A Chef In The Making...

I knew I was in for a GOOD TIME the minute little Warren walked into my kitchen for his private cooking lesson, arranged by Grandma Jan.  Warren has a smile that would melt any Grandma's heart...

He assured me he already had some baking skills under his belt (or apron) so I knew he would be a good listener and a willing student.  And I was right.

We started with the FIRST lesson in my kitchen...SERIOUS HAND WASHING!!  And by the time dinner was ready...Warren was a PRO in the hand washing department!

 

Hand washing 101...and Grandma Jan approves!

First on the menu, we made home made tomato sauce filled with extra veggies.  (Remember my "eat a rainbow" mantra???)  We sauteed onions and garlic in EVOO, then added red and yellow peppers, shredded carrots, mushrooms and celery....and a GIANT can of whole tomatoes.  We later added a can of tomato paste and some red wine, and the simmering continued.  Warren and I walked outside to my herb garden to pick some fresh oregano, flat leaf Italian parsley, garlic chives and onion chives to add to the sauce.  You know my cooking style...no recipes!  And when we came back into the kitchen we also added "this and that" from my dried herbs and spices in the cupboard.  Some fennel, dried Italian herbs, basil, etc. etc.  Plus...a HEAPING tablespoon of white sugar-to bring out the sweetness in the tomatoes.  The longer a red sauce cooks...the better.  (Plus, the simmering sauce adds an aroma in the kitchen that is sure to increase your appetite for the dinner to come!!)  And finally, we finished off the tomato sauce with a big handful of grated Parmesan cheese. 

COOKING TIPS:

• Always let the grated cheese sit on top of the simmering sauce for a few minutes. This allows it to "cook" and that will keep all the cheese from sticking to the spoon instead of blending into the sauce.
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• If your little chefs are leery of veggies, never fear!  When the vegetables have cooked and softened I run an immersion blender through the sauce to puree them.  The kids will never know those veggies are in there! 
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• And if the raw onions cause watery eyes...take a drink of any liquid (for me?  Wine, of course!) and HOLD IT IN YOUR MOUTH while you cut the onions.  No more tears!  Warren tried it with a drink of water, and it worked.  He thought it was a very cool trick!

And speaking of immersion blenders...If you don't have one...GET ONE!  They make creating smooth soups and sauces so simple!

As the sauce was simmering, we started our next project...MEATBALLS!

Warren used a "kid-safe" cheese spreader to "cut" the meat mixture

 

COOKING TIP: I taught Warren a simple trick to make meatballs the same size.  Pat the meat mixture into a rectangle and cut the rectangle into pieces-just like you would cut a cake!  Then pick each piece up and roll into a ball.  VOILA!

Meatballs Galore!

 





Ready for the oven!  400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes...then put them into the simmering sauce.

 

Before the lesson was over, Warren had learned to cut the ends off fresh green beans (again, using a cheese spreader).  How to prepare the beans??  Easy!

 

FRESH COOKED GREEN BEANS

 

Every time I serve these beans, people ask me for the recipe.  Here it is...the "recipe"...

 

Cut ends from washed, fresh beans and place in a pan.  Add about one inch of water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Cook ONLY UNTIL AL DENTE!  (Only takes a few minutes) Remove from heat and drain remaining water.  Set the pan back on stove and shake the pan to dry off any remaining water.  Drizzle with a small amount of EVOO and toss with a sprinkle of coarse Kosher salt.  DONE.  (Whew! Tough recipe, eh??)

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While the pasta sauce and meatballs simmered, Warren also had a cookie baking competition with his Grandma Jan.  Warren made chocolate ones and Grandma Jan made a butterscotch version.  And Warren's were judged SUPERIOR by the unbiased judges in the room.  (The judges?  Warren's mom, my hubby "Mister Fred", and my friend "Miss Dorothy" who joined us for dinner.)  It seems that Grandma Jan forgot to sprinkle SUGAR on her cookies before baking! CONGRATS Warren!  A CLEAR Winner!

The recipe?  Here it is!

 



 

EASY KIDS COOKIES

 

1 cup Baking Mix (i.e. Bisquick or similar)

1 egg

1/4 cup cooking oil

1 3 oz. pkg. INSTANT pudding mix  (any flavor-dry mix)

 

 

Mix the four ingredients well and roll into balls.  Roll balls in sugar and place on greased cookie sheets.  Flatten with a coffee mug and sprinkle with more sugar or colored sprinkles if desired.  Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.  Remove from baking sheet onto cooking rack.

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I even had time to teach Warren how to make a tasty garlic cheese bread.  (He did a great job-both making it...and later EATING it!)

 



 

And FINALLY...Dinner was served.  And after Warren finished eating garlic cheese bread, THREE HELPINGS of pasta, and a PILE of green beans (which Warren's mom told me he NEVER eats!) it was time for Warren to "surprise" each of the diners with an ice cream sundae topped with a cherry...and one of his home made cookies.  A sweet surprise to end Warren's first-ever cooking lesson.  Move over, Emeril... You've got competiton on the horizon!