Jul. 3, 2008 - Cooking Curriculum
This morning Sam decided he was going to make chocolate chip cookies. I gave him the recipe I had typed up and let him at it. He realized quickly that he didn't have enough flour so he had to beg ask the neighbors for some. He did really well for an almost 8 year old. I mixed in the chips and scooped the dough balls out for him, but he did everything else himself.
I have been working on a cooking curriculum for the boys. I am taking recipes that we commonly use and typing them up so they are simplistic and easy to read. It will also include basics like how to cook rice and how to use the measuring cups. It is my goal for the boys to have an end of year "final" that will include creating a menu for the week, purchasing the items needed using a budget, cooking the meals independently, and serving them properly. I believe it is doable. They both know how to set an oven temp and adjust the heat on the stove top. The hardest part will probably be getting them to write the menu down and writing the list. They don't like to write.
I hope to add recipes to their binders as they grow up and then they will have something to share with their future brides. (Just in case their brides are like me as a new bride and think that a box of hamburger helper and a can of corn was a great meal!)
Here is the recipe I typed up for the boys, ages 9 and almost 8 to use. It makes a huge batch but we always freeze some of the dough balls and then bake them later as needed.
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients List
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 cups butter (this is 4 sticks of butter)
2 eggs
4 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking SODA
1 teaspoon salt
3 or 4 cups of chocolate chips
1. Heat oven to 375*
2. Mix white sugar, brown sugar, butter and eggs in mixer
3. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in another bowl
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
5. Stir in chocolate chips
6. Roll dough gently into small balls of equal size and evenly place them on a baking sheet. Make sure they are about 2 inches apart
7. Bake 10-12 minutes until they are light brown and the center is still soft looking.
8. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes then move to a wire cooling rack
9. Store covered on the kitchen counter, not in the fridge
(Makes 2 batches of cookies)
