Kids in the Kitchen

I have fond memories of being in the kitchen.
I loved hanging out in the kitchen with my mom and grandma.


When I was about 11 years old, I took a summer cooking class.
When I was 12, I became my youth groups resident bread maker.
I was planning meals for my family when I was 13.
I majored in Family & Consumer Sciences, which means a lot of my college courses happened in the kitchen.
And I taught Cooking classes for my cities' Activities & Recreation department for several years.

I love having my kids in the kitchen with me
and I think it is important that they learn to love to cook when they are young.

With six kids, we do a lot of cooking...
and we definitely have some kids who have become "specialists" in their cooking realm.

Kamaron likes to make delicious main courses...
Kori is our dessert maker...
Kelci creates delicious salad dressings...

Daddy makes things that I refuse to make- but he is a pretty stellar crepe and scone maker...

Karli loves to make fresh squeezed lemonade, any flavor you like...
(ooohhhh my mouth is puckering as I write)
Kenedi & Kaidon are still looking for their nook in the kitchen, so for now, they just do whatever I ask them to do- they just reminded me that they are both pretty good cheese & carrot shredders!

Things don't always work out perfect when I have everyone in the kitchen helping,
but we are together, in a small space, talking about our day,
learning why things work in recipes
and laughing at mistakes that get made

 (actually no one laughed when Kori put 1 cup of salt in the rolls)
And at the end of the cooking, it is nice to sit down and eat a meal together.

Which is really what it boils down to anyway...
time together around a kitchen table,
is the best time of all :)
Enjoy your next meal surrounded by those you love.