Take the night off

I know I keep promising Candyland themed posts, but I just had to post this, it's such a milestone.
As all Type-As know, it is MUCH easier to do things yourself than to have people (especially little people) help you. But it dawned on me that my days of hearing, "Mama, can I do that?" may be numbered. I can envision the day when a languid teenager lies on the couch mumbling something about how he/she is too tired to help with dinner (I shudder as I write).
After judging this book:

by its cover and using up my 40% Borders coupon ... I discovered this book:

at my library and snatched it up for 100% off :) (I love my library!).  The recipes are very simple, but I realized that my Type-A-ity (look it up) has left my kids helpless as babes in the kitchen, so it was actually perfect for them.
I left it lying around conspiciously wondering if they would take the bait.  They did!  Before their backpacks hit the ground they were already arguing over who would make what.

My daughter wanted to make sure that whatever dish she was making would require her to wear her April Cornell apron (I never said they weren't sartorially prepared for the kitchen!) so I set her up with Zucchini Moons which required some stovetop time.

What was especially nice about this recipe was that instead of dry sauteeing in hot oil, it's almost more of a butter bath for the zucchinis, so far less splattering.  Surprisingly for something with so few ingredients, it was delicious.  Recipe below.
My son's requirement was the minimal amount of standing time, so he got to make the Black Bean Quesadillas.  To make it fun for the quesadilla filling part, I drew a half-circle with my cookie decorating markers indicating where to fill the bean mixture in.  Then it became a competition to see who could "color in the lines" closest without going over.  (Also, it satisfied a psychological need)

Look at that!

He went commando ... as in apronless, for the few minutes of grill time

It was such a pleasant experience that the kids asked for it to become a weekly tradition.  Quite honestly, the fare at chez kidlets was simple, but tasty and I certainly wouldn't mind having it on a weekly basis.  My hope is that we will increase our repertoire of dishes they can make and then put together a little cookbook for them.
Call me slow, but I just never realized how much "stuff" there was to cooking.  We talked about the history of the salt trade, the temperature that certain magical cooking things happen, and how languages develop (inspired by my repeated, 'It's kaysadEEah!  KAYsaDEEEEEah!  Not Kwesadila!'), ... all without cracking a book.


Slightly altered from Pretend Soup
Zucchini Moons:
2 small zucchinis (we use yellow)
1 t butter
2 T water
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 t grated Parmesan cheese

Cut zucchini into 1/4 inch rounds
Heat pan to medium-hot
Put in zucchini, butter, and water
Add salt and pepper
Stir and cook until it seems done (5 minutes)
Sprinkle with cheese


Quesadillas: 
A few tablespoons of refried beans for each one (your own or canned) mixed with a little mild salsa
Tortillas
Handful of grated cheese
Cilantro (if you like it)

Spread the beans over half the tortilla, top with cheese and cilantro and grill lightly on both sides on an oiled griddle or pan until golden.