Teaching Kids the Culinary Arts {Guest Post}

This is a guest post written by Ruth O'Neil. She has offered me two tried and true recipes to share.  She has several e-books available, you can check them out here.

You may think your kids are too young to cook, but I challenge that. Kids are never too young to start helping in the kitchen. In fact, the sooner they start the better.

I home school my kids and also worked a part time job outside of the home in the evenings. Sometimes getting dinner ready was difficult. I decided to make home ec a part of our homeschooling. My mother thought it was important for everyone to know how to cook at least the basics. I have to agree.

By teaching my children to cook I could depend on them to take over in a pinch by the time they were 12. I could be getting ready for work, but still be available if they needed help with something. Not only that, but they were learning to eat healthy foods and were willing to try things that maybe they would have normally turned their noses up at.

If you want to teach your children how to cook start out with some easy recipes that your kids will enjoy making and eating. Allow them to look for recipes that appeal to them and have them add the necessary ingredients to the grocery list. Take them grocery shopping with you so they can see new foods they might want to try. Encouragement goes a long way here.

Here are a couple of recipes your kids can try for dinner tonight.

Honey Lemon Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 pounds chicken wings

Mix all ingredients and let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes. (They can even be left in the fridge overnight for more flavor.) Place the wings in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• One potato for each person
• One small onion
• One garlic clove
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Scrub the potatoes well. Cut up the potatoes into about six pieces each (There is no need to peel the potatoes.) Chop the onions into small pieces. Chop the garlic. Put the potatoes, onions, and garlic into a large saucepan and cover with water. Put the pan on stove, cover with lid, and bring to a boil. Keep boiling until the potatoes are tender (You can easily poke them with a fork.) Use a colander to drain the cooked potatoes and then put them back in the pan. Add the butter, milk, salt, pepper, and cheese. Mash the potatoes, but leave them a little chunky. Serve with butter.


Disclosure:  This is not a compensated post it was supplied courtesy of Ruth O'Neil.