Kitchen Playdate
If I can get my act together, I love baking cookies when the girls have friends over. It’s relatively time-consuming so pre-empts untold numbers of I’m-bored, I’m-hungry, So-and-so’s-being-mean declarations — which I still have a really hard time with, eight years into this parenting thing.
The key is to have all the ingredients laid out before they step into the kitchen so they feel like little Food Network stars stepping onto their set, mis-en-place ready to go.
Recently I made Smitten Kitchen’s Oatmeal Raisin (a total keeper — bookmark it) but replaced the raisins with dried cherries. Huge hit.
great idea jenny, can’t wait to try this in my kitchen
we love baking. i love your comment about mis-en-place for your little stars. thanks!
inthekitchenwithaudrey.blogspot.com
kris – what do you bake with your kids?
My son is will be 3 yrs old in June and he like to see what I’m doing in the kitchen. How do I include him with out being a “total control freak” about him making a mess?
you can stretch a piece of parchment paper across the counter — that way, any flour and sugar spills are easily wrapped up. You won’t be stressed and he can feel free to “express himself artistically,” aka make a mess.