Cooking with KIds - An Everyday Affair

Growing up both Mom and Dad provided cooking lessons everyday that fostered my skill and love of cooking early. Dad was very deliberate in his instructional approach. Since his work day ended early, it was Dad who cooked most family meals during the week. As youngsters, he would call my sisters and I in from playing with the neighborhood kids , tell us to wash our hands, and then seat us at the kitchen table to watch him cook.

When we were a bit older, my older sisters would be allowed to cut veggies or stir a boiling pot, while I would be on dishwashing duty. Dad was adamant about cleaning as you go and was constantly wiping the counters and stove down as he cooked.. His standard dinner fare was hearty –meat or beans, rice and potatoes, and vegetables – lots of vegetables. In spring, he’d plant a large garden and delighted in walking the rows to pick ripen tomatoes, scallions, or pole beans to cook for dinner. Cornbread was made everyday by Dad. He had his own recipe that produced a rough textured, salty bread that he baked in a cast iron skillet. To this day, I can made great cornbread without a recipe courtesy of Dad.

Mom was a dietitian in a hospital, paid to cook bland vegetables and mystery meat products. But at home, she loved to clip recipes and experiment with flavors and dishes especially desserts. It wasn’t uncommon for us to enjoy toasty Crepes Suzette, or oozing Cream Puffs, or blue colored 7-Minute Frosting masquerading under a mile high Coconut Cake on Sunday.

Learning to cook from Mom was by way of osmosis. I delighted in watching her prepare these confection delights with the skill of a professional chef. To her, the recipe was king and she’d follow it to the letter…up to a point. She knew when and how to make substitutions or additions that improved the taste of or made most recipes even more interesting. Her cooking daring-do was passed on to me and now, rarely do I follow a recipe to the letter. There’s always room to experiment and improve.

Once I became a parent, I followed both Mom and Dad’s approaches to teaching my children to love cooking. Like Dad, I got them involved in meal preparation even when they were too young to actually cook. I’d give them an empty pot and a big spoon to mimic me as I cooked. Little hands used plastic knifes to cut. up vegetables. Later, they were permitted to patty up their own hamburgers, of course with spotless clean hands before and after. Helping with preparation is a sure remedy for a finicky young eater. Everything tastes good when you’ve cooked it.

Like Mom, I’ve amassed a huge collection of recipes, many of them desserts from Mom. Since 1986, I’ve kept a food diary of all special event menus like holidays and remembrances about those cooking adventures. Long after I’m gone, my daughter will be able to duplicate the cooking learned at my elbow and sample my Mom’s recipes. Being able to stroll down memory lane through cooking memories will able her to cherish good times made possible with and by good food.