All of my kids love helping in the kitchen. I love allowing them to help whenever possible. My mom used to have us plan and cook a meal each week when we were younger. She taught me a lot of skills, and I’m so grateful for that.
I figured that the big girls were old enough to start doing more than just measuring and pouring ingredients in the mixer. I asked if they’d like to plan a meal. I’m not home for dinner as often with my work schedule, so they will be switching weeks. This week, Chloe chose to do spaghetti. She also wanted garlic bread, strawberries, apples, and celery on the side.
My mom taught me to make sauce from scratch. I’m not sure why homemade spaghetti sauce is always so mind blowing to people, but it is. haha! I set the ingredients out for Chloe and told her what each of them was. Aside from carrying the heavy pot for noodles and measuring how much sugar went into the sauce, I was hands off. Chloe prepared all of it with a little guidance! She put the seasonings in (I don’t measure that..) and opened the cans of tomato sauce. I was really proud.
It was a lot of fun to have one-on-one time with her like this. She wanted to smell every spice. she’s always been really curious. Giving her opportunities to explore is always beneficial for her.
Next week, Addi chose to do bowtie noodles from scratch! We are going to make homemade Alfredo sauce to go with them. My mouth is already watering.
There are so many people who say that they don’t know how to cook. I don’t want my kids to grow up saying that. I want them to feel confident in the kitchen and enjoy cooking.
Also, I feel like I need to say that I would absolutely do this if I had boys as well. EVERYONE should know how to cook. I really want to encourage you to get your kids in the kitchen with you. I think you’ll be surprised at how much they love it.