Welcoming Kids to Your Kitchen

This week I've been running a daily cooking school for my boys. It has been a challenge to find recipes that work for a kindergartner and a 2nd-grader. But I've had some success so far.

But first, a little background.

When I was growing up in a family of eight (six kids, two parents) the prevailing philosophy was that you never say no to a child's offer of help. My mother was skilled at finding small jobs for us and gradually teaching us to make our way around the kitchen on our own. I remember standing on a chair learning to make spaghetti sauce from my grandmother. I shredded carrots for salad and cheese for homemade pizza on the box grater I still use. Ours was a collaborative kitchen.

My husband came from a totally different place. His mother and grandmother are fantastic cooks, but helpful children were encouraged to watch or 'keep company' rather than digging in -- that is, unless a family cooking project had been planned in advance. As the kids grew up, the girls were taught all the family recipes, but the boys had to learn it on their own.

Lucky for me, my husband is a persistent guy. Once he was out on his own, he developed a file of his favorite recipes from mom, hastily scribbled down on scraps of paper as he phoned home for instructions. We still have a file folder of those recipes, and use them.

Now that I'm raising my own brood, I would rather follow the 'all help is welcome' philosophy. Part of making that a reality is helping the children feel welcome and tuned-in to what is going on in the big tiled room with the appliances. I know that if I want my kids to be able to cook on their own, I have to teach them early.

It's a little work. But I know that it will be worth it in the end.

After all, I still follow Grandma Pasqualina's sauce recipe -- to the letter. Sometimes a good recipe becomes a part of who you are.


Back to cooking school.

I decided that this Spring break was the time to start teaching, and my boys have made something in the kitchen virtually every day.

When the week began, they brought a few skills to the table, so to speak. They have long been my 'mixer men', standing on a stool working the controls for my Kitchen-Aid. They had been shown the miracle of meringue and the magic of whipping cream. They know how to make and flip pancakes and have mastered the art of cheddar-cheese-fortified Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

But now it was time to expand the skill-set. Monday I offered to let them make and frost a cake by themselves. I handled the oven; they did the rest. They even wanted me to show them how to pipe a shell border onto their cake for decoration. I gave all three kids -- even my 3 year-old -- a turn.

On Tuesday, they wanted to make lunch. "Mexican Pizza" was the choice, so they shredded cheese and chopped vegetables, assembled the ingredients on tortillas, and I popped them under the broiler. It was a delicious lunch.

Wednesday was a busy day. Halfway through the day, though, my kindergartner asked what he could make all by himself. I let him choose a box of instant pudding. He read the instructions himself, measured out the milk, and beat it with a whisk until it magically turned to chocolate pudding. He kept it in the fridge as a secret to spring on the rest of the family. When it was served, he was so proud.

Last night we had an entirely kid-made supper. Kid-measured and kid-mixed meatloaf. Kid-peeled, kid-diced, kid-boiled, and kid-mashed potatoes. Kid-washed, kid-chopped, kid-assembled tossed salad. Sure, we didn't get to eat until 8:00... but it was delicious.

Tonight will be a challenge, though. It's a Friday during Lent, so we'll have to go meatless. Maybe Pasta Primavera is the way to go. Maybe I'll just let them make grilled cheese. Who knows?

The important thing is that they're learning and helping and having fun. And it's not taking a lot of effort to teach them. The key is that we started the week with the premise that they can do it.

Helping them feel welcome and encouraging that can-do attitude makes all the (delicious) difference!

- Midwest Mom

How to Survive Your Kids' Spring Break

Some time during the next month most American kids will enjoy the time-honored tradition of driving their parents crazy during Spring Break.

My kids are on Spring Break now, and because their school is on a balanced calendar, they're not just off for a week -- they're off for three. So, I'm called-upon to be part housemaid, part cruise director for a little while.

That means it's time to share survival strategies. Try these ideas to inject a little fun into your time together AND keep your sanity with a houseful:

Keep a morning schedule -- Have the kids do their grooming just like a school day. Set good habits early-on and they will be easy to keep later on in the break. (That way, you don't fight them to get out of their pajamas at 10:00 in the morning!)

Get Outdoors -- It's not 40 below anymore. Hooray! As long as there is no thunder and lightning, we are outdoors a good bit every day. Yesterday we walked 2 miles round trip to the grocery store. It was a windy adventure. We love to play in the yard and take advantage of empty neighborhood schools -- they have great playgrounds, you know!

Work in some Quiet -- Take time for yourself each day to write, read, workout, whatever. And get your kids to slow down too. We have a half-hour of reading after lunch when my youngest is headed to sleep for her nap. It restores our sanity and refreshes the soul a bit.

Try some Spring cleaning-- There's nothing like a little coin to motivate my crew to help. We have a list of Spring cleaning jobs that need to be done. A little time every few days does the trick to bang out the list. My guys have also asked to help with daily chores like washing dishes and -gasp- laundry. How lucky am I? (Hint: negotiate a price beforehand if you pay your children for chores.)

Hold Cooking Class -- On the first day of Spring break, I let my boys bake a cake from scratch. They were so proud of themselves. Bring your kids in on the supper prep and teach them to do it for themselves. We've made a list of foods my boys want to learn to cook and I'm teaching them one by one. It may take some time now, but I keep telling myself there will be a day when I'll sit back and let them run the show.

Get Creative -- Many schools have cut out art class because of funding and testing issues. It's amazing what a blank roll of newsprint and some tempera paint will bring out in your child. Make time for creative expression by providing crayons, paper, scissors, clay, and space to use them. Your child might amaze you.

Find Strength in Numbers - You're not the only parent who is up to their eyeballs in children over Spring Break. Call friends and arrange an exchange of play dates. Or meet friends at the playground. Moms can dish while the kids have a ball.

Have an Adventure Every day -- I ask my kids at breakfast what adventure they would like to have today. They have come up with some great ideas -- playing tennis, going to the children's museum, planting seeds in the garden, going for a hike. Putting your kids in control a little bit can be lots of fun for all of you.


Good luck, and enjoy your "vacation"... I'll do likewise.

Anybody want to meet at the playground?

- Midwest Mom

Easy (Tasty) Mardi Gras Fun

Beads? Check.
Masks? Check.
Floats? Okay. That's a little much.

What about food?

Not all of us have tons of time to make special foods for a day like Mardi Gras. But it can be fun to mark the day with a special dessert. And what could be better than something you can make with your kids?

At our house, we have a simple recipe called Monkey Bread. It is easy to modify for Mardi Gras to make a colorful and festive celebration.

Here's the recipe:

Mardi Gras Monkey Bread

2 packages buttermilk biscuits in a can (10 each)
1/4 cup yellow sugar sprinkles
1/4 cup purple sugar sprinkles
1/4 cup green sugar sprinkles
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the biscuits in thirds and divide them evenly between three tupperware containers. Pour one color of sugar sprinkles in each container, followed by 1/3 tsp cinnamon and 1/3 cup pecans. Cover and shake until all the biscuit pieces are covered. (Great job for the kids!) Place pieces in buttered & floured bundt pan or angel food cake ring, keeping colors separate (one third of the ring should be yellow, green, purple).

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and stir in brown sugar and remaining cinnamon. Cook until it is bubbly and pour over the biscuits. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the biscuits comes out clean. Turn out onto a platter and put on a little more sprinkles to make it extra colorful.

We like to eat it warm. It's such a treat!

Give it a try, and have a Happy Mardi Gras!

- Midwest Mom

Rainy Day Activity: Homemade Play Dough

Rainy days have an interesting rhythm to them -- slow and quiet and thoughtful. A rainy day is a welcome change from the frenetic pace we usually keep. As the drops drum gently on our windowpanes, we watch the birds hopping around the bird feeder, trying to stay dry. Rainy days, like today, are days for board games and reading books, for puzzles and building blocks. They are days we just feel grateful our home is warm and dry -- our little haven.

I like to set aside a few special activities for days like this. Homemade Play Dough is one we love. We got the recipe a few years ago from our favorite Kindergarten teacher.

I help the children to make it, allowing them to measure the ingredients and carefully stir the pot on the stove. Once the mixture needs to be kneaded, many hands make light work.

Here is what you'll need:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 tsp Cream of Tartar
2 cups water
2 Tbs oil
3 tsp food coloring -- blue, red, green, or yellow

And here's what you do:

Mix together the first three ingredients in a medium-size saucepan. Add wet ingredients (water, oil, and coloring) and mix together. Stir and stir over low heat on the stove -- don't stop! The mixture should thicken until it becomes like mashed potatoes. When it does, turn off the heat and dump the mixture out on a floured board to knead it.

I knead the first few turns, until the mixture cools a bit and becomes easier to handle. I fold the dough toward myself and press the heel of my hand into it. Then, I turn it a quarter-turn. Again, I fold the top down toward me and press. Then, I let the kids try their hands at it.

When the dough is the right consistency, they can play with it right away or you can store it in an airtight container. As long as it is put away after playing, it stays pliable for a nice long time.

Maybe even until the next rainy day.

- Midwest Mom

Cookie Bake Feast at Grandma's

Every year, we have a cookie bake at Grandma's house. She has nine grandchildren under the age of 10.

Needless to say, it's pandemonium.

This year, she tried to have supper and then cookie decorating.

But have you ever tried to seat nine children at a table filled with cookies and frosting and sprinkles and asked them to eat a bowl of chicken and noodles? I don't care if it is the best tasting chicken and noodles on the planet Earth, it's not gonna happen.

So... after the kids were done ignoring their chicken and noodles, the "decorating" began. It was so fun to see this little crowd of wee people smearing on as much frosting and sprinkles as their sugar cookies could hold. I think the frosting-to-cookie ratio was about 1000 to 1. Ditto the sprinkles.

In the center of the large table where they sat decorating, there was a beautiful silver platter. What was it for? Decorated cookies, presumably.

Here we discover another process error.

What parent (or grandparent) does not know that a decorated cookie must pass directly from the hands of the decorator into the mouth of the decorator? The lovely tray remained lovely -- and empty. Actually, to be truthful, it had about a dozen cookies on it by the end of the night, placed there long after multiple children were heard muttering, "My tummy is hurting."

As we cleaned up and the children went crazy chasing each other around and around through the rooms of the house (like they were high on sugar or something -- go figure) we noticed there was a shocking amount of white and yellow frosting left over. It looked as though it hadn't even been used.

One look at our children was all it took to discover yet another truth about Grandma's cookie bake. The best kind of frosting for decorating eating is whatever kind will turn your mouth, teeth, and tongue the brightest color. We had one blue child, one green, and one red. I had to actually use a toothbrush on my five-year-old's lips to keep him from looking cyanotic before we went to church on Sunday.

But, after the fun was over and the sugar-high was passed and the mess was cleaned up, we and all of my husband's brothers and sisters had a couple of cookies and warm feelings of family love to bring home. Cookie "Bake" at Grandma's is a great tradition.

Honestly, it was the sweetest part of the weekend.

- Midwest Mom

Cooking with Kids: Applesauce

I recently had the pleasure (challenge) of helping my oldest son's second-grade class make applesauce for Johnny Appleseed week. It was a fun project, made easier by lots of parent helpers and a fantastic, creative teacher. The kids were patient and attentive and great at reading and following the recipe.

Applesauce is an easy recipe to make with children. I've posted the recipe we used on You Found the Secret Recipe! with instructions on how to complete the project without allowing your child to wield a knife (all fingers intact at the end of the project, please!)

Have a look and try it with your own crew. There is nothing as satisfying for children as making something with their own hands. Cooking teaches children teamwork, how to follow directions and plan their work, and the end result is really delicious!

Give it a try!