Meals Your Little Chef can Make! Day 5

Good evening fellow bloggers and mini bloggers! We have a special treat for all of your pre-school and younger elementary aged children. As you know, Barney has been around since I was a child (which is a good amount of time). I am guilty of being sucked into his loving, purple dinosaur-ness for ages. I'm sure that with the youngsters now a days, it's still the same. Barney was a favorite due to his songs and learning activities, as well as his other dinosaur friends: Baby Bop and B.J. Well, this meal is very Barney oriented. Stick around and you'll find out why!

Barney's Super Dee-Duper Dumplings

You will need:

• 2 whole-wheat pie shells
• 1 and 1/4 cup Peruvian purple potatoes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 can (10 and 3/4 ounce) cream of chicken soup
• 3/4 cup cooked chicken, shredded

(NOTE: You can find Peruvian Purple potatoes at your local Fresh Veggie market or at a Super Walmart possibly)

Are we still all together? Fabulous! Let's begin.

1. Let pie dough come to room temperature.
2. Help your child peel and prepare the purple potatoes just like regular potatoes.
3. With a dull eating knife, allow your child to cut the potatoes into small cubes
4. Cook them in a frying pan with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1/4 cup water until soft, but not mushy.
5. In a mixing bowl, mix together vegetables, cornstarch, cream of chicken soup, and cooked chicken to create the dumpling filling. You child can do this step with a big wooden spoon, of course.
6. Spray the muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray, or use mini baking cups.
7. Roll 1-inch balls with bits of pie crust and put one ball into each muffin cup.
8. Have your child use their fingers to press the dough firmly into each muffin cups, so that it is about 1/4-inch thick, creating a little cup.
9. Spoon 1 tablespoon of your filling into each dumpling cup.
10. Cover loosely with foil so tops don’t get too well done.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
12. Remove foil after the first 20 minutes of cooking. 
13. They are finished when dough is slightly golden and firm.
14. Cool and serve.  

As you can see, Barney's amazing purple color has been incorporated into a delicious family meal that any young child will love. I hope you all enjoy it. Wonderful job today little chefs! You are doing an amazing job cooking. Keep up the good work and I will see you all tomorrow!