Cooking with Children

Cooking is actually a pleasant chore for the entire family. The simple act of preparing a meal with your children can foster natural conversation and interactions with your children. Besides, most children like cooking because of its reward -- something tasty to eat. Just like learning to tie shoelaces, learning to cook is an invaluable life skill. Remember, children don't stay young forever; one day they'll need to prepare meals for themselves.

It's best to help your children learn to cook by choosing dishes that don't demand precise measuring or complex cooking instructions. Soup is a natural introduction: Washing vegetables, sprinkling seasonings and stirring the soup are suitable tasks for kids. If your summer vegetable garden is producing a crop of edibles waiting to be picked, well that's another excellent chore for children. Before beginning, however, it's best to know your child's abilities in the kitchen prior to assigning tasks. Children ages 4 to 5 can comfortably handle some kitchen utensils and perform simple preparation tasks. Monitor your child in the kitchen, and don't discourage him or her from trying something new. No matter what your child's abilities may be, never allow him or her in the kitchen without your supervision.

Below is a recipe that you can make together with your children. Both are great and easy to prepare this time of year, since they use summer vegetables. Why not let your child help you with dinner tonight? You'll not only be giving your child a healthy meal, but you'll also be giving him or her cooking skills to last a lifetime.

Vegetable Soup with Orzo Recipe

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

You may freeze any leftover soup in a covered container for up to 2 months. Or, you can halve this recipe to make a smaller batch.

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound carrots (about 7 or 8) peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large butternut squash (about 1 1/4 lbs.) peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken stock
• 3 to 4 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 or 4 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into quarters and sliced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 cups orzo pasta
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation Tasks:

Ages 5 and Up with Adult Supervision

Pull seeds out of squash; pour stock into soup; add chopped ingredients to pot; sprinkle salt and pepper; remove parsley leaves from stems; sprinkle parsley

Ages 8 and Up with Adult Supervision

Add chopped ingredients to pot; stir soup while cooking

Adults

Any cutting and chopping with a knife; handling hot cookware and soup

Making the Soup

1. Let kids add the onions and oil into a heavy, 6-quart stockpot. An adult should saute the onions until soft. An adult should also add the garlic and carrots to the hot oil and allow the ingredients to cook for 5 minutes.
2. The following can be done by an 8-year-old with adult supervision: Add the potatoes and stock, 1 cup at a time, to the pot and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender. Add the green beans and zucchini and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the orzo and continue cooking until the orzo is al dente.
3. Kids ages 5 and up can season the soup with salt and pepper. An adult should ladle the hot soup into the serving bowls. Kids ages 5 and up can garnish each bowl with a sprinkling of parsley.

Serve piping hot.

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