Excerpts

Kids in the Kitchen Cooking with your child is a fun way to spend time together while building essential life-long skills. The recipes in this cookbook are intended for adults and for children, with the premise that parents know best the unique capabilities of their child and what constitutes a safe level of engagement.  For kids, cooking in a kitchen can be a lot like doing a fun science experiment in a chemistry lab. It's fascinating to mix ingredients and see the reaction. Your goal is to make sure that the reactions occur as planned, so here are a few simple tips to make certain that kitchen science remains fun and safe. Read the directions thoroughly before starting. Modeling this essential rule of cooking will prepare your child for any steps that require your absolute supervision. When the recipe calls for the use of a knife, electrical appliance and/or heat, an adult should be in charge. Remind your young assistant to keep electrical cords and appliances away from contact with water. Keep any loose clothing, jewelry or hair away from moving parts and heat. Tie back long hair and remove jewelry. Roll up your sleeves, put on an apron and get ready to safely cook! Hint: Cooking can bring on hunger for kids. Provide them with kid-sized portions of fruit, vegetables and nuts in a separate part of the kitchen from the ingredients being used to cook for the birds. Explain that the food they are cooking is not for people, even though some of the ingredients are familiar. ***** Double-dipped Cone Ingredients Pine cones Suet Seeds, any combination Peanut butter Tools String or yarn Directions Step 1: Explore an area with pine trees and collect a few pine cones. Take time to enjoy the smell of pine needles underfoot and the activity of wildlife. Step 2: Tie a 12-inch length of string or yarn under the top layer of scales on the pine cone, just under the stem. Step 3: Melt suet on low heat in a heavy saucepan or double boiler. Hold onto the string and dip the cone into the melted suet. If the suet is not deep enough for dipping, pour suet over the cone with a long-handled spoon. (Hint: Place wax paper on a countertop to catch any drips.) Step 4: Immediately sprinkle seeds of your choice over the dipped cone. Let the cone cool on the waxed paper. To speed the cooling process, put the dipped cone in the refrigerator. Step 5: Heat the peanut butter in a microwave until it is melted. This will only take about 3 ten-second intervals. Immediately dip the cone into, or drizzle the melted peanut butter over, the cooled cone. Hang the cones outside and wait for hungry birds to dip in. Notes Seeds come packaged in very unique ways. Pine tree seeds are protected inside of pine cones. When a mature cone is exposed to heat, the individual sections spread open and the seeds eventually fall to the forest floor. Birds like Pine Siskins, and White-winged and Red Crossbills have bills uniquely shaped to remove and eat seeds from an opened pine cone. Make this recipe and watch for a variety of bird species to dip into a delicious snack right before your eyes. Attracts: Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Hairy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch Also Attracts: Boreal, Carolina and Mountain Chickadees; Downy Woodpecker; Red-breasted Nuthatch Excerpted from Homemade Bird Food: 26 Fun & Easy Recipes to Feed Backyard Birds by Adele Porter All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.