Cooking with pre teens

[little ms foodie]

my friend and her 9 year old are going to be visiting for the weekend and we'd like to put together a menu that will be fun for her to get involved with. Her mom doesn't cook at all and last time she was here we made mac and cheese, fried dill pickles and ribs....she had a ball.

What are some fun things to make with kids? We are taking her out to an Italian restaurant for her bday the night before so I'd like to stay away from noodles.......

thanks!

[SuzySushi]

Pizza.

Lasagna.

[Pumpkin Lover]

Cupcakes!

Or is that too young for a tweener?

[tejon]

What does her daughter like to eat? I'd involve her in the menu planning, calling ahead to see what she'd like to help make. Nine is old enough to handle almost any simpler (or even more complex, depending on her skills) recipe with help so there should be many options. Have fun!

[little ms foodie]

no cupcakes aren't too young but her mom might be mad if we have them for dinner!! haha!

Suzy, pizza might be good..... then she can make her own toppings! I'll probably skip lasagne this time since we'll be doing italian the night before.

I've asked her mom what she like and they are vague..........

[Pumpkin Lover]

no cupcakes aren't too young but her mom might be mad if we have them for dinner!! haha!

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Hey, it's a free country.

My mother would always employ us to make meatballs while my siblings and I were growing up. Since you're doing Italian already, how about a Middle Eastern dish like kefta? Hummus? Cous-cous? Or something that involves a lot of stirring, like a lamb stew? I always loved stirring things in pots when I was growing up--made me feel like my mom!

[foodie52]

Oven fried chicken. Chicken pieces dipped in buttermilk , then breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 til done.

Potato chips: slice potatoes thinly (you do the slicing). Season them with salt and pepper and herbs. Lay on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake til crisp.

Big salad: show her how to deal with an avocado. Wash lettuce. Slice tomatoes. Make a vinaigrette.

9 year olds can do just about anything. I made dinner for the family all the time when I was that age.

[jsolomon]

Traditional-ish Indian curries, and then let her eat with her hands!

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Breakfasts are always fun: scrambled eggs, muffins, french toast (let her try to perfect the one-handed egg-breaking that the big chefs do!). When my nieces visit, we have breakfast for dinner.

[Busboy]

Chocolate mousse.

Actually, kids (mine anyway) like cooking anything they like to eat. They like measuring and breaking eggs and getting their hands dirty and they like playing with knives. (When my kids wanted to help, I said it was fine but they might cut or burn themselves and that was part of cooking -- we're the Klutz family -- and they shouldn't whine too much if they did).

Anything that undergoes major transformations or involves heavy equipment is a bonus: whipped cream, rising bread dough, egg whites etc.

But, bottom line, if they like to eat it, they'll like cooking it. Be sure to let them taste and adjust the salt and so on.

[Tess]

Kids I know like to make tacos and other things that require assembly.

[TPO]

Gazpacho is fun to make and eat. Any hot soup is fun, especially since she can watch it simmer and make the whole house smell delicious.

If she likes salsa that might be fun to make, and could turn into a whole theme meal of tacos or burritos along with beans and rice.

A lot of kids like Chinese food, so it might be fun to make a stir-fry or some other noodle-less Asian meal.

[helenjp]

Yummy things to put inside baked potatoes?

Home-made shake-n-bake style seasoning for oven-baked wings or chicken pieces?

[GSBravo]

Pasta. Flour, eggs, water, and a pinch of salt.

It's a lot of work, the kneading and rolling and cutting, but it's easier with a group of people.

And I'll second the part about getting your friend's daughter involved. You should, within reason, let her come up with the menu. You could steer it where you want by suggesting things.

[dano1]

pizza is a classic. Did a pizza party for one of my daughters 8th or 9th birthday. Bunch a girls making pizza and having a slumber party. They all had a blast.

[rooftop1000]

I have done the pizza thing with younguns it was perfect if a little floury...I made a dough ahead of time for them to eat then had them make one for hubby and I to eat later. did all the slicing and dicing early...tomatoes peppers onions broccoli pepperoni olives etc and they each made tiny pizzas...and a huge mess

the taco/burrito idea is great too ground beef shreaded chicken sliced veggies cheese gaucamole salsa chips.....hmmm that sound like dinner tonight

tracey

[snowangel]

Ask the 9 year old what she would like to eat and cook. And, get her involved in breakfast (you can work some science in if you make buttermilk pancakes!).

You could also take her with you to the grocery so she could shop with you.

[gus_tatory]

Kids I know like to make tacos and other things that require assembly.

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I agree with Tess.

You can have the maximum fun for the longest period of time if you make something like egg rolls, won tons, or pierogi. You just prepare the filling ahead of time, and set them up assembly-line like with the wrappers and cookie sheets.

Have fun!

[Tess]

You can have the maximum fun for the longest period of time if you make something like egg rolls, won tons, or pierogi. You just prepare the filling ahead of time, and set them up assembly-line like with the wrappers and cookie sheets.

Cornish pasties!

[bleudauvergne]

What does her daughter like to eat? I'd involve her in the menu planning, calling ahead to see what she'd like to help make. Nine is old enough to handle almost any simpler (or even more complex, depending on her skills) recipe with help so there should be many options. Have fun!

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Last June I had my 'tween niece come along with her older teen sister (who was to stay for a longer period) to spend a week with us. She was so incredibly drawn to the topic of food I decided to get her in on a special dinner.

We chose Magret de Canard, mainly because her mother had ordered a pan seared goose breast in a restaurant earlier in the week which was out of this world, and she knew her mother would like it.

The first thing we did, that afternoon, was to take a look at a series of recipes, from Puck, Child, Wolfert, Olney, and Louisette Bertholle. I did not make her read them all (that would be drudgery!), but I appointed her as note taker, and scanned them as I usually do when deciding what to do in the kitchen, with a lot of commentary. Then, I gave her some points to write down. She slowly wrote down some simple points of similarity between the recipes, and we discussed together the similarities and differences between them.

We took a snack break and then began to talk about what we'd serve in terms of veggies and what she liked to eat, and together we planned how we were going to plate the meal. We drew pictures and exchanged ideas. (I wish I'd kept that piece of paper! She took that home as a souvenier) Then we went back to the duck. It was time to write down abbreviated notes for her recipe and her game plan for the kitchen. (I would handle the rest of the meal and ensure that the timing was right to get everything out on time.)

Here are her kitchen notes :

I instructed her on every step and kept her very busy in those 15 minutes while the duck prep was taking place - I was the one to slice them and plate (while she placed the final chevril garnish and took the plates out.) The dinner was a great success. She and I both had a really wonderful time. She took photos, I'll have to ask her if I can have copies.

[jsolomon]

Ask the 9 year old what she would like to eat and cook.  And, get her involved in breakfast (you can work some science in if you make buttermilk pancakes!).

You could also take her with you to the grocery so she could shop with you.

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Same thing with overnight pancakes (or waffles)

[Luckylies]

teach her to braise... and while the braise is in- teach her how to truss and roast a chicken. I loved learning technique when I was younger. It opened up possibilities for me...ask her the flavors she likes and apply them to a handy new technique.

ps nobody ever died after eating italian two nights in a row

some more thoughts

chili

stew

caesar salad

stuffed cabbage

cubanos

or other pressed sandwiches

[daniellewiley]

Last June I had my 'tween niece come along with her older teen sister (who was to stay for a longer period) to spend a week with us.  She was so incredibly drawn to the topic of food I decided to get her in on a special dinner. 

Lucy, will you be my Aunt??

[bleudauvergne]

Sure, honey.

[little ms foodie]

all great ideas you guys, thank you so much!

We have limited time as all she wanted for her birthday was for me to take her shopping! Ahhhh, I'm so proud!

We are going to go the pizza route and make some traditional as well as some unique ones....the rest of the ideas are being filed for the next visit!!