Recipes For Kids - Homemade Fish Fingers

Kids can be notoriously hard to cook for. They might love a recipe one week and refuse to eat it the next. They can dislike food because of the way it looks, its color, texture, or shape, even if they have never tasted that particular food before! Before you pull your hair out, there are some easy ways to get kids to eat healthy food. One of the best ways to encourage their appetite is to make something they like.

Homemade fish fingers are the same as, or better than, store-bought fish fingers. Not only do they have a fresher flavor but you are also in full control of the ingredients and what goes into them. Store-bought fish fingers might contain all kinds of preservatives, colorants and unnecessary fillers but homemade fish fingers contain fish and your chosen flavorings only.

What to Serve with Fish Fingers

In order to serve your kids a balanced meal, you should give them some kind of vegetable with the fish treats. If this sounds easier said than done, what about trying something different.

How about boiling some carrots and rutabaga until soft, then mashing them with butter and honey? The butter and honey give the mashed vegetables a creamy, sweet flavor and your kids will love the flavor. They will even overlook the fact that you are serving them something nutritious! Mashed potato is good with this fish treat and if you do want to serve a plain vegetable on the side, what about some broccoli, green peas, or beans?

Onion rings are another good idea for a side dish. Baked beans go well with fish fingers, as does corn on the cob. Your kids are likely to view the fish as a treat so you can probably get away with giving them a sizeable portion of vegetables with the fish, if you are lucky!

Recipes for Easy Fish Fingers

This is a flavorful and well balanced fish recipe. You might like to leave out the mustard powder if you are making this for small children. The breadcrumb coating comes out golden brown and crispy and the fish will be tender and flavorful. This recipe serves four people.

You will need:

1 lb boneless, skinless fish
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Oil, for deep frying
Fine breadcrumbs, as needed

How to make them:

Cut the fish into finger-shaped pieces and marinade it in the lemon juice, salt and pepper for fifteen minutes in the refrigerator. Combine the egg, mustard powder, and flour to make a paste. Dip each fish finger in the egg mixture, and then roll them in the breadcrumbs.

Dip the fish again in the beaten egg, then again in the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F and deep fry the fish fingers until they are golden brown. Serve them with ketchup, mayonnaise, or tartar sauce, as well as whichever side dishes you want to make.

Grandma's Homemade Chicken Soup

There is nothing quite like a hot, soothing bowl of homemade chicken soup, especially when your sick or when the weather starts getting cold. I am sure many of us have fond memories of Mom or Grandma fixing up a hot bowl of chicken soup when we were younger. Remember how comforting it was and how good it made you feel? I sure do and I look forward to making chicken soup at least once a month during the cold days of winter. I am going to share with you one of the most delicious recipes for chicken soup, passed down to me from my Grandmother. It is quite easy to make and I promise you will enjoy this again and again...

I rarely follow exact measurements while cooking, so the ingredients below are approximated. Please forgive me in advance..

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Chicken Breasts on the Bone, Skin on

3 Large Celery Stalks Sliced (Reserve Leaves)

3 Large Carrots Sliced

1 Medium Onion Chopped

3 Cloves of Garlic Crushed

2 Medium Russet Potatoes Cubed

1 Cup of Small Pasta for Soup (Orzo, Ditalini)

Water

Chicken Stock

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Grated Italian Cheese (Optional)

Bouquet garni of Thyme, Sage and Rosemary (Instructions Below)

DIRECTIONS

Step 1 - Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts skin side down and brown.

Step 2 - Add water and chicken stock to the pot. Add a 50/50 mixture of water and chicken stock. The chicken stock gives the soup a boost in flavor. Add enough liquid so that the chicken is completely submerged, plus a little more.

Step 3 - Add celery leaves, garlic and Bouquet Garni (instructions follow). Bring liquid to a boil, then cover and simmer. Cook chicken on a low simmer until you can easily pull the chicken off the bone. One chicken is done, remove it from the pot and place it on a large plate. Remove the garlic and bouquet from pot and discard.

Bouquet Garni Instructions/Description

A bouquet Garni is just a fancy French name for a bundle of herbs that can be added to stocks, soups and stews. When translated to English it means: "garnished bouquet". It is very easy to make. You can either tie the bundle together using strings or you can wrap it in cheesecloth. I like to use the cheesecloth as it keeps the herbs contained so that they do not fall off and become part of the soup. If you don't mind the herbs in the final soup, you can wrap it with string. This bundle of herbs will impart a deliciously rich flavor to the broth.

Step 4 - Add the onion, potatoes, celery and carrots to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Step 5 - Add your pasta and cook along with vegetables until pasta is al dente.

Step 6 - While the pasta is cooking, pull chicken from the bone and shred into bite size pieces. Add the chicken to the pot and stir.

Step 7 - Serve. Top with grated cheese if desired. Enjoy!