Loving and Learning in the Kitchen
“I’ve always loved to cook and bake, ever since I was a little girl watching my grandmother in the kitchen. I guess the kitchen has always represented the complete family to me; my fondest memories have happened there.
“Things changed some after I had my son. I couldn’t spend as much time in the kitchen as I had before. But as he grew older, he would cruise about and wander into the kitchen whenever I was there, and he’d just stand and watch me, towering over him, as I cooked and baked.
“Starting when he was just 2 years old, he’d drag his tiny step stool into the kitchen and climb up next to me, just watching and trying to ‘help.’
“One day, he decided that he wanted to do more than watch. Well, my birthday was approaching, and he wanted to make me a birthday cake. So he went online, went to my recipe sites, found a recipe he liked, and then printed it out.
“I got to play his sous chef for this project… I got out all the ingredients and pans, and he read off the recipe ingredients, measured each item out, mixed it all up, then put it in the pans. All I did was put the pans into the oven and retrieve them when they were finished. He even made the frosting and frosted the cakes!
“He was so proud of himself and so was I. This went way beyond his love for me and his love of food and cooking. This is how he learned to read and also learned to do fractions and math.
“Now, he’s way ahead of everyone in his class, loves to cook and bake, and would rather be in the kitchen than outside playing. He loves to make healthy foods, and he’s even teaching his friends all about cooking and math. The teacher is adapting his idea into a lesson for his class.”
Annamarie’s Best-Ever Chocolate Cake
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar and orange slices, for garnish
Place butter in saucepan and melt. Stir in water and cocoa. Combine well with a whisk.
In a mixing bowl; combine the sugar, flour, soda and salt. Add the cocoa mixture, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Blend well.
Pour batter into a greased 8-inch round cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack.
