I love mashed potatoes, and so do my children. When it's Thanksgiving, you can't seem to put enough of them on the table, and so it makes sense to help older children learn about the process of making their own mashed potatoes. However, some of the preparation is beyond the manual skills of younger children. While my 9-10 year olds can handle a butter knife, I'm not quite comfortable with their skills at peeling and paring. My 12 and up crew are fine, for handling potato peeling, and as well, are capable of working at the stove to boil. Ages 14 and up, I'm confident, can drain hot liquid from the cooked potatoes, and can use the hand mixer to mash.
For an easier alternative, if I want to include my younger children in making mashed potatoes, I defer to a box. The other reason for this choice, when I make it, is time or space constraints. It's much faster to boil water and add flakes, isn't it? While it may feel like cheating, in a busy society, sometimes a Mom needs to buy herself some time!
For ages 4-10, this is a great way to work on measuring skills, and for the upper end of that age group, to work on calculations. While the 4 year old may need a little help pouring a cup of liquid, it's still a way to include that youngster in the process. Count outloud as you go. If you are heating the liquids on the stovetop, the youngster will need to stand back, a bit, but once the liquids are ready, you can remove the pan to the table, and allow your child to add the potato flakes, and to stir. This is a quick process, takes only a little time to allow your child to participate, and provides the chance for your youngster to shine, when you proudly announce their work on the dish to your guests.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Cranberry Sauces: From Scratch, or From the Can?
I grew up in a household where we always made our Cranberry Sauces from scratch, at Thanksgiving. As a youngster, I loved to watch the process, and to help stir, as I grew old enough. The smell, the sight, and the experience permeate my memories, much as the scent of freshly cooked cranberries permeated the house, mingled with the aroma of turkey.
As a Mom, sometimes I defer to the canned, jellied cranberry sauce, a much different product, with a different texture and appearance, altogether. My kids prefer this to the Cranberry sauce that Grandma brings, though they will eat it. It's a matter of taste, I guess. If you compare the two, the canned product has a slightly milder taste, compared to the home cooked Cranberry Sauce. Sometimes, it's a matter of pricing, and the frozen cranberries required for making the sauce from scratch are a little more expensive than a couple of cans.
I think it's great to expose the kids to both variations, and to give them perspective on the source of the two sauces. If you want to include your children in making Cranberry Sauce from scratch, it's easy, but exercise caution with younger than 10 year olds. The cranberries burst, and splatter, as they cook, which is part of the fun of making from scratch cranberry sauce...the hot sugar in the pan will pose a burning hazard, though, so younger children need to be supervised very carefully, and not left alone near this dish.
Ingredients:
12 oz. frozen or fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Directions:
Rinse the cranberries, remove any bad cranberries, and place your good cranberries in a heavy saucepan. Add water and sugar, and heat, bringing to a boil, and reducing, to simmer. Continue to simmer until all cranberries have popped, or broken, stirring frequently to prevent scorching or burning. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
Quantity will be approximately 2 1/4 cups, for a small Thanksgiving dinner this will be sufficient, especially if children are part of the group, due to the strong flavor. For a larger gathering, double or triple the recipe.
As a Mom, sometimes I defer to the canned, jellied cranberry sauce, a much different product, with a different texture and appearance, altogether. My kids prefer this to the Cranberry sauce that Grandma brings, though they will eat it. It's a matter of taste, I guess. If you compare the two, the canned product has a slightly milder taste, compared to the home cooked Cranberry Sauce. Sometimes, it's a matter of pricing, and the frozen cranberries required for making the sauce from scratch are a little more expensive than a couple of cans.
I think it's great to expose the kids to both variations, and to give them perspective on the source of the two sauces. If you want to include your children in making Cranberry Sauce from scratch, it's easy, but exercise caution with younger than 10 year olds. The cranberries burst, and splatter, as they cook, which is part of the fun of making from scratch cranberry sauce...the hot sugar in the pan will pose a burning hazard, though, so younger children need to be supervised very carefully, and not left alone near this dish.
Ingredients:
12 oz. frozen or fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Directions:
Rinse the cranberries, remove any bad cranberries, and place your good cranberries in a heavy saucepan. Add water and sugar, and heat, bringing to a boil, and reducing, to simmer. Continue to simmer until all cranberries have popped, or broken, stirring frequently to prevent scorching or burning. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
Quantity will be approximately 2 1/4 cups, for a small Thanksgiving dinner this will be sufficient, especially if children are part of the group, due to the strong flavor. For a larger gathering, double or triple the recipe.
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