Kids in the Kitchen 101

Kids in the Kitchen 101: Introduction

Cooking has always been a treasured past time in our family. Some of my fondest memories are of being in the kitchen with my grandma, "put a pinch of oregano in there," she would say. When I would put my child size pinch into whatever it was we were cooking, she would pour the spice into her hand and say, "Now that is a pinch," as she threw a good tablespoon or two into the pot, never measuring exactly; I learned that it was enough if it tasted good, if not, add some more. By the age of 9, I would peel potatoes for hash, wash and hull strawberries for jam, and stir the rue until is was golden for gravy. At 11, I was making pancakes for the family before they woke up, and in high school, grandma expected me to have dinner on the stove for when my parents came home from work. I can't say that I always did that, but you had better believe that something smelled good if she was watching! Cooking has never been work for me, it has been fun and that is what I hope to pass on to my boys. 

Why Teach Your Kids to Cook?

• Not only is it fun, but it is a good skill to have in life
• It saves money
• It is a time for bonding
• It teaches math skills
• It's a great science lesson
• It will help with reading
• It will help to learn the importance of following directions
• It will help them to learn why procedure is important
• It will help teach them patience
• It's a great self esteem booster
• You will ensure that your child's future spouse will be kissing the ground you walk on

I realize that not everyone knows how to cook or thinks that it is as fun as I do, but I hope that you will try to get your kids in the kitchen anyway. Starting today, I will be posting some ideas for things that your kids can do along side of you as you prepare dinner or breakfast or lunch or the feast to go along with your yule tide carol ;o). I will include easy to follow instructions that you can use while teaching your little angel how to cook and pictures that you can show them if they should tell you that they can't learn. "See, other kids do it, so you can too!" You will be able to find these posts under the recipe page under the recipe index. 
The first Kids in the Kitchen 101 lesson