I have three kids whom all have the itch to create in the kitchen. I created these monster chefs and now everyday I struggle with embracing the "moment and the mess."
I decided to go back to grad school in 2013. I was working a part-time, taking full time classes, and completing clinical hours, a requirement for my program. My husband was climbing the corporate ladder and had a demanding job. I had three kids at home ages 6, 7, and 10. I was the meal planner, grocery shopper, and chef. I gladly took on this role in my marriage. Full disclosure... I never mowed a lawn or paid a bill in the last 16+ years of marriage. It was fair trade off. With the chef gone (me) three nights a week the fast food bill became grotesquely out of control. My husbands most fallible decisions are usually around food. I had to step in. The one time I am so glad I fell for a click bait ad on Facebook, because the moment I clicked on Blue Apron my life changed! It was like the heavens parted and God sent an angel to me in the name of meal prep delivery. No more meal planning or grocery shopping?! While I loved these two things, my precious time was shifting towards research papers and grad school projects. I had to relinquish something. I put away my food planner and signed up for meal subscription by Blue Apron. Everything was in place, all I needed was a chef and I happen to have three!
Our first Blue Apron was supervised by me. We had a few lessons in knife skills and basic cooking techniques like how to slice, chop, julienne, roast, sear, bake, or cream something. It wasn't long and they were on their own quickly mastering many recipes.
For the next year they ate balanced healthy meals for at least the three nights a week I was not home. I however was in class til 9pm and often missed out on the amazing meals. I am not so much saddened by that thought. I did miss the time with my family at the dinner table over the course of those 2 years, but this program birthed three competent kids in the kitchen. In the greater scheme of things missing those final dishes is inconsequential ~ as the result of mastering those recipes lives on. Every day I see the moments and the messes of their creations in every pot, pan, and spoon dripped in coulis, hollandaise, or bechemal. The glossy Blue Apron sheets with compounded grease stains from reuse. Needless to say, I was officially demoted from chef to busboy and dish washer.
Cooking has become therapeutic in our home. I see how they have acquired the satisfaction of watching others enjoy their food and the pride of making it. It has evolved into the notion that when they set a table and serve the food; those who gather around it will be full, connected, laughing, and nourished. I call our kitchen island the heart of our home. It truly has a heartbeat an energy that surges through the hallways and stairwells. When a pot of tamales simmers on the stove the "kitchen heart" pushes the smell of masa throughout the house. It smells like home and tastes like family. Lets hear your stories and how food as connected your family? What age do you think is appropriate to start cooking? I say as soon as they can sit and hold their head steady. Prop them up and let them watch you from their high chair. Give them food to feel, taste, and make a mess with. Check out other families and how they include their little ones in the kitchen. I love little Roman cooking with his mama, he can't be but 2 years old!
This video shows the witty slapstick personality of my middle son as he cooks his first Blue Apron meal, Hoisen-Glazed Roast Pork. *Disclaimer: I am not an endorsement for Blue Apron nor receive monetary gain from this post.