The kitchen on a big holiday can be a stressful place for little kids, who seem to be more underfoot than involved in the preparations. But instead of shooing them away from the kitchen, bring them in! Involving kids in preparing a special meal has a host of benefits:

• Spending time together creates precious holiday memories. Most of us have clear images of what the kitchen smelled like or what it felt like to be included when our parents or family let us help.
• Cooking new things helps children feel a sense of ownership of the meal and encourages a positive connection to different types of foods (even vegetables!).
• And kids learn by doing—touching, tasting, smelling, and feeling. Cooking lets them dive in and learn to cook with their senses. It also teaches valuable kitchen and life skills such as planning, measuring, counting, and timing.

How to get kids involved in the Thanksgiving feast? Choose visually interesting dishes that require minimal supervision and little or no heat. These simple recipes are a fun place to start.

Candy pretzel turkeys

There's no cooking or baking necessary for these super cute candy pretzel turkeys from Suburban Simplicity. Bonus: They’re great on their own, or can be used to add a Thanksgiving twist to a plain pumpkin pie or chocolate cupcakes.

Shopping list:

• Candy corn
• Plain chocolate M&Ms
• Mini pretzels
• Candy eyeballs
• Rolo brand chocolate/caramel candies

Cornucopia fruit salad

Waffle cones become horns of plenty stuffed with colorful fruit salad in this healthy side dish from Healthy Family Project. It's perfect for little fingers to put together. 

Shopping list:

• Waffle-style ice cream cones
• Apples
• Grapes
• Clementine oranges

Pumpkin cheesecake dip

This sweet appetizer from Oh, Sweet Basil is as easy as it is delicious. The fun comes in choosing the dippers—let your kids choose and arrange pretzels, gingersnaps, graham crackers, pear or apple slices to serve along with it.

Shopping list:

• Cream cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Pumpkin puree
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Cool Whip
• Apples
• Nilla Wafers
• Other dipping crackers etc.

At CTown Markets we believe that food fosters community, and we wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!