Kid-Friendly Fare, The Pioneer Woman Style

With four kids of her own, Ree Drummond knows the secret to preparing family-friendly meals.

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Photo By: Pacific TV

Photo By: Armando Rafael

Crazy Bark

Sweet chocolate candies, salty pretzel sticks, crunchy peanuts and chewy gummy bears — theyr'e all fair game to add on top of Ree's melted white chocolate almond bark, which she pours over a bed of graham crackers for extra heft.

Get the Recipe: Crazy Bark

Sliders

Traditional burgers are good, of course. But these mini burgers are the perfect size for kids. After grilling juicy beef patties with simple seasoning, you can serve them on their own, or dress them up with sweet caramelized onions or crispy bacon.

Get the Recipe: Sliders

Frozen Fruit Cups

For a healthy anytime snack, look to Ree's fuss-free combo of bright fruit, such as peaches and pineapple, and tropical juice. She freezes the mixture in disposable cups to guarantee easy cleanup.

Get the Recipe: Frozen Fruit Cups

Kid-Friendly Pasta Salad

Take it from Ree, a mom of four: This speedy salad, studded with bite-size cherry tomatoes and chunks of cheddar, will satisfy even your picky eaters. Crispy bacon delivers welcome texture, while the silky mayonnaise-based dressing is the perfect finishing touch.

Get the Recipe: Kid-Friendly Pasta Salad

Perfect Pancakes (and Toppings!)

Set up a help-yourself bar of mini chocolate chips and plenty of fresh fruit, then let your family members top their light, fluffy pancakes with their favorite fixings.

Get the Recipe: Perfect Pancakes (and Toppings!)

French Bread Pizzas

No time to roll out homemade pizza dough but craving a crusty pie? You're in luck because Ree's fast-fix pizzas start with halved rolls or baguettes. Keep the toppings classic with marinara sauce and gooey mozzarella, try a Greek salad-inspired version, or bring the spice with sliced jalapenos and pepperoni.

Get the Recipe: French Bread Pizzas

Meatloaf

It's all about the sticky, tangy glaze atop this moist beef meatloaf. Ree mixes ketchup and brown sugar with a splash of hot sauce for a balance of sweet and savory flavors.

Get the Recipe: Meatloaf

Shortcut Cast-Iron Pizza

Ree uses all store-bought items to make this pizza a snap. Plus, the only pan you’ll have to clean is the cast-iron skillet.

Get the Recipe: Cast-Iron Pizza

Ice Cream Layer Cake

Don't worry. There's no need to break out the ice cream maker to create this top-rated dessert. Ree layers three flavors of ice cream among sliced pound cake and decadent candy pieces to create an all-in-one dessert mash-up. Best of all is that you start with a prepared pound cake, which means that the prep work is simple.

Get the Recipe: Ice Cream Layer Cake

Prairie Sushi

Reinvent the everyday deli-meat sandwich with Ree's colorful roll-ups, inspired by the look of maki sushi. She opts for a kid-friendly pick of turkey to be the centerpiece of the "sushi," and she adds crunchy carrots and cucumber to the filling inside soft tortillas.

Get the Recipe: Prairie Sushi

Individual Fruit Pizzas

Who says pizza can't be sweet? These dessert pizzas feature a tender cookie as the crust, a smear of a marshmallow creme-cream cheese mixture in place of the usual tomato sauce and fresh fruit for bright toppings.

Get the Recipe: Individual Fruit Pizzas

Easy Calzones

Follow Ree's lead and start with frozen dinner rolls to serve as the crust for her top-rated calzones. She stuffs them with a hearty sausage mixture laced with three cheeses, and she rounds them out with a garlicky marinara sauce alongside.

Get the Recipe: Easy Calzones

Chicken Parmigiana

Served atop spaghetti and a garlic-laced tomato sauce, Ree's juicy, golden-brown chicken breasts boast a layer of melted Parmesan on top.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets are a tried-and-true kid favorite, but instead of opting for the frozen variety, Ree makes her own version at home with fresh ingredients.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Nuggets

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

By prepping the brown sugar-laced casserole the night before, it's easy to wake up to a ready-to-bake breakfast treat. All you have to do the next morning is sprinkle the bread with a cinnamon-butter topping and bake.

Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Baked French Toast

Quick Shells and Cheese

It takes only 15 minutes to turn out this richly comforting macaroni and cheese.

Get the Recipe: Quick Shells and Cheese

Tomato Soup with Parmesan Croutons

Instead of pairing a classic grilled cheese with her creamy tomato soup, Ree opts for cheesy croutons. These golden rounds come together easily in a skillet with nutty Parmesan cheese and a baguette.

Get the Recipe: Tomato Soup With Parmesan Croutons

Chicken Spaghetti

Perhaps the ultimate all-in-one meal, Ree's comforting casserole comes together with tender pulled chicken, fresh bell peppers and a creamy mushroom soup sauce spiked with a pinch of cayenne for bold flavor. Before baking, Ree adds a blanket of cheddar, which turns ooey-gooey in the oven.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Spaghetti

Sloppy Joes

Laced with ketchup, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce for welcome tang, Ree's homemade sloppy joe sauce rounds out the ground beef-pepper mixture in this family-favorite dinner.

Get the Recipe: Sloppy Joes

Chicken and Noodles

Shredded chicken, tender carrots and celery, a warming broth and plenty of egg noodles — all the makings of a soul-satisfying soup are on hand in Ree's good-for-you recipe.

Get the Recipe: Chicken and Noodles

Egg-in-a-Hole

"Here's the key," Ree writes in her five-minute recipe: "golden brown toast, white (not brown/burned) whites, soft unbroken yolk." She also explains that if you don't have a biscuit cutter on hand to make the hole in the toast, you can just use the rim of a glass for the same results.

Get the Recipe: Egg-in-a-Hole

Marshmallow Crispy Treats

Ree's quick-fix crispy treats offer two times the marshmallow madness. Not only does she melt a bag of marshmallows before adding the cereal, but she also adds a bag of mini marshmallows at the end so the treats hold their shape and offer even more gooey decadence in each bite.

Get the Recipe: Marshmallow Crispy Treats

Garlic Cheese Bread

By brushing the bread with garlic butter, Ree adds just enough of the bold garlic flavor to impart over-the-top taste without overpowering the dish. She slathers the sliced loaf with a three-cheesy-mayonnaise mixture, then bakes the bread for only a few minutes.

Get the Recipe: Garlic Cheese Bread

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

Little hands will appreciate the small dimensions of Ree's moist meatballs, which she simmers in ready-to-go marinara sauce and serves on rolls with mozzarella cheese.

Get the Recipe: Mini Meatball Sandwiches

Hand Cookies

Follow Ree's lead and get the kids involved in decorating these almost-too-cute-to-eat cookies. Help them trace around their hands, then cut out the dough in their hand shapes.

Get the Recipe: Hand Cookies

Dump Cakes

The name of Ree's fuss-free cakes seemingly speaks for itself. Ree simply dumps the ingredients — cake mix, canned fruit filling and butter — into baking dishes to create crowd-pleasing desserts in a flash.

Get the Recipe: Dump Cakes

Alfredo Sauce

When time is tight on hectic weeknights, this 15-minute classic will save the day. It's made with only a handful of ingredients and can be prepped in a single pan.

Get the Recipe: Alfredo Sauce

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