Life Lessons For Kids (in the kitchen)

We still have a lot of canned tomatoes, and I had a vision of making a tomato-based soup this week with some sort of whole grain mini ravioli or tortellini floating in it. When I got to the pasta aisle and didn't find either of those, I began to rethink my idea. Then I spotted some whole wheat alphabet pasta. Maybe I'm out of the loop, but I hadn't seen whole grain kid-shaped pasta in our small town until that point, so I grabbed it and started over on my meal plan.

During summer vacation when I was about 8 or 9, my mom worked and my dad, a teacher, was home with my sisters and I. In order to escape the canned salmon curse (another story), I began to throw things together here and there. I ate a lot of Top Ramen, but I also figured out how to make basic, easy soups. I'd put a little water and a beef broth cube in a pot, toss in some frozen mixed vegetables, and maybe a small bit of instant rice or pasta. Viola! A relatively healthy, hot lunch!

While I rarely make anything as simple as that type of soup now, I do believe it helped pave the way for me to feel comfortable experimenting with food and making up recipes. I hope to have this impact on my children as well, and I try to let them help in the kitchen when we have the time, it's safe, and the meal doesn't require too much cooking expertise.

So, with ABC pasta in hand, I recruited my six year old son to help make our dinner for tonight. (My two year old could have helped instead, but she got to make pizza last night. I like to have one child in the kitchen with me at a time.) He peeled the vegetables, I chopped, then he stirred and dropped things into the pot. We added some beef to appease my husband, who is on a high protein weight lifting regimen, but it's not absolutely necessary. The recipe below is what we threw together, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand, omitting or adding as necessary!

Hearty Alphabet Soup

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 parsnip, peeled and chopped

1 potato, chopped (and peeled, if desired)

1 cup cut frozen green and yellow wax beans

1 sirloin steak, chopped in 1/2" pieces (approx 1/2 lb)

1 qt crushed tomatoes

1 qt low-sodium beef broth

1 Parmesan cheese rind

1/2 cup alphabet whole wheat pasta

Dry the meat pieces with a paper towel. Brown in a small bit of olive oil, in batches if necessary, (to avoid crowding) until a caramelized crust is formed. Remove to a plate.

Saute onion and garlic over medium heat until softened. Add remaining vegetables, tomatoes, broth, reserved meat, some Italian or Bouquet Garni seasoning, and cheese rind. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until veggies are barely tender. Add pasta, bring to boiling, and cook an additional ten minutes. Remove cheese rind, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

This is my own recipe, modeled after the yummy biscuits served at Red Lobster. We never eat there anymore (I am not really fond of "chains"), and I think these are better. The key is lots of garlic, but the granulated works better than fresh for some reason. Brushing them with butter and sprinkling with a bit of salt makes these healthy biscuits taste sinful. Enjoy....

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Stir together:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup all purpose flour

pinch of sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder

Cut 3 tbsp cold, unsalted butter into flour mixture. Add 2 tbsp chopped chives (optional, for color) and 1/3 cup of your favorite cheddar cheese, grated. Stir to combine.

Mix together 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup milk. (Or use 1 cup buttermilk if you have it!) Stir into flour mixture, just until combined.

Drop onto greased cookie sheet; press lightly to flatten tops. Bake 12-16 mintues, or until golden.

Remove from oven and immediately brush with 1 tbsp melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with a good sea salt. Serve warm (so the cheese is still nice and melted).

Makes 8 biscuits.

This is also a great recipe for children to help with. They can stir together the ingredients, grate the cheese, cut in the butter, etc.