So some of you might think I'm nuts for teaching my almost 3 year old how to cook. I love to bake and always have. One day she asked to help, so I let her pour the ingredients in. This has continued for several months, so when I came across Curious Chef, I knew these were perfect products for her. This Saturday's Holiday Gear Giveaway is about holiday cookie baking! Curious Chef is a wonderful cooking utensil store, just for kids. It's hard for little hands to work with adult cooking utensils. Not to mention it makes them feel special they have their own gear. Ella now has her own cooking drawer- which has distracted her from all of the other drawers she's not supposed to be in. All of the Curious Chef's products are BPA free and meet and exceed the CPSC testing standards. I was worried about my old cookie cutters and if they had BPA in them. I didn't want Ella playing with them, just in case. So this truly has been a amazing find!
Curious Chef has over 49 child sized cooking utensils to choose from and some amazing kits. They have some awesome party kits like a Sundae kit, Holiday Cookie kit and Pizza Party kit that would be great for birthday parties or sleepovers. We got to review the 6 Piece Cookie Kit and had some extra holiday cookie cutters sent over. The 6 piece kit comes with a large silicone mixing spoon, whisk, nylon cookie cutter, non stick rolling pin, and 2 cookie cutters.
We had planned a cookie party with several of Ella's friends, but like most plans- they fell through last minute since some kiddos got sick. It seems like they keep passing the same junk back and forth. So today Ella and I had our holiday cookie adventure and it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. She did most of the work and I was surprised at how well she did. We used a simple organic sugar cookie mix so it wouldn't be too difficult. Here are some pics of our experience:
The whisk was very easy for her to use and once she got the idea of going in circles fast and she was able to scramble the eggs. Then she enjoyed pouring the melted butter into the egg and the mix was very easy for her to stir with the silicone spatula. I then had to step in and knead. Who knows what would have happened if I had allowed her to do that since she had already wanted to eat the egg. :) We then put the dough in the fridge for 4 hours and came back to it. 
Yes, she concentrating hard on rolling! The non-stick roller was also very easy to use when the dough was a little warmer. It was difficult for her to push down hard on the cold dough. But she got it! And she loved using the cookie cutters to make shapes. We got the Christmas tree, bell, ginger bread man and star cutters to use. That was her favorite part out of the whole process- besides eating the cookies.
Here is the kiddo using the spatula to put the sugar cookies in her tin. We then made a organic cream cheese frosting and added some Just Tomatoes Powdered Raspberries to half of the mixture. We also added some Just Tomatoes Powdered Blueberries to some of the dough and Just Tomatoes Banana Powder to the top of some of the cookies for a variety. They all turned out super yummy!So I did all of this with a almost 3 year old. Curious Chef is recommended for ages 5+, but with your help, any child can learn how to cook. If you have smaller children and want to introduce them to cooking, have them play with the utensils with water. The measuring spoons, whisk, and measuring cups would be great to start off by simple play. Not to mention the mathematical concepts you will be teaching! I let Ella use her rolling pin to roll play dough and try the cookie cutters with that so she knew what to do when it came time to actually make the cookies.
Now, get ready to start planning holiday baking with your little ones!!
The Giveaway: Curious Chef would like to give 1 lucky winner a Holiday Cookie Kit
Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST November 28, 2009 to enter. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced after they respond to the winning email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email, or a new winner will be chosen. You must leave your email address! This contest is open only to the USHow to Enter: Go to Curious Chef and tell me something else you like! Make sure to leave your email address!! I cannot contact the winner without it!
EXTRA entries: You must complete the "How To Enter" before making any extra entries. Make sure you leave a comment for each extra entry and tell me which one.
2. Become a fan of Mkokopelli on FB, Mkokopelli on Twitter, or Follow my blog
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (on the right sidebar) You must verify and be active at the time of the giveaway- those who are unverified will become disqualified
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries total)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 entry)
6. Become a Fan of Curious Chef on Facebook
7. Tell me your favorite recipe on the Curious Chef
8. Follow the Curious Chef on Twitter
9. Add my Eco-friendly Holiday Gift Guide to your blog or Facebook page
New disclaimer: I was sent these items to review for free by Curious Chef. This is NO way changes my opinions about the products or company. These are my thoughts, opinions and results.
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 entry)
6. Become a Fan of Curious Chef on Facebook
7. Tell me your favorite recipe on the Curious Chef
8. Follow the Curious Chef on Twitter
9. Add my Eco-friendly Holiday Gift Guide to your blog or Facebook page
New disclaimer: I was sent these items to review for free by Curious Chef. This is NO way changes my opinions about the products or company. These are my thoughts, opinions and results.
