January 30, 2011- Chef Boys are They!

     After trying out his chef skills with my boyfriend while his older brother was away at a sleepover a couple of weeks ago, my youngest was excited to get cracking in the kitchen once again, and this time big brother asked to be in on the action too! After choosing a main and side dish recipe from Rachel Ray’s “Top 30-Minute Meals Kid Food” cookbook and shopping for the necessary ingredients we didn’t already have at home, we were ready to cook. My youngest ran upstairs to get the parchment paper chef’s hat my sweetie had made him the last time they cooked together and the three of them got busy making “Devilish Chili Cheese Dogs,” and “Summer-ish Succotash Salad.” Cooking their own food has begun to help broaden their pallets and open up their taste buds to foods other than cheese and processed junk, and as a mom, this is what excites me the most about their latest endeavors at home.  Even though my youngest did not try what he made this time, both boys picked out yogurt at the store for dessert, which they have never considered a treat before. 
     Having fun in the kitchen was a treat too, but the best part of the evening was enjoying each other’s company together at the dinner table. These are the moments when true bonding occurs, and you are able to chat and share each other’s lives more fully as you discuss the day, tell funny stories, or simply laugh together. For example, as we were finishing our flavored French Vanilla yogurt, my boyfriend was checking out the nutritional information on the back of his container and noted out loud in a surprised voice that the small serving he ate was 180 calories. My oldest son replied, “Is that a lot?” to which my darling said, “It’s like 2 beers.”  “Whoa,” my oldest says, and my youngest says, “Oooohhh (and that’s the ‘I’m disgusted’ type of oooohhh), I just ate French beer!” in an incredulous voice.  We all simply laughed, mostly at the way little kids think and relate.  My chef boys are growing up quickly, and I love being able to record the funny things they have said and done over the years, so we’ll have even more stories to chat about over the dinner table when they are grown and coming home to visit.