by Macki Apr 3rd, 2011 // Swell Suppers

Swell Supper: Cooking and Crafting

I love this Swell Supper because there are breaks in the cooking where I was able to spend some time with my kids doing crafts. We love crafts almost as much as we love cooking! I am so looking forward to this fun-filled quality time with my kiddos. For dinner we are cooking Baked Chili Mac, Parmesan Tomato Bake, and Peach and Raspberry Tart. For our crafts we are making Lady Bug Coasters and Hearty Flowers, both will be used to decorate the table.

Begin by making the peach and raspberry tart. I used canned peaches, like Rebecca, because peaches are not quite in season and I swapped out blueberries for raspberries since they were on sale (I love a good sale!). The tart needs to cook for 1 hour so you have about 30 minutes before starting the rest of this supper. Time to get your craft on!  For our first craft we are making the lady bug coasters. After the coasters are finished, set them on the table to dry and head back to the kitchen.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the macaroni noodles for the baked chili mac. While the noodles are cooking prep the parmesan baked tomatoes and set aside on a greased cookie sheet. Back to the chili mac. Mix the ingredients and get it ready to place in the oven.

At this point the peach and raspberry tart should be done, remove it from the oven and turn the temperature up to 375 degrees. Place the chili mac and the Parmesan tomato in the oven at the same time.  The oven temperature is lowered for the tomato so it will need to cook for the same amount of time as the chili mac – about 30 minutes. Just enough time to make a second craft.

For the centerpiece on the table make the hearty flowers using beads and pipe cleaners. When the flowers are finished place them in a vase in the center of the table. The timer should be going off, take the baked chili mac and baked parmesan tomatoes out and plate each dish. Dinner is served at your beautifully decorated table. After dinner enjoy the tart with a scoop of ice cream. You kid(s) will be so proud! Now doesn’t that sound swell?