dd needs inspiration
Okay, as per posting today my daughter is over the top wanting to cook. As I tucked her in I made a deal: keep up everything else you are responsible for(she tests for her 1st level black belt in 3 mos, older bro is a 2nd level, older sis is going for 2nd level)
and YOU can run the kitchen 1 day per week(with my oversight of course) But, this means she gets full reign. Picks the meal,
chooses the produce in the supermarket, and executes with her own results. I can drive her, I can influence, however, the ultimate meal is on her. Anyone have some kid friendly recipes before she watches Jacques Pepin and tries to re-create that days episode? Or, sees Martha and gets upset if she fails?
HELP!
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17 Comments:
Spaghetti sauce and chili are both pretty fool-proof recipes. The good thing about spaghetti sauce is that it can the the basis for a variety of meals, so it's spaghetti one night, ravioli another night, and baked rigatoni another night.
Braised foods that can't be easily overcooked, and things that are assembled and baked are probably a good start. I'd avoid things that could easily be overcooked or undercooked, at least at first.
Soups are great -- they can seem complicated, particularly if you use a lot of veggies, but the variety is endless. If soup isn't enough of a meal, then soup and sandwich would be good, and if you want to fancy it up, it can be a pannini type sandwich, or just a jazzed up grilled cheese.
I can't offer actual recipes, because for the above, I'm more of a whack and toss kind of cook. But I'd bet that one of the basic cookbooks like the Joy of Cooking or Better Homes and Gardens or something similar will have exactly what you need.
There are also "kid" cookbooks, but I'm betting that those aren't what she's going to want to make.
dbcurrie at 11:22PM on 02/01/09
I second soups and braises. Roasted veg could also be a nice idea - pretty easy to put together and don't require much "hand on" work.
Salads - both mixed greens and "chopped" salads (like potato, chicken, couscous, etc. - also, chicken and tuna salads, for instance, work nicely in a wrap). Salad dressings are very easy to make - oil, vinegar of choice or lemon juice, herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, etc (check out this thread for dressing ideas).
It should be fun!
brooke29 at 11:41PM on 02/01/09
I third all the great ideas above too.
Also breakfast for dinner. From pancakes and waffles and baked egg dishes. Fun to learn and learn to execute, and with a waffle maker it does the work really, while she would get to mix the batter and have fun making toppings (like fruits or flavored syrups).
A taco or salad 'bar' where she can cut and prep warm tortillas or shells, chop the toppings and spoon out salsas/sour cream etc and all that really has to be cooked is meat if using, rice, and warming some beans.
For salad she can learn to make a dressing and then do all the veggies for people to pick as they like, and that could even go with the sandwich or soup idea to pair.
sadiepix at 1:49AM on 02/02/09
I really like that Charlie Brown cookbook I think it was wrttien in the late 60's early 70's that I loved as a kid that had a ton of great recipes not too mention fun happy little comic stuff from the peanut collection. i don't know if they still sell it I am sure they do maybe updated now. But I remember they did spaghetti and meat sauce, lemon bars, brownies, little pizza, certain salads, pizzas, even homemade dog food (for Snoopy). There is more but I can't remember it was so long ago and the book is in storage. But i liked to try different types of cookies, I remember at about 10-11 I made a Nubian Chocolate roll
pjracz10 at 2:41AM on 02/02/09
When my small nieces cook with me they always want to make egg rolls. Not even "traditional" ones necessarily; we've stuffed them with broccoli, mushrooms, bacon and cheddar in the past. They're super easy, cheap, fun and yummy. After your daughter's chopped the ingredients (of her choosing), all that's left is spooning the mixture in, folding them- which my nieces think is the fun part- and then frying/baking them.
PumpkinBear at 2:51AM on 02/02/09
oops I pressed the button too quick, as far as the Nubian Choc roll I made it for Mother's Day for mom. I was baking alot at 10. Also at 10 my brother's MIL, introduced me to red velvet cake and it became my favorite cake and she wrote her recipe down for me (still have the recipe card), but I seem to remember her telling me to make sure to follow the recipe to the tea because it was a very sensitve recipe (shrug shoulders). Crazy cake is another fun one to make, because it is a weird and strange recipe (yes I still have the recipe as well, I am a pack rat), if dd would like any of these recipes I can post them.
pjracz10 at 2:56AM on 02/02/09
Slow-roasted anything. Beef brisket, pork loin, ribs ... put on the rub before school, put it in the roasting pan, cover it with foil, in an oven at 200F ... by the time the bus drops her off in the afternoon, the meat will be perfect.
LunaPierCook at 4:12AM on 02/02/09
@pjacz10--off topic, I am a MASSIVE 'Peanuts' fan--do you still have that cookbook? I bet it's rare, you should save it!
@donnie--it's funny you should mention Martha Stewart, because 'Everyday Food' is a great resource--the television show and the magazine, and on the MS website, there is a whole 'kids' section.
I also like watching Jacques Pepin while I am doing housework on Sunday, he has a show called "Fast Food My Way" with really easy stuff like eggs, soups, and so forth.
My favorite cookbook was the 'Betty Crocker' Kids cookbook from like the 1950s (even though I grew up in the 80s).
I would take her to the library, let her pick out a realistic selection of books (I say the library, because you can get a larger selection) and pick out a recipe of which both of you approve.
HeartofGlass at 5:17AM on 02/02/09
Breakfast for dinner is always a good start, or breakfast in general..... you can learn a lot about cooking by doing some of the simplest of fare such as breakfast cookery. You can learn a lot about a person's cooking by the way they cook an egg. Start with the simplest of simple.... Eggs, toast, bacon, maybe some home fries with onion and green pepper.... she can learn simple knife skills and safety.
Grab a copy of "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee and help her understand the science behind the cooking, and why eggs need to be cooked just so, and what makes toast...well... toast! (The chemical process is called the Maillard reaction) You don't have to go through the book verbatim an ad nauseum but throwing out the odd this or that about why foods act the way they do will make for better cooking habits. Whatever you do... make it simple... and make it fun...
Pavlov at 6:36AM on 02/02/09
What are some of her favorites to eat? Any of them sound like a simple starter? I ditto the braise or slow cooker. Whole meal in a pot, slow cooking all day. Or she could roast some potatoes and carrots before dinner. Or steam some green beans and add toasted almonds. I remember making deviled eggs and macaroons very early on. She seems to have a dessert down pat - or maybe just stick to ice cream with such a big meal. I have every confidence in her abilities, but dd (if you're reading this) don't forget the black belt and sports and art and music and playing with your friends. It's wonderful that you're learning how to cook, but enjoy all aspects of your life and do your homework first. ;-)
p.s. I adore Jacques Pepin!
PerkyMac at 8:58AM on 02/02/09
Have her bake a cake perfect moment for a math and science lesson...
Markbb at 9:02AM on 02/02/09
Chili or stew can be fun, since it gives her the opportunity to pick whatever kind of meats, veggies, and spices she thinks would be good. Or mini-flatbread pizzas...they're pretty easy to make, and since she could make a few of them, she could experiment with different topping combinations on each one. This is all assuming she's good with cutting with a sharp knife, but if not, you could always help her with that part.
cycorider at 10:41AM on 02/02/09
These are some great ideas. Thanks so much to everyone. dd's a pretty amazing kid. She's already mastered her own chicken salad recipe, reinvented my crab dip recipe, and has taken over making the strombolies.
I REALLY like the soup and salad idea, she can be pretty picky with veggies.This will give her a good bit of time at the cutting board too which she can never seem to get enough of.You've all been so great, thanks again.
donnie at 12:16PM on 02/02/09
My husband learned to cook from the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys and Girls!! He still has his copy in a place of honor in our kitchen. For folks with fond memories, they've reissued it (with the original artwork). AB has done a few shows about cooking with kids (cooking with his "nephew"). All of his shows (or at least most of them) are on youtube and you can always download the recipes from FN. I figure AB is a good way to go because he goes into how to pick out produce, meat, etc. Before I watched GE, my husband did all the grocery shopping because he knew I didn't have a clue!
Donnamarie at 12:32PM on 02/02/09
@ heartofglass- you bet I have that peanuts cookbook and would still make stuff out of it as an adult, it's in storage right now.
pjracz10 at 1:32PM on 02/02/09
My seven-year-old grandson cooks from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, and not the latest edition, either. My first cookbook was Craig Claiborne's Kids in the Kitchen. I've fallen in love with Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything – many of the recipes are dead simple and come together in under an hour. Check it out from the library for/with your daughter before you invest in it.
Also, Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook, by Marion Cunningham. Plenty of explanation of technique, and some kitchen science, if I recall correctly.
gentlyferal at 3:27PM on 02/02/09
i used to love this one when i was a kid, and definitely made my first recipes out of it.
http://www.amazon.com/Pretend-Soup-Other-Real-Recipes/dp/1883672066/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233765833&sr=1-34
there is one other one that i will post if i can find it, i have a vision in my head of the cover so we'll see what amazon comes up with.
allot at 11:45AM on 02/04/09