Her first kitchen injury...

Tonight Katiebug helped me make sweet potatoes, mashed with brown sugar and topped with marshmallows, broccoli and cheese, mashed white potatoes, and fake chicken patties.

We started with the sweet potatoes.  I showed her how to hold and peel them, then passed her the peeler.  She got a little overzealous though, and peeled her nail.  Poor kid.  She was a trooper though, and refused to cry.  Banned from peeling for the evening (and mildly pissed off because of it) Katie was given a new job.  I handed her a knife and we cut the potatoes together.  When they were done boiling, she got to add the butter.  With a little guidance, she was allowed to decide how much to add.

Now she's helped me cut broccoli a few times before, so I had her grab some from the fridge, gave her back the knife, and let her do it on her own.  She did really well!  I had to stop a few times to help her, but for the most part, I didn't touch the broccoli.  I'm immensely proud of how much my little Bug has progressed.  Two weeks ago, I never would have trusted her with that task.



Katiebug, which part was the most fun?
Dropping the potatoes and putting them in the pot.
How did you like getting to add the marshmallows?
Good!
What did you do with the broccoli?
Chop 'em!  I love to cut!
Which part was the hardest?
Cutting the potato.
What was your favorite part to eat?
Marshmallows.
Is there anything else you want to say?
*nods* I loooove your marshmallows!


I guess I shouldn't be surprised about that.

Results:  The sweet potatoes came out great.  Even Eric, who usually hates sweet potatoes, ate them.  Katie picked at the food as usual, but really enjoyed the marshmallows!

Spaghetti Sauce

We were feeling adventurous and decided to make spaghetti sauce.  From scratch.

Well, close enough.  We used canned tomatoes and tomato paste.  Katie helped me cut the mushrooms and onion, and she got to squish the canned tomatoes.  She even added the seasonings!  She did a great job, and I really enjoyed not having to squish the tomatoes.

Cutting onions with Katiebug was an interesting experience.  She decided to separate them before putting them in the food processor, drawing out the onion sting.  My eyes are still burning!

So what was your favorite part, Katie?
The noisy part!*  And squeezing tomatoes.  That was fun.
Was it messy?
Yeah.
What else do you want to say about making the sauce?
They're all my favorite parts. 


*chopping the onions in the food processor.



The sauce is simmering on the stove now. We tasted it already, and she did a great job! We'll post the official results after dinner.




After dinner:
The sauce came out great, but Katie didn't eat it.  We served it over spinach and cheese ravioli (from the freezer section).  She helped me make stuffed mushrooms and garlic bread to go with it.

The mushrooms were stuffed with cream cheese and vegetarian sausage.  Katie scarfed down the filling, but didn't care for the mushrooms themselves.  She loved the top of the garlic bread, too.

Eric and I really enjoyed the entire meal.  The kids picked at it.  Little critics.

Omelets

This morning we made omelets.  Mushroom, "sausage", and cheese omelets.  Katiebug cracked the eggs for me, and somehow managed to make the egg slip out of it's shell upon impact with the counter.  Fortunately, my counters are clean, and we managed to save the egg.  Once I taught her how to mix the egg and milk with a fork, she was able to do that well, and I didn't have to finish mixing for her.

Okay, Katiebug, what part did you like best?
Mixing the eggs!!
Were the omelets yummy?
Uh huh!







Results:  For the first time, they didn't brown on me.  I'll give the credit to my favorite kitchen helper.

Yeah, that's sour cream.  We put sour cream on everything around here.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

This was a few nights ago, and I don't have much for this meal, since she made it with her daddy, but I wanted to include it, because she was so proud of herself for helping to flip the sandwiches.  You'd think I'd have a picture of that, but no.  I do, however, have a picture of her opening all the cheese!


So yeah, pretty simple.  Grilled cheese and canned soup.  She added basil to the soup though!  It counts as homemade.

Bread Sticks

Tonight we made spaghetti (actually, it was a noodle that looks like a flower) and bread sticks.  We enhanced a jarred sauce by adding mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes.  (Katie was allowed to slice the mushrooms and add the garlic.)  The bread sticks were the highlight of the meal though.  We made those from scratch, using a recipe I found online.  Katie helped me measure and add all the ingredients, then she spread the butter over the top and added the Parmesan cheese.  


Katie, what part did you like the best?
Stirring
Did you have fun spreading the butter?
Yeah
Were the bread sticks yummy?
Yep!
Is there anything else you want to say?
Nope!  I wanna type!
daddymommymon


She clearly enjoys being interviewed.  




Results:  They had a good flavor, but they could have been fluffier.  Definitely something to make again.

Unfortunately, we don't have a picture after they came out of the oven.  We were too excited to eat them!

Recipe:

2 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup milk
6 tbs. melted butter
4 tsp. sesame seeds

In a small bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Gradually add milk and stir to form a soft dough.Turn onto a floured surface. Knead gently 3 to 4 times. Roll into a 20x5x1/2"rectangle. Cut into 24 breadsticks. Place butter in 2 13x9x2" pans. Put breadsticks in butter and turn to coat. Sprinkle with seeds.
Variations: Chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, etc. can be added, if desired. Add 2 tablespoons minced garlic and sprinkle with garlic powder before baking to make garlic bread sticks. Bake at 450°F for 14 to 18 minutes.


*We seasoned the hell out of them and added Parmesan cheese right before baking them.  We also left out the sesame seeds.

Baked Potato Soup

Tonight was a simple one.  We enhanced a can of Campbell's Cream of Potato soup.  We diced a potato and baked it before adding it to the soup.  Katie was allowed to use a sharp knife to dice!  She added some shredded cheddar cheese, fake bacon strips (we're vegetarian) and chives.  We served it with sour cream and more cheese.

Katie, what was your favorite part?
Stirring!
What else did you like?
That's it.
How did you like the soup you made?
A lot!
Is there anything else you want to say about making the soup with me?
I liked it a lot!


She's a bit wound up right now. ;-)


Results:  The kid is a natural.  She usually hates potatoes, but loved the soup.  Success!

Let's get started...

My little girl is four, and loves to help me in the kitchen.  She's also learning how to read, so I thought this would be a fun project to do together.

Katiebug is going to help me cook all sorts of meals, and then she's going to help me blog about it.  We'll start simple and work our way up.  I'm hoping to simultaneously curb her picky eating and make some special mommy-daughter memories. 

Katie, what do you think about this?

That's good!  Can you put it on my lap, so I can write?

*passes laptop to Katiebug*

mommyhrejfkodp

That's my smart girl!  And now we're off to the kitchen.