Creative Recipes to Cook With Grandkids

1/4 cup sunflower seed kernels

Salt to taste

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and stir until all the grains are glistening with butter. Slowly pour the broth over the rice, stir once, then bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 40-50 minutes. Turn the heat off and remove the pan from the stove. Carefully lift the steaming lid and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, parmesan cheese and sunflower seeds, plus salt, if needed. Stir to combine and serve with the shrimp. 

For the shrimp: 

1/2 pound shelled, deveined shrimp

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of black pepper

While the rice is cooking, place 4 wooden skewers in a shallow dish. Cover with water and let soak until you are ready to use them (this keeps the skewers from burning while cooking). Place shrimp in a bowl and toss with lemon juice and garlic. Add the oil and seasonings, then stir again until the shrimp are evenly coated. Remove the skewers from the water and thread the shrimp onto them, dividing them evenly among the four skewers. Roughly 5-10 minutes before the rice is done cooking, preheat the broiler to high. With an adult's help, place shrimp skewers on a broiler pan, then place the broiler pan under the heating rack about 4-6 inches below the heat. Broil the shrimp until they turn pink and are slightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Turn the broiler off and carefully transfer the shrimp skewers to a serving platter. Serve with sunflower rice on the side. 

Chicken Pot Pie

This super-simple recipe is a family favorite for its creamy chicken filling and buttery crust. It's also easy enough for younger children to make with adult supervision.

Serves 4-6

4 cups cooked, chopped chicken

2 cups frozen vegetables (peas and carrots work best)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Pinch of black pepper

1 (10.5-ounce) can low-sodium cream of chicken soup

1 (10.5-ounce) can low-sodium cream of mushroom soup

1 (8-inch) tube refrigerated crescent dough

2 tablespoons melted butter 

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix the chicken pieces with the frozen veggies. Add thyme, black pepper, and the two soups. Stir until blended. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Carefully unroll the crescent dough and stretch it across the chicken mixture (the dough might not reach the edges of the pan, but that's okay!). Dip a pastry brush into the melted butter and brush over all the dough. Bake for 25-40 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and the filling is warm. (If the dough is cooked but the filling isn't, cover it lightly with foil and continue cooking until the filling is warm.) Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cheeseburger Stuffed Bell Peppers 

Since my grandkids love a good cheeseburger, I incorporate those same flavors into a healthy vegetable for dinner. You can use any color bell pepper you like, but we prefer the sweeter red, orange or yellow peppers. The kids can't resist the gooey cheese topping!

Serves 4

4 large bell peppers

1/2 pound ground beef

1/4 cup onion, diced

2 cups cooked white rice

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup beef broth

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Using a child-safe knife, cut peppers in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. With adult supervision, cook the beef and onion together in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or until the beef is no longer pink. Stir in the rice, tomato paste, ketchup, Worcestershire, garlic, salt and pepper. After blending the ingredients together, scoop equal amounts of the beef mixture into each pepper half. Place peppers in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Pour beef broth over the peppers, then cover the dish with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over each pepper. Bake an additional 5 minutes, uncovered or until cheese has melted. Serve warm.

Now that you have these grandkid-approved recipes, gather together for a cooking date. You'll create special memories with them while passing down family recipes for generations to enjoy. 

Marcia Kester Doyle is a Yahoo Life columnist and the author of Who Stole My Spandex? Life In The Hot Flash Lane. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The Independent, Stylist, USA Today/Reviewed, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, AARP, Woman's Day, Country Living, House Beautiful and many others. You can find her at marciakesterdoyle.com