CAN YOU COOK BETTER THAN A 2ND-GRADER?

flower and bug
cupcakes

Just look at what she did? I can hardly believe she's only 7 (well, ok, 5 weeks away from being 8), but STILL!! I'm pretty sure I was still picking my nose pretty regularly at this age. There's no way I was picking ingredients; let alone writing up a menu, preparing, and executing an entire meal for my family without any (little to no) assistance. No way!!

(Mom, please feel free to jump on here and make me feel better about myself at any time.)

making veggie
meatballs

So, around 5 o'clock this afternoon she decided she wanted to help make dinner, which isn't all that unusual, especially on the weekends, until she started perusing the cookbook shelves, located the Kids Can Cook book, and cut me out of the loop entirely.

"Well, if you're gonna make dinner," I tell her, hoping (and feeling a little slighted) that she'll beg me for help, "then you'll need to make the whole shebang." [shebang? really? that can't be right? I've suddenly got William Hung screaming in my ears.]

her perfect sauce!!

"Okay," she replies excitedly. "Like what?"

Thoroughly defeated, I tell her she'll need to decide on a protein, a starch, a veggie, and a dessert.

"DESSERT?!?!" she squeals.  Now I've totally lost her.

cooking like a pro

Within minutes, she'd planned the entire menu, and she was off and running.

It took her about 2-and-a-half hours to prepare everything, but she was meticulous, and stubborn, and only asked for help when she was on the verge of flinging the teaspoons across the kitchen.  Otherwise, it was all her.

And just look at what she pulled off! Just look at it!  As she set the table and served her brother, she announced the plate and everything.

the final dish

"Tonight," she says, "we have whole wheat spaghetti with veggie burger meatballs and my own homemade tomato sauce."

"Mmmmmm," he says excitedly.

"On the side," she continues, "are some fresh baby peas and a sweet bread roll.  Would you like some shredded parmesan cheese on that?"

her menu and
rating card

"Mmnomthankyoujm," he says through a mouthful of food.

For dessert, she presented her Flower and Bug cupcakes like they were the Star of India, swirling and twirling her hand to highlight the (very rare existence in our home of a) gummy worm.

Then she served herself, tasted and rated every little thing. "Next time I'll use real meat," she said.

And they finished every last bit.
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