Pre-K Fun Alphabet Cooking

~ S ~

Stone Soup

Send notes home with the children to announce a Stone Soup Day
 and have each children bring in a vegetable to share. Read
 the story "Stone Soup" and follow up by making stone soup.

Pour about 2 quarts water into a large pot and let the children
 put in a round smooth stone that has been scrubbed and
 boiled. Add vegetables the children have brought. Bring to
 a boil and let simmer, covered, for about an hour. When vegetables
 are tender, add instant broth or bouillon cubes and season to taste.

S'more Sandwiches

Graham crackers
peanut butter
chocolate chips
marshmallows
bananas (optional)

Break graham cracker in half. Spread one side with peanut butter,
and sprinkle chocolate chips over. If you like add a few marshmallows
 or slices of banana. Top with another graham cracker.

Shipwreck Stew

This is an easy to put together stew. You can also
 put this in the crock pot for a couple of hours if desired.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 C. chopped onion
1/4 C. uncooked rice
2 c. chopped potatoes
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (8 oz.) can tomato paste
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef with onion in skillet,
 stirring until crumbly; drain. Layer ground beef mixture, rice, potatoes
 and beans in lg. casserole. Combine remaining ingredients with 1/2 c. water
 in bowl, mixing well. Pour over casserole. Bake covered, at 350° for 1 1/2 hours.

Sunshine Salad

Mix 1/2 carton of plain yogurt with one teaspoon of honey. 
Put one slice pineapple in each dish.  Put one tablespoon of yogurt
 mixture in the middle of the pineapple slice.  Eat the sunshine!

Sun Crackers

Let kids spread cheese on round Ritz crackers and enjoy.

Sopapillas

Place flour tortillas on foil covered cookie sheet and let children spread 
butter on tortillas.  Next have them sprinkle with sugar & then cinnamon. 
Bake on 350 degrees for 5 - 10 minutes Slice like a pizza and ENJOY!!!!

Sleeping Beauty's Spinning Wheels

2 plain or chocolate covered doughnuts
2 scoops of ice cream
2 teaspoons of chocolate sprinkles

Place 1 doughnut in each of 2 desserts dishes. Put 1 scoop of ice cream on top
 of each doughnut. Sprinkle each scoop of ice cream with 1 teaspoon of sprinkles.

Swamp Salad

2 cups applesauce
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Mix everything together in a medium bowl. Pretend you are a
Brachiosaurus hiding in a swamp from a fierce meat-eating dinosaur.

Slushers

1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid drink mix, any flavor
2 cups water
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 cups ice

In a blender, combine Kool-Aid, water and sugar. Blend. Add
 all the ice and blend. Pour into cups, and drink through a straw.

Strawberry Delight Smoothie

1 cup milk
1 cup vanilla yogurt
4 large strawberries (or 1 cup frozen strawberries)
1 small banana cut up

Blend for one minute.

Strawberry Moon Pie Shortcake

1 vanilla Moon Pie
Strawberries with juice
Whipped cream

Place Moon Pie in a bowl. Use a fork to poke some holes in the Moon Pie
 to let the juice soak in. Cover with Moon Pie with the strawberries and juice,
 then add some whipped cream. Let sit for five minutes, then eat!

Spaghetti with Cheese Sauce

1 small box of spaghetti
1 can of evaporated milk
1-8 ounce package of cheddar cheese; shredded preferred
½ teaspoon of margarine
½ teaspoon of salt (Optional)

Prepare spaghetti noodles as directed on the box, except break the spaghetti
 noodles in half to make shorter noodles. When the spaghetti noodles are cooked
 and ready to eat, remove them from the heat and drain, then rinse the spaghetti
 noodles under cold water to stop any further cooking. Set the spaghetti
 noodles to rest while you prepare the Cheese Sauce.

Cheese Sauce
In a medium size saucepan on medium-low heat, melt the margarine and add the can of milk.
Salt and stir with large plastic spoon. Add the entire 8-ounce package of shredded cheddar cheese
 or cut the chunk-style cheddar cheese into small cubes and add all of the cubes to the saucepan
 of milk. Stir continuously until all of the cheese is melted. Turn off the heat and remove the cheese
 sauce from the burner. Add the spaghetti noodles a little at a time, stirring and
 blending until you have a creamy thick noodle-sauce ratio. Serve while hot.

Spaghetti Casserole

1 ( 10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 1/2 soup cans of milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces thin spaghetti
2 cups sour cream
1 onion, grated
12 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter or margarine

In bowl mix soup, milk and black pepper. Bring to a boil enough water
 to cover spaghetti. Add spaghetti to water. Remove from heat and let
 stand until spaghetti is pliable, about 10 minutes. Drain. In 13 - by - 9
 inch baking dish spred half of spaghetti.Spread 1/2 of sour cream, 1/2 of
 cheese and 1/2 of onion. Repeat. Pour soup mixture over all. Saute cracker
 crumbs in melted butter and sprinkle on top of casserole. BAke at
325 degrees, uncovered, for 1 hour or until set.

Snack Crackers

1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (12 ounce) package oyster crackers

Mix together ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, dill and vegetable oil.
 Add crackers and mix gently until the crackers are coated with the mixture.
 Stir every 10 minutes for 1 hour. Store in an airtight jar. Makes 12 servings

Soft Pretzels

2 (16 ounce) loaves frozen bread dough
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon water
Coarse salt

Separate thawed bread into 24 (1 1/2-inch) balls. Roll each ball into a rope
 14 1/2-inches long. Have children plan and design pretzel shapes
 (letters or numerals). Put pretzels one inch apart on greased cookie sheet.
 Let stand for 20 minutes. Brush with combined egg white and water.
 Sprinkle with coarse salt. Place a shallow pan containing 1 inch of boiling
 water on bottom rack of oven; bake pretzels at 350 degrees
 on rack above water for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Shoestring Potato Candy

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup shoestring potatoes
1 cup peanuts

Heat chips on high in microwave for 2 minutes, stirring once, until melted
 (this may take more than 2 minutes). Mix in shoestring potatoes and nuts. Drop by
 teaspoon onto wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Put in refrigerator for 15 minutes or until set.

Spaghetti Pie

This layered pie is a really kicked-up idea for leftover spaghetti noodles!
 I use mozzarella cheese in this recipe, but go ahead and make yours with whatever
 cheese you like best. Cheddar, Monterey jack, or even smoked Gouda would be great.

1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 cups broccoli, cut into small flowerets by using
only about an inch of the stem
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 1/2 teaspoons Baby Bam (recipe follows)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 pound ground beef
8 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
3 cups cooked spaghetti
1 heaping cup grated mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)

Make sure the oven rack is in the center position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
 Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and
 the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes, until the broccoli is slightly cooked but still crisp and
bright green. This is called blanching. Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the
 saucepan from the heat and drain the broccoli in a colander set in the sink, pouring
 away from you. Rinse under cold running water. Set aside to drain. Heat the oil in a
 medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the Baby Bam,
the parsley, basil, 1/4 teaspoon of the remaining salt, the pepper, and ground meat, and
 cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink (that means it's cooked through) and
 the onions start to brown, about 8 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs,
 milk, the remaining 11/2 teaspoons of Baby Bam, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon
 of salt. Add the Parmesan cheese and whisk well to combine. Spread the cooked
 spaghetti evenly in a casserole dish. Pour the meat mixture over the spaghetti and
 toss with a fork to combine. Place the blanched broccoli on top of the spaghetti. Pour the
 egg mixture over the spaghetti. Sprinkle the spaghetti evenly with the mozzarella cheese
 and bake it in the oven until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Using oven mitts or
 pot holders, remove the casserole dish from the oven and let it rest and firm for 5 minutes
 before serving. Have a grown-up help you take the skillet from the stove and pour the
 meat into the casserole. Be careful carrying the full casserole dish to the oven
 and placing it inside-and even more careful taking it out of the oven! It's heavy!

Baby Bam

(Use with above Spaghetti recipe)

3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

In a medium mixing bowl, place all the spices. With a wooden spoon, stir contents
 well to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to three months.

Sand Cake

1 baked 8-inch round cake (any flavor desired)
1 new plastic beach pail
1 small box vanilla pudding (prepared)
1 cup crushed graham crackers
Shell-shaped candies
Candy rocks
Paper umbrellas
Plastic shovel (usually comes with pail)

Cut the cake into 1-inch slices. Fit the slices into the pail, alternating layers of cake
 with pudding and ending with pudding. Sprinkle the crushed cookie sand on top.
Decorate with candies, umbrellas, etc. Use the plastic shovel as a serving "spoon."

Singing Cake

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 squares bitter chocolate, melted
1 cup raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
4 cups sifted flour
1 cup strawberry jam
1 cup chopped nuts
2 teaspoons baking powder mixed in 1 cup buttermilk

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and stir. Add melted chocolate and stir. Add raisins.
 Add cinnamon, cloves, and flour, stir. Stir in nuts and jam. Now add the baking powder to
 the buttermilk and quickly stir into the cake mixture. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.
 Quickly pour mix into greased and floured angel food cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees
 until cake stops singing, about 45 minutes. Make sure you time this so your guests
 are present during the baking. Once the cake is baked, the effect is over.

Graphics by AMR ORIGINALS