Never say never is what I say. These days “never” can turn into “possible”. I do get calls for birthday parties for children. When I explain that we do not do pizza or cupcake parties, well, the next thing I usually hear in my ear is the click of the phone. Many parents are just positively certain about what their kids will and will not do in the kitchen.
Luckily, every once in a while I meet a parent whose child who is a serious foodie. Not adult dead serious, just kid sparkling-with-enthusiasm serious. This was exactly the case for a Special Birthday Party last Saturday afternoon.
A kitchen full of spunky 11 year old girls enjoyed a terrific menu selected by the birthday girl herself from our standard and very adult menu, These culinary explorers prepared and then enjoyed a true feast:
- Penne with Creamy Tomato Sauce
- Oven-Fried Chicken
- Old Fashioned Potato Salad
- Three Green Pea Salad
- Killer Brownies with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (note the scraping of the vanilla bean photo)
Oh, and since the meal had been light up to then, we added a spectacular Red Velvet Birthday Cake Prepared by our own Rian!!
I gave the girls specific instructions about knife safety, emphasizing they should not touch a knife until their culinary advisor told them what to do. They listened perfectly. I told them about washing hands…champs one and all, very good at that. And no double dipping…also perfect. The best part??? They cleared their own dishes without being asked and were so polite… As a former teacher, what can I do but award straight A’s to these darling kids and their parents alike.
Children are always full of surprises. Put them in the kitchen and some wonderful things can occur.
