Mashed Potatoes for Thanksgiving: From Scratch, or From a Box?

I love mashed potatoes, and so do my children.  When it's Thanksgiving, you can't seem to put enough of them on the table, and so it makes sense to help older children learn about the process of making their own mashed potatoes.  However, some of the preparation is beyond the manual skills of younger children.  While my 9-10 year olds can handle a butter knife, I'm not quite comfortable with their skills at peeling and paring.  My 12 and up crew are fine, for handling potato peeling, and as well, are capable of working at the stove to boil.  Ages 14 and up, I'm confident, can drain hot liquid from the cooked potatoes, and can use the hand mixer to mash. 

For an easier alternative, if I want to include my younger children in making mashed potatoes, I defer to a box.  The other reason for this choice, when I make it, is time or space constraints.  It's much faster to boil water and add flakes, isn't it?  While it may feel like cheating, in a busy society, sometimes a Mom needs to buy herself some time!

For ages 4-10, this is a great way to work on measuring skills, and for the upper end of that age group, to work on calculations.  While the 4 year old may need a little help pouring a cup of liquid, it's still a way to include that youngster in the process.  Count outloud as you go.  If you are heating the liquids on the stovetop, the youngster will need to stand back, a bit, but once the liquids are ready, you can remove the pan to the table, and allow your child to add the potato flakes, and to stir.  This is a quick process, takes only a little time to allow your child to participate, and provides the chance for your youngster to shine, when you proudly announce their work on the dish to your guests.

The Relish Tray

Kids will love to help put a relish tray together, and with the convenience of being able to purchase prepared cold veggies, these days, it's much easier than in my childhood.  A few basics include baby carrots, celery sticks, chilled olives, chilled midget pickles (dill and sweet), and other simple favorites, if you so desire.  Ages 8 and up can usually operate an electric can opener, but do supervise the handling of lids and the draining of liquids, if you aren't sure.  Jars may require an adult or teen to open.  Otherwise, arranging of relishes can be a creative endeavor. 

There are many types of relish trays to work with.  If your family enjoys routing for a fave football team, you might want to do relishes on a football themed serving tray, for fun.  Some families create a huge tray of veggies, and others section them off into small arrangements to place directly on the table.  Color coordination is great, but clear crystal relish trays, or elegant Nambe pieces can be very pretty.

How Do You Make Green Cool Whip Fruit Salad? An Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish for Kids to Help With

Green Cool Whip Fruit Salad is a favorite in our household, and is a flexible dessert-like side dish for Thanksgiving, one which is always made by one or more of my kids.  In fact, I love to assign this dish to one of the boys in the household, because the girls tend to dominate the kitchen through the year, and this gives my sons a chance to shine.

 

For a big batch of this Cool Whip Salad, we use the following:

 

• 2 Containers of Cool Whip, defrosted
• 2 small packages Pistachio Pudding Mix (Jello brand, or generic)...buy it early, as it is often missing from the store shelves the week of Thanksgiving
• 2 small cans of Mandarin Orange Slices, drained
• 1 can Crushed Pineapple, drained
• 1 jar Maraschino Cherries, drained and stems removed
• 1 bag Mini Marshmallows

 

 

Into a large bowl, empty the Cool Whip.  Sprinkle the pudding mix over the Cool Whip, and fold it in.  Don't stir too hard, or the Cool Whip may break down a bit.  Add fruit, and fold in.  Add marshmallows, and fold in.  Cover, and refrigerate.

 

This side dish for Thanksgiving can be made ahead a day, so the activity in the kitchen on the actual Thanksgiving Day is minimized. 

 

Ages 12 and up can make this on their own.
Ages 10-11 can usually make this side dish with a little supervision.
Ages 6-9 can assist in making this dish, but may need a little help here and there, particularly with mixing the ingredients.
Ages 4-5 are able to help add ingredients, and may be able to stir a little at the start.