Cooking 101

We've started a new tradition at our house (surprise, surprise...you know because I love traditions and holidays, which is what this blog is turning into, get it, get it): Cooking Tuesdays.  Well, not necessarily on Tuesdays but that's the way it's worked out since we started our little tradition all of two weeks ago.   

There's not much to it.  Basically, Rex and Alice make dinner once a week.  And they love it.  This isn't "helping" me make dinner they have in the past, where they're really more in the way than helpful, but really making dinner.  I stand in the kitchen and instruct, "Now get out the big pot and fill it with water. Then put it on the stove."  Well sometimes I do have to the heavy lifting, but for the most part they do everything.  I even let them use my very favorite, very sharpest knife to cut up the vegetables *gasp*  because if you're going to learn how to do something, might as well do it right and with the right equipment.  AND! no lost fingers (yet).  They get really into it and get mad when I do stuff.  

The first night, they made ravioli with canned spaghetti sauce and a green salad, for which they picked the vegetables, washed and cut up on their own.  Last week, they made macaroni and cheese from scratch with stir-fried zucchini.  This week they requested to make homemade pizza.  

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite nights of the week and we have so much fun cooking together.  Now, I just need to convince them that doing the dishes after they cook is just as much fun as making dinner.

Cutting up zucchini, not fingers.

Making the cheese sauce

Henry is a little less involved but did figure out how to get into the food cupboard all by himself.