Teach Your Kids to Cook!

Most children can be so fussy and picky about what they eat that it's hard to cook anything! However, when you teach a child to cook... their attitudes change. You no longer have to lie about what you put in the meatloaf... they'll already know. But allowing them to be the ones who constructed that meatloaf will change their views. If they still refuse to eat the 'yucky onions', then allow them to 'pick it out' at the dinner table.

Teaching your children to cook is beneficial to their futures, and should be started at a very early age. As soon as a child is able to do something, they should be given that 'privilege'. Many things, like washing their own laundry, should be awarded with an allowance. When it comes to cooking, the experience is often reward enough.

Children need to be supervised in the kitchen... but once they are familiar with a recipe... you can slowly give them more space. Every child is different with their development. Some 8 year olds can be left alone to bake a cake, others aren't ready until they are 10. While supervising, allow the child to do more and more on their own every time... until you are doing nothing more than watching them.

Using an oven or stove, and using a knife are two things that can be scary at first for both the child and the parent. It shouldn't be. Stand nearby, have band aids ready... and even if your child gets burned or cut... they will be okay. It's all part of the process for getting comfortable in the kitchen and should begin at an early age.

Here are some easy recipes that are great to begin teaching your child how to cook.

The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Ever!
Ingredients are easy to remember. Mix one egg with one cup sugar and one cup peanut butter. Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto a cookie sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

For fun extras, you can add chocolate chips or drop strawberry jelly onto the batter for PBJ cookies.

Grilled P-B-J
That's right, bringing back something your kids probably already know how to make, only it is 'kicked up a notch'. Once the standard PBJ is assembled, butter the outside and throw it on a griddle or in a frying pan. Grill it just like you would a grilled cheese.

You can achieve a similar effect by toasting the bread before you spread on the peanut butter and the jelly. Still there's nothing quite like the grilled PBJ. (You'll be asking the kids to make it all the time.)

Personal Meatloaf
Mix one pound of ground beef (or sausage for something different) with an egg and about a cup of bread crumbs. (Another variety my family loves is crumbled up cheese nips.) You can be the judge of what else gets added. Spices are always helpful for taste. You can add onions, peppers, cheese, hot sauce, ketchup, raisins, nuts, pineapple (just kidding)... whatever you want. (It helps to let the whole family decide.)

(Allow your children to cut any vegetables but supervise them and keep band aids nearby, you'll probably need them until they are more comfortable and skilled with a knife.)

Press the meat mixture firmly into a muffin pan, making little personal meatloafs. It's more fun that way. You can top the meatloafs with ketchup, cheese, or ho sauce. Cook in oven at 375 for 30 minutes.

Hole Egg Toast
(This was the first thing I learned how to cook, and now my oldest step daughter loves to make this.)

Butter both sides of a piece of bread.

Use a cookie cutter or shot glass to cut a hole in the middle of the bread. (I teach my kids to use heart shaped cookie cutters for everything. Love is the 'secret ingredient')

Set the bread on a griddle or in a frying pan, with the 'middle piece' next to it. (This is an extra piece of tasty toast to dip in the yolk.)

Crack an egg into the 'hole' and season as you like. (No salt in this house... but we put pepper on everything!)

Using a spatula, flip the bread (and the middle piece) over when the bottom half of the egg has been white for 30 seconds (longer if you don't like your yolks runny).

Cook on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes, then use the spatula to set the food on a plate. Grab a fork and enjoy!

Macaroni and Cheese

Anything out of a box is better off avoided, if you ask me. However, some things are easier to learn to cook alone. Macaroni and Cheese out of a box is as classy as ramen noodles. That's not being sarcastic. Sometimes all you have to do is 'kick things up a notch' (like the classic PBJ, grilled) and it is a whole new recipe. Your child can easily follow directions that are printed on the box, and will have fun measuring.

A nice touch to add to the macaroni and cheese is tuna fish (packed in water, drained).

Tuna Fish Sandwich

Another easy classic. Don't stop with the tuna and mayo on bread. You can still add lettuce and tomato, or put it in a pita.. but there are so many things you can add to tuna fish sandwiches that make it absolutely 'gourmet'. Examples are:

lime or lemon juice

pickle relish

cubes of cheese (usually can be cut with a butterknife for smaller children)

onions

mustard (any flavor, dijon is especially tasty.)

Allow your child to be creative!

Your child can learn to cook anything that you know how to cook. Just remember to teach them the most important part of cooking is washing dishes!