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Some of my family's best conversations happen in the kitchen
while we're busy stirring pots of soup, kneading bread dough
and chopping onions. All of us live in a fast-paced world
where everyone orders out so much, but the process of cooking
is as important as the meal itself. That's why more often
than not, I don't cook FOR my children, but WITH them. When
my children were very young, I would help them measure, pour
and stir while they would share the delights and disappointments
their expanding worlds with me. Now that they're 21, 17 and
14, cooking together still provides a bridge between my worlds
and theirs. With the kitchen as the backdrop, we more easily
share stories and memories, solve problems and make plans.
By cooking and eating together as a family, not only do you
enjoy a better meal, but it bonds your family together - and
your kids learn manners naturally! Through preparing and sharing
our family food together over the years, our family history
and traditions have been passed on naturally to my children.
Now, along with our love, they take some favorite recipes,
warm memories and enduring family traditions with them as
they venture further and further out into the world.
These
are recipes that my children, even when very young, have always
helped prepare. I encouraged them to measure, wash food, add
ingredients, mix and stir -- either with my help or, as they
grew, on their own. Their interest and abilities in the kitchen
grew along with them.
Yield: 4-6
Servings
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup
virgin olive oil
- 2 cups
packed fresh basil leaves
- Salt to
taste
- 4 cups
fresh green beans or other vegetables (broccoli and carrots
are also favorites)
- 1/2 pound
pasta in different shapes and colors
- 4 Tablespoons
pine nuts
- 2 Tablespoons
unsalted butter or vegetable oil
- 2 cloves
garlic, minced
- 3/4 cups
freshly grated imported parmesan cheese
- Freshly
grated pepper to taste
Method:
Cut or pull
the chicken breasts into small pieces. Heat a medium sauté
pan over a medium- high heat. Brush both sides of each tortilla
very lightly with the oil. Cook each tortilla on both sides
until they crisp lightly. Don't be alarmed when they puff-up.
Lightly
pat them and they will deflate (this is fun for the kids to
watch). Lay two of the tortillas side-by-side on a cookie
sheet or baking pan large enough to accommodate them both
without overlapping. Spread the cheddar cheese evenly over
each tortilla. Add the chicken then sprinkle with cilantro.
Add the tomatoes, then the white cheese. Top with the remaining
tortillas. Bake in a pre-heated 400° oven, turning once
with a large metal spatula, for eight to ten minutes. Remove
the pan from the oven and press each quesadilla firmly. This
will make them easy to cut and prevent the filling from escaping.
Cut into one- sixth wedges and take a trip south of the border!
*Tips When
Cooking With Kids:
1) Cut new
things into the smallest pieces possible. This will tone-down
the initial flavor impact of the new ingredient.
2) Do not
force or even encourage a child to taste the raw product first.
The reasoning behind this approach is to temper the tastebuds
by introducing flavors gradually through mediums that their
palates already understand. There is a thin line between encouragement
and prodding. Test them on the raw ingredients only when they
are ready.
3) Have
lots of fun. Be very up beat and play on the journey. There
is a reason why children generally do better in geography
than math. World travel and great chefs go hand in hand. Come
to think of it, I don't believe I know any mathematician/chefs.
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