Good Morning Sunshine!

The kids were up unusually early this fine summer morning. Likely due to the fact their band is performing on Saturday so the neighbors have been blessed with lots of rehearsal time. In any case, teenagers independently awake before noon calls for a special breakfast offering. Today it was cheddar polenta topped with a backyard-fresh, over-easy egg and accompanied by their favorite summertime fruit.

They loved the egg yolk stirred into this super easy polenta:

Bring 4 cups salted water to a boil. Whisk in 1 cup cornmeal very slowly and reduce heat. Continue to cook, stirring very frequently, for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and stir in 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 cup milk and a handful of grated cheddar cheese until everything is melted and creamy.

Next time we think we'll try it with sauteed mushrooms and spinach or something.

Have a great weekend!

School Lunches

School kicks off tomorrow morning, bright and early. Our kids will each be making their own lunches to take along. Thankfully, they've never been very interested in school cafeteria food.

They're big enough that they can decide for themselves what they would like to have on a given week and then contribute to that week's grocery list and shopping trip. They've also been big enough for a long time now to make and pack their lunches. Their favorites seem to rotate each year, but sometimes it's bento style boxes, lots of times it's wraps or sandwiches and frequently it's leftovers. We've always had good eaters and we do not keep junk in the house so we're usually happy with whatever they choose.

What's up with school lunches at your house?

Kids in the Kitchen

Feeding yourself is probably the most basic self care skill. We are constantly in amazement at just how many of our own peers "do not cook" or "don't know how to cook." Well... um, why not?

We've always felt that one of the greatest gifts we could give our kids is to send them off into the world with at least a basic understanding of where ingredients come from, how to acquire them and how to put them together into a decent meal. Since they were tiny we've always sought their input for the weekly meal plan, taken them along to do grocery shopping, involved them in caring for the family garden and kept them active in the kitchen. 

They've been preparing basic things probably since kindergarten, but having the freedom to create independently has inspired them to try new things. One of our teenage boys bakes a much sought after tres leches cake that he has been perfecting for the past couple of years. The other served our family the most beautifully complex tikka masala for dinner last night. 

Help your kids learn to be competent in their own home kitchen. It gives them confidence, it makes them proud and it's important.