Cooking with a Two-Year-Old

May
25

Post by community member:

Cooking with kids in the house is fun. Right as your hands are in the bread dough, things start happening. The baby cries. The toddler starts screaming “NO! Do not eat my baby doll!” to the dog. Before you know it, you can’t hear yourself THINK, so forget trying to concentrate on kneading that dough! But there are moments–rare, but they do happen–when cooking with kids in the house is actually, well, enjoyable.

There was the time we made pizza and my daughter wanted to help. In the spirit of adventure, I let her have her own small pan. She got to oil it. Of course, she also oiled other things–her hair, face, shirt, and somehow her feet. Pressing out the dough was easy. Sauce… well, apparently sauce is just as messy as oil. The cheese was spread all in one spot, and the chicken and bacon barely left the center. With a little help from me, she “fixed” things up, and it was ready to bake.

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Making bread is her favorite thing to do. She is allowed to stir the flour, water, honey, salt, and yeast together. The spoon somehow always manages to fling dough everywhere. I think a huge plastic bubble would be a nice kitchen accessory.

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A special break from my having to cook was her and Daddy making egg salad.

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But Mommy had to clean up. Who knew how many little nooks and crannies there are where egg salad can hide?

There have been many other experiences along the way. Some more memorable than others…

…but every time is a treasure to me.

Do I ever want to just forget about cooking? Yes, every time I clean up that extra mess that wouldn’t be there if I had just done it myself. And every time World War III breaks out in a room miles away from the kitchen. Knowing that my children will be growing up in a home that always smells like delicious homemade food, seeing that smile on my daughter’s face as she hears the words “You may help cook today,” and taking pictures of her creations.

Suddenly, all the headache is worth it.


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Comments

  1. GrannyTrace says:

    Sweet Post.
    Treasured Memories! Pizza looks yummy!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs Granny Trace
    http://www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com

  2. CindyP says:

    Yes, all that extra cleaning is soooooo worth it!!

    Love her outfit!!!

  3. mamma-leigh says:

    I agree completely! My daughter is right there on a chair “helping” mommy every time she gets a chance!

  4. Kenya Cook says:

    Agreed. It’s a worthy chore to let your children cook. The first thing my son ‘cooked’ was tortillas. A board set on top of the trash can (cover!), a rolling pin and a small ball of dough to practice with. One day, he’ll be big enough to realize that it is UNUSUAL to have fresh baked bread and homemade butter. For now, I’m glad it seems so everyday. Life as it should be.

  5. tsmith says:

    I totally agree! Everything is peaceful right up until you stick your hands in something. It is amazing how you discover every little nook and cranny when cleaning up. Don’t forget to look up because you know somehow,someway, something is up there! There are times when I am cleaning up after the explosion that came from having my two kids help and wonder if I belong in a padded room. Then I sit back and smile at the memories we just made and wonder why I don’t do it as often as I should. I remember why when there is more flour covering my kitchen than in the bowl and I need to drag in the pressure washer to clean both the kids and the kitchen 😉

  6. Daria says:

    My kiddo is 8 months old – I have a lot to look forward to!

  7. Judy says:

    Your daughter is beautiful! I have a 19 month old grandson who already loves to watch his grandpa make homemade waffle batter….he also likes to watch me make bread. I always have to pick him up and let him see the bread knead when I use my bread machine.Nothing like kids in the kitchen!

  8. Bethany says:

    Thanks, ladies! We love to cook. I quite often find “food” (a mixture of dry beans and pasta) in the fridge “cooling.” I like getting my daughter off to an early start. 🙂

  9. bonita says:

    Bethany, Is that a shower cap on the cook-in-training? What a brilliant idea. Keeps hair out of food and food out of hair. two for one. Hope the missing show isn’t in the oven baking!

  10. Rosina says:

    This is great, I think I shall allow my kids to help more with the cooking. Even if I have to have extra cleaning afterwards and the final food wont be as perfect as if I did it alone. Guess it also helps to train them to be self sufficient food cooking wise.

  11. Bethany says:

    Bonita- the hat is actually that- a child’s “chef” hat that my Mother-in-Law gave my daughter for Christmas. But a shower cap is a GREAT idea! I’ll store that one away for future reference…

    Rosina- everyone loves food that definitely has my daughter’s touch. 🙂 Perfect food… who needs it? Besides, her creations are a guaranteed laugh!

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