Children and Holiday Meal Preparation (And Some Recipes)

We were always welcome to help my mom in the kitchen when I was younger.  My oldest brother was famous for his pies.  He was always experimenting with different vinegars in the crust...mmmm.  We enjoyed Sunday afternoons when another brother and his friends would have Bunt Cake Bake Offs. Nothing like sitting around the kitchen table with a bunch of teenage boys and a variety of bunt cakes.  Even my younger brother and my dad shared their "secret" recipe for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 

As the only girl in the family, cooking was something my mother and I loved to do together.  So I was devastated one Thanksgiving when I was about 8 years old when we went out of state to celebrate the holiday and I was whisked out of the kitchen by relatives when it was time to prepare the meal. Of course now I can see that there were simply too many hands but it was crushing to me at the time. In Michael Olaf's Child of the World, (A fabulous resource, both for materials and the overview of Montessori principles in their catalogs):  

"Think about the difference between how close you feel to your own guests. If all the work is done by you in anticipation for the guest's arrival, that is one relationship. When a friend joins you in your preparation of the meal, that is a closer relationship. The child benefits most from this close relationship with the parent, whether it be in scrubbing or cutting up the vegetables, washing or drying the dishes, setting the table, cleaning out the cupboards or refrigerator, mixing the muffin batter, and so forth."

 Our children's memories of family unity through holiday traditions will be so much greater if they are a part of the doing.  Child can peel of grate vegetables, chop nuts or veggies with a Zyliss chopper, roll pastry dough and rolls, and place veggies in the pan for roasting.  I've included two of our favorite holiday recipes below, both of which can be made almost entirely by a child with adult supervision.  May your holiday be full of warm memories with your children!

 

Roasted Cider Veggies

2 or 3 yams or sweet potatoes peeled and sliced thinly

2 or 3 carrots peeled and sliced thinly

2 C fresh or frozen petite green beans

1/2-3/4 C sparkling cider

4 Tbs. butter, melted

Salt and pepper

Place a sheet of tin foil on 2 baking sheets and spray with oil.  Line pan with sweet potatoes and carrots. Spread beans on top.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with cider and butter.  Roast at 425 for 20-30 minutes until edges are crisp. 

Fresh Cranberry Relish

1 bag fresh cranberries

1orange

Seeds from 1 pomegranate

1/2 C pecans

1/2 C sugar (to taste)

Chop cranberries, nuts, and orange (with the peel). Mix in a bowl with pomegranate seeds and sugar.

I've linked up with Montessori Mondays! Check out these ideas from other Montessori Moms.