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Bring a little Italy to your dinner table

A themed dinner night is a great way to bring the family together. Follow these three steps to an Italian-inspired meal today and see how else you can involve your chefs-in-training in the process.


An Italy-inspired meal to make tonight

A themed dinner night is a great way to bring the family together. Follow these three steps to an Italian-inspired meal today and see how else you can involve your chefs-in-training in the process.

If there is one thing that Italians really know, it’s that nothing brings a family together like good food. Preparing a meal together as a family not only serves a practical purpose but also allows for quality bonding time. Italian food can please even the pickiest of eaters, so a fun, Italian-themed dinner is sure to be a hit with your family.

3 Steps to an Italian meal

Appetizer

All good meals start with an appetizer, and you can stick with the basics. A nice Caprese salad is an easy choice! The basil, mozzarella and tomatoes are a refreshing way to start the meal, and they take minimal time to throw together.

Main course

For the main course, a lasagna or baked ziti is a fantastic option. Layering the lasagna ingredients is a fun way to get the kids involved. Or, if you’re short on time, grab a box of Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Lasagna and have an Italian-themed dinner on the table in no time!

Dessert

No meal is complete without dessert. A delicious tiramisu is the perfect way to finish off the meal.


“Food fight”—Harmless ways to play with pasta

Spaghetti brooms

To have a little bit more fun with your Italian night, you can incorporate a fun craft as well. Suja and Deepa of Blog Me Mom show us how to paint with spaghetti brooms! This is an unusual and fun way to create an art masterpiece.

Pasta Bead Caterpillar

Nicolette of Powerful Mothering created The Very Hungry Pasta Bead Caterpillar, which is not only cute but also literary.

Essential Craft Supplies

Create an arts and crafts area or kit to keep your home stocked with these essential craft supplies and let your child jump at the chance to use his or her imagination and be creative.

5 Kids’ movies to get them into cooking

  1. Ratatouille (2007): This Pixar movie follows Remy the rat on his journey to become a gourmet chef in Paris.
  2. How to Eat Fried Worms (2006): Billy Forrester accepts the school bully’s challenge to eat 10 worms. His quest could just shift the balance of power in the fifth grade.
  3. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971): The original version of this movie is a classic and allows children to get lost in the wonderful — and bizarre — world of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.
  4. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009): This fun movie about a town where the food falls like rain is based on the beloved children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett.
  5. Bee Movie (2007): Barry the Bee finds out that humans eat honey and decides to sue the human race, leading to disastrous consequences for nature.

Homemade chef’s hat

What better way to get your chef-in-the-making ready to cook dinner than a homemade chef’s hat? Becky of My Kids Make… shows you how to do just that! The fun thing is that kids can totally customize the color and decorate their own hat, making it one of a kind.

More family night ideas

Host a Mexican fiesta family dinner
Everyone, it’s pizza party time
Host an Asian fusion family dinner night

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