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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2016)
6W^MUJMZ-);<-:67:-/768):-6< Help your little chefs get cooking in the kitchen! By VIRGINIA JUSTICE Nearly every day we hear about the epidemic of childhood obesity. Is it a result of our fast food lives, and too much processed, quick cook foods? Some experts say yes. Cooking from scratch has become a lost art; children no longer stand on the chair beside mom as she makes a meal. Budget cuts mean no more Home Economics in schools. Add to this, many families are single parent or have two working parents, limit- ing me for prepara on and cooking. Does this mean that we can’t teach children to cook? Not at all. It shouldn’t take all day to prepare a meal; in fact most can be put together in less than 15 minutes and cooked in less than an hour. The key is in the planning. Knowing ahead of me what you are cook- ing means you are more likely to have supplies on hand. One of the best resources for menu planning help is your local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) extension offi ce. Pendleton’s branch is lo- cated at Blue Mountain Community College in Uma lla Hall. You’ll also fi nd lots of info online at snaped. fns.usda.gov/resource-library/ handouts-and-web-sites. You may fi nd children are more willing to sample new foods when invited to par cipate in the prepa- ra on. Children’s kitchen tasks should be developmentally appro- priate. Some fi ve-year-olds can use a potato peeler with ease, others will struggle, and resources are available to guide you in what is age-appropriate. Again, the exten- sion service online is an excellent resource, providing informa on on cooking with children and on food/ kitchen safety and recipes. At age two, children are able to wash vegetables, tear le uce into bit-size pieces, wipe counters and do other things that don’t require well developed fi ne motor skills – in fact, these chores can help with that development. By three or four, some children will be able to count and name foods, s r with a li le as- sistance, pour liquids (not hot) and spread things like peanut bu er, jam and bu er. At this age, children typically have developed the fi ner motor skills necessary to pick up small pieces of food and place them on a plate or in a bowl. By fi ve, children should be able to cut so fruit, cheeses or meats into small pieces using a plas c knife (with adult supervision). They should be able to crack eggs, mea- sure dry ingre- dients and, with assistance, liquid ingredients. You may fi nd they are able to s r thick ba er, however, you will need to stabilize the bowl for them. As your child grows, they will master more skills. Some chil- dren are responsi- ble enough to use a stove and work with hot pans, liquids, etc., when they are eight, other children won’t be ready un l ten or eleven. Your judgement as the parent and supervision is cri cal. Our house rule was no one under 13 could use the stove/oven if a parent was not home. The key is pa ence, guid- ance and posi ve thinking; children are capable of more especially when encouraged. Why not have the kids help with Thanksgiving prepara ons? I re- member learning to make piecrust with my mom. A er pu ng the pies in the oven, she would give us the le over dough and allow us to roll it out sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and roll up into “cinnamon rolls.” The recipe below was passed from my grandmother to my mom then on to me; it truly is no fail. We were also responsible for se ng the table, pu ng together the relish plate, and making the sal- ad. Mom would also have us help her peel potatoes and then mash them with warmed milk and melted bu er. Cooking was not “women’s work” in our home; my three broth- ers learned to cook from my mom also. I have very fond memories of us all preparing meals together. MOM’S NO FAIL PIE CRUST 2 cups fl our 1 cup shortening, butter or lard ½ cup water, cold 1 teaspoon Sugar dash of salt 1. Mix together fl our, sugar and salt 2. Blend in shortening (with pastry blender or two knives) until mixture is crumbly 3. Add water and stir with a fork until well blended. Roll out dough on fl oured surface. You can work with this crust a number of times and it remains fl aky after baking. Use fl our as necessary when rolling out the dough. Makes enough for a two-crust pie or two single-crust pies. Children who cook should also know how to clean up, so establish that expecta on early, cleaning up their messes as they make them. Cooking at home is typically health- ier and less expensive than ea ng out. Teaching our children to cook can reduce dependence on highly processed, high caloric foods and save your family money. ________ Home economist Virginia JusƟ ce holds an educaƟ on degree. The Pendleton resident and her husband have two college-aged daughters.