Teaching Lanie to cook

[juliebean]

Since I knew I would be broke this summer - and Lanie wouldn't be in daycare - I tried to think of some fun activities for the house.  At some point, I decided on cooking as our main learning project.  She's 7 1/2 and she's reading very well.  She enjoys helping in the kitchen and she follows directions well so I thought we were good and ready.

So I

Comments

[wendywoowho]

Fabulous! Good to hear it.

[juliebean]

Thanks for reading. I'll bet this is something Meg would like. She's not old enough to do her own reading, but there's still a lot of stuff she could do to help. And if not now, it won't be long!

[monsterbrain]

Thanks for this!

I'm always on the lookout for great books for my nephews. And these little guys love to cook, just like their parents!

The older one is turning 7 today, and I've already sent him his birthday books, but this will be great for Xmas. :)

[juliebean]

I really would recommend it for your nephews. The recipes aren't at all complicated and they're (for the most part) very kid-friendly. It was nice that they had actual recipes for things like scrambled eggs and French toast.

Seriously, I was amazed at the amount of kids recipe books that were novelty-oriented. I don't have any problem getting Lanie to EAT fruit, you know? I don't need to make fruit look like a face. That might be fun for a change of pace or a craft-type afternoon, but it won't teach her how to make a meal for herself.

[3speed]

Awesome! XD Klutz Press made a lot of my favorite activity books as a child...good to see they're still at it. And really, it's kinda cool that the recipes are left a bit bland. No better way to teach her about herbs and spices! My mom would have me sniff the various herbs and spices to see what might taste good in various dishes as a kid. I still use the open-and-sniff method when confronted with a likely-to-be-bland recipe. Haha

[juliebean]

I've seen Klutz Press books before. They're common at independent toy stores and roadside places, you know? But I think the only one I saw as a child was the juggling book (I was born in 1970) and I never really looked at them very closely.

I probably will look at them with more interest from now on. I was very impressed with this one.

I think the blandness isn't bad either. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who don't like spices at all. And you're right, this is a way for us to experiment with different kinds.

Lanie and I watched an episode of "Unwrapped" where they talked about the origins of Mrs. Dash. And since then we've bought a few different kinds of Mrs. Dash and she puts them on different things. She made up her own "recipe" where she tore a Babybel cheese into little pieces, pressed them into a piece of bread and then sprinkled the "Garlic and Herb" blend over the top. She was happy - said it tasted like "Pizza bread".

[3speed]

Oh, totally. Klutz books were the best thing ever for rainy days, long car trips, etc. There's one that has 10-15 different board games and appropriate pieces that are in a pouch that's right on the spiral binding...that was awesome for hotel stays and going to boring, not-so-kid-friendly places.

Unwrapped is an awesome show. XD

[juliebean]

"Unwrapped" IS an awesome show, isn't it? We like watching it together. We like "Good Eats" also. I like "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" but she doesn't like that one as much. Although there's been 3 or 4 from my local area lately and she DOES think that's cool.

Well, I've thrown a few of the Klutz books in my Amazon cart/list. If nothing else, I'll probably get a few for her birthday or Christmas. In fact, I might get a few extra of the cookbooks. Now that she's back in school - she'll be invited to lots of parties and I always like having a few gifts on hand.

[mysticalchick79]

I had that very cookbook as a kid! My sister and I made dinner for the family- i think it was called Tuna Wiggle (tuna casserole) and I remember feeling so proud that it turned out right and tasted good.

[juliebean]

That's wonderful. I hope Lanie remembers it years from now!

Yep, it's called Tuna Wiggle - and we just yesterday checked the pantry for ingredients so that she can make that recipe tomorrow night for dinner.

Maybe you could get it again and try cooking with the boys?

[juliebean]

Oh, yeah. I'll definitely take a look at Annabel Karmel. I will be looking for follow-ups soon. I'm glad to actually hear a recommendation. Are they mostly snack-type recipes or are they actual meals?