Toddler Cafe - Jennifer Carden [5]
Walking in the door after a long day of playing or school to be met with the comforting smell of food can be one of the best memories for a child, but it doesn’t have to be complicated for you. We remember with all of our senses, and smell can be a huge part of a child’s memory. Cooking at home is so wonderful because it promotes family interaction—something we are losing in our society at an alarming rate. Inviting your kids into the kitchen to help can be a great interactive learning activity, since as parents, we are our children’s teachers. Spending time together while promoting healthy choices is a perfect way to end a day.
creativity is confidence
Let your inner artist come out! Discover your creativity and don’t waste time on complicated recipes.
All of the recipes in this book are based on the idea that you can make great meals from what you have on hand. Being creative in the kitchen may not seem like your thing, but when you gain confidence with ingredients, tools, and new tastes, meals will get easier and easier. Experiment and have fun, but remember that you are cooking for youngsters! This is an exploration for both you and your child. Let them get to know how food feels, smells, and tastes. Yes, I said “feels!” Some children are more comfortable using their sense of touch in addition to smell and sight, so just go with it.
Toddlers are picky little creatures, and something that was beloved yesterday may be feared like the plague today. Spending hours on a meal just to have it rejected is not what you’re after. You can introduce new foods and flavors in simple and quick ways.
In this new way of looking at food, you can create quick, interactive dishes for kids that get them interested in what is on the plate without sacrificing your own dinnertime enjoyment. This is where you have to muster up your creative spirit—be as silly as you can, and your child will focus on you and probably eat the food without a struggle. Occasionally, when all else fails, you might have to resort to the DSM (Distract and Shovel Method), but hopefully you won’t have to go there too often.
Get them used to seeing different foods arrive on the table each night. Try to have a bunch of sauces and spices on the table so everyone can tailor their meal to their liking. As your child sees you pouring on the different sauces, they will want to try, too. If they want to put Asian plum sauce on their spaghetti, let them — they may like it! Make sure you explain what the flavor tastes like, though; if they don’t know what is coming and taste a hot or spicy sauce, it can backfire. Let them try what they are interested in; if it is spicy or strong, make sure you have some cooling milk standing by, because water doesn’t help “’picy!”
Get your kids used to tasting herbs and spices by letting them gently smell the jars or fresh herbs when you are in the kitchen. Turn it into a fun guessing game such as “Smell the Spices,” making sure not to let them sniff so hard or so close that they get spices up their noses. Keep the too-spicy ones out of reach.
Each time you make these recipes, try adding a new flavor. Try a different cooking technique or serve it up differently, and you will train your kids to get excited about a variety of foods as you expand the whole family’s confidence about food. You can do it!
setting the stage: plating, shapes, and styling
Some of the creative fun can be started in the kitchen before you bring the food to the table. Here are some ideas to get you started.
design a meal * Cut foods in strips and arrange them in patterns on the plate, making up a story about the “house or sticks on the forest floor.”
color course * Bring out one food at a time, by color. “Here comes green . . . ,” and “Here comes white . . .”
mounds and mounds * Make mounds out of spinach, potatoes, or eggs, for something different.
cut it up * Cut out shapes of bread, cheese, and polenta with cookie