Ivylad and I were watching Top Chef the other night (we don’t normally watch it, it just happened to be on) while the kids were making dinner.
I work until late, Ivylad is disabled, so Ivyboy (16) and Ivygirl (13) have gotten quite handy at cooking from scratch. They can follow a recipe, and while the kitchen is a mess when they are done, most times the meal turns out quite tasty.
Ivylad got the idea of having them make dinner, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, and we would “judge” them.
You would have thought he’d told them we were buying Disney World for own their private use. Immediately they began tearing around the house, grabbing all the cookbooks and taunting each other with “We’ll have to call poison control when you’re done” and “Make sure you have the number of the fire department handy while you’re cooking.”
We just suggested dinner. They have since added an appetizer and dessert to their menu. We’ve given them a budget for going to the grocery store to buy what we don’t have on hand.
It has turned out quite amusing. Ivylad got out eight eggs, since his dessert recipte called for four egg yolks and four egg whites. Ivygirl told us her dessert it “Super Secret Dessert From My Mind.”
They’re both making entrees that we’ve had before. Ivyboy is making Pork Chops with Sour Cream and Chive Gravy, while Ivygirl is making Crock Pot Roast. She’s added Bacon and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes to her menu.
It’s all in good clean fun, and they’re both very excited about it. I’ll let you know how dinner turns out!
Sounds like great fun! Make sure to use all sorts of goofy Food Reviewer terms. “The hint of chive adds a subtle brightness to sauce that contrasts deliciously with the savory depth of the gently roasted cutlets.” “The disarray of the food prep theatre is clearly an indicator of a brilliant arteest”
Geeze, I see a phrase like “balsamic viniagrette reduction sauce” and it either scares me to eat it or makes me wonder if I can use to reduce a nitrile to an amine. (Wait, where’s that geeky jokes thread?)
Good for them. I learned to cook partially from my parents, partially on my own, and partially through Boy Scouts. (The troop leaders were of the opinion that Cooking should really be a required merit badge and so basically everyone got that one.) My brother, on the other hand…well, I suppose he knows how to cook, but he never does it and I’ve never seen him do it. I’ve got my mom’s newer (but still an edition or two old) Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and my dad’s Peg Bracken “I Hate to Cook” cookbooks from his wild single college days (the books are more than a decade older than I am.) I think I’d cook more if there was a girl I was trying to impress.
It’s supposed to be meringue, but Ivyboy didn’t whip the egg whites long enough so there’s a white foam on top of the chocolate pie.
Now we think he heated the milk too much and killed the yeast, so we’re off to the store to get more.
I’m hovering between frustration at his cockiness at not asking for help or verification on the steps, and biting my tongue so he doesn’t get discouraged. I think I’m leaning toward continuing to bite my tongue.
Yeast didn’t foam, but bread did rise. The pork was a little over done, the gravy was more of a topping, and the mashed potatoes were a bit cold. The chocolate meringue pie was nice and thick.
Overall, for his first effort, Ivyboy did fairly well. We gave him a B. Ivygirl’s roast is in the crockpot, and because we had some leftover yeast and the baguette she wanted to use had grown mold, she’s making bread in my bread machine. Her appetizer spread is chilling, and she’s informed us dinner will be served at 5:50pm.
Still, great and wonderful kudos to the kids! I kinda wish my parents had been more encouraging of my culinary abilities when I was their age- I dabbled. But I never got past making the real basics. Now, there are days I wish I had.
Still, sounds fun no matter how it turned out!
Well, Ivyboy won on the appetizer, Ivygirl won on the entree…her pot roast was nice and juicy, and the gravy delish.
Both mashed potatoes were a little on the cold side, and my son’s meringue didn’t turn out (he didn’t whip the egg whites long enough) but the pie itself was nice and thick. My daughter made her dessert from a mix, but made white hot chocolate from scratch.
I think they tied. They’re already planning for Round 2.
Forget TopChef - it’s a rip off of Iron Chef (which spawn Iron Chef America, which I like much better - it’s livelier and has Alton Brown)
For round two - use the Iron Chef scoring system. It’s simpler. Each Judge may award up to 2 points for taste, and 0 or 1 each for plating and originality - maximum 12 points possible (if they again decide on appy/entree/dessert) from each judge
Ah, I see. I did much the same with a couple of pork chops tonight - the drippings caramelized after I turned my back for just a couple of seconds. But little red wine is a perfect fix for that sort of thing.
I’m glad both dinners turned out well. Congratulations to both, and please let them know I’ll be watching for Round 2!
