If You Give a Kid a Crockpot: Pizza Fondue

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

This crockpot Pizza Fondue recipe will provide an easy weeknight meal when paired fresh chopped veggies, pepperoni, and cubed Italian bread dippers. And, really, what's not to like? It's a pizza in a crockpot (or fondue pot if you have one)!

Pizza Fondue

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

24 oz. jar of marinara sauce

1 tsp dried basil

3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp cornstarch

For serving:

Cubed Italian or French bread 

Fresh veggies (broccoli, carrots, sliced mushrooms)

Pepperoni

1. Add olive oil, garlic, marinara sauce, and basil to a crockpot.
2. Add mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and cornstarch to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, seal, and shake. Add cheese mixture to the marinara sauce in several batches and stir to incorporate.
3. Set heat on high, and cover for 30 minutes. Turn down to low and cook for another 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Set heat to warm when ready to serve.
4. While the fondue is cooking, cut fresh bread and vegetables for serving. 

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Recipe Substitutions):

• Substitute garlic powder or jarred minced garlic for fresh minced garlic.
• If you do not have a fondue set, use regular forks instead of fondue forks for dippers. 
• If you have a fondue pot, make steps 1 and 2 in a pot on the stove. Once cheese has completely melted, transfer to a fondue pot to keep warm and serve.

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Chopping vegetables
• Measuring ingredients
• Reading and following a recipe
• Setting a timer
• Using a crockpot

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days

Make sure to visit the main post to see all of the recipes in the series.

Roasted Corn Orzo Pasta Salad

As picnic and BBQ season rolls around, I always like to post a new side dish for you guys to try. This one is an easy one to put together and as a bonus, you might have some of the ingredients already growing in your garden (I did). This recipe makes a big batch so that you can feed a large crowd or you can take half to a cookout and keep half at home.

Roasted Corn Orzo Pasta Salad

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups fresh cooked corn

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1 lb orzo pasta

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 bunches green onions, sliced

5 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp lemon juice

3 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 tsp pepper (or to taste)

1. Cook orzo according to package directions. When pasta is finished cooking, drain and set aside to cool.
2. While pasta is cooking, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to a large 5 quart sauté pan. Add garlic and sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
3. Add corn, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper and sauté 8 more minutes. Add pasta to corn and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. While corn is cooling, chop cherry tomatoes, basil, and green onions.
5. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice.
6. When corn and pasta mixture has cooled, add tomatoes, basil, and green onions and stir to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss well.
7. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Make sure to check out these other favorite Harris Sisters side dishes for your next summer cookout:

• Southwest Pasta Salad
• Rainbow Couscous Salad
• Southern Potato Salad
• Simple Greek Pasta Salad

How to Make Vintage Christmas Pipe Cleaner Cone Dolls

Dolls and crafts made from pipe cleaners have been around for a very long time. Last year, I came across a tutorial from Pyrex Girl on TikTok showing how to make vintage-style pipe cleaner (chenille stem) dolls for Christmas and I set about to make three of them.

I kept one for myself and gave the other two to Harris Sisters Deanna and Misty.

These were fun crafts to make and if you're the crafty sort, you can to make them too! They blend in seamlessly with other vintage Christmas decor.

The directions written below are step-by-step guidelines to follow to create these dolls, but if you are a visual learner, I would encourage you to watch the Pyrex Girl tutorial.

Supplies You'll Need to Make Vintage Christmas Chenille Stem Dolls

Pipe Cleaners or Chenille Stems in Colors of Choice

Scissors or Wire Cutters

Hot Glue and Glue Gun

Cardboard/Paper Cone in Desired Height

Doll Head

Other Decorative Items like Pom-Poms, Sequins, Beads, etc. (optional)

1. Fold each chenille stem in half and cut with scissors or wire cutters.
2. Fold each half chenille stem piece in half and cut with scissors or wire cutters. (Each chenille stem should produce 4 chenille stem pieces.)
3. Fold the four chenille stem pieces in half and set aside.
4. Repeat the first three steps until you have a supply of folded chenille stem pieces, then hot glue each folded piece in a row at the bottom of the cardboard cone, so that the u-shape overhangs the bottom by about half. Repeat gluing each folded piece until the row is complete. (Note: For each row, you will be gluing the open end and the bent, U-shaped end will always be toward the bottom.)
5. Next, glue the next row so that the u-shape of that row overlaps the previously glued row by about half.
6. Continue gluing rows until you get to the top of the cone.
7. When finished gluing all rows, turn up all chenille pieces so that all U-shaped pieces stick out 90 degrees and form an L-shape when the cone is sitting on a flat surface.
8. If necessary or desired, wrap the doll head with a chenille stem to create a hat or ear muffs. Use glue to secure. 
9. Glue the doll head to the top of the cone.
10. Create arms by twisting chenille stems together and a wrapping them around the neck area. Glue if necessary to secure.
11. Cover the area where the doll head meets the cone with another chenille stem and glue. Use your own design skills here to create a scarf, a flower, or whatever you think looks best!
12. If desired, decorate the doll with additional craft items like pom-poms, sequins, beads, etc.
13. Don't forget to sign and date the doll inside the cone.

Notes:

The number of chenille stems you'll need will depend on the height of your cone. The three dolls you see here use a cone approximately 11 inches tall at their base. Premade paper cones come in standard sizes.

The doll heads I used came from Target elf ornaments. The heads on these ornaments were plastic and the bodies and elf hats were fabric. It was easy to remove the fabric body and elf hat from the plastic head. Other options for doll heads include: 

• Repurpose an Elf on the Shelf (sometimes these will show up at thrift stores)
• Other elf ornaments
• If you want more realistic faces, consider Barbie dolls (these are also found at thrift stores)
• If you plan on making a large amount of these or want to share with friends doing the same craft, you can get a set of 12 elf heads for crafting
• If you have any artistic abilities, you can paint a face on a large wooden bead and use that for the head

Make sure to check out Pyrex Girl on Instagram and Tik Tok for other inspiration photos of the pipe cleaner dolls she's made!

 

Other Vintage Christmas Crafts You Might Be Interested In:

• How to Make a Christmas Wreath with Vintage Christmas Decorations
• How to Update and Repurpose an Old Christmas Wreath
• Christmas Granny Square Afghan
• Handmade Christmas Ornaments