Fun in the Kitchen

Cooking with your child creates a bonding opportunity

Story and photos by Katlyn Sanden

“Chopped” has got nothing on 8-year old Emri Koning of western Bureau County.

Preparing different foods has become a hobby for Emri as she elegantly plates her masterpieces for her parents, asking them if it needs any different seasonings, oils, herbs, or anything else. But her cooking has led to more than just tasty dishes.

“We’re making memories,” said Emri’s mom, Tauni Koning. “We like to bake together.”

And bake they do. From tried-andtrue family recipes to new ones they find online, there’s not much the baking duo won’t try.

Their favorites are roasted carrots, Korean beef lettuce wraps, coffee cake, taco dip, sugar cookies, and just about any pancake conceivable.

When the pandemic hit, Emri seized every chance she had to try a new type of pancake. Finding herself with a lot more extra time, she experimented with raspberry, almond, and peach flavoring, and then she branched out into creating different animals such as her “Purrfect Pancakes,” where she used strawberries, blueberries, and apples to make it look like a cat. She even created a turkey pancake for Thanksgiving, which ended up being her favorite

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Emri Koning loves these cute and flavorful turkey pancakes. The duo gets creative coming up with healthy foods to make the faces.

See COOKING page 14

Tauni and Emri Koning’s secret to making the best coffee cake is layering the sugar mixture inside the batter, then sprinkling the remainder on the top.

Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS: Batter

1 box yellow cake mix 1 3-ounce package instant vanilla pudding 2/3 cup melted butter 2 eggs 1 cup water

Sugar Mixture

1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all the batter ingredients and beat for 5 minutes. Pour into a 9x13 greased pan. Make sugar mixture. Layer batter and sugar mixture in the greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You can top with fruit, frosting, or enjoy as is.

breakfast culinary masterpiece so far.

“I used creative flavors, banana, pretzel, dark chocolate, and a little licorice for garnish,” Emri said when describing how she created the turkey.

Her mom particularly enjoyed the “Purrfect Pancakes.”

“It’s fun trying to decide ingredients that will look good and be healthy, especially for breakfast,” Tauni added.

The best part is these pancakes are easy to create at home. The duo uses a gluten-free mix from Aldi, but doesn’t necessarily follow the exact recipe on the back. Their secret is adding extra vanilla extract and adding just enough mix and milk to achieve a thick consistency over a runny consistency. Then they let their imaginations run wild to come up with different animals.

As far as how they work together in the kitchen, Tauni says it all boils down to patience.

“That’s a big one for me personally,” she said. “They’re (kids) not going to learn unless they learn from you, so I think it’s important to be spending the time. If we don’t, who will? We try to have fun with it. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end of the world. We try again.”

Looking into the future, this mother-daughter baking duo hope to tackle crepes, eclairs, and macaroons next. They both agree the eclairs and macaroons might be a bit tricky, but they’re up for the challenge.

Emri Koning plates and garnishes her roasted carrots after carefully drizzling honey over them.

Roasted Carrots

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound carrots 2 tablespoons olive oil 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite seasoning (Emri & Tauni use steak seasoning) 2 teaspoons honey

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 425. Wash, peel, and slice the carrots. Coat them in olive oil and seasoning. Bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned. Drizzle honey and serve.

INGREDIENTS:

2 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese 1 tall jar salsa Shredded cheese Olives or black beans Onions

Taco Dip

Tomatoes Green pepper Cilantro Tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:

Blend cream cheese and salsa. Spread evenly in a pan. Layer the remaining ingredients – you can use as much or as little of each ingredient as you want. Serve with tortilla chips.

On the Cover Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground beef 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and ginger. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat. Stir in soy sauce mixture and green onions until well combined, allowing to simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds. You can use this mixture to fill a lettuce leaf for lettuce wraps, or you can serve over prepared rice.

Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS: Cookie

1 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg and 2 egg yolks 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 3/4 tablespoons milk

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all cookie ingredients. Chill cookie dough 1 to 2 hours in the fridge. Roll out and use your favorite cookie cutters. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 7 minutes. Mix the frosting ingredients while the cookies cool. Frost and enjoy.

No-Bake, Flat-Belly Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup coconut oil 1/2 cup natural peanut butter 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or stevia to taste) 1/4 cup coconut milk 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut, toasted 2 and 1/2 cups rolled oats

DIRECTIONS:

Heat coconut oil, peanut butter, and sugar until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in milk. Add remaining ingredients and a pinch of salt if desired. Drop 24 spoonfuls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until set. Store in fridge.

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