Think about it for a minute: When have you seen a kid actually help Mom put dinner on the table? For years I have baked with my two daughters, and we've had our share of cookie-decorating fun. But that's a once-in-a-while event. I cook every day, and it's those impromptu dinner lessons that have made my daughters the confident college-student cooks they are today.
Simple Chicken Parmesan
Simple Chicken Parmesan is the perfect dish to lure kids into the kitchen: what kid doesn't like chicken tenders and spaghetti? And this dish is loaded with mini cooking lessons. With one simple recipe, kids learn how to boil pasta, mince garlic, grate cheese, make tomato sauce, and pound, bread and sauté cutlets.
If you think this recipe contains too many lessons for one night, consider a few shortcuts. You can substitute a good-quality tomato or marinara sauce for the homemade, and you can buy pre-grated cheese and butcher-prepared chicken cutlets from your store's meat case.
Teaching kids to cook is good for them, and for you, too. They'll need plenty of practice honing those life skills, so on the days you lack time or motivation, let them make dinner.
When making assignments in the kitchen, consider your kids' ages. Here's a guide for some of the jobs in this recipe. Warn children to wash their hands thoroughly after handling the raw egg and chicken.
Little ones
- Measure bread crumbs and cheese
- "Help" pound the chicken cutlets with their fists
Bigger kids
- Crack the egg
- Open the canned tomatoes
- Push garlic cloves through a press
- Grate cheese (watch knuckles!)
- Slide cutlets into pan
Teens
Most teenagers don't want to be told what to do, so give them a piece of the recipe, along with the right tools and ingredients. Let them do it their way, giving casual advice only when asked. If they make a mistake, so what? How else will they learn? Making dinner with my daughters has turned them into confident cooks.
Copyright 2004 USA Weekend and columnist Pam Anderson. All rights reserved.
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