From Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie Surprise to your great uncle’s Secret Stuffing, Thanksgiving is filled with special foods that are unique to your family. Many of these recipes get handed down from generation to generation- written on little note cards and in the well-worn pages of a handwritten cookbooks- and are always placed on the table with pride. This combination of togetherness and deliciousness is a great opportunity to get kids involved in the kitchen and pass on some of the most valuable heirlooms in the family – its traditions. Aside from passing on gems of culinary wisdom,  getting them involved will help them take ownership of the meal and may even give them a talking point when they sit down to dinner with everyone.

Having little hands in the mixing bowl takes a little bit of planning to ensure the experience is a good one. It’s vital to set them up for success, taking into consideration their age and the difficulties of the recipes you have.  Children up to seven should be given recipes that call for you to snap, tear, spread, measure, and do basic mixing (like stirring instant pudding). Children from eight to ten can do all of those things with added supervised responsibilities like using a mixer, grating cheese, cracking and separating eggs, and chopping vegetables.   Make sure you do any of the prep-work required for the non-kid parts of the recipes before-hand so you can engage them as much as possible when you are cooking together.

Here are some kid-friendly Thanksgiving recipes to get you started:

Garlic-Butter Green Beans

This side dish is a great one to get younger children involved with, especially if the green beans are fresh. Teach kids to snap the ends off of the fresh beans first, before splitting them into smaller pieces.

  • 4 Cups Fresh Green Beans
  • 2 TBSP Salted Butter
  • 1 TBSP Minced Garlic (pre-minced garlic in a jar is fine)
  • ½ Cup Jarred Roasted Red Bell Pepper, chopped
  1. Fill a medium pot halfway with water and set in a space accessible to your prep surface. Rinse green beans thoroughly with cold water and drain well.
  2. To prepare the green beans, snap off the ends and then snap again in half. Toss green beans into the medium pot.
  3. When you and your little one have finished snapping the green beans, put the pot on the stove and cook on medium high heat until the water begins to boil.
  4. In the meantime, melt butter in a small bowl. Add red peppers and garlic to melted butter and stir.
  5. When green beans have finished, remove them from heat and drain immediately. Rinse with cool water to prevent the green color from fading.
  6. Move beans into a mixing bowl and let your child toss them with the butter mixture until beans are well coated.
  7. -Serve Immediately

Carrot & Turnip Mash

This is my mother’s recipe and is one of my all time favorites. She always used to let me do the mashing with one of those old-fashioned mashers that had the grate on the bottom. It is fairly sweet, and can be complimented by the addition of clove, orange peel, or nutmeg.

  • ½ lb Carrots, peeled and chopped
  • ½ lb of Turnips, peeled and chopped
  • 1 TBSP of salted butter
  • 3 TBSP of honey, molasses, or maple syrup
  • ¼ Tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
  1. Add carrots and turnips to a large pot and fill with water until covered. Salt the water.
  2. Over medium heat bring to a boil and cook an additional 25 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.
  3. Move to a large plastic mixing bowl and add butter, honey, and cinnamon. Allow to cool until it is safe to handle.
  4. Have your child “smush” the mixture until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes.
  5. Serve immediately.

Mud Pie

This recipe is very well suited for small children with messy senses of humor. The pie itself isn’t traditional thanksgiving fare, but would be a great addition to a dessert table with children as it mimics the ever popular cup-o-dirt dessert. In the end you will have a pie that looks like it is filled with potting soil that has gummy worms crawling through it.

  • 2 Pre-Made Chocolate Wafer Cookie Crust
  • 1 PKG of Instant Chocolate Pudding, prepared
  • 1 3.5oz package of your favorite gummy worms
  1. Prepare pudding according to package directions and pout into one prepared crust. Allow the pudding to set at least halfway.
  2. Have your child help you crumble the remaining crust until it is the consistency of dirt. Sprinkle over pudding.
  3. Let your child decorate with gummy worms.
  4. Let the pie set completely before serving
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