Chef Jack.

[navygreen]

Jack helped with dinner tonight. It wasn't planned, but right as I entered the kitchen, he be-bopped in, asking, "Mom, can I help make dinner tonight?" Now how could I say no to that? :-)

Tonight's menu was Stuffed Zucchini, so we set to work. I taught him how to light our gas burners, and he began browning the hamburger. He wanted to stir it constantly, so I explained that it needed to be still just a moment to actually brown - hehe. Then I chopped onions and bell pepper for him, but he scraped them off the cutting board into the beef with the sharp knife. He pressed the garlic cloves and slowly - with the *point* of the knife, that is - scraped them off the board into the mixture as well. He measured and boiled the water for rice, watched it and added the rice once it was ready. He made sure to switch the drain to closed, too (anything with switches is fun in the kitchen, right?). Then he poured the tomato soup into the meat and stirred it up well.

I showed him how to cut the three zucchini into quarters, and he did that. Those were some tiny zucchini, too; I can't wait until it's back in season fully. I showed him how to scoop out the seedy innards, and he worked away at that while the rice set up and the meat mixture heated. Finally, he turned the oven on for preheating, and then we formed an assembly line to stuff the zucchini shells: I dumped a heaping spoonful into the shells, and he topped them with cheddar cheese, stealing several bits while he worked. *wink*

Success! He had a lot of fun, and he was much more confident about the tasks than he has been in the past. This was the first time I let him use a super-sharp knife, so he was very slow, very careful. I was quite proud of him. :-)


Jack's Stuffed Zucchini.

Comments

[prosodic.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I love that you're teaching your boys how to cook and eat a variety of foods. Kids appreciate food so much more when they're in the kitchen seeing how things are prepared.

I would love for Jack to make me some stuffed zucchini. That sounds delicious!

[navygreen.livejournal.com]

I've made it before with both leftover chili or spaghetti sauce. Just use what you have and spice it up however you like. This was with a pound of ground beef, and I put half of the mixture in the freezer for a later date.

Of course, it will always taste best with Jack's help. ;-)

[prosodic.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, Lance won't eat zucchini. :p Spoilsport.

I also love stuffed peppers, and I get myself one of those frozen Stouffer's stuffed peppers for when Lance is gone so I can enjoy that every now and then for dinner.

[mybonnykate.livejournal.com]

I adore you for teaching your boys to cook.

[navygreen.livejournal.com]

My reasons are two-fold: 1) I don't want them to live on ravioli and hotdogs once they're on their own, and 2) my future daughters-in-law will love that their man can handle his own in the kitchen. *wink*

[takarakanashi.livejournal.com]

That sounds delicious!!! <3

[danoke.livejournal.com]

Yay for Jack!! I can't wait to let Carter really help me in the kitchen. He already likes to mix things and all.

[laurushka.livejournal.com]

That's so great!
Can you come over and teach me how to cook?

[butterflymama3.livejournal.com]

I want to come over for dinner one night when he is cooking. Hannah can be his sous chef! She loves to help cook too. :)

[soopageek.livejournal.com]

I have to say, you get some exceptional lighting on your food photos. Are you using some sort of make-shift lightbox?

[navygreen.livejournal.com]

Nope. In fact, most of them are in the kitchen under typical yellow (more tungsten) lighting. I have to hold very, very still, and I find that I usually hold my breath. I've got a tripod, but I've only ever pulled it out once - for a full moon shot.

But I *dream* of lightboxes sometimes. :-)

[soopageek.livejournal.com]

You can make one for almost no cost, if you're in the mood for a project.

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent

[cmmunchkin.livejournal.com]

Jack, come cook for me!

What an awesome mommy you are, raising future good husbands!

We cook every week with our preschoolers, and the boys love it just as much as the girls do. They love to do things like this-- it seems that what changes them is grown-ups expectations about what boys "should" be doing and what "girls" should be doing. I'm glad you aren't doing that! My hubby can cook as well, but I always do it because I love cooking. :) One time he decided that he wanted to make a salmon salad. He went and bought all the ingredients himself, and made it all himself, even CANDYING pecans! (Of course, he spent $30 on all the ingredients, but you can't put a price on creativity, right?)