Family Night Dinner Ideas - Quick easy dinner recipes

[Family Night Dinner Ideas - Quick Easy Dinner Recipes] Has this ever happened to you? Dinner! >>I already ate, Mom. >>Later, hon. Yeah. I knew they weren't coming. It's harder than ever to get the family to the dinner table these days. But did you know that studies actually show that kids whose families eat dinner together develop stronger communication and social skills and do better in school? Well, I'm Tracy Metro here for the Kraft Kitchens with everything that you need to make Friday night Family Fun Night-- the one night of the week when everyone looks forward to dinner together. So let's start with dinner. It doesn't have to be fancy, but you can make it just a little bit special in honor of family night. If you're making burgers, for instance, try putting the cheese on the inside with a little ranch dressing and crumbled bacon. These singles are made with milk, so they melt beautifully. Macaroni and cheese will always make them smile. And what's great is this one comes with bread crumbs that you can sprinkle on top and bake for a bit. It is super tasty. And here's another option that gives everyone their pizza exactly the way they like it. Just pop a cheese pizza into the oven and let everyone top it themselves. Now this right here is a Mexican version, with lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, and some salsa. And this one I like to call a BLT pizza, topping it with some lettuce and some ranch dressing some tomatoes and some chopped, cooked bacon. This looks tasty. Add a salad, and let everyone choose their favorite salad dressing, and you're ready to eat. These all can be put together in 30 minutes or less. So now let's talk about how to get the conversation going. Now, you know, if you ask your kids, "What did you learn in school today?" you're likely to get a one-word answer, right? Why not try this to break the ice? Here's a game I affectionately call "Guess Who I Am." Ask each member of the family to come to the table pretending to be somebody else, and everyone tries to figure out who they are by asking questions. And the questions can be "Are you male or female?" "Are you a movie star?" You get the idea. A wonderful game for younger kids is a memory game. And this one is called "I Came to the Party and I Brought..." So let's say I start. I would say, "I came to the party and brought a giraffe." The person next to me would say, "I came to the party and I brought a giraffe and a box of chocolates." The person after that would say, "I came to the party and I brought a giraffe, a box of chocolates, and a soccer ball." And so on and so forth. Anything you can do to get the family talking and laughing and learning about each other is good in my book. And then for dessert, what I like to do is have everybody make their very own ice cream sandwiches. Aren't these great? So you're just going to scoop about a quarter of a cup of ice cream put it on top of a cookie, and then top it with another cookie, and roll it in sprinkles. That's it! You can find lots more ideas for bringing family, food, and fun together on Howdini. I'm Tracy Metro for the Kraft Kitchens, and I am definitely having a bite of this. [Howdini. www.howdini.com] [♫ chimes ♫]