Apple Pizza

Are mealtimes a battleground in your home? Is your child just a "picky" eater, or could there be something more going on? Read on for insight into this question and a deliciously easy Apple Pizza recipe from Risa Nasatir, a certified licensed speech language pathologist.

Did you know that it takes 14 times to try a new food before one can say that they truly don’t like it? This is one of the things I tell both parents and children when they start any type of feeding therapy. Almost everyone has been around a “picky” eater, but what is really going on? Once medical issues have been ruled out, picky eating usually stems from either a behavioral difficulty, an oral motor challenge, a sensory challenge or a combination of these areas.

Photo courtesy of Risa Nasatir

Apple Crumb Cake

Getting kids in the kitchen is what we're all about at The Kids' Table. The benefits of cooking with your kids are many. You're teaching them a basic life skill, spending quality time together, giving kids a sense of ownership and accomplishment, and perhaps best of all, engaging them around food in a positive way. A healthy, fun relationship with food coupled with a sense of pride about their creations can help kids make better food choices.

Lucky New Year's Soup

Wanna make sure you have the best and brightest year ever? This soup could be your ticket. Dark leafy greens and black-eyed peas are the featured ingredients, which according to Southern US folklore bring good luck and prosperity for the year to come. The greens symbolize paper money, and the black eyed peas are reminiscent of coins. Of course, money can't buy happiness, but it also doesn't hurt!

Kohlrabi-Potato Pancakes with Avocado Cream & Fond Food Memories, by Melissa Graham

Culling out a single food memory from my childhood would be impossible as there are so very many. My mother, a great cook and food enthusiast, sought to make food interesting, an adventure ever day.

We took family field trips to farm stands on the east end of Long Island, that showed me real food in its natural state. 

Photo courtesy of Melissa Graham

She was also a gracious and creative hostess. I remember her making and serving dinner by candlelight for a Colonial Williamsburg dinner, clambakes, and cocktail hours that lasted several hours on our family sailboat. But of course, I'd be remiss in not recalling our family’s very popular, annual survival party - an outdoor event on New Year's Day. Yes, she served too much food and people drank too much. But I’ll always recall the laughter that those parties inspired.

She was willing to experiment. At the family table, I tried so many different cuisines as a kid - I remember the fondue pot, the wok, the crepe pan, and of course her famous krumkakers filled with sweetened whipped cream.

Most importantly, she showed me the importance of family dinner. While I may forgo the candles that my mom laid out each night, we continue this tradition every night, one that keeps our family strong.

Why The "Kids' Table" Is the Best Place to Be

I founded The Kids' Table over 8 years ago now. The name for a business that teaches hands-on cooking classes for kids and families came almost effortlessly. You've got the literal interpretation of it, as a place where kids get to cook and eat at tables, with tools, and in an environment tailored to them. And the more whimsical and nostalgic feelings that childhood memories of "the kids' table" invokes for many.

We know that "the kids' table" means different things to different people. And we want to know what it means to YOU! We just launched a Photo Contest so you can show us how "the kids' table" is the best place to be. Maybe it's a memory from your own childhood, or memories you're creating with your kids now. Maybe it's cooking together. Or picking apples. Or setting a beautiful table. Or picnicking in the park. Or sharing a takeout pizza on a busy weeknight. We hope you'll share your "kids' table" with us - because sharing is caring (and there's an amazing prize in store for the winner!).

Red, White & Blueberry

Sous pastry chef, Aleks

Looking for something fun and healthy to make with the kids for the 4th of July? The Kids' Table founder, Elena Marre, made this beautiful flag cake with her son, Aleks. It's yummy and not too sweet - something parents appreciate and kids won't be the wiser about; they won't even notice they're missing out on all that added sugar.

Build-Your-Own Pizza

Pizza is by far the dish we've made the most at Kids' Table over the past 7+ years. We love showing kids that pizza doesn't have to come from a restaurant or the freezer. There are so many benefits to making your own. You know exactly what's in it, you can make it just the way you like it, and it's fun!