Fun Food: Crepes

Crepes are and fun and easy way to let children get hands-on in the kitchen, and make their food their own creation! Perfect for a weekend morning breakfast or a quick dinner, here is a simple recipe for this classic French dish.

Batter Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
  

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour and eggs. Gradually add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth.

2. Heat a greased medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the pan, move pan in a circular motion until the whole surface is covered evenly.

3. Let cook for about 1-2 minutes, until golden brown, then flip with spatula and cook the other side.

Fillings for crepes can be sweet or savory. Here are some great filling suggestions, but let your kids experiment and see what else might taste good!

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Fresh Fruit & Cream Cheese

Melted Cheese

Sautéed spinach and mushrooms

Hummus

Lunch Meat & Cheese

Scrambled Eggs and Bacon pieces

Maple Syrup

And for Dessert Crepes fill with:

Cool Whip and Chocolate Syrup

Ice cream and Sprinkles

Healthy Snacks for Hip Hop Baby Kids!

A lot of New Year's resolutions have been broken by now, but what about the one to continue to keep your family eating healthy? That resolution should be year round. Parents magazine recently posted a few great snack ideas that we thought we should share with you!

1- Veggie Dip- cut up vegetables into slices and serve with hummus.

2-Turkey Tortilla- Place deli turkey, low-fat mozzarella, and lettuce on a whole wheat tortilla. Roll tightly, seal, and refrigerate. Cut into 1-inch slices.

3-Delicious Smoothies- Blend a banana with one cup nonfat milk and two tablespoons Ovaltine. You can add variety by mixing in other fruits, yogurt, and peanut butter.

4-New Take on Yogurt- Mix low-fat vanilla yogurt with low-fat granola and dried cranberries.

Our favorite is the turkey tortilla- let us know if you try any of them, we'd love to hear from you!!

Happy Holidays!!!

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season from all of us here at It's Hip Hop, Baby!

Holiday Cookies for Kids!

Here at It's Hip Hop, Baby! we were searching for some holiday cookies to share with our readers- then one just dawned on us. Gingerbread cookies! A delicious and easy for kids to decorate. Disney Family Fun posted a fantastic recipe that we love! Your kids can use anything to decorate the gingerbread cookies, just make sure they're having lots of FUN! Happy baking!

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup molasses
• Tubes of white decorator's frosting
• Red and green M & M's and Skittles

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized bowl, sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda. Set aside dry ingredients.

2. In a large bowl, blend the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the molasses. Slowly add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture, stirring after each addition with the wooden spoon or mixer (the dough should be stiff).

3. Divide the dough in half, flatten into a thick pancake (a fun step for kids set up with a rolling pin) and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the dough is firm enough to roll (if it becomes too stiff, soften for 10 minutes at room temperature).

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a floured counter, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men and a spatula to transfer them to a greased cookie sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until light brown.

5. Once the gingerbread men have cooled, invite your kids to pipe on frosting features and clothing (they can make both boys and girls -- or even a whole gingerbread family). Add red and green candies for buttons. Makes about 25 cookies.

Make it a holiday tradition with your family!

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/gingerbread-kids-678845/
Photo: http://bakingbites.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/nic_gingerman_hat.jpg

New Fun Eco-Friendly Tablewear for Kids!

It's Hip Hop, Baby! found these great products and we want you to check out! A New York mom of four started this company because she wanted to make sure her kids were having a healthy and fun eating experience- wa-la! Rooware! They manufacture their tableware from an innovative bio-based plastic, which allows the products to be sustainable. They're also cute and fun! They feature characters called the "Earthsaverz," who you can customize for your child. A great holiday gift, It's Hip Hop, Baby! loves this new product! Check them out at www.rooware.com