The New Year is already off to a flying start and everyday routines are back in full swing with work, school, homework, sports… You get the picture. As a librarian, I don’t work banker’s hours. I work “public service” hours, which include weekends and evenings, with a schedule that varies from week to week and day to day. Consequently, it can be challenging to fit in making dinner for a household that includes three busy teens – two of whom are vegetarians and one voracious omnivore with a craving for red meat.
I used to spend a lot of my “free” time cooking ahead, freezing multiple meals that my kids could warm up when they got home from school so that they didn’t starve before I arrived. Much to my chagrin, I would often discover that my culinary creations had been rejected and that dinner had consisted of a bag of chips smothered in refried beans and grated cheese, with the evidence smeared all over the countertops and our dogs treating the kitchen floor like a gastronomical treasure hunt.
As my kids evolved into teens and our schedules became more unwieldy, I came to the logical conclusion that it was time to let them take more responsibility for producing family meals we could all enjoy, whether individually or as a group. I had always involved them in cooking, but I began to conscientiously share cooking techniques and nutritional information whenever I was in the kitchen. I also invited them to plan meals and add what ingredients they needed to the weekly shopping list, encouraging them to peruse my shelf of cookbooks. What began as a subtle bid for evening sanity has produced an epiphany: My kids can cook! Not only can they cook, they can prepare meals I enjoy eating! And they are having fun exploring healthy food options in the process!
Nowadays, when I arrive home, I may find a dinner that includes potato leek soup, a Greek salad with capers, kalamata olives, goat cheese and at least four vegetables (WOW!), a fruit plate arranged to look like a bouquet of flowers with celery tendrils, or the offer of an ice-cream Sunday, made to order, drizzled with home-made berry sauce. My teens have the time and energy I lack to take on multi-step recipes and embellish them with elaborate, labor-intensive garnishes (Note: anything that requires carving with sharp knives is generally a big hit with boys – including radish roses and carrot curls.)
As a result of all this culinary passion, our cookbook collection has expanded from one shelf to two, and growing. Though they often turn to my classic standards for baking, their interest in vegetarian foods, ethnic flavors, organically grown produce and, yes, MEAT, have been shaping the new cookbook acquisitions. We just discovered The Silver Spoon for Children: Favorite Italian Recipes, by Amanda Grant, a fun and easy cookbook featuring adapted recipes from the famous Silver Spoon adult compendium. Though embellished with charming illustrations, this is definitely a book intended for serious foodies and the recipes will entice cooks and diners of all ages. Get Cooking is a favorite with my thirteen-year-old son. Teenage chef Sam Stern dishes up recipes and encourages
teens to be creative in the kitchen, dedicating each chapter to a friend’s favorite ingredients – like tomatoes and chocolate – and then using those ingredients to come up with enticing feasts. Engaging photos and a user-friendly format make it a great pick for beginning guy chefs. Another current favorite is Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs, by Rozanne Gold, which groups recipes by season and includes popular food 
choices, using fresh ingredients, for smoothies, school lunch ideas, pizzas, and desserts. The book emphasizes healthy eating and the value of selecting seasonal ingredients, while celebrating the joy of cooking as a group effort.
So, break out the pot and supply the proverbial stone, then invite your personal village to start adding ingredients to your family Stone Soup. It won’t be long before you, too, can partake in the pleasures of a house full of independent, accomplished chefs.
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