THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Let kids help with quick, easy dinners
Last week we featured easy-to-prepare recipes suited to kids and busy cooks. We're sharing more ideas this week.
Kids will like making Crescent Taco Squares - taking the dinner rolls out of the refrigerated tubes, pressing them into the bottom of a pan and layering meat sauce and cheese over the top. Who knows - the kids might think cooking is so much fun, they'll volunteer to help more often!
The macaroni and the chili are worth doubling because the family will appreciate the leftovers.
Crescent Taco Squares
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/3 cup water
1 package (1-1/4 ounces) taco seasoning mix
2 cans (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 package (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 9-by-13-inch pan.
In a skillet, brown ground beef; drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce, water and taco mix; simmer.
Divide dough from each can into 4 rectangles. Lay cross-wise in pan; stretch and press to cover bottom.
Spoon meat mixture over dough; sprinkle with cheese. Lay remaining dough on cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until browned. Serves 8.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 450 calories, 28 g total fat, 9 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, greater than 900 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 5 g sugar, 18 g protein.
Macaroni Casserole
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1-1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (6-1/2 ounces) tuna, drained, or 3/4 cup diced ham
3 cups cooked macaroni
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 1-1/2-quart casserole.
In a large saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour. Add milk and cook on low heat, stirring until thickened.
Stir in mustard, horseradish, cheese and tuna or ham. Stir macaroni into sauce. Pour into prepared casserole. Sprinkle with crumbs. Bake 30 minutes. Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 350 calories, 17 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 18 g protein.
Local-Style Chili
3 slices bacon, chopped
5 ounces Portuguese sausage, sliced
1/2 cup diced onion
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (10-1/2 ounces) tomato soup
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
2 cans (15 ounces each) chili beans
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt to taste
In a large saucepan, saute bacon. Add Portuguese sausage and onion; cook until onion is transparent.
Add ground beef and cook until well browned; drain excess fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including salt to taste): 700 calories, 38 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 90 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,000 mg sodium, 50 g carbohydrate, 12 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 40 g protein.
Hawaiian Electric Co. presents this weekly collection of recipes as a public service. Many are drawn from HECO's database of recipes, accessible online at
www.heco.com.
