Good cooks in the kitchen

A few weeks ago, Reed found the recipe in the newspaper's "Mini Page" section and thought it sounded good. Since lemon cake is one of my favorites, they decided they'd make me one for my birthday.

A couple of trips to the grocery store later, they were hard at work. Both kids helped out and the result was delicious.

What I learned as they worked in the kitchen, though, was that Amy in particular actually has been paying attention during the time she's cooked with me. She had lots of tips on the "right" way (*cough* *cough* the way that I do things) to do particular tasks, like how I raise the beaters up out of the batter and let them spin a bit to clean them off. I have to admit that a lot of times when the kids want to help in the kitchen, it's a special occasion and I am not always as patient as I should be. It is true that having the kids involved usually means things take a little longer and some things might not get done in exactly the way I'd like. But I have to do a better job of remembering the value in their participation, no matter how late I might be in preparing for company. They're both learning life skills by helping with food preparation, and it is a privilege to have them helping me.

Plus, when they get a bit older, I hope they'll be making meals and treats for me, without any help at all – how great will that be!