Category: Appetizers and Snacks

Say this three times fast: My Pantry Puzzle Game makes delicious dishes. My Pantry Puzzle Game makes delicious dishes. My Pantry Puzzle Game makes delicious dishes. https://carltoncooks.com/pantry-puzzle-game-makes-delicious-dishes-at-home/ Today’s Pantry Puzzle Game recipe comes from a friend who lives in Chicago, Illinois. He wanted muffins. He had a cake mix, but he had no eggs, oil, or milk. But he did have a can of pumpkin. He used his cake mix and pumpkin to make two-ingredient Puzzle Pantry Muffins.

It turns out that you really can mix one can of pumpkin with one box of cake mix and NOTHING ELSE to make delicious cakes or muffins! Make two-ingredient Pantry Puzzle Muffins for your family. I bet they will love them!

Pantry Puzzle Muffins

Ingredients:

One boxed cake mix, any flavor

I 15-ounce can of pumpkin

Tools:

I bowl

1 wooden spoon

1 muffin tin

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. Using a spoon, stir the cake mix and pumpkin together in a mixing bowl.
3. Divide batter into muffin tin.
4. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes. Muffins are done when a knife pushed into a muffin comes out clean.

Tip: I used a pan that makes six large muffins. Many muffin tins make 12 smaller muffins. If your pan makes 12 muffins, you will need to cook your muffins for less time. Set your timer for 12 minutes and check the muffins every three minutes.

Send me a picture of the Pantry Puzzle Muffins that you make. I would love to see them. And I will always write back.

Love,

Carlton

You can mix anything you want into a glass of water to give it a different flavor. Some companies add sugar to water to try and make it taste better. Can you think of examples? If you said soda pop and sports drinks, you’re right.

I like to stay hydrated using my favorite drink recipe. It is called Fruit and Vegetable Infused Water. The flavors from the fruits and vegetables help to flavor the water. You can add any fruit, vegetable, or herb to your water to make an infusion. Or you can add a combination of these things. The choice is yours. Make the Infused Water that tastes best to you. And then email me your favorite recipe!

When I make Infused Water, I like to pretend I am making a magic potion that will give me superpower energy all day long. Today I am making different infused water recipes with fruits, vegetables, and herbs from my garden and refrigerator.

I made four infused waters.

Watermelon and Lime

Grapefruit and Rosemary

Cucumber and Mint

Strawberry and Basil

Which one do you think will be the best?

Add a few pieces of your favorite fruit or vegetable and a leaf or two of your favorite herb. The infused flavors will become stronger the longer the water sits. Your infusion foods will last through a few refills of your glass. And when you are finished drinking water for the day, you can eat the fruits and vegetables that infused your water!

Good cooks know the word: infuse. To infuse means to steep (a fancy word for soak) something in liquid without boiling to remove the parts that will dissolve in water.

INGREDIENTS:

Fruit, vegetables and herbs of your choice that have been washed

Water

Ice

TOOLS:

One paring knife

One cutting board

One drinking glass or water bottle

DIRECTIONS:

Use a water glass or reusable water bottle.

Next, add 2-3 leaves of the herb of your choice and ¼ cup chopped fruit or vegetable of your choice.

 Fill your glass 2/3 full with cold water.

Add ice as desired.

Remember, the flavors will get stronger as the water sits.

Make sure you empty and clean your infused water glass daily.

Serves 1

SUMMERRR SALSA!

Good cooks know the word: Dice

To cut food into small cubes of equal size. The word mince means to cut food into the smallest dice possible.

 

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of diced tomatoes (about 3 tomatoes)

¼ cup finely diced onion (about ½ of one onion)

¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro

1 clove of garlic finely minced or pushed through a garlic press

2 teaspoons of fresh lime juice

½ teaspoon salt

 

TOOLS:

1 cutting board

1 chef’s knife

One mixing bowl

1 wooden spoon for stirring

Measuring spoons

Dry measuring cups

Hand juicer

Garlic press if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash your paws.
2. Read your recipe.
3. Gather your ingredients and tools.
4. Sing a little song and start to cook!
5. Wash all fruits and vegetables with cold water.
6. Have an adult make slices of tomato and onion for you to dice.
7. Dice the tomato and add to the bowl
8. Dice the onion and add to the bowl.
9. Chop the cilantro leaves.(If you have a sibling who can’t use a knife, you can let them tear the leaves into tiny pieces instead.)
10. Cut the lime in half around its center. Use a hand juicer to squeeze the juice from the lime. Measure the juice and add to the bowl.
11. Mince or put garlic in a garlic press and add to the bowl.
12. Add the salt to the bowl.
13. Stir ingredients together and serve Summer Salsa with tortilla chips for dipping.

Serves 6.

Note: After tasting the salsa you can add more lime juice or salt if you’d like.

Did you know? A head of garlic is made up of many cloves of garlic.