A favorite lunch this summer has been what our girls call "butter pasta." It's a simple dish and I was confident that my ten-year-old could handle making it on her own. Last week I supervised as she boiled the water, added the penne pasta, set the timer for the appropriate cooking time, then drained the pasta in the colander.
She added butter, sprinkled on Parmesan cheese, tossed it all together, and served herself and her sister. The following day, she repeated the meal without any help (except my watchful eye), and she's quite proud of what she can do. She now wants to learn how to make pancakes by herself, so we plan to attempt that soon.
Meanwhile, my eight-year-old asked if she could create her own cookie recipe. I had her look through my cookie recipes to get an idea of what ingredients to include and in what proportions, then she wrote out her own version of a sugar cookie. She included cinnamon as a "secret ingredient" and added green food coloring for a little flair! They turned out good enough to be edible (though she proclaimed they were "missing something"), and, since she concocted the recipe on a Wednesday, we named them "Hump Day Cookies."
While it takes some extra time and instruction, I'm glad that our girls enjoy being in the kitchen and want to continue to encourage them in their culinary efforts!
Oh, yes! My older two children, especially my daughter, beg me to let them help in the kitchen. Since I also want my children, especially my daughters, to be comfortable in the kitchen, I let them whenever I can. I must admit that I look forward to the time when I can turn them loose in the kitchen and let them fix breakfast or cook supper, while I...well, do something else!
ReplyDeleteNikki,
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you! While the ultimate goal is for them to be able to function well in their own kitchen some day, it will be nice when they can contribute to our family by making meals for all of us to enjoy.
Oh yes! Sophie can make cupcakes and muffins with very little help from me, and Bella is going to be right behind her. I was never interested in the kitchen, so I am happy that my girls are right along with me :)
ReplyDeleteAurie,
ReplyDeleteI never helped much in the kitchen when I was young, either, so this is kind of new territory for me - but very rewarding!
Oh yes, my children LOVE helping in the kitchen or even cooking on their own (with supervision, of course!). They've cooked cheesy scrambled eggs, muffins, tuna mornay, and love to help me crumb chicken to make chicken schnitzel! They've also helped with many many more recipes. :) I am so glad to share the kitchen with them, and share my passion for cooking; it's always so much fun and they feel so satisfied to cook something everyone enjoys. :)
ReplyDelete