Spare ice cube trays and ziplock bags are the secret to easy cooking when you don’t feel like it. Every time you have a little extra sauce, cube it, freeze it, bag it and tag it. Ditto fresh herbs. That, coupled with the procedure you are already teaching her of making multiples of easily doubled recipes will insure that she always has something to eat in the freezer.
norinew, please don’t take this as a criticism, but did she carry the pot of pasta to the sink to drain it herself? I’ve got both my older daughters (10 & 8) involved somewhat in cooking & baking, but I’m absolutely terrified of large amounts of boiling water, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to let one of them drain the pasta.
:rolleyes: Ya know, kid’s probably not a featherweight. A pot of boiling water is really not a big deal at all. And at 11 I was definitely making pasta.
Very cool, though - I like the candybar touch 
:rolleyes: yourself lindsaybluth. Yes, either of my older girls is physically capable of carrying 10 lbs of water to the sink, but given the downside of an accident, I’m not ready to let them try it. There’s a height/depth issue too you know - the sink is waist high to me and I don’t have to extend my upper arms to reach it - they’d be more at mid/upper chest, and have to extend their arms a lot more.
And a pot of boiling water is a very big deal if it lands on you. Be glad it hasn’t.
So you’re transferring your neuroses about a prior accident to your children? That’s healthy. Great job being a helicopter parent too.
norinew, when will she be making your delicious pork chops? I put the bet on age 13 
I give up. norinew, I apologize for the hijack.
A previous post on my own experience with this. It’s such a wonderful feeling when your kids provide food for you, isn’t it? One less thing to worry about when they leave the nest. 
(The son of mine in question, now 13, is no longer dreaming of being a professional chef–his career plans now waffle between ‘pilot’ and ‘engineer’. Something about ‘average salary’, apparently. But he does still love to cook–he roasted us a delicious chicken the night before last, rubbed with melted butter and minced garlic and sage and I don’t even know what other herbs and spices. I don’t know where he gets it–I’m a very pedestrian cook, and his mom cooks about twice a year, doing one of her ‘special recipes’ in quantity. But I’m not going to ask too many questions–I’m just planning to enjoy the food!)
With supervision, advisories (use pot holders! make sure the strainer is in place in the sink! drain the pasta away from you!), yes, she did. Is it a risk? Sure. It’s also a risk when I let her roller skate, ride a bike, skateboard, walk on the icy path (because it’s fun!), etc. She’s a risk-taker. As long as she understands the risk she is taking, and knows how to minimize risk, I’m cool.
[quote=lindsaybluth**Very cool, though - I like the candybar touch[/quote]
I liked it too. Sometimes, her level of consideration gives me pause! But not in a bad way, of course! 
Tonight, she crushed up the corn flakes to coat the chicken, dredged two pieces (total of four pieces) of the chicken in milk and crushed cereal, put the pieces of chicken on the baking sheet, preheated the oven, and put the chicken in.
Why do you call her mudgirl?
Cooking with mom/dad is something I wish every child and parent would do, on a regular basis.
I always loved doing that, and even the boys liked helping with baking.
I do recall being a bit freaked out in 5th grade, when we were told that “Within ten years, America will be all metric.”.
I promptly went home and hid one of each measuring cup and spoon to save for after the Metric-pocalypse, as I didn’t want to learn how to cook all over again.
I’m sure if I wasn’t so tired, I could find the thread, but. . .
When she was 5, she attended her first DopeFest. It was Gettysdope, in Gettysburg, PA. She loves to seek adventure, whatever way she can. The DopeFest was held at the state park, so, outdoors. There had been heavy rain the day before. She found a huge mud puddle, and got a plastic cup from the food pavilion, and proceeded to play in the mud, including dumping it all down the front of herself. I do believe it may have been Triskadecamus (who took a lot of pics) who christened her ‘mudgirl’, and as far as the 'dope is concerned, she has been mudgirl ever since!