Cooking Should NOT Be a Household Chore

Cooking is a huge aspect of our lives in this house. My husband loves to cook, I love to cook, and my oldest daughter loves to cook. The middle daughter makes a great sous chef, and the little one is constantly in the mix. We enjoy cooking, so we put love and attention into our cooking and it shows.

Not to sound like I am bragging, but it is possible for anyone to be a great cook. Now, I am not going to be giving Chef Ramsey a run for his money any time soon, but knowing some basic cooking techniques can make for a great repertoire in the kitchen.

Also, when kids participate in the cooking of a meal, they are more apt to give new foods a try. The rule in my house is that you have to give any new food a good try, a bite or two. If you legitimately do not like it, you do not have to eat it. Now, it may come back in a few months, and you should try it then too, but if you still don't like it, I don't push it after that. I just make sure to have enough other options to replace it. Not, cooking two dinners, but other side item options that I KNOW the child likes....or sometimes the adult.

When cooking is done as a family activity it leads to communication of daily activities, fun stories, sharing, and caring. It really bonds a family very closely. It gives us a chance to really come together for the goal of continuing our family communication at the dinner table.

So whether or not you think you are a great cook, or you loathe the idea, give family meal prep a shot. Give everyone a job to do, and let the good times roll!!!

Banh Mi with Eggplant Chips

Feast your eyes on this deliciousness in a dish! Tonight's dinner was Vietnamese Banh Mi with a side of eggplant chips. 

The recipe I followed was supposed to make one sandwich. I doubled everything except the pickling solution because I did not want to over power the kids with the pickling. I also made the addition of the cheese myself. The original recipe called for jalepenos, but again, I have kids eating this and did not want to over power them with hotness. 

The eggplant chips are just thin slices of eggplant fried in a little olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. 

The recipe for the Banh Mi, is as follows:

1/2 cup rice vinegar                                            1/4 cup white onion thinly sliced
1/4 cup water                                                     garlic salt to taste
1/4 cup water                                                     ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup white sugar                                            1 baguette roll
1/4 cup carrot cut into matchsticks                      1 Tablespoon mayonaise
1/4 cup white radishes matchsticks                      1 Tablespoon cilantro                
1/4 cup cucumber matchsticks                             1 lime wedge

1. Place rice vinegar, water, and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute. Allow the mixture to cool.
2. Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the carrot, radish, and onion in a bowl, and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes. Drain off the excess vinegar mixture after the vegetables have marinated.
3. Slice the baguette in half the long way, and pull the center of the bread out of the baguette halves, leaving a cavity for the filling. Place the baguette halves under the broiler to lightly toast, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. To assemble the bahn mi sandwich, spread each half of the toasted baguette with mayonnaise and cheese slice, and fill the cavity of the bottom half of the bread with cucumber slices, pickled carrot, onion, and radish, cilantro leaves. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the filling, and top with the other half of the baguette.