kid in the kitchen

A few weeks ago, Tommy wandered into the kitchen while I was making dinner and asked if he could help. I gave him a job which he completed easily and quickly before asking me for something else to do. As we made dinner together that night, he looked at me at one point and said, "Hey Mama, maybe I can make dinner for you one night every week! That way you could have a night off and I can make dinner all by myself." 

To which I responded, "Buddy......YOU GOT IT." 

So we started looking for a kid-friendly cookbook, finally found a good one, and started dog-earring pages of meals that looked good. Two weeks ago, on a Thursday night, Tommy got into the kitchen for his first-ever night of cooking (mostly) on his own. I offered a few tips and tricks along the way and although he did come away with a small burn on his arm, he survived, and even had a good time. Week two was even better as he was feeling a little more confident and excited to eat something he had made on his own. 

I think it's so important to get kids in the kitchen to learn how to cook since it's a skill they can use for their entire lives. I've been inviting Tommy (and Annabel!) to help me in the kitchen ever since he was big enough to stand on a chair next to me. Even if he was just snapping beans or stirring sauce in a bowl or helping me scramble up some eggs, I always wanted to try and find something for him to do so he would be interested not only in cooking, but in eating. He's always more willing to try a new food if he helped make it in the first place. This was especially fun when we had our beautiful garden at our old house (next year we'll have one here, too!) where he could pick the food, cook the food, and then eat the food. Really looking forward to having that opportunity next summer for both of the kids. 

First meal: Mashed Potato Pie, Cantaloupe 

Scooping seeds photo by Annabel

Slicing photo by Annabel

Second Meal: Barbecue Chicken Legs

Toasting our delicious chicken!

The chicken legs were a HUGE hit with all four of us, but unfortunately the cook wasn't thrilled with his mashed potato pie. Annabel, on the other hand, declared it "the best meal ever" and gave her brother a huge hug for making her such a delicious dinner. So far I'd call Tommy's efforts in the kitchen a definite WIN! and we're looking forward to lots more cooking adventures to come. We'll be finishing out September with Sausage Popovers and Tuna Fishcakes.

Wishing you a good start to your week! Annabel was supposed to have her first day of Pre-K today but she's had a fever all weekend and can't go. Hope she'll be well enough to go tomorrow. We'll be enjoying a slow day today and spending as much time as possible out on the front porch in the beautiful fall weather. Hope it's a nice day where you are. Happy Monday!

P.s. Happy Birthday, Stephanie! :)