Not too long after Chris walked in the door last Friday he indicated his desire to buy and cook us some steaks on the grill.

How can you turn down an offer like that?  He bought some incredible steaks and marinated them in a rub for three hours.  Then he grilled them to absolute perfection.  In the image above he is being carefully supervised by Nick as he puts the rub on the steaks.

Alot of people have asked me how I end up with kids that not only cook, but cook well. One, I have said before, Marc and I are blessed with incredible kids.  There is no doubt about it. We definitely got the pick of the crop.

The other thing is that they have always been expected to be responsible for helping, and eventually creating, meals.  Our family spends alot of time in the kitchen together.  School work is often done at the counter as I am preparing a dessert, or something for Baking Delights.  When I am trying to figure out what filling or flavor to use it tends to be a family  brainstorming session.

Most of all I have always let them experiment. If they wanted a strawberry jam and salami sandwich on date nut bread they could have it.  Kids need the freedom to create and experience food without people telling them what is and is not good. Surely the first time someone thought about putting chili with chocolate there was some nay-sayer that told them it would taste awful.

Messes can be cleaned up.  Bad combinations can be thrown out. Learning to love cooking and working with food…well there is no substitution.

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She is a confident cook because she has cooked for ages. Now she has Kyrie (4) help her and is passing on what she knows to her little sister. I love watching my girls cook together, and when all three of us are in the kitchen, or better, when my oldest daughter is home..well..watch out!

Kyrie can make very basic things and one thing she likes to “make” is rice krispie treats. We do them a little different, adding m&m candies to them.

Let your youngest chefs help with this.. They can stir, press, measure…and, of course, taste.

6 cups rice krispie cereal

1 package (10 oz) marshmallows

1/4 c unsalted butter

1 1/2 c m & m’s

Butter a 13 x 9 pan

Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat.Quickly pour in rice krispies. Stir to coat cereal with marshmallow. Add candy and stir to mix. Spoon out into pan and press down firmly. Allow to cool.

Makes…ummm….ONE.

makes about 16 normal size ones.

You can make these festive by using red and green m and ms only.

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Ya think?

My kids all cook, even 4 year old Kyrie. It is just something we do. My mom was not a person that liked to cook and she did not like messes, so as a result I did not really step foot in a kitchen until I was married. There were a couple of months when I was 13 that my parents were separated and I learned to bake bread in my dad’s apartment kitchen, but that was the extent of it. I was determined that my kids would be exposed to cooking and baking from the time that they could hold a spoon and they have. As a result all eight of them are accomplished cooks at their own level and our kitchen is a perpetual mess.

Anyway, from now until Christmas I will post recipes that kids can make without much help( and an age range). Supervision is always important. Making memories in the kitchen is part of a strong, healthy family and you will be amazed at how much kids open up and talk about their deep feelings (”Mom, do you know my Sunday school teacher picks his nose during class? It’s gross. Do you think his mom didn’t teach him any better?”) and emotions as they stir, pour, and toss flour around the kitchen.

So, just like the Thanksgiving make-ahead recipes, and the Christmas Countdown, you can check this out every week to see what is new. Look for the graphic. And let me know what you think. If you want more recipes for kids after the holidays we can make it a weekly thing.

This recipe is easy and fun. I don’t usually like cake mixes, but the use of one makes this simple enough for a 5 or 6 year old to do.

Pumpkin Crisp

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
4 large eggs
2 cans (15 ounces each) solid pack pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 stick unsalted butter, chilled
1 cup chopped pecans
Sweetened whipped cream for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13″x 9″ baking pan & dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

Measure out 1 cup of the cake mix and set aside for the topping.

For the Base:
Place the remaining cake mix, the butter, and 1 egg in a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until well combined, about one minute. Using your fingertips, press the batter over the bottom of the prepared pan all the way to the edges. Set the pan aside.

For the Filling:
Place the pumpkin, evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, remaining 3 eggs, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend on low speed until combined about 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more. Pour the filling over the crust in the pan, spreading to the sides of the pan with a rubber spatula. Set the pan aside.

For the Topping:
Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the chilled butter, and the reserved cake mix in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined and crumbly, 1 minute. Stop the machine and stir in the pecans. Use your fingers to thoroughly knead the pecans into the topping mixture. Distribute the topping evenly over the filling mixture. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until the center no longer jiggles when you shake the pan and the pecans on top have browned, about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream.
12 servings

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