An important and tasty life skill that everyone should have

Starting Kids Out Early

I have been interested in cooking for as long as I can remember.  In pre-school, I was always excited when it was my turn to help prepare our simple snacks: celery sticks or apple slices with peanut butter, English muffin pizzas, and things that were easy for 3 and 4-year-olds to make with supervision.  I could often be found hanging out in my grandmother’s kitchen, watching her make so many fabulous foods.  I was absorbing the lessons, and getting yummy kitchen scraps and first tastes.  And then there was all the time spent with my Dad, watching him cook dinner every night, helping him run errands and peeling potatoes for his catering gigs.  Whenever I got the TV to myself, I’d put on Julia Child, The Frugal Gourmet, 2 Hot Tamales, and whatever else I could get my hands on.  I’d pour over my Dad’s cookbooks and Gourmet magazines.  I guess it’s no wonder that I had my own kids in the kitchen with me from birth.  This made them curious about food and cooking.  I also had an ulterior motive: my sons would leave my house being able to cook for themselves, clean, and do laundry.

“No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”

Julia Child, Chef & Author

Through the Years

I started out small with the kids.  They showed interest in scrambling their own eggs, making pancakes and French Toast.  Since they love pizza, I started giving them reign of the kitchen on half-days from school.  I’d set out the dough, the sauce and the fixin’s and let them go to town, putting whatever they wanted on their pizza.  Nathan was always more interested in food and cooking than Alex was, but once Alex figured out that he could cook whatever he wanted to eat, that gave him the curiosity to experiment.  Taking Family Consumer Science (FCS) in middle school also helped Alex develop confidence in the kitchen.  It’s basically today’s equivalent of HomeEc.  

Given Nathan’s broader palate and heightened interest in cooking, I got him a subscription to RaddishKids for Easter one year.  He was so excited about his monthly shipment of recipes and learning new cooking techniques.  He gained some basic cooking skills using tools that were designed for kids’ hands.  It also encouraged him, and his picky brother, to try new flavors, as each month focused on a different country.  Nate made everything from sushi to Moroccan Chicken Tagine.  

The real game changer in stepping up both the boys’ cooking skills was the COVID lockdown.  Since I was working remotely and full-time, I had to figure out how to keep Alex and Nate busy, especially during the early days of the shutdown when there was no virtual school.  Since they both loved FCS classes in school, I basically turned my kitchen into a classroom, providing them with a few cooking lessons per week.  Before I knew it, they were able to cook simple dinners for the family AND make their own lunches during the week, while I was working.  

One of the other big influences on the boys was volunteering for Lasagna Love.  We started out thinking we’d be volunteer chefs one time, but we got hooked.  This gave me the opportunity to teach Alex and Nate how to make tomato sauce from scratch, with tomatoes, peppers, and onions from the farm around the corner.  They also learned how to batch cook and assemble lasagnas.  And, of course, they got to experience giving back to our community through food and love. Together, we made and delivered almost 100 lasagnas in one year!

Here and Now

Fast-forward to Summer 2024.  Alex graduated from high school, turned 19, and was preparing to move to Pittsburgh for college.  Nate discovered sports and was fully immersed in football camp.  He turned 15.  These guys were no longer boys, but young men.  And they were eating like full grown men.  In order to give them more responsibility and hone their kitchen skills, we joined Hello Fresh.  I allowed them to pick a meal each week, and they were responsible for cooking it for family dinner.  They gravitated towards the idea because that gave them a say in the weekly menu.  It was also great prep for Alex, because he would not have a meal plan or a cafeteria at college.  He would be responsible for feeding himself.  For Nate, football workouts had him hungry all the time.  He was happy to be able to cook a whole meal, and eat most of it.  Once again, we learned some new techniques and tried some new foods and flavors.

More About Alex

Alex would tell you that he does not love the kitchen.  He cooks so that he can eat well.  And he’s definitely a good cook.  He started college out in Pittsburgh and now that he is on his own, he gets 3 meals from Hello Fresh every week and then does his own thing for the rest of the week.  Quesadillas and Grilled Cheese with Taylor Ham (or Pork Roll, if you must) are his favorite quick meals.  He also loves to make fried rice, stir fry, and tacos.  He certainly made sure that his kitchen was well-equipped when he moved into his own place.  He has a better air fryer than I do! Given the fact that he is going to school full-time and also working part-time, he was eating dinner pretty late.  So me being me, I came up with a list of quick and easy dinners for him.  And you can find all of those recipes in a related blog post.

Nate’s Nibbles

Nathan is definitely my foodie child.  He has eaten anything and everything for as long as he could: he stole my Maine lobster at 10 months old, demanded sushi with raw fish in it at 2 and was eating hot wings at 3.  He was making his own eggs as soon as he could reach the stove, and now at 15, could cook you a full meal.  In fact, this Christmas Eve, he prepared a multi-course French meal for the family.  I’m talking Salad Nicoise, Duck Confit, Fondant Potatoes and Creme Brulee.  He routinely cooks Sunday dinner that we eat while we watch mob movies (his idea).  He is a natural in the kitchen and he could make a career out of it if he wanted to.  But…I told him what my dad told me: If you make it a career, you are working nights, weekends and holidays so that other people can enjoy it.   Nate wants to pursue a career in engineering and be a home cook enthusiast, like his mom.  You can see some of his dishes on the Cow & Wine socials.  Just look for #NatesNibbles

Getting Kids Started

My best advice is to start kids in the kitchen early.  If you are not the best cook, learn alongside them.  It not only teaches them valuable life skills, but it can also give you a break from cooking every meal every day.  I promise, you will thank me later. Until next time…