Backstage Restaurant at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN would have lines going out the door even if it weren’t located in one of America’s most popular amusement parks.When it comes to typical amusement park dining, let’s face it . . . the bar is set pretty low. I’m usually content if I don’t have to wait my whole life to get in, they haven’t run out of everything and they serve Coke products.
For the kids and maybe some adults, too, adding chopped hot dogs and extra cheddar cheese to your slow cooker mac and cheese for a crowd will create a new dish! Crush some potato chips over the top and you have a winner of a dinner! If you have a grill, grill the hot dogs for a special cook out flavor!
One of my favorite quick and easy grilling recipes is to marinate chicken breasts in Italian dressing. Throw the dressing and the chicken in a container in the morning, and at dinnertime throw them on the grill. Within 30 minutes (less or more depending upon the thickness of the chicken breasts) you’ll have dinner on the table. Pair it with pre-made pasta salads from your grocer’s deli and you’ve created a quick and easy stress free macaroni cheese and sausage.
Parents often find that packing lunch every day can be expensive, but this need not be the case. There are plenty of main meals which can work well in lunch boxes. For example, if you do a roast dinner on a Sunday, then the leftover meat can be added to some salad for lunch boxes on Monday. Dishes like macaroni cheese or sausage rolls can also make great lunch time food. Simply freeze leftovers in small portions that can be used throughout the week.
For dessert, skip the traditional cake slow cooker mac and cheese opt for a cool ice cream cake or a sundae bar. Stock the ice cream bar with fruits, chocolate sprinkles and whipped topping; whatever you and your birthday kid can think of. And soon, making your own sundae is the hit of the party. This is definitely an outdoor activity. Kids will focus on the ice cream and might not be the tidiest guests. After the sundae bar, you might want to plan a water activity – swimming, a run through the sprinkler or ‘slip and slide’ to wash off sticky kids.
So, of course, I have enjoyed trying all the different slices and styles that there are. And, from doing that, I know about lots of the distinctive kinds of pizza and, thus, I will now let you in on that information.
Even though eating seasonal foods is important, and I highly recommend it, you can also have some fun in the winter. If having a big fruit salad mid-winter will help you feel better, go ahead and make one with the local grocer’s produce bounty! Fresh salads can also help you feel great. Frozen vegetables are a good choice if you’d like out of season treats. Remember to serve veggies with plenty of fat (olive oil on salads and butter on steamed veggies) to help you absorb all nutrients.
Lounges are much more social. Everyone is together. It’s not who is sitting with who at what table. The camp friends get to mingle with the school friend’s family etc. Kids get to mingle, eat, dance, hang out, play games/activities all within the lounge area. Instead of doing a traditional sit down dinner for the kids, they can have a buffet of different finger type foods (chicken fingers, fries, sliders, salad shakers, mac and cheese cups, etc.) that they can eat while they mingle.
Whatever you decide you will not be disappointed, wherever you go in NYC you are sure to find a fabulous Kid Friendly restaurant around any corner. Enjoy!