Cooking 101

In the last two weeks I have discovered that not all children pay attention in math or reading class. Not surprised or anything like that but was thinking about how to get some well needed learning at home for the youngest one (age 11) who has little attention span...I hear "I'm bored" alot. A light bulb went off when my mom called to ask me about family recipes that Russell might enjoy. Cooking!!!!!!!! It teaches reading and math and you can't get bored doing it as a kid. Wow something so simple yet it went right over my head. Bonus...you can get them to work together without fighting by assigning them separate parts of the cooking. I am putting this to the test and it is working. OMG!!! They actually are asking me to cook. Where did my kids go and who brought me this gift of sitting back and having five minutes of peace. Thank you who ever you are.

I have a shelf of cookbooks that I use most of but I have a few kid specific ones that I have boughten and not used so it was time to break them out. We tried Garlic Cheese Fries. Yummy.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons canola oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 pounds peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (about 5 teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag, tossing to coat. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning after 20 minutes.
• Place butter and garlic in a large nonstick skillet, and cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add potatoes, parsley, and Parmesan cheese to pan; toss to coat. Serve immediately.