More fun than a barrel of monkeys (+recipes)

Karena and Kasey make iced cream in a bag with Enoka Bird Patrick, 9. Photo / Michael Craig

For National Kids’ Day, open up the kitchen and give them free rein!

Happy National Children's Day! We feel privileged our column falls on the first Sunday of March so we can share our recipes with you today. National Children's Day is about treasuring the children in our lives and making them feel special, which we think is extremely important.

We have been overwhelmed at the amount of support we receive from children around the country since winning MasterChef. Parents have told us we are great role models for their children, which was completely unexpected.

It is strange to think some of these young people look up to us and we feel a great sense of responsibility to make sure what we are doing is positive.

From spending time with our young cousins, we know one of the best things you can do to make children feel special is to spend time with them.

You don't have to spend lots of money, just playing cards or kicking a ball around shows them they are important. But of course, our favourite activity is cooking with them.

Our nine-year-old cousin Enoka is always keen to get into the kitchen and help us (although most of the time he wants to make Minecraft-shaped cakes).

Cooking with children can be a bit daunting, so we recommend being as prepared as you can be to minimise mess and stress while you are creating your culinary masterpieces. Newspaper on the floor helps, as does having all the equipment and ingredients ready.

These are a few of our favourite recipes for kitchen time with the kids. First up is a super-simple idea that is lots of fun - take a pita pocket and some of your favourite pizza toppings and pop them in the oven. We have made a Hawaiian-style pita with fresh pineapple, but you can use whichever flavours your children like best.

Set up little bowls of different fillings and let them let their creative juices flow filling their own ones.

We know at our place, chicken nuggets are really popular, but our version is a little less naughty. The children have fun dipping them in the egg wash then into the crumbs. It can be a bit messy but it's a great way to get them eating unprocessed food.

The last recipe is a household favourite for children and adults alike. Instant iced cream is something is like magic in a bag, turning the liquid into a frozen treat in about six minutes. The iced cream comes out in a soft-serve consistency and you can add any flavours you like. We used blueberries and fresh passionfruit.

Favourite childhood memories

Kasey: One day our dad called us into the kitchen to show us a surprise he had prepared. He had frozen a 1.5l bottle of soft drink in the freezer. He took a large knife and with one swing, chopped into the bottle. It exploded everywhere, there was frozen drink on the ceiling, on us and even all the way down the hallway. He was left standing, covered in frozen drink, timidly calling for our mum to help.

Karena: The day my family went out fishing and mum leaned over the side of the wharf only to see the keys to our car plop into the water from her front pocket. Dad had to go down and dive for them, he found them on the second try.

Try out the delicious recipes at bite.co.nz - links below

• Panko Crumbed Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard
• Hawaiian Pitas
• Iced Cream in a Bag