Cooking For Three

This weekend, my mom gave me a cookbook that she selected with my little family of three in mind, Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual.  The concept behind this book is that kids can cook with an "adult helper."  Obviously, my nearly nine-month babe is still a little young to be a sous chef, but it's definitely fun to plan ahead.  So I was scanning the pages yesterday when it dawned on me: these are recipes that I can cook!

Sad?  Maybe.  But definitely true.  The whimsical illustrations that accompany recipes like "Buried Treasure Muffins" and "Alphabetter Soup" make it clear that these recipes are for kids, but the simple directions (and even the illustrations!) make this cookbook a handy guide for those whose culinary skills might be...lacking, shall we say?  While I have two binders full of recipes that I've clipped from Martha Stewart Living and other magazines, I could probably count the number of times I have actually made said recipes on one hand. Don't get me wrong, I totally want to make my Martha recipes, but my skills--and frankly my spare time--just aren't there yet.  

Someday I will make those fancy, sophisticated culinary creations, but in the meantime, I can hone my skills with more basic recipes like this:

Put-Back Potatoes

Ingredients-
potatoes (as many as you like)
milk: 2 tbsp. for each potato
grated cheddar cheese: 3 tbsp. for each potato
salt and pepper: pinch of each

Directions-
1. Bake your potato
2. Take the potato out of the oven when it's all done, wait a little bit for it to cool, then cut it in half and scoop the potato out into a bowl.  Keep one of the skins (you're going to need it).
3. Save 1/3 of the cheese to sprinkle on top of the potato before it goes in the oven.  Mix the rest of of the cheese, the milk, and the salt and pepper with the potato.  If you like butter, add a pat per potato now.  Use the masher or mixer while the potato is still a little warm.
4. Put your potato-and-cheese mixture back into the potato skins you saved.  Put it in a baking pan, sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of it, and put back into the oven for 20 minus at 350 degrees.
5. It's done when it starts to melt!

Yum.

There are also recipes for play dough, giant soap bubbles, and face paint, but I think I'll save those for Harper.