Let time in the kitchen be fun and relaxed

BY BONNIE AMBROSI

Cooking with children” is a pretty broad field. Baking cookies with a 4-year-old is very different from sharing the kitchen with a tween. I’ve done both, and this is what I have learned: regardless of the age, the most important elements in cooking with kids are: one, be in a good mood; and two, don’t be in a hurry. If you are feeling crabby or rushed, either wait for another time to invite the kids to help you, or embrace this opportunity to change the vibe, slow down, smile at your young ones and make some food together.

Why is it good to cook with kids? It may incline them to cook for themselves when they leave home, rather than subsisting entirely on take-out. Certainly it can teach them some basic skills in measuring, mixing and deciphering recipes.

But more important than any specific kitchen skill is simply making your kids feel welcome in the kitchen. Let the preparation of food be relaxed and pleasant and creative. Show them that you enjoy having them around. By allowing them to help, you give them the joy of feeling helpful. In this way they will learn that the kitchen is a good place to be, and that’s a great lesson to take into adulthood.

Judge what your child can do safely and successfully. Depending on the age, a child can: get out the ingredients you need and put them away again as you finish with each item; wash produce; measure ingredients;

Kids in the Kitchen

add things to the mixing bowl; stir; help with clean-up. A child who can read might enjoy reading the recipe to you as you go along.

At some point, the roles may reverse. My youngest daughter is now 14 and can expertly make brownies by herself, but I enjoy being her assistant, bringing her the ingredients and utensils she needs and keeping her company while she bakes. Remember that how you go about doing things is almost always more important than the actual result. Also, neatness is good, but not more important than enjoying the experience — messes can be cleaned up. Finally, here is my recipe for Mud Cookies, based one from the March 2001 issue of “Your Big Backyard,” the National Wildlife Federation’s children’s magazine. This is the sweet treat that I have made with and for my kids countless times over the years. Mud cookies require adult help unless the children are old enough to manage a hot saucepan by themselves, but they cook up very quickly and always seemed to satisfy us. As I am vegan, I have made the recipe vegan-friendly. You may substitute nonvegan milk and margarine or butter if you prefer. If you use a sweetened milk or nut butter, you may want to cut back a bit on the amount of sugar. — MDT

Mud Cookies

Makes about 22 cookies

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup plant-based milk

¼ cup vegan margarine such as Earth Balance

2 tablespoons cocoa

¼ cup peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups quick oats

In saucepan, combine sugar, milk, margarine and cocoa. Place pan on stovetop over medium heat. Stir frequently until the mixture comes to a boil and the entire surface is covered with bubbles. Continue to heat and stir for 1 ½ minutes — time it! Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla, and then the oats. Drop the mixture by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. The cookies will harden as they cool.