Cooking with the Family

I spent the weekend with my nephew and nieces, six-year-old James being the eldest, followed by Kiley at four, and young Abigail, one and a half, bringing up the rear. For better or worse, these kids are good eaters. James and I made our banana pancakes (featured in Yankee‘s Jan/Feb 09 issue in “Taking Comfort“); he’s really turned into a pro and decided that adding chocolate chips would be a good idea. I agree. I’ve decided that it’s better for all of us if I have at least one cup of coffee before we start measuring things and breaking eggs.

Kiley helped me make dumplings (featured in Yankee‘s Jan/Feb 08 issue in “Occasion: Chinese New Year“) on Saturday night. I made the filling, and she carefully spooned out the right amount onto a dumpling wrapper, wetted the edges with her teeny finger, and then sealed them in a decorative pleat. (She didn’t want to wash her hands before or after, but she relented.) She ate a dozen herself and then drank the dipping sauce. Not sure if that’s a sign that her palate is good or terrible.

Baby Abby wasn’t allowed to cook, but she did well with everything we fed her.

I left the Cape on Sunday night late. Then I spoke to my sister on Tuesday afternoon, and she said my dad was making arroz con pollo (Dad’s Chicken and Rice), a family favorite (also featured in the Jan/Feb 09 “Taking Comfort“). I closed up the office at 4:45 and hopped onto I-93 South and arrived in Cotuit just in time for dinner.

I’m off to Nantucket this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes.