Chef du Jour...

"Operation Help Out"

is on a roll...  

May was keeping one's room clean... 

June was about a tidy bathroom 

and July is the month 

of the "Culinary Expansion"...  

This month, the kids have kitchen duty...  

One supper each week, they are responsible 

for planning, shopping, cooking 

and cleaning up after dinner...  

I had serious trepidation about this task... 

I mean, let's face it, preparing family dinner myself
is so much easier...

 My domain of serenity has always been

the kitchen...

Preparing supper gives me time to myself
and I hold those short thirty minutes sacred...

With a glass of wine thrown in, of course...

To have to supervise as the children plan, shop, cook 

and clean up, with them leading the way 

is a massive loss of control...  

Oh, the mess and stress involved...

Is it worth it to teach them to make meals?

Would the kids balk at having 

to serve dinner for the family?  

Would they crumble under the pressure?  

Would they refuse to clean up 

the destroyed kitchen after dinner?  

Week one, I caved 

and did not require them to cook...  

It was the 4th of July week, after all, 

and I could not muster the energy 

to help them figure out what to make to eat...  

So this week, the cooking experiment commenced...

 Kate was first out of the dugout,
with Tuesday duties...  

She chose "Breakfast for Dinner", 

making pancakes, bacon, eggs and juice...  

For a seven year old, 

this meal was inspired stuff 

and she was a trooper, 

reading the recipe for the pancakes, 

measuring the ingredients 

and attempting to mix, pour and flip the cakes...  

Father Bear makes it look easy in "Little Bear", 

but Kate soon realized flipping those pancakes 

was fine motor skill hell...

She kept at it, though, 

and quickly the stack of hotcakes rose...  

Even Jack was cordially complimentary
as we enjoyed her dinner 

and Kate learned the finer points 

of loading a dishwasher that evening...  

Chef du Jour must not have been too traumatic 

because she is mentally planning 

what to cook next week...   

Thursday was Jack's turn at manning the kitchen 

and he decided fish was the main protein 

for supper...  

We checked out Pinterest for a good tilapia recipe 

and then he chose what starch 

and veg would round out the meal...  

Yesterday morning, before hockey camp, 

we hit Aldi to pick up the various ingredients... 

He selected the items on the list, put them on the belt 

and I paid for the items... 

$10.00 was the thrifty total...

Jack even requested I pick him up early from camp

 so he could get started
on dinner at a good time...  

Jack made chocolate ice cream 

that was a dead ringer for a Wendy's Frosty, 

a mixed green salad
with a homemade vinagrette, boxed rice and Lemon Tilapia...  

With close supervision,

 and timing assistance, 

Jack performed well in the kitchen...

His knife skills are such that I don't have to hover anymore,
and his stove awareness is much better...

He thinks he is an awesome, experienced cook 

and I am fine with that, 

even though the dear boy
is truly a beginner...  

Heck, isn't cooking like golf?  

Aren't cooks constantly learning?  

I know I am... 

Anyway, he was eager, 

enthusiastic and so happy 

when his meal turned out perfectly...  

Clean up was a bit of a struggle, 

but Jack will be ready to cook again

 and that qualifies as pure success to me...  

Here is Jack's tilapia recipe, thanks to Providence Design...  

Thumbs up!!!

Ingredients

3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons drained brine-packed green peppercorns, lightly crushed

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

 2 (6-ounce) tilapia or sole fillets

 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons butter

Lemon wedges (optional)

 Preparation

Combine first 3 ingredients. Melt 1 teaspoon of butter with oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. While butter melts, sprinkle fish fillets with salt and black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour; shake off excess flour.

Increase heat to medium-high; heat 2 minutes or until butter turns golden brown. Add fillets to pan; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Remove fillets from pan. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in two teaspoons of butter with a whisk.

Serve sauce over fillets.

Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.