Menu Memories

A few days ago, I was going through papers and I came across...

... "menus" created by my three children when they were 10 or 12 - and I was feeling overwhelmed at work.

Arriving home at 5, the last thing I wanted to do was make supper.

The idea came to me that they could each be responsible for making supper one night a week. I remember discussing what their favorite suppers were. Pizza was definitely one - I don't see it in these menus, but I recall them assembling pizzas as well.

The menus were simple - easy to prepare. Each week, one child responsible for choosing one of these cards, so that we had some variety in what we ate. It was my responsibility to make sure the required food was in the fridge or freezer: frozen fish sticks and French fries, a package of  tortellini and a jar of spaghetti sauce, or whatever...

On their assigned day, they assembled the meal and set the table. I was always around, in case help was needed.

I don't think any of my children - except my daughter, who enjoyed baking - learned to cook from scratch. But I hope it gave them confidence in the kitchen.

And, as I recall, it was a big help to me - just knowing that for three nights a week, supper wasn't entirely my responsibility!