# In Which mudgirl Makes Me Dinner **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853 "2011-01-25T00:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/1 "2011-01-25T00:19:21Z")
It was a long weekend, and I didn’t sleep well last night. So I was planning on ordering delivery from a local diner for dinner. When I told **mudgirl** this, she said “Or I could just make you some spaghetti”. She just turned 11, but since she was about 8, she’s been watching me cook, on and off, and I am sure to explain to her what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Still, I said “You don’t know how to make spaghetti!” “Sure I do! You boil some water, put the spaghetti in, drain it, toss it with some sauce, and make some garlic toast”. Uh, well, sure! Now, we already had jarred spaghetti sauce. When I use this, I doctor it up, but I certainly didn’t expect her to do that. Straight out of the jar is fine, if it’s a decent brand. I also had some artisan bakery bread I bought yesterday, that has big chunks of roasted garlic running all through it. So, she boiled the pasta, put the garlic bread on a baking pan and sprinkled some grated cheese on top and toasted it in the oven; then she drained the pasta, tossed it with the sauce, and added some grated cheese to the top. She even put a mini candy bar on the side of my plate! 🙂 I told her that when we do menu planning next week, we’ll start planning a night for _her_ to cook. I told her to start thinking of some simple recipes she might like to learn how to do herself. I might be raising a little chef! Plus, I never object to not having to cook dinner _and_ not pay for it to be delivered! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/2 "2011-01-25T00:29:13Z")
Wow! Good for her. What a thoughtful kid. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/3 "2011-01-25T00:33:30Z")
Very cool! Good training for the day she has her own place and has to cook for herself. Major mom points for you! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/4 "2011-01-25T00:36:05Z")
Aw how sweet. Clearly you’re teaching her all the right lessons. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/5 "2011-01-25T00:37:54Z")
> [@gardentraveler](#): > > Wow! Good for her. What a thoughtful kid. She really is a _great_ kid. Obviously, she makes me crazy sometimes, but I’d be more worried if she didn’t! 😉 > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Very cool! Good training for the day she has her own place and has to cook for herself. Major mom points for you! 😃 Yeah, my Mom never taught me to cook (probably just as well, since she was _not_ a good cook, and she probably would have taught me some habits I’d have had to _unlearn_). Once I was married and on my own, I became self-taught. I’ve tried to teach my kids at least some of the _basics_ of cooking before they’re out on their own! ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/6 "2011-01-25T00:47:43Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Aw how sweet. Clearly you’re teaching her all the right lessons. I don’t know about _all_ the right lessons, but apparently, I’m teaching her _some_ of them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/7 "2011-01-25T01:09:26Z")
Good start. Get her some cookbooks and her own knife and you’ll have your own sous-chef. ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/8 "2011-01-25T01:17:41Z")
Good for her, and it seems she knows what she’s doing! My kids love to cook, but they’re not tall enough to use the stove safely yet. About twice a week, I get breakfast in bed, though… and you would be amazed how much peanut butter can fit on a slice of toast. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/9 "2011-01-25T01:32:29Z")
> [@MissGypsy](#): > > My kids love to cook, but they’re not tall enough to use the stove safely yet. About twice a week, I get breakfast in bed, though… and you would be amazed how much peanut butter can fit on a slice of toast. Lol, I know! I’ve gotten breakfast in bed several times, and the sheer variety would amaze you! 🙂 Cheese toast, leftover pizza from the previous night’s dinner, a fruit cup, cheese cubes, Saltine crackers, on and on! Oh, and fresh-brewed coffee! She _does_ know how to operate my grind n’ brew coffee maker! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/10 "2011-01-25T01:35:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Good start. Get her some cookbooks and her own knife and you’ll have your own sous-chef. I hadn’t thought yet of getting her her own cook book and knife, but it’s a _great_ idea. I could even let her help me shop for them! Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂 Oh, btw, in the past when she’s helped me prepare for dinner, I _have_ called her “My little sous-chef”, explaining to her that a sous-chef is the head chef’s assistant (which she already knew, of course, from watching _Ratatouille_). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/11 "2011-01-25T02:08:04Z")
How was the wine pairing? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/12 "2011-01-25T03:01:34Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > How was the wine pairing? Well, I had already uncorked a bottle of Katsiteli, which is a dry white made in the Republic of Georgia, so it’s not like she had to make any decisions there! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/13 "2011-01-25T03:32:55Z")
Ray Ray has a [cookbook for kids](http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Rocks-Rachael-30-Minute-Meals/dp/1891105159/ref=pd_sim_b_2), with age-specific sections. Once she masters that, give her her own copy of **The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook** and stand back. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/14 "2011-01-25T05:17:28Z")
I always stop to read threads about mudgirl, and I have to say that, between you and her, _someone_ seems to be doing that upbringingy learningy stuff right! ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/15 "2011-01-25T05:42:46Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > She _does_ know how to operate my grind n’ brew coffee maker! 🙂 Heres my number have her call me in 7 years… ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/16 "2011-01-25T05:44:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Ray Ray has a [cookbook for kids](http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Rocks-Rachael-30-Minute-Meals/dp/1891105159/ref=pd_sim_b_2), with age-specific sections. Once she masters that, give her her own copy of **The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook** and stand back. Ha, when I was eleven my mother was working 60 hours a week to support us (six kids) and didn’t have time or energy to cook much so I got out her copy of The Better Homes and Gardens recipe book and got busy. At first it was pretty much tuna casserole or beans/wieners along with canned vegetables but I eventually got more proficient. I still like to cook when I have time or reason to. My little brother is the one who became the sous chef. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/17 "2011-01-25T06:44:14Z")
When I was a kid I messed up making Hamburger Helper. It was more like Hamburger Helper Soup. I just bought How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I’m gonna start teaching myself. I just turned 32. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/18 "2011-01-25T09:34:41Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Ray Ray has a [cookbook for kids](http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Rocks-Rachael-30-Minute-Meals/dp/1891105159/ref=pd_sim_b_2), with age-specific sections. Once she masters that, give her her own copy of **The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook** and stand back. Wow, perfect! She likes Rachael Ray, too, so that will help! > [@Bookkeeper](#): > > I always stop to read threads about mudgirl, and I have to say that, between you and her, _someone_ seems to be doing that upbringingy learningy stuff right! Thanks! 🙂 > [@dwyr](#): > > Ha, when I was eleven my mother was working 60 hours a week to support us (six kids) and didn’t have time or energy to cook much so I got out her copy of The Better Homes and Gardens recipe book and got busy. At first it was pretty much tuna casserole or beans/wieners along with canned vegetables but I eventually got more proficient. I still like to cook when I have time or reason to. My little brother is the one who became the sous chef. Oh, I know a _lot_ of kids her age are carrying a lot more of the household weight than she does. She has the luxury of having a mother who’s never worked outside the home in the span of her life time. I _do_ have a job, but the hours are pretty flexible, and mostly I work from home (with a bit of work-related travel/errands thrown in, but I mostly try to do that stuff while she’s at school). So for most of her life, I’ve been putting dinner on the table almost every night. ---
**Author:** ![Mame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@Mame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mame)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/19 "2011-01-25T12:28:02Z")
A slightly tangential idea: Starting when my daughter was MUCH younger (she is now 13), so about 6 or 7, I bought her her own special recipe book, with a pocket, clear sleeves and blank pages. The idea was that she should write down recipes as her father or I cooked them, so that she would have a collection of her favourite recipes as she grew up. The clear sleeves were for recipes printed out or photocopied, and the pocket for ones cut from the papers or magazines. The blank pages were for ones she wrote down from watching us, or copied from cookbooks. For ones she copied from cookbooks we got her to write the name of the book and author. It worked extremely well - she is an enthusiastic cook and has a decent collection of recipes. She looks back at the early ones and laughs at her appalling writing! It had the unexpected benefit of also teaching her some organisation - getting the ingredients and steps in order. You can get quite fancy versions of the blank book - she gave one to a friend as a birthday present last year. Or you can get the el cheapo, plastic kind and gussie it up with a fancy front page for “Recipes from Chez Mud” :).\* Things like rosti are dead simple, and point up the fact that Macca’s hash browns have little relationship to actual food. M’daughter is a chocolate fiend, so the recipe folder came pre-loaded with a couple of easy chocolate recipes, like brownies. And when the recipes didn’t work, and there were some very…special… disasters, we sat down with her and helped her figure out what went wrong. \*Maybe “More than just Mud Pies” ? ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853/20 "2011-01-25T20:03:02Z")
Hey - I followed the Rachel Ray link, and turns out there’s a [BH&G cookbook](http://www.amazon.com/Junior-Cookbook-Better-Gardens-Cooking/dp/0696220008/ref=pd_sim_b_3) for kids, too. I’ve no idea, but maybe it’s worth checking out? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-mudgirl-makes-me-dinner/568853.md?page=2)