One of the most requested topics this year on my speaking circuit has been a lesson in which I list a hundred ideas for training our kids to be servants. Service oriented kids grow up to be productive adult servants in the kingdom and it’s those people to whom the Lord will say, “Come ye blessed of my Father,” according to Matthew 25. So it matters if I’m making a real effort, as a mom, to put the heart of a servant in my child. For this reason, I’ve decided to devote a post, every now and then, to a service suggestion—a simple idea for moms to make their homes busy service centers for young hearts and hands. I’d love to hear from those of you who try them. So here goes:

Signature Recipes

If you have a child who is seven years old or above, I hope you have taught him or her to make something to share from your kitchen. What I found to be very efficient when bringing up Caleb and Hannah was to really get them very adept at one or two super easy recipes. It helps if you let them choose to learn to make things they love to eat. That way it’s not a chore to coax them into the kitchen, particularly if you promise to let them lick the bowl or save a bit of the treat back for their desserts after supper. Below are a few of the favorite kid-friendly recipes from the Colley house. The possibilities are endless about how to share the blessings once your kids get cooking. The monkey bread wreaths are great holiday gifts for Bible class teachers. The dessert is a favorite when the youth group is coming over for a devotional or when you are having someone in for a Bible study or when a new neighbor moves in down the street. (Be sure to attach an invitation to your congregation’s services.) The macaroni and cheese is a hit for fellowship meals or taking to a mom with a new baby, especially if she has some older children to feed. And, of course, the cookies make great VBS snacks or take-along gifts when your children go to read the Bible to an elderly person. The best part about signature recipes is that, once you train your kids to make them and clean up the mess, you can keep the ingredients on hand and just send the kids into the kitchen at a moment’s notice whenever the need arises, even if it’s one of those days when you, personally, are out of pocket or very short on time. Notice that one of these recipes doesn’t even require turning on the stove. So…get cooking!

Hannah’s Signature Recipes:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dessert

1 pkg. Chips Ahoy Cookies
1 medium tub of Cool Whip
1 cup milk

Pour the milk in a bowl and dip enough of the cookies to cover the bottom of your serving dish. Cover this with a layer of cool whip. Repeat till all used up (ending with cool whip) except a couple of cookies. Crumble these cookies and sprinkle on top. YUM!

Hannah’s Macaroni and Cheese

4 c. cooked and drained macaroni noodles
½ c. milk
3 TBSP butter
½ c. cream cheese
1 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
3 TBSP sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all these ingredients in a big bowl while the cooked noodles are still piping hot. You can put it in the oven and bake for a few minutes if you want, BUT my favorite right from the bowl I mixed all this in!

Caleb’s Signature Recipes

Monkey Bread
¾ c. sugar
2-3 tsp cinnamon
2 large cans biscuits
1 stick butter

Cut biscuits into quarters. Combine sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Add quartered biscuits and shake till well coated. Drop in grease round pan and add 1 stick of melted butter on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or till golden brown. (Caleb made this in a Bundt type pan and so it came out as a wreath. He then would sprinkle green sugar or red and green sprinkles on the top and make a wreath to take to people at Christmas time. Sometimes he would put red hots and a green sprig at the bottom for a bow. You could do this, of course, any time of year using candy corn for fall or jellybeans for spring, etc…)

Honey’s Peanut Butter Cookies

½ cup peanut butter
1 stick margarine
½ cup brown sugar
½ c. white sugar
1 beaten egg
1 cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

Cream first four ingredients. Then add the rest. Chill this dough (or not, if you can’t wait!). Roll dough in marble sized balls. Mash with bottom of glass that has been dipped in sugar. (350 for 10-12 minutes)