My eldest daughter Faith will be ten this summer and I realized that she still is not cooking anything on her own yet. I am on a mission to get her cooking. I have decided to have her cook or bake something once a week until she begins to feel more comfortable in the kitchen. She is really timid and fearful of new things. When I asked her if she wanted to make cookies by herself she said, “Scary!” I handed her a Cookie Cookbook and told her to pick a recipe and that I would help her make it.
Last week she chose a Butterscotch-Oatmeal cookie. I helped her when she needed it, but she made the cookies! We did have a few spills and smashed eggs, but that’s how you learn. I did catch her before she put in a cup of baking powder instead of a teaspoon. Whew!
Can you see the joy of her accomplishment on her face?
The kids have often helped me in the kitchen, but this is really the first time that she has made something herself with me helping.
This week she made Rice Krispi bars, so I’m two for two!
I would love some ideas for recipes that would be great for a beginner. I want to build her confidence.
I’m linked to Raising Homemakers, Time Warp Wife and Making My Home Sing Monday.
Frieda says
April 15, 2011 at 7:27 amGood for her! (And you.) I clearly remember the first time my mother turned me loose in the kitchen–we had a book called “What Shall I Do Now, Mother?” It had a green construction paper cover and mimeographed pages. (Anybody still remember those?) I made peanut butter cookies, the kind you drop and smash with a fork. I put a tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon. We wanted them so badly and tried ever so hard to eat them. So much for building confidence.
Mari says
April 15, 2011 at 7:34 amthat is so important. My mom never let me in the kitchen with her. Didn’t teach me a thing, and now I’m really paying for it. So keep on keeping on 🙂
Rachel says
April 15, 2011 at 8:11 amIt is so important to develop the skills for these things early in life! I didn’t start cooking until two months ago really! I had two or three go to meals I could cook, and I can bake a few things but I never tried anything new until recently. I am definitely loving it. Your children are so beautiful, I love her smile she is precious.
Elizabeth Grimes says
April 15, 2011 at 8:37 amShe is adorable!
varunner7 says
April 15, 2011 at 8:59 amI would think some easy beginner meals would be grilled cheese sandwiches, spaghetti, or pancakes (my method of choosing these recipes are based on my experiences trying to teach my husband to cook, LOL!)
Christa says
April 15, 2011 at 9:36 amI second the grilled cheese sandwich idea. We’ve done that. Also a fried egg. A tossed salad would also be good— practicing cutting, but simple ingredients without using a stove.
Kim says
April 15, 2011 at 10:04 amPeanut Butter cookies ~ easy peasy & gluten free 🙂
1 egg
1 cup pb
3/4 cup sugar
dampen your hands with water & roll into little balls
dampen fork and make criss-cross design
bake about 8 minutes @ 350
EstherIrish says
April 15, 2011 at 10:55 amKim, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an easier cookie recipe. We’ll definitely try that one!
I’ve thought about grilled cheese and spaghetti, but she needs directions to follow. If I just tell her what to do, she doesn’t really learn, kind of like being in the passenger seat of a car. Maybe ehow has directions on how to make a grilled cheese that I could print out! 🙂
Susan Evans says
April 15, 2011 at 11:27 amWhat a sweet smile! She looks like she enjoys cooking. (My oldest is also very careful and fearful of new things. I wonder if it’s a firstborn trait.)
I would choose recipes that I normally use. (Of course, I use a cookbook all the time. For real cooks like you who don’t use a cookbook, I can understand your conundrum…)
Katie says
April 15, 2011 at 11:36 amMy 3 year old son is already asking to help in the kitchen. I blame it on his 17 year old half sister letting him lick the spoon when she made brownies here at Spring Break!!! I let him stand on the step stool and help stir things and sometimes let him flip pancakes for me. He’s a good helper already! Starting small and letting her get familiar with everything in the kitchen then easy meals like others have mentioned would be great. Scrambled eggs and pancakes are usually pretty easy as starter meals too.
EstherIrish says
April 15, 2011 at 11:43 amYes they’ve been helping me in the kitchen for a long time. They all love that. Now I need to move her to working on her own. Several of you have said pancakes. I wouldn’t have thought of that. I don’t think I ever even made pancakes until the last five years! *hiding my head in shame I will put them on the list though!
Heather says
April 15, 2011 at 11:50 amOne of the biggest things I have done with my daughter is just to encourage her to be in the kitchen with me every chance she can. Since she is 5, she mostly reads the directions to me, I measure and she mixes. That way, there are no “special” recipes. You could easily take turns measuring and reading.
Shepherd’s Pie would be a great beginner dinner! How about french toast? Eggs? Meatloaf?
Janae says
April 15, 2011 at 12:49 pmWhat sweet pictures! You are such a great mom! I love your goal to bake something once a week.
I remember making my first cake by myself. I turned it over to drop it on the rack. It broke and batter oozed from my underdone cake all over the stove top. I was devastated, but my family thought it was hysterical.
I’m still not quite as baking competent as I would like to be. 🙂
Jeni says
April 15, 2011 at 1:55 pmI remember my first solo thing when I was 7 was making brownies. We were missionaries so I had to follow a recipe and not use a box! 🙂 I have no idea what the recipe was, only that it was from my mom’s Betty Crocker cookbook (which ever one was popular in the late 70s/early 80s). I loved the feeling of getting it done myself! 🙂
Sharon says
April 15, 2011 at 3:31 pmMy tip isn’t so much as what to make — althought I have plenty jumping in my mind. But it is perhaps a good way to cook.
I suggest making sure that she gets out all the ingredients first to ensure that everything is on hand. I remember a number of times as a young cook thinking we had something in the cupboards, starting a recipe only to find out that one of the key ingredients was missing.
Also, “mise en place” or to put in place is a good idea. Measure each ingredient out individually and then start putting together the mixture. She can measure out things in indiv. bowls and then you can come to “check” on her work.
Nancy says
April 15, 2011 at 4:20 pmI’d search the web for kid-friendly recipe sites. Here’s one I found:
http://www.smallcooks.com/
I applaud your efforts to teach Faith to cook for herself. It’s one of the best skills a young person can learn. Yay, Mom! 🙂
Trisha says
April 15, 2011 at 5:17 pmMy son turns 10 in the fall. I think I will work with recipes with him a little too. I think it also helps them have a greater appreciation for the effort it takes to put a meal on a table. We have a recipe for baked potato soup that requires a lot of standing and stirring and gradual adding of ingredients. He wanted to help so I let him. The next time he didn’t want to help anymore. 🙂
Dr Momi says
April 15, 2011 at 9:07 pmYour pictures say it all…priceless.
Clairity says
April 16, 2011 at 7:59 amIt’s great that you’re starting her young. By the time they leave to go to college, you’ll have nothing to worry about. Great job 🙂
Susan in the Boonies says
April 16, 2011 at 8:48 amMy daughter started cooking long about that age. She’s 13 now, and very competent to do lovely breakfasts of eggs – however you like them, or oatmeal, or French toast, or muffins, or biscuits.
You’re totally investing in YOUR OWN future, you smart Mom, you! As well as in hers!
Becky says
April 17, 2011 at 2:03 pmGood for her! My mom always asked me if I wanted to help her in the kitchen and I always refused when I was a kid. Now I wish I could get those opportunities back! I could have learned so much from watching her cook!
Ruth says
April 17, 2011 at 10:37 pmGood job, Faith! Those cookies look delicious. If I lived nearby, I’d stop in to gobble one up!
momstheword says
April 18, 2011 at 12:01 amThat is awesome and she looks so happy and pleased! 8-10 is about the age that we started our boys on cooking too. They would be assigned one night a week to plan the menu and make the meal (with help as needed from me, of course).
We did have lots of mac and cheese, spam and rice a roni, hot dogs, pancakes or waffles, scrambled eggs and toast, and other “easy” meals, but it was such a good experience for them! (Besides, I love rice a roni, lol!) Now they are 18 and 22 and the oldest is away at college and cooks his own meals, and the youngest wants to be a chef! Thanks for linking up to Making Your Home Sing Monday.
Joyfull says
April 18, 2011 at 11:27 amWhat a great thing to accomplish! Feeling comfortable in the kitchen is a great way to train her. I remember years of being ‘uncomfortable’ in the kitchen and many trial and error (mostly error!) meals during my early years of marriage. Great start mom!!
Lauren says
May 17, 2011 at 3:18 pmSort of jealous of Faith! I am 20 (21 in three weeks and one day) and my Mom still hasn’t taught me how to cook. I’m trying to get her to teach me while I am home from college this summer, but I honestly don’t know if it will happen.