Kids

It is easy to flex your culinary creativity and play with cereal treats. Just think of your dream flavor combo, and I promise you can use it to create a custom cereal treat! Bonus: no bake!

There are two main ways to be creative with these. You can add crunch, swirl, or spice mix-­ins directly into the marshmallow and cereal mixture—­folding them in, swirling them through, or even melting them right into the base. You can also go the layered route—­press half the cereal mixture into the pan, spread on your swirl (fudge, peanut butter, caramel, and the like), then press the remaining cereal mixture on top. If you are using a spread or softer mix-­in, make sure it has the consistency of peanut butter because you don’t want to add liquid to this recipe.

With all this in mind, I’ll give you the structure for making these treats. All you have to do is choose your own adventure.

These savoury fritters, rich in plant-based protein and packed with veggies, were born out of a burning desire to get more legumes into our kids’ diets. Coat with breadcrumbs to get them across the line and you will be making these for years to come! Serve them hot or cold, solo, dunked in a dip or tucked into a wrap. They remind us of yummy cafe corn fritters and are a hit with the whole family every time.

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. I made it one night with no time and no plan. I opened the fridge and grabbed everything that seemed at least vaguely to go together. I took some sausage from the freezer, some peppers on their last legs, some broccoli rabe, and a couple odds and ends of onions. Add to that the remnants of a few open cans of tomatoes and . . . voilà, classic sausage and peppers. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

The longer this sits in the fridge, the more delicious it gets. Reheat it and then throw it on a hoagie or on a mound of mashed potatoes or with polenta.

During my early days in New York working for Restaurant Daniel, dinnertime at home landed around two in the morning. The sad truth for pastry chefs working in restaurants is that they are always the last ones dismissed, since dessert is the last course. By the time I got home, the options were slim for 24-hour restaurants that delivered. And so, my go-to meal of choice was simple: a bowl of cereal. Cereal was convenient. There was no prep time, there were minimal dishes to be washed, and it strangely hit the spot.

Growing up, I awoke to the smell of this omelet cooking on most weekends, and my mom (whom our kids call “Nanima”) still makes it for the kids whenever they stay over. First, the potatoes are diced and sautéed until they’re perfectly tender, and then you add the spiced egg mixture. My mom would also pack it with onions, and we’d enjoy it with fresh paratha (a flatbread), yogurt, and green chutney; you can also serve it with Pickled Carrots. It’s kinda like a frittata but with all the Indian spices to warm your soul (and your taste buds). I love that the kids gobble it up and that they’re just as excited when they smell it cooking on a weekend morning as I was!

Pipo’s pan pizza is perfect for help from little hands. It’s a flexible recipe that can be made either from scratch, or with store-bought fresh pizza dough. It’s delicious either way.

Sometimes I serve this with a little bowl of finely based unsalted nuts, and dip the cheesy exposed sides for extra flavor and crunch.