Stirring and stuffing

She likes to help out in the kitchen. I like to watch her when she's stirring in the pots. I can tell she's enjoying herself. She has good taste buds. "It needs chopped chives mom", she yells! And I can tell she's right. I hear the kitchen door slam when she races off to the backyard, snipping some fresh herbs to finish off her dish. She's a great kid.

The best part is, when she's going through the book shelves, looking for a cookbook that can draw her attention. That book may be written in Dutch or in English, it doesn't matter. She drops the book on the kitchen table, pulls up a chair and frowns her eye brows. Flipping over the pages, she's looking for recipes that have pictures of the result. Because the eye says a lot. A pen, some scratch paper and she's ready to make her grocery list. She knows pretty well what we have in the pantry and both fridges, for she helps me put away the groceries after a trip to the supermarket. I hand her some money and off she goes, to the local store, to get whatever is not in the house.

Most of the time she doesn't need any help. She's only 13, but she knows how to operate the oven and the microwave. The Kenwood has no secrets anymore and she knows where I keep the cookie cutters. She's not nervous at all in the kitchen. Cups and spoons or a regular kitchen scale, it doesn't matter. She uses whatever the recipe asks for. In fact, she made the most delicious chocolate cupcakes just yesterday..

I like to observe her. It's good to have her home..