Brinley
likes to be in the kitchen because her mom and she have spent
a lot of time together there. Stephanie, her mother, makes
the best bread in her bread mixer (not the all-in-one-machine.)
She’s also noted for her chicken dumplings and chocolate chip
cookies. A lot more flour gets spread around the kitchen with
Brinley, Ben, and Mandi helping than if Stephanie did it by
herself, but the extra mess is certainly worth it in the long
run. Her children will continue to learn over the years a
lot more than just how to make bread or other food dishes.
They will learn that homemade food doesn’t just magically
appear–-a family member does have to prepare it in the kitchen—unlike
driving through a fast-food stop. My grandchildren will learn
that cooking is part of the normal routine of happy and secure
homes. They will also learn that not everything cooked turns
out perfectly and that experimentation is part of the fun.
Moreover, they will learn that household tasks, such as cooking,
are gifts of service and love—which they can offer throughout
their lives.
How
will children—the next generation of nurturers—learn to cook
if they’re not given practice time in the kitchen? Michelle
Beran remarked: “I gained kitchen confidence helping Mom.
And she’s inspired me to make dinners for my own family special
by presenting great food and having good conversation.”
Emma
Lou Thayne, a wonderful poet and writer, vividly describes
the kitchen experience of her and her five daughters:
"My
daughters and I had all come back to the kitchen that had
warmed and fed us for thirty years. . . . The air of tomato
and bouillon and pepper corns and basil, chocolate and butterscotch
ran us all together that day and into the night.
"All
our lives we'd bumped bottoms in the kitchen, trying to do
fifteen things at once. For dinners when they were little,
for parties when they were bigger, for birthdays, holidays,
after‑school days, before‑boating days, we'd been
that committee getting ready. In the noisy commotion, we had
learned of each other's deepest concerns and lightest considerations.
We'd stirred and mashed and cubed and browned our way through
tests and boyfriends, hairstyles and testimonies. . . . The
kitchen and being busy allowed an ease not common to other
grounds. . . .
"In any kitchen anywhere for the rest of our lives,
we'll be doing it by committee, the six of us. Just as I will
season with my mother's dashes of nutmeg and my grandmother's
sprinkles of sage, they'll carry into their cupboards and
onto their stoves and tables the festive know‑how of
having learned, bottom to bottom, in a crowded kitchen."
Another mother writes of her son’s kitchen debut:
“I never put stock in the old notion that a kitchen
is the sole province of girls and women.
. . .The culinary arts have all the right ingredients
for little boys. For starters, there’s a wide array of fascinating
gadgets to play with, not to mention the delicious alchemy
of making a mess.
“To earn his Cub Scouts’ Family Member Badge last fall,
Nate had to complete the following requirements as described
in his official Webelo handbook: Help plan the meals for your
family for at least one week. Help buy the food. Prepare at
least three meals for the family. . . .
“ ‘I don’t know why you complain about cooking dinner,
Mom—it’s really fun,’ ” Nate said as he seized a spatula and
swirled the contents of another saucepan. . . .
. Cynthia LaFerle, “Teaching My Son
to Cook,” Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion, October
and November 2000, 116.
* * * * *
The
following are simple recipes from Remedies for the “I Don’t
Cook” Syndrome by Janet Peterson that children can help
prepare or, if able, prepare by themselves.
CINNAMON
PULL-APARTS
Diane Wilson
You’ll
get rave reviews and repeat requests for these.
1 teaspoon
cinnamon
½ cup sugar
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
2--3 (11.3-ounce) cans refrigerator biscuits, quartered
½ cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup brown sugar
Heat oven
to 350º.
Put cinnamon,
sugar, and nuts, if desired, in a resealable plastic bag.
Add quartered biscuits (a third at a time) to bag. Shake to
coat biscuits. Place in a greased 10-inch bundt pan.
Mix butter
and brown sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. (Can also
be put in saucepan and heated together). Pour sauce over top
of biscuits, distributing evenly. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
(Check at 30 minutes—3 cans of biscuits may take 40 minutes.)
Turn pan upside down on serving plate.
Serves
6-8.
FLOUR
TORTILLAS
Christine Neilson
“Homemade
tortillas are quick and easy and so good. Children love them
hot and buttered.”
3 cups
flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon shortening or oil
Stir flour,
baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add water
a little at a time, mixing with dry ingredients until dough
is very soft dough but not sticky. If after kneading a few
minutes it feels too wet, add a little flour. Add oil or shortening
and knead until dough is soft and satin-like. Cover and let
rest while griddle heats over medium‑high heat.
Make 12
dough balls a little larger than a golf ball. Use a heavy,
weighted rolling pin for easier rolling. Tortillas should
be about 5-6 inches round. Roll tortilla very thin, less
than 1/8-inch thick. Spray a griddle or skillet with cooking spray
or grease with oil. Cook tortillas until bubbles come through
to top. Turn tortilla over and cook until done. Tortillas
can be stored in a covered container or plastic bag and reheated
on a hot griddle.
Makes
12 tortillas.
CRISPY
HERB CHICKEN
Kathy Crawford
“Amazingly
easy. May be refrigerated up to 24 hours before cooking.”
1½ cups
Rice Krispies1 (0.7-ounce) envelope dry Italian salad dressing
mix
4--6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken pieces
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
Heat oven
to 350º.
Crush
rice cereal in a blender or food processor. Combine with salad
dressing mix in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken pieces in melted
butter and roll in cereal mixture to coat. Place in a 10-inch
square or 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle additional cereal
mixture over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes until
tender.
Serves
4-6.
FRENCH
BREAD PIZZA
Tere Weir
Instead
of making pizza dough or purchasing expensive pizza crusts,
simplify with a loaf of French bread.
1 loaf
French bread
1 (14-ounce) bottle pizza sauce
1 cup grated cheese (Mozzarella, Cheddar, or mixture of cheeses)
Pizza toppings
pepperoni
ham
cooked sausage
olives
diced onion
sliced mushrooms
pineapple chunks
sliced olives
sliced tomatoes
Heat oven
to at 425º.
Cut French
bread lengthwise and spread pizza sauce over each half of
bread. Sprinkle with cheese, then add pizza toppings desired.
Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Cook on broiler
pan or baking stone for a crisper crust.
Serves
4-6.
CHOCOLATE
ROLO COOKIES
Stephanie Santiago
“Watch
out! These cookies are addicting. They are one of my favorite.”
1 (18.25-ounce)
German chocolate cake mix (or any variety of chocolate cake)
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 (13-ounce) package Rolo candies or other soft-centered
chocolate pieces
Heat oven
to 375º.
In a large
bowl, mix together cake mix, butter, and egg. It will seem
dry but keep mixing. Form dough around a Rolo and make into
a ball, just to cover Rolo. Place on a greased or sprayed
cookie sheet and bake for about 9-10 minutes. Do not over
bake!
Makes
3½ -4 dozen cookies.
OH
HENRY BARS
Cessily Duke
A new
version of Rice Krispie treats.
1 cup
sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup salted peanuts
3 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
In a heavy
saucepan, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from
heat and add peanut butter, peanuts, and Rice Krispies. Stir
well and press into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Melt chocolate
chips and butterscotch chips together in a small saucepan
or in microwave. Spread over top of peanut butter mixture.
Cool and cut into bars.
Makes
2 dozen small or 1 dozen large bars.
