Food Goes to School : Kids in the Kitchen

Cooking as a family can be a form of therapy. It gives you time to unwind and get reacquainted with your kids.

It only takes one little task--peeling carrots, for example--to make a child feel that he has “made dinner.” And as long as it doesn’t matter if the carrots are whittled a bit thin, cooking is a wonderful way to encourage creativity.

Cooking with kids often involves the microwave. It’s one of the safest appliances in the kitchen because there is neither an open flame nor hot coils. But a few precautions should be heeded.

* Children under the age of 10 to 12 (you’ll know your own kid’s ability level) should not use the microwave unsupervised.

* Children younger than 10 can assemble pre-cut ingredients on microwave-proof dishes or paper plates. You can do the cooking and then let the kids serve themselves.

* Keep pot holders by the microwave--those dishes can get hot!

* When uncovering a microwave dish that is covered with a lid or plastic wrap, be sure to open it carefully and away from the face--hot steam will come out.

* After removing food from the microwave, let it stand a little longer than you might normally. If it’s something that can be stirred, make sure you stir it before serving, to redistribute heat.

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Serve with raw vegetable sticks or fruit. The kids can help skewer the chicken onto wood picks.

SKEWERED CHICKEN CUBES WITH HONEY-MUSTARD SAUCE 12 wood picks 1 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 24 (1-inch) cubes 2 tablespoons prepared mustard 2 teaspoons honey

Insert each wood pick into 2 chicken cubes. Arrange skewers around outer rim of paper or microwave-proof plate. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) 2 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes.

Combine mustard and honey in small paper cup. Serve chicken with Honey-Mustard Sauce for dipping at table. Makes snacks for 2 to 3 kids, or dinner for 1 to 2 kids.

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Slightly older children will have fun making these.

DEEP-DISH TURKEY POT PIE 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 2 tablespoons flour 1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas and carrots 1/2 cup water 2 cups cubed cooked turkey 2 cups chicken broth 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme Dash cayenne pepper 8 Old-Fashioned Biscuits Made Light

Combine olive oil, onion, garlic and potato in 2-quart microwave-proof casserole. Cover tightly with lid or plastic wrap, turned back slightly on one side. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) until potato is tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Sprinkle with flour and stir until absorbed. Stir in frozen vegetables and cover again. Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes. Add water, turkey, chicken broth, thyme and cayenne and stir well. Cover again and microwave on HIGH until heated through and bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once. Divide among 4 large bowls and top each with 2 biscuits. Makes 4 servings.

Old-Fashioned Biscuits Made Light 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup canola oil, light olive oil or vegetable oil 3/4 cup buttermilk

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in bowl of food processor and pulse twice to mix. Combine canola oil and buttermilk in small bowl. With motor running, pour liquid in all at once and process until dough forms ball.

Place dough on lightly floured work surface. Roll or pat out into 7 1/2x11-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Cut dough into (2-inch) rectangles or use animal-shaped cookie cutters and place on lightly oiled or non-stick baking sheet.

Bake at 425 degrees until golden and raised about 1 1/2 inches, 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 12 to 16 biscuits.