Cornbread

Sometimes I hate the weather in Utah. Just when I start to think that it's going to be warm and sunny...BAM! It snows. It could be thought that since I've lived in Utah most of my life that I would be more prepared for days like that than I really am. I don't deal well with sudden spring snow. It makes me so sad. The only thing I can ever think to do about it is make soup. So, yesterday for dinner we had taco soup.

I made the mistake of mentioning to David that I had thought about making cornbread, but had since changed my mind. David understands how much I dislike making cornbread, which is really strange when I stop and think about it, but Joshua doesn't. And Joshua loves cornbread. Not surprisingly, when he heard me mention cornbread he got all excited about it. But I didn't want to make it (is the whine fully evident?).

At this point a random thought crossed my mind. "Wouldn't it be great if Joshua could make his own cornbread?" I think this is a great goal. If my kids can learn how to cook, maybe I won't have to cook to often! Then another thought, not so random this time, went through my mind, "I've taught Sarah to cook...why not start teaching Joshua by having him make cornbread for dinner?" So we did.

Joshua did most of the work, with me working on the soup at the same time. He measured everything. He mixed everything. He learned that dry ingredients go first, mix them well, then add the wet ingredients. He learned that there are different types of measuring cups, dry ones and wet ones. He learned that three teaspoons makes one tablespoon. He's still figuring out how to crack eggs...well, the cracking part he has down. It's the opening part he's struggling with. He learned that shortening comes in many different forms: butter, margarine, oil, shortening. As it turns out, cornbread is a great recipe for a kid to start learning to cook.

I learned something from this: my kids are smarter and more willing than I give them credit for. Maybe I should let them do things like make cornbread more often. It turned out great...bonding time followed by yummy dinner. Everybody wins.