Cooking With Kids: Easy Cheesy Grilled Waffles

Encouraging Speech & Creating Yum! Easy Cheesy Grilled Waffles

Who doesn’t like waffles? More importantly, who doesn’t like the comfort of a warm, grilled cheese sandwich? Add the two together and you have a warm, comforting, mouth watering YUM! This recipe gives a modern twist to the American favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Using only frozen waffles, cheese and the ever popular panini press, you can make this simply sandwich. But, don’t worry if you don’t own a panini press, we “got you covered” (read directions to find out).

Ingredients

2 frozen waffles (or fresh) If you are using fresh, skip the defrosting step.
2 slices of cheese
Spray oil and/or butter (optional)

Cooking Directions

Adult/Child: Defrost the waffles in the microwave for 15 seconds or leave to dethaw for about half an hour.

Child: Add the cheese to waffles thereby making a sandwich.

Adult/Child: Spray waffle with oil and/or spread some butter on the outside of the waffle sandwich.

Parent: Put the waffles and cheese (sandwich) on the pannini press. If you do not have a panini press, make this waffle sandwich in a buttered or well oiled pan by pressing down on it with a small plate.

Child: Press the sandwich until desired amount of “grilling” takes place (some like it more “well done” than others).

Parent: Remove from press and serve.

Eat! Talk! Enjoy!

Language Time Tips:

1. Build vocabulary: Use nouns and actions. Nouns: waffles, cheese, microwave, butter, oil. Actions: put on, defrost, press, take out, pile, eat, heat, melt

2. Colors and Size: There are only two colors with this recipe but be creative. If you want to, try different colors of cheese (white or yellow for American) and try a different types of waffles like blueberry, for example. This allows you to work on different colors. For size, you can get different shaped waffles such as mini waffles or square vs. circle. Make a mini waffle sandwich and a regular waffle sandwich. Ask your child, “Which one is bigger”?

3. Comment and Describe: Encourage words like cold, hot, melt, sweet, soft, crunchy. Help facilitate comments like “The grilled cheese is crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey in the middle” or “The cheese is melted”. Encourage more specific vocabulary that describes the food in detail.

4. Sequencing and recalling information: Follow the sequence of the recipe and emphasize the steps of defrosting the waffle (if applicable), adding the cheese and then pressing the sandwich. If you do not have a panini press, make this waffle sandwich in a buttered or well oiled pan by pressing down on it with a small plate.

5. Answering and asking “wh” questions: Sample “wh” questions include: “What is inside our sandwich?”; “What will we heat up our sandwich with?”; “Where did we make this sandwich?”. Encourage your child to ask questions. If your child has difficulty with this, have a list of questions either written down, or in picture form, to help facilitate asking questions.

Literacy: Focus on phonemic awareness by emphasizing the sounds in target words listed above. Write the target words down and have your child identify all of the vowels in each word.

Books recommended: The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord, Who Ate My Sandwich? By Sigal Adler

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This post originally appeared on our January/February 2016 Magazine

Cooking With Kids: Easy Cheesy Grilled Waffles

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