Easy and Yummy Entertainment for the Kids

I guess I must be feeling better lately or I am just going through a restless need to do something phase. Plus my kiddos are so over exposed to the TV it's quite pathetic! (yes I am a terrible mother when I'm pregnant, I'll admit it) I have been in the mood to bake and cook again. I think Pete is probably relieved. He's been the sole cook for months now. I guess I'm sick of being on dish duty too, so if I cook I get out of that. Anyway, I have been baking a lot, great for the kids and my entertainment, not so great for the waistline! But oh well! It's fun.

Ragan and Dal and I made homemade soft pretzels today. I found the idea on Sister's Cafe blog. We had a ton of fun and they turned out delicious! I'll share the pics and the recipe. I hope you guys can try it too! Totally kid friendly!

kneading was a new concept for Ragan, she thought it was pretty cool!

Both kids had a little trouble rolling the snakes out, but I just helped by taking their little hands and helping them get the right pressure and motion. Ragan was a pro by the time we were done.

She was also a pro at twisting them into pretzel shape

She thought beating the egg wash was the best part until...

they got to paint the dough with the egg wash. Dal wasn't real interested until we started painting. The snake rolling only lasted a second for him, he just played with his dough like play dough unti it was time to paint.

And last but not least our beautiful and yummy finished product. We made them just in time for an after school snack when James came home!

Okay here's the recipe for all who want to try it out:

Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 C warm water

1 pkg yeast (or 1 T)

1 T sugar

1 tsp salt

4 C flour

Add sugar to warm water then sprinkle yeast on top. let it float for a min. then stir to dissolve the yeast. Let sit for 10 min. as yeast activates and starts to foam. Add salt and flour and knead 5-10 min; adding more flour as needed to reduce stickiness. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll into snakes. Twist into pretzel shape and place on nonstick baking sheet. make an egg wash with one egg and 1T water, lightly beaten together. Brush pretzels with egg wash then sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Bake @ 425 for 15 min. or until lightly browned

*For left over pretzels, brush with butter and sprinkle with parmesan and broil one minute. It makes a yummy treat.