I started cooking with my kids very early. By age 2, they were in the kitchen with me, stirring, measuring, cracking eggs, etc. I am not a patient person and very obsessive about cleanliness and order, but I put that aside, took a deep breath and regularly cooked with my kids, even hosting “secret ingredient” cooking contests. My oldest son was naturally curious and began to cook, bake, make his own candy and fudge. My second-oldest was highly competitive and became an incredible cook to be better than his brothers. My third son wasn’t overly interested in cooking, but could follow a recipe and became an amazing baker to satisfy his sweet tooth. My youngest son was a natural. No recipe, no pressure and lots of trial and error. The point is they are all different with different skill sets and motivations, but today they are all amazing cooks and bakers.
I believe cooking is a life skill, it teaches you to truly understand what you are eating and appreciate the time it takes to put together a tasty meal. Because we entertain often, having my sons pitch in to cater has been a blessing. I often center my dinner party around Alexander's udon noodles, cheesecake or homemade bread, Michael's from scratch wood oven pizza, homemade tortillas or pasta sauce. Williams's smore cookies or peanut butter protein balls. Richards buttermilk fried chicken and feta fries.
All of the spilled flour, eggshells in the batter and messy kitchens are well worth the payoff now that I have 4 dependable in-house chefs at my disposal. You’re welcome, future daughter in laws!