Cooking with Finley

Mrs. Santa brought Sareny a Rachel Ray kid's cookbook for New Years this year, and the kids have been having a lot of fun helping make dinner. Sareny was the first kid cook, and she chose Mexican Rice Bowls, which were delicious. I didn't get any pictures of that, so next time she helps, I'll have to take some. The cookbook had a section for 4-7 year olds, and Finley chose Chicken Toes. They were kind of like chicken nuggets.

Finley had a lot of fun mixing up the crumbs and cutting the chicken. I was really surprised by how willing she was to get her hands dirty and touch the raw chicken. She did great, and it was a fun experience. I have learned a lot by getting my kids involved in dinner making--they are proud of their new skills and are much more likely to eat the dinner than if I had made it by myself. It takes some patience because, lets face it, it would certainly be easier, quicker, and less messy for me to take over and do it by myself. But I think the resulting skills they are learning and the sense of ownership they feel over the meal is worth it!