Welcome, Friends of the Wine Whore!
The thought of inviting your kids into the kitchen may make you want to curl up on the couch over at the Wine Whore's, not to be seen until the munchkins have mastered something simple: an omelet, maybe, or at least how to wash a dish. It's really not that scary, though. Truth be told, it's often a lot of fun. I laugh more when I am cooking with a child; that must be a good thing.
When you invite your children to join you in the kitchen, they benefit in many ways. Kids eat better with less hassle if they help cook dinner; they learn basic cooking techniques, math (all that measuring), nutrition, and bits of organic chemistry; and all those new skills translate into increased confidence and independence. You gain an apprentice who helps get dinner on the table, an adventurer willing to try new interesting new foods, and a partner in the life-long joy of good food shared with people you love.
Along with the pizza, salad and cake that you make, you will also create memories. The sort of warm, fuzzy memories that stay with you for a very, very long time. Every year, come December, I have to make my grandmother Mimi's Nut Balls - and I swear she's hanging out in the litchen with me as I bake. It's an odd holiday tradition for me: a Christmas cookie from the non-observant Jewishish mage. But those memories don't have to make sense to weave their magic. They just are.
Do you have a small person in your life? There's no better time than the holidays to conjoure up your own kitchen traditions, and if I may recommend a book to get you started:
Picture Yourself Cooking With Your Kids is full of real food made from scratch. The whole family will enjoy Apple Puffcakes, Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Breadsticks, Canadian Bacon and Cheddar Souffle, and the #1 flaky biscuit recipe on Google.
Here's what a few other folks had to say:
"The author designed this cookbook to involve kids in the whole process - learning about how food is grown and how it is brought to market, making good nutritional choices, basic cooking techniques, making the kitchen kid-friendly, age appropriate cooking, how to use appliances, etc. The author educates the adults in a friendly way so they can turn around and involve/teach the children." (from 5-star Amazon review)
"Recipes focus on fresh ingredients and are embellished with color photos and easy step-by-step instructions, making this a perfect guide for parents and kids to follow." (from 5-star Amazon review)
If you're ready to have a bit more fun with your kids in the kitchen, click on over to Amazon and pick up a copy of Picture Yourself Cooking With Your Kids
Thanks for stopping by, please explore a bit while you're here. I may not be a wine whore, but I even have a very special bottle of wine, or maybe two, around here somewhere.
