Hello my Foodie Friends!
Meal time is family time. As we know, family life is busy and preparing and sharing family meals together takes time. But when you can manage it, regular family meals are worth the effort. Whether it is nightly dinners or a special Sunday lunch, family meals are perfect times to catch up, connect and communicate with each other. This can be especially important for busy children and teenagers. Your child can also learn a lot about food, eating and family traditions by watching what you do at mealtimes. For example, eating with the rest of the family helps younger children learn to eat the same healthy food as everyone else. Throughout the years at Compliments to the Chef, we have had many young foodies come into the store and share their love of cooking. Young children learn best when they get to explore with their senses. Meal preparation is an important aspect of practical life. As children prepare food, they get to observe, touch, smell, taste and listen. This activity also provides an opportunity for them to learn about healthy eating and develop a variety of skills from early childhood. One of the best traditions we can hand down to our children is cooking special foods. And if you don’t share your own family recipes with your children, how will these memories and traditions stay alive? I’m a huge advocate for establishing your own food traditions in your kitchen, and passing them along to the next generation. After all, food is so much more than nutrients—it’s sustenance and love.
During my childhood, my mother would try to keep five children “busy” by including us in the food prep activities (as long as she could tolerate us). A favorite food we all loved was pancakes. I would be in charge of mixing the pancake batter together (which was always an event since the mix would land all over the kitchen). A cool tool I wish I had back then is the immersion blender.
Immersion blenders, also called handheld blenders, can be used for a variety of everyday kitchen tasks like mixing pancake batter, whisking eggs, whipping cream, pureeing smoothies and baby food, and it’s an essential tool for blending creamy vegetable soups, like butternut squash soup, right in the pot. A handheld blender can be a useful and space-saving alternative to a full-size blender since it can be tucked into a drawer or cabinet. One of our favorite immersion blenders is the Control Grip blender from Breville. Gain total control with the Control Grip. The Control Grip’s unique anti-suction technology means less liquid spilling out of your bowl and the ergonomic trigger grip gives your hand a natural position making use easier. A 42oz jug and whisk attachment is included. The immersion blender produces smoother textures, and has a design that is comfortable to use. It comes with whipping and chopping attachments as well.
Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store to get those tools that make cooking fun. Spend time as a family cooking and making the traditions that your children will carry with them. Share the family recipes or create new ones! Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen!”
Take Care,
John & Paula