My First Grilled Cheese

So on Father's Day we had been at a few events at church that weekend, and had been able to bring home a multitude of leftovers. Owing to this, I had declared that I was not cooking on Father's Day. However, my 6-year old decided that he really wanted to have a grilled cheese. "Cook it yourself" I told him - thinking this would be the end of it. His response? "OK!"

My little sous chef

So he got cooking. There was SOME help getting the cheese sliced safely, and making sure that he didn't burn himself on the stovetop, but for the most part he cooked this grilled cheese sandwich himself. He tended the cooking in the frying pan, wanted to make sure he put down his own butter, and assembled the sandwich himself.

I was rather proud. More often than not these "cook it yourself" moments just turn into some kind of resignation, and that is really what I was expecting. I was not expecting to see my little man cook himself dinner. I mentioned in a previous post about how it is important to give children more independence and confidence in the kitchen, and perhaps this guy is ready to have some more. He certainly proved it with this sandwich.

"My first grilled cheese"

Is it perfect? No. Did he eat the entire thing? Absolutely. Do I think I can get him to eat more stuff if I get him to help me cook it? I certainly hope so. If he can start to take ownership of these things - taste them along the way and see how the flavors build to the end product and something he can put on his plate and eat. 

While we are on the topic of building flavors, my nearly 2-year old has been growing ever more independent in his own way. While at dinner, he was served applesauce in a bowl. my 6-year old got down the shaker of cinnamon to put on his own, and all of a sudden there was an insistence for "min-min" from the younger boy. 

Adding "min-min" to some applesauce

As we learned, he wanted some cinnamon for his own applesauce. Not only did he want cinnamon but he wanted to shake it out for himself. He then mixed it in for himself, brought a taste to his mouth, and gave a loud happy exclamation and smiled broadly. This guy already has tons of personality, and he is starting to think like a cook already. Hopefully I can start to incorporate both of my boys into the kitchen over the years to come, and soon I can promote myself to the level of executive chef!