Cooking with Katherine

                    You may recall that I went to a Guy Fieri show a few years ago with a friend.  Guy reminded everyone in the audience to cook with their kids.  I took his advice to heart and have already started cooking with Katherine and teaching her some basic kitchen knowledge.  Last Tuesday I was actually able to make supper before Steve got home.  Katherine sat in her bouncy seat on the kitchen floor just watching me cook and listening to the little lessons.  I made a sort-of goulash.  I browned some hamburger and added spaghetti sauce, garlic and pasta to it.  I rounded out the meal with cottage cheese, peaches and a salad.  Here are the lessons I taught Katherine:

1. Always wash your hands after handling raw meat.
2. You have to stir pasta as it cooks to prevent it from sticking together.
3. It's OK to use sauce out of a jar and add your own seasonings to it.
4. It's also OK to buy the minced garlic in a jar instead of buying a clove and mincing it yourself.
5. When carrying a pot of boiling water to the sink, carry it over the counter and away from others in the room.
6. Always pour boiling water into the strainer away from you so you don't accidentally get burned.
7. After browning meat, drain it to get rid of the excess grease.

I do sincerely hope that she will grow up loving to cook as much as Steve and I do.  I also know that the first step for that is to cook with her and teach her as she grows up.  That's what my mom did with me.  I don't even remember learning a lot about cooking.  I just grew up watching and somehow it was etched into my brain.