Thanks to Jenna from Food With Kid Appeal, for this week’s installment of What’s Cooking with YOUR Kids. I love how she clearly explains all of the steps that the kids can do on this recipe!
My kindergartner, Big Boo, has homework a couple times a week, sigh. Often its stuff we can do in the car, sometimes he’s got to make a list of blue things, or opposite words. This week one of the options was “help mom or dad cook dinner.” The boys have been in the kitchen with me since they were old enough to sit next to me on the counter, and later stand on a foot-stool. Now that they’re both older they usually run and play in the house while I cook. I can get a lot more done, with a lot less mess, but I miss them! I was happy the school gave me an enthusiastic helper for one meal.
The meal we worked together on was, Rice Salad, wilted brussels sprouts and salisbury steak (minus gravy). Big Boo was able to do the following tasks:
- Shuck the corn (and gobble up all the silk)
- Add vinaigrette ingredients
- Vigorously mix the vinaigrette.
- Scoop avocado out of the peel.
- Rinse grape tomatoes
- Add rice to salad bowl
- Stir salad
- Taste salad
- Add cranberries to the Brussels sprouts
- Work the spices into the hamburger meat with his fingers
- Put the prepared dishes on the table.
I lost him for a few minutes when he scurried off with a bowl full of corn silk to deliver to Little Boo. I used to hand them ears of corn to shuck to keep little fingers busy during meal preparation, but now I find myself summoning them to the kitchen, “who wants to shuck the corn?’ I suspect the only reason they comply is so they can eat the silk. I don’t discourage them trying any part of veggies during preparation. They both learned to eat raw veggies while I cooked well before taking to cooked veggies. Both still prefer raw vegetables, which is fine by me as most raw veggies contain more nutrients their cooked counterparts.
He was fascinated with the “bubbles” formed when he added the vinegar to the oil, and surprised when, after vigorous mixing, that the red and green separated translucent liquids turned into a cloudy pinkish mixture. Cooking is a great time to introduce or reinforce science. When my boys ask me science questions I can’t answer, I say, “you know, I don’t remember, let’s look it up online.” No matter how used to being a parent I get, I never get used to their quest for knowledge and understanding.
Not that I needed to up the ante, Big Boo enjoyed himself, but after he stirred the salad, I yanked open the utensil drawer, and said, “Now you get cook’s privilege. Pick a spoon and find a bite with corn, avocado, tomato and rice and let’s test the seasoning to see if it’s just right.” With a huge grin and twinkle in his eye, he dug in and pronounced the salad “Delicious.” He had three helpings of salad at dinner, nibbled and picked his sprouts, and finished all the meat.
At the table I made sure to gush over the seasoning on the meat, and the beautiful color pop of the cranberries with Brussels sprouts, and the well mixed and seasoned salad. He knows he’s wanted and appreciated in the kitchen. In addition to the oil and vinegar science lesson, it was a good window of opportunity to teach vocabulary like privilege and vigorously.
At Food with Kid Appeal, Jenna blogs about her journey to feed her family whole food and grow good eaters with the obstacles of high food costs, a demanding day job, and a barrage confusing nutrition information in the news. Follow her on her mission to nourish her carnivore Hubby, and two sons: unfamiliar-food-protester 5 year old Big Boo and picky-palate 3 year old Little Boo.
Do you have any fun stories and photos to share about cooking with YOUR kids? I hope to share at least one reader story every week and can’t wait to hear about your adventures in the kitchen with your kids. Here is what you need to do.
p.s. Pass it on!
