I think we have experienced all the weather over the last week, except perhaps snow. With two big storms here, we've had rain, hail, sun, cloud and exceptionally high winds, and it's often felt very cold. It seems like February and March got their weather mixed up - remember those few days at the end of February when it was positively balmy? I'm looking forward to the weather settling down a bit so I can peg out the washing without fearing that it will all blow away.
The garden feels like it wakes up a little more every day and over the last week suddenly more daffodils and tete-a-tetes have popped up, hyacinths and muscari too, and the tulips are a few weeks from opening. The euphorbia flowers are suddenly bright greeny-yellow, gorgeous against their dark blue-green leaves, and I even noticed the shy beginning of some rhubarb.
Thank you for your kind comments on my recent sewing and crochet projects. I know that I need to get my sewing machine out more often, I actually surprise myself by how much I enjoy it when I do. I've really been enjoying this year's Great British Sewing Bee, anyone else? Especially the last episode on reusing and repurposing old fabric and clothes. Things are pretty quiet on the crochet front here apart from a few face cloths, but I've just downloaded three patterns and ordered a lot of yarn, so I'll show you those soon.
We've been cooking a lot. Angus really enjoys baking at the moment and helped me make peanut butter and chocolate cookies last weekend. We made thirty, and I had to freeze half as there were so many. Bella is becoming increasingly independent in the kitchen and her latest thing is to make the Saturday morning pancakes for us, which of course I absolutely encourage. I'd like her to start cooking a meal one night a week, something straightforward. I want to teach her that cooking is more than just making the fun stuff, like pancakes and cupcakes, but actually getting the dinner on the table too. She is a pretty mature and independent twelve and a quarter year old, and I think she'd be more than capable, but wasn't sure what recipes to start with. I wondered if any of you lovely readers have teens or pre-teens who cook, and if you could recommend any recipes or recipe books? Thank you.
Mmm peanut butter cookies, my favourites! My two older ones learned to cook in their preteens. We have a Jamie Oliver cookery book, Ministry of Food, which I gave them one Easter. It is full of basic recipes that are quite easy to make. The book is written for those new to cooking, nothing fancy. I am not usually a Jamie Oliver fan but this book is useful. Both Sam and Annie are now confident cooks. Over confident sometimes:-) Annie cooks at least two meals a week, which suits me just fine. Sam is too busy enjoying student life to cook for us but he makes bread twice a week with his sourdough starter and he just cured some pork belly to make smoked bacon. Wishing you a lovely weekend, hopefully with some sun. Enjoy Bella's pancake breakfast tomorrow. x
ReplyDeleteMaking pizza, including the dough is a classic first project. Chili is easy, pasta bolognese, meatloaf with baked potatoes. Roast chicken and roast veg? [good for learning timing; overcoming squeamishness]. Supervise the pasta draining if spaghetti is a choice. A simple stirfry? I don't cook form books, so I've mostly taught my kids family classics. Both are excellent cooks, if somewhat fad/fussy minded. The only cook book I loved as a kid, was a vintage Betty Crocker for Kids, c.1950s; my kids enjoy it too, and the simple Julia Child basics book, I forget the name. I hope she has fun, be nice about disasters and messes. lizzy lizzzz.d@gmail.com gone to the beach
ReplyDeleteWell done Bella, I am in the process of encouraging mine to cook more too, and actually producing meals would be good. We have a couple of Sam Stern books which are brilliant for teenagers - written when he was a teenager and full of great photos of him and his family and friends having a good time and cooking and eating. For traditional recipes I love Monty and Sarah Don's The Home Cookbook. Sorry about the long rambling sentences, it's been a very long week. Hope you have a good weekend. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteYes i’m really enjoying the sewing bee this year so glad the bbc have bought it back.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s a great idea to encourage your children to cook it’s something i’ve aways do both with and without success at times. Make the most of Bella before she disappears into her teens ��
I have a 12 and a quarter year old who has recently taken up cooking as well and we've found America's Test Kitchen's "Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs" to be absolutely fantastic. My son has made just about every recipe in the book and they've nearly all been hits, and I love that it uses real ingredients and gives very thorough step-by-step instructions, from how to properly chop garlic to including a "wash your hands" step in recipes that involve handling raw meat. My 48 year old previously non-cooking husband has been using it, too! A win all around.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that kids learn to cook. I'm pleased to say both my kids can cook. I loved cookery at school, but I've never been a fancy cook, just the basic, wholesome stuff. John's the one who does the baking and the fancy stuff. He's really gotten into it since retirement. I'm loving Sewing Bee too. Best, Jane x
ReplyDeleteThe first recipe I taught my daughter at that age was how to make a good bolognese sauce, the base of many lovely pasta recipes, which were her favourite thing to eat at the time. She then asked if she could do a Sunday roast, with my help. I think it's so important to teach our kids how to cook good, wholesome food. My girl is now 28 and loves cooking from scratch, with fresh ingredients.
ReplyDeleteBoth of our boys (now 14 and 16) have enjoyed learning to make a variety of meals. We started with breakfast, just as you have, by teaching them how to make eggs and such. They then moved on to simple pasta dishes, tacos, and other simple family favorites. Roasting a chicken and some vegetables is an easy dish for pre=teens/teens to accomplish too. Our oldest now hosts friends over a couple times a month to make dinner together. In the summer months, they plan the menu and do the shopping for the meal as well. It's been great to have both boys in the kitchen. Now that they have been cooking a few years, I love to see their different personalities in their cooking. Our youngest is quite creative with his meals, and they turn out pretty well. Have fun cooking with your son and daughter!
ReplyDeleteMake it something they love (obviously!) Mine will cook fajitas, burgers, maybe a stirfry. It needs to be quick!
ReplyDeleteIt's been awhile since I've been around blogland, but it was so nice to see your post and all the lovely flowers. Spring is beginning here too--in fits and starts. I love that your kids are cooking! My boys liked to make fried up shredded potatoes, onions, and eggs--we called it "Fireman Food" because it would fill you up.
ReplyDeleteA post to enrich my Sunday - thank you. My daughter loved baking and trying some things from my books when younger. Now she prefers to find recipes online, mainly throughly social media - sometimes they are a bit random and calorific but she finds them, shops for them and puts them on the table so I'm not complaining.
ReplyDeleteCooking with Coco by Anna del Conte. Proper food, not just cakes and biscuits. Wish I had had this when my children were young.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful that your children are following your good example and are becoming more and more interested in making something in the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteI remember how extraordinarily proud of myself I was when I made my own sandwiches for the first time (before that, I was not allowed to handle the bread knife).
Cooking is such an important skill that can be learnt nowhere as well as at home, with regularity.
Hi Gillian. Heidi is 11 and we started with Saturday lunchtime omlettes cooked one side on the hob and then put under the grill to cook the otherside to avoid any flipping disasters. (read that how you want!) Then she started to make chicken wraps or really big sharing chicken salads or prawn cocktails. We have a platter that we make a salad for 4 on and then everyone can get what they like. She likes Jamie Oliver's 15 minute dinners book. She doesn't do them in 15 mins obvs but the meals are easy to do. I LOVE the sewing Bee but wish they had more time to make each thing better - they edit it anyway right? Jo xx
ReplyDeleteLovely to see your children becoming keen cooks, and to read all the experiences of commenters. My two are 28 (son) and 25 (daughter(, so I'm dredging a bit to remember when they started to cook. Mostly baking to start with, at primary school, and then both had a year of cookery in S1(first year of secondary school, at age 12). They both loved helping with jam making at home in the summer. Both had cookery classes as part of the school preparation for university in S6, and I did a big push with them at home, concentrating on meat-free meals as being more affordable on a student budget. We eat very little meat anyway. Now they are both adventurous cooks on the vegetarian/vegan end of the spectrum, out of taste preference and because my son in particular is very conscious of the impact of meat-rearing on the planet. I seem to have raised eco-warriors!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a sewing person - Escape to the Chateau is more up my street. Longing for the 'actual' Chateau to restart rather than the DIY.
It is such a good idea that they learn to cook now. I taught my two so when University popped up, they could fend for themselves in the kitchen. Mary Berry books are good. The recipes are simple and if you do what it says it always turns out OK.
ReplyDeleteBoth my kids (21 and 18) cook for themselves and friends. I definitely followed their interests and didn't prevent mistakes too much since what I've learned from my own mother is to just try, try again. She went back to work when I was 11 and asked each of us five kids to cook one night a week. I think I tried apple dumplings then cheese souffle as my first recipes. Clearly, my parents weren't too fussy about what ended up on the table. My son loved The River Cottage Family Cookbook since it gives step-by-step instructions for indoor and outdoor cooking - build a fire! Cook potatoes outside! Make your own bread! My daughter now asks me to talk her through recipes that will see her through a week at college. So much fun now. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that your children are interested in cooking on their own. My daughter liked to bake with me but that's about it. So I wasn't surprised when she called me two years ago from the grocery store and then again from her kitchen when she was making her first Thanksgiving turkey dinner!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter (aged 14) can make simple things like spaghetti bolognaise, chilli con carne, roast chicken with veg and home-made gravy, quiche, salads of all kinds, roasted veg, apple crumble. Certainly enough to keep us all going for a while if the adults were out of action. She made spag bol last night. It was delicious!
ReplyDeleteA fritata is quite a fun and simple make. Lots of colour and flavour with minimal washing up to do afterwards. X
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