More cooking with children

As we continue with our plan of children each cooking dinner one night a week, I realize there is an important idea that I need to share if anyone is thinking about doing something similar. And that idea is being flexible.

We all know that sometimes things don't go together as quickly or as smoothly as one would like. I've lost count of the number of times we are later than usual because everything just took longer. Younger me used to hate this and feel as though I had failed somehow. Older me? Well, I can't bother to work up anything other than to say, "It happens, we all ate." 

If this is true for experienced cooks, then it is doubly true for those still honing their skills. And then if you add in a new skill to learn... Well, sometimes you just eat a bit later than usual. Not getting upset by this or making your child feel badly or anxious is really important if you want your child to enjoy the process.

Tonight's menu was turkey pot pie to use up the Thanksgiving leftovers. The filling was pretty much taken care of, so that left the por crusts. This was not one pie, but four double-crust pies. It was kind of a trial by fire for the cook who had never made one. 

I realized that pie crust is not really something that I can just get out the recipe and let the child follow it. Pie crust kind of requires some instruction because so much of the process is knowing what to look for and how it feels. I am happy to report that the pies... all four of them... turned out very well. It was a successful meal:

• Leftovers used up
• New skill taught and learned 
• Everyone fed with some pie left for tomorrow (if any survived the middle of the night snackers)

It truly doesn't matter if we ate a little later than usual. But you can also understand why my children who are on their own and only cooking for one or two people struggle with amounts. Because when you are first learning to cook and four pies is considered the minimum to feed everyone, it kind of skews your perception.