Preschoolers will love these fun and easy bug themed recipes! Try one or all of the recipes below for bug themed cooking that tastes delicious.


Bug Salad

Ingredients Needed: Canned pear halves (4-6), lettuce leaves, raisins, chow mein noodles, cream cheese, maraschino cherries cut in slices, and carrot curls.

First, have your preschooler place one pear half on a lettuce-lined plate. Next, he or she can attach raisin eyes, maraschino cherry mouth, and chow mein noodle antennae with dabs of cream cheese. Have your preschooler place carrot curl legs around the pear half body. (To make carrot curls an adult can use a vegetable peeler to peel wide strips from carrot). Enjoy!
Makes 4-6 servings.


Ants on a Log

This easy recipe is great for small muscle control activities. First, an adult should slice cleaned celery into 12 3-inch pieces. Using about 1/4th jar of peanut butter and 3 boxes of raisins, have the children use plastic knives or craft sticks to stuff the celery with peanut butter. The children can place raisin "ants" on top of celery before eating.
Makes 12 servings.


Butterfly Brownies
*This needs to be pre baked by an adult at home or done in a safe setting with a small gorup of preschoolers, or one on one.

Ingredients Needed:

4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup of melted butter
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs
licorice (for decoration, various colors can be used)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of flour
1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix together all of the ingredients, except chocolate chips and licorice.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Spread the mix into in a 13 x 9 cake pan.
Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes. Cool and cut out squares .
Cut the squares in half diagonally and shape into butterflies. Your preschool children can enjoy decorating the butterflies with colored licorice, icing and other candies to make symmetrical wing patterns if desired. This recipe is fun for everyone to make, create and eat!