Children make a home brighter, richer, and a little bit louder — especially when they cook alongside us in the kitchen. This year, we tackled everything from ubiquitous kid-loved cheese crackers to homemade slime in the kitchen with our children, making memories and plenty of messes along the way. Whether you're a parent to teenagers or a threenager, these are the recipes you loved the most this year.

Mac and cheese is almost synonymous with kid cuisine, but this stovetop version keeps us from reaching for the occasional boxed version and is easy enough that the kids can help grate the cheese or sprinkle in the flour.

If you're a parent or have kids in your life in any way, you know that 2017 was the year of slime. It was everywhere from YouTube to Instagram and some of us (me) got roped into making it at home. The pleasant result of it was that we found easier, chemical-free ways to make it at home.

Cheddar fish, bunnies, or cows are a boon to parenthood. They are portable, relatively mess-free, and loved by all (even us). Making them at home turned out to be surprisingly simple and rewarding with one easy tip. I'm planning on making more of these over the winter break with my own two kiddos.

Yogurt drops are a secret weapon of parenting — especially for parents who want to experience dining out with their wee-ones, as the drops are easy to eat and relatively mess-free. This recipe makes a ton for way less than the cost of a small bag at the grocery store.

If parenting has taught us anything about cooking weeknight dinners, it's this: Alway be prepared. Stashing garlic bread in the freezer saves time and headaches on busy Wednesday nights when one kid is eating before piano and the other after soccer.

One unexpected delight of cooking with children is sharing our culinary memories with them. If you grew up eating SpaghettiOs, then this is just one of those recipes.

In general, I'm not an advocate for sneaking healthy food into treat food, but these chickpea nuggets let me do just that without any qualms. These incredibly pantry-friendly nuggets are beloved in our house too.

Another nugget tops the list of kid-friendly recipes this year! This gluten-free version uses almond meal and partners chicken with a tangy, herby ranch dip that parents will love too.

Yes, we love laboring through Christmas cookies with our kids during the holidays and making all kinds of seasonal treats from spooky spiders to caramel apples, but give us an everyday no-bake treat that kids can help with and we will come back to this recipe time and time again.

I'm not even surprised a bit to see this snack cake on our top 10 list. I served it at a sleepover and both parents and kids are still talking about it!