Tyler and I have been cooking and baking together for as long as I can remember. She's got a fantastic palate, a creative mind, and a general love for cooking. I started teaching her knife skills a few years ago, and she now has better skills than many adults. One of the top items on her Christmas list last year was a chef's knife, and Grandma and Puck obliged with a beauty from Williams-Sonoma. The knife is absolutely fantastic-just the right size for her hand and very, very sharp (I use it all the time and love it myself.) I think everyone thought I was crazy when I handed her sharp knives to use at the age of 3, but we've had very few (all things considered) injuries, and fortunately she's not lost any fingers in the process.
About a year ago, we made Tuesday night Tyler's night to cook dinner. She has made some amazing dinners, has had endless fun, and has learned a ton in the process. The TV shows, Chopped, Food Network Challenge and Cupcake Wars have been tremendously influential in her cooking, so most of the time when we cook together we're pretending we're on TV and/or in a timed challenge. She loves to peruse the grocery store isles for ingredients, all the while looking for inspiration for that special dish. I frequently spend more money on her dinners than I'd like and purchase things I'd rather not purchase, but I've decided that's all part of letting her be as creative and independent as possible. The funniest is her brainstorming in the store, saying things like, "I'm thinking pasta, maybe with seafood, maybe using some Mexican flavors, lots of cinnamon and cayenne."
More recently we've gotten away from the Tyler Tuesday routine because having a set day made it seem like a chore instead of fun. Instead she's started cooking most nights throughout the week, basically just because she has fun doing it. In recent weeks, she (with a little help from me) has made some absolutely fantastic pasta dishes and this morning made a very tasty egg over diced, sautéed bread chunk, dish. Phil and I find ourselves looking at each other in utter surprise when her unconventional combinations of ingredients come together and really work. She's certainly taught me to broaden my culinary horizons!
With all that said, I've decided to start another blog so we can document Tyler's creations so we don't forget any more steps of her culinary journey (in hindsight I should have started this three years ago - I won't beat myself up over it.) I will peruse older pictures to see if I can find some of her past creations and will post them soon.
I love this kid more than anything else in life and can't get over how fortunate I am to have a front row seat to experience her many journeys. I am one lucky mom!
