Little Chef

So, I really like to cook. A lot. I like to try out new recipes, whip up old favorites and just get in and create meals.

In my head it is a super great idea to let Etta help me cook.

In my head.

In reality, after we have gotten started, it's not such a super great idea anymore.

But...Etta now also really loves to cook/"help mommy bake". Which I guess is a good thing. It makes me be aware of what I am doing, try to look at it differently so that I can allow her to do things that she is capable of doing so she feels involved and kind of let go of my control issues.

Uh hem.

That is kind of a tough one for me.

But she really loves it. And being at the stage where she really is being a pretty good helper (most of the time) I figure that I need to capitalize. Either she will continue to grow in her love of cooking and spending time with me - or she will start to hate it and never want to help in the kitchen again. Either way, I really need to treasure this time.

Sooooooo, it was really great to get a box in the mail before Christmas from a friend that I had taught with way back in the day when I started at Jenifer. She was the art student teacher and a terrific person. (On a side note: Billie ended up creating a B-E-A-U-tiful flower girl basket for our wedding using a cheap basket, florist wire and pink ribbon. She is awesome.)

We gleeful tore in to this surprise, before Christmas gift and I was amazed at the bake set that she had sent for Etta. An apron and a full array of cooking aides. Measuring cups, measuring spoons, a silicon brush, a spatula and cooking "shears". Etta was ecstatic and wanted the apron on right then. It was a hit!

That in turn prompted me to empty one of my "mommy drawers" and give Etta an actual drawer to keep her own real cooking "stuff" in. Wow, two and a half and she already has nicer cookware than I do. Who would of thought.

Anyway, our first cooking exploration with the new stuff wasn't actually cooking, but mixing. We made our annual batch of holiday cheese spread. She got to wear her apron and use her spatula. And she really couldn't have been happier. Except for the fact that we got to try out the cheese on a roll when we were done mixing. (She ended up eating a ton of that stuff by the time it was gone. I am currently testing the theory that kids will eat what they make....)

New apron, new spatula, "old" chef's hat. And if you zoom in you can probably even read the recipe for the cheese spread!

I also read that 2-year-olds should be able to unload silverware and tear lettuce for salads. So, Etta does just that. The silverware is good for same-same sorting and she loves the hands on of the lettuce tearing. She also helped me roll up crescent rolls this afternoon and will help with dinner prep tonight. See - when I'm typing this it is starting to sound like a good idea again...we'll see when I am up to my eyeballs in help tonight!