a good look at how big the ball of dough is because you want it to double in size. Depending on the temperature that will take from an hour to 2 hours. Don’t rush the rising by putting it in the oven.

When the dough has doubled in size divide it in half. Flour the counter so the dough doesn’t stick. Roll out two 12 inch circles. If you’re busy or don’t trust your dough making skills buy ready to use pizza dough. Place the circles on an oiled cookie sheet or pizza pan. Put back in a warm place while you ready the pizza toppings.

One trick for great pizza is to always cook the meat ahead of time thoroughly and leave the vegetables raw.

Top your pizza with a cup of tomato or pizza sauce, favorite meats such as pepperoni and sausage and veggies like mushrooms, onions, and green peppers, finish off with a generous sprinkling of cheese.

Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese melted

Chop an onion, green pepper, and red pepper into 1/2 chunks. Saute in a couple of tablespoons of virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes, over medium heat, until translucent and tender but not brown. Add two cloves of crushed garlic, a teaspoon each of cumin and dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. If you like spicy food increase the cayenne pepper. Slice two boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1/2 inch slices, add to the pan. Saute a minute or two more.

Add 2 cups of frozen corn kernels, fresh can be used as well. Sauteing brings out the sweetness of the corn and enhances its flavor. While the corn is cooking, roughly chop 2 large tomatoes. Add to the pan with 4 cups of good chicken broth. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes for the flavors to meld. Serve with restaurant style corn chips and a squeeze of lime. Add a salad of sliced cucumbers and jicama tossed with lime juice, fresh cilantro and salt and pepper.

Mini burritos are easy and quick. Fill a small flour tortilla with a tablespoon of cooked hamburger, shredded chicken, or sliced steak. Add a slice of tomato, a tablespoon of shredded cheese and roll up burrito fashion tucking in the ends so you end up with a nice little package. Grill for a minute or two on each side to heat up the meat and melt the cheese and there you have it. Serve with an interesting salsa of chopped grapefruit, cilantro, onions, jalapeno peppers, and jicama for the adults to munch on as appetizers until the main course is ready. If you don’t like grapefruit substitute seedless watermelon.

Most kids love fish sticks so why not serve fish tacos? Brush mild boneless fish fillets like halibut or tilapia with a marinade of lemon juice, minced garlic, minced onion, and a touch of cumin. Grill until the fish is cooked through but not over cooked. About 5 minutes per inch of thickness of the fillet. Cut the fillets into about 4 inch by 2 inch servings. Cover with foil and set on the back of the grill to keep warm, in a warming drawer, or in a 200 hundred degree oven. Set up a taco bar with corn and flour tortillas, toppings of tomatoes, sliced onions, cheese, shredded cabbage, sliced jalapenos, salsa in both mild and hot varieties, cucumbers, chopped cilantro, sweet red peppers, cooked corn, black beans, and pinto beans. Consider putting a sign with a flame and the word HOT in front of any topping that you feel might be too spicy for children.

Your guests including the little ones will have a great time building their fish tacos. If you’re not sure everyone will like fish, grill some boneless chicken breasts as an alternative.

Serve a grilled and raw veggie platter with several dips. Try some new vegetables you might not have thought about grilling such as carrots, endive spears, cherry tomatoes, broccoli spear slices, or summer squash slices. Toss the vegetables with a marinade of olive oil, citrus juice, garlic, and herbs for at least an hour before grilling. Use bottled Italian salad dressing if you’re in a hurry.

Echo the marinade flavors in the dips you offer. Mix some Italian salad dressing in a cup of cottage cheese add 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, extra chopped fresh basil and whirl in the blender until smooth.

A quick citrus dip is simply sour cream with lemon, lime, and orange juice. Add a teaspoon of grated citrus peel to boost the flavor with some freshly grated pepper.

Grilled fruit kabobs make a great dessert for both children and adults. Cut peaches, plums, pineapple, in one inch chunks, add seedless grapes and halved apricots. Thread fruit on a short wood skewer and brush with lime juice. You can do all this ahead. The lime juice will keep the peaches from turning brown. Grill over a low fire until grill marks are barely visible. Remove from the grill and brush with a glaze made from equal parts honey and lime juice.

Your guests will be happy and satisfied until the sun goes down.

Chop two bunches of scallions (green onions), reserve about 1/2 cup for garnish. Crush 3 cloves of garlic, finely chop about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ginger, add more if you like the flavor of ginger. Slice 4 ounces of mushrooms. Saute over medium heat until the scallions are soft. Add a pound of medium size shelled and de veined shrimp. Cook until the shrimp turns pink. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, one tablespoon of soy sauce, and enough rice noodles to serve 4. Simmer until noodles are cooked per packaged directions. At the very end of the cooking right before you’re ready to serve the soup add a small package of fresh spinach. The spinach should just be wilted. Garnish each serving with the reserved green onions.