Minor emergency: children are coming to dinner

[cteavin]

I just got a phone call from my very good friend. She asked me to baby-sit her kids this evening because she can't get away from office until late and day care closes at six. I love kids and her two kids and I get along really, really well, so I'm totally fine with it but I realized I have to feed them.

What do three and five year olds eat?

I'm actually serious. I don't want to give them sugar or caffeine and kids are pretty picky, aren't they?

I have four hours before I pick them up but I'll probably be doing this again, so any advice will be appreciated.

Cheers -- and wish me luck,

[Dave the Cook]

I have yet to meet a kid that didn't like chicken fingers. Chicken breast (or thigh) strips, flour, egg wash, panko, then bake or fry. Sauces make the dish: ketchup, tonkatsu, honey-mustard, applesauce . . .

If you have the supplies, they also like pizza, and if you make the dough (you've got just enough time), they can pick the toppings (whatever you have on hand will be fine), thus alleviating the picky factor. If you can't make dough, split a loaf of bread lengthwise and top that.

[Lisa Shock]

Parents often joke about the beige food group, but that's what's safe.

A quick bread like biscuits or cornbread is usually pretty good, plus they would enjoy helping make it.

Wait, are you in Japan?

My Japanese friend's child always asked for rice balls when he was a kid. Just sushi seasoned rice with a little furikake sprinkled on usually worked. (There was this Anpanman furikake he really liked...) He also liked those scrambled eggs made with a little mirin and cooked while moving chopsticks really fast so it winds up looking a little like roe. (so sorry, I do not know the Japanese word for the eggs.) Most will eat salads of raw vegetables, mildly flavored ones like carrot and celery. They also like fruit, usually. You can cut one apple into smaller wedges and remove the core for easy eating.

[Aloha Steve]

Mac n Cheese, P-Nut butter and Jelly, Chocolate Milk, Sugared Cereal, Cookies, Mashed Potatoes

I guess it depends where they have grown up to.

My son loves white rice n a little shoyu......his Grandma and Grandpa eat it every day.

[cteavin]

Thanks for the replies.

I took the first advise and started a crust for pizza. I also made some dough to make corn tortillas later. My thinking is they can have fun shaping the doughs and crafting their own pizzas and quesadillas.

I've also just prepped some graham cracker dough that they can shape into snacks to take home. You see, my home is not kid friendly -- I have to make toys. (lol)

(whew)

[cteavin]

We all survived. They came, they ate, we played and played and played and played and played and they ate and went home.

Honestly, how can you be a parent and still find time to eat? Any time food came near my person it was quickly diverted to another mouth. (lol) I'm really hungry, now.

Just for the record, the kids really did like rolling the bits of corn tortilla dough I gave them. They also treated it like play dough which gave them enough distraction so that I could get their dinner ready. Pizza was a little harder because of the flour. They also made me laugh because for their snack they got homemade graham crackers and they first thing the older boy asked his mum when she came was she never makes "real crackers" for them. (lol)

Edited December 4, 2009 by cteavin (log)

[Lisa Shock]

Well, aside from you being close to death from hunger, looks like everything went very well! I'm glad it worked out and you didn't have to deal with a group of pouting faces complaining that the food wasn't 'right.' Feeding someone else's kids can be one of the toughest foodie challenges, and you did a great job! Now, they'll probably ask if they can come over again....

[Special K]

You see, my home is not kid friendly . . .

Oh, yes it is, cteavin! You are a genius!

For next time, you might try individual meatloaves - they'd have to be pretty bland, probably, but kids love food that's scaled down to their size. Serve with the usual mashed potatoes, etc., on small plates with the smallest cutlery you have, and they'll love it. My niece and nephew used to love having this, anyway, and it certainly changed the way I make meatloaf - the smaller ones (just bake on a sheet pan, freeform) are really, really good - lots more "extra good nibbly bits," as my husband (a big kid himself) likes to say. Be sure to save one or two for yourself!

Of course, what they'll probably want every time they come over is your pizzas, tortillas, and REAL graham crackers!

[OliverB]

french fries, meat balls, pasta (get small pasta, not spaghetti), mac&cheese, my boy loves celery and carrots. Pizza always works of course. Chicken is always a hit at my house, bbq, roasted, etc. Sounds like you had fun! Yes, eating and cooking can be a challenge, I have a 6 and a 2 year old. I don't cook "kid food" per se, they get what we have, but most of the time they find something in there they like. Oh, rice always works too or a thick soup with some nice bread to dip. I just never got into the sanwich with a smiley face on it and things like that.

Oh, and just because they loved something yesterday doesn't mean it's considered even remotely edible today of course