There are so many ways to invite children into the kitchen–for them to learn, grow and experience! Each time, it is a memory in the making.

My Chris grew up the baby of 6 children. His oldest sister is 19 years older (though you wouldn’t know it looking at her, unless you think Chris is twelve!) and was married when Chris was about a year old. She and her husband could not have children for several years, so they often took Chris along to fairs and had him over for the night to get their “kid fix.” They didn’t have kids for twelve years…perhaps Chris was a handful?? One of their traditions together was this one for Thanksgiving.

She’d pull out her grinder and let Chris turn the handle. Together they made this marvelous dish. It is served at every Thanksgiving in the Smith home.

Cranberry Relish

• 1 pkg. cranberry relish
• 2 oranges, peeled and seeds removed
• zest of orange (the peel, using a zester like this one, pictured below)
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced into small pieces
• family size pkg. raspberry jello
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. orange juice
• 1/2 c. pecans, chopped finely

In a blender (or grinder, if you’d like!), blend cranberries and oranges until smooth. Mix in orange zest, orange juice, jello and sugar. Mix until thoroughly blended. Pour into a bowl and stir in apples and nuts. Refrigerate overnight.

I love tasting the blend of flavors from this relish! You can substitute orange or strawberry jello, if you’d prefer. They taste really good, too.

Another fun way to engage the kids in cooking is making play dough together. I submitted a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Play Dough on page 301 that can be adapted to make all different colors. For an aromatic brown play dough, just add 3 t. pumpkin spice or apple pie spice to the following recipe. Mmm…smells wonderful!

For the different colors, make it this way (without the spice, because that will make it hard to change the colors):

• 2 c. flour
• 1 c. salt
• 2 c. warm water
• 2 t. vegetable oil
• 4 t. cream of tarter

Blend together in a large stock pot. Cook over medium low heat for about 5-8 minutes, until it makes a nice dough-y texture.

Set aside to cool for a couple of minutes. Then divide it up into 6 balls and add about 10 drops of food coloring per ball. It will make your hands look like this, even after washing them three or ten times.

But the kids will love playing with it! By the way, an added benefit is a stress reducer for you, as you knead the color into the play dough. I think God created women with a need to knead.

What if you don’t have any kids around? Invite a neighbor’s child over or a child from church. The parents will adore you for it. And the memory made with the child will surely make a heart-impact upon you.

Holly Smith is wife to Chris and mother to Noah, Kylie, Tabor and Sydney. She is a stay at home mom, who very much loves her job as a mom. On the side, a web and graphics designer and she believes God has gifted her with a love of all things creative–from painting and wall-papering to scrapbooking and design-work.