As previously reported over on the D Home blog, the D Moms Daily contributor formerly known as “lovely intern Caitlin” is now “lovely full-time staff writer at our sister publican, People Newspapers Caitlin.” And she’s back to share more memories of her mom.
This week, in honor of our annual holiday-o-feasting, Caitlin recounts her childhood kitchen adventures (like the one captured in that photo to the right…seriously, how cute is Caitlin as a child?!)
Enjoy!
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By Caitlin Adams
Remember when I told you my mom has the culinary prowess of Julia Child? I wasn’t kidding. Our childhood revolved around homemade soups, hearty breakfasts, and sweet treats that would have me tiptoeing to the kitchen at 2 o’clock in the morning.
My palate lived the high life back then, but unfortunately, life outside of my parent’s four walls hasn’t been as tasty. As delicious as my childhood was, one of my biggest regrets to date has been ignoring my mom’s culinary pleas to try and teach me how to cook.
I would give anything to have even a shred of her talent in the kitchen, but instead, I’m embarrassed to admit that my diet has become a cycle of takeout menus and bowls of cereal. (Trust me, I am cringing too. This post is to make myself accountable for this nasty habit.)
In my younger years I always had a friend’s house that I needed to grace with my presence, a basketball game to cheer at, or another dance lesson to skip off to. I put my social life first, and years later, my poor taste buds are paying the price.
I know, I know, hindsight is 20/20, but the good news is I am here to keep your children for making the same mistake.
Try to rope your kids into the kitchen to get them excited about food and the entire preparation process. I am not naïve, and I know that dinner can often be a frenzied reheat of the previous day’s leftovers, but set aside a time to really involve your youngsters in the kitchen. This routine, even if it is only one day a week, will not only be fun, but it is an investment in their taste bud’s future.
Here are a few tips I think might help you rope your little ones into the kitchen.
- Start from a young age, enlist them to help in anyway, even if it is stirring a bowl of flour. I guarantee you they won’t know the difference (and you won’t have to worry about entertaining them).
- Enroll in a mother-daughter cooking class. I am itching to take one with my mom the next time she comes to town.
- Have your children look through your recipes and allow them to pick meals on a certain day. It will get them excited and make them feel part of the process.
- Treat preparing meals like a game. Make up songs to go along with the cooking process, or do little victory dances whenever the timer goes off.
So make sure to enlist your littles in the kitchen as your sous chefs. I can’t wait until I return home in a few days and am able to try my hand at some of my mom’s most popular dishes, but I want your kids to avoid the painful welcome into adulthood that I had.
