R i c k c o o k e d this chicken?” our astonished dinner guest asked. “ Yes, our 13-year-old. He has been cooking since he was 8 and Laurie, now 11, has been cooking since she was 9.” People are surprised when they find out that our children can cook. Then they usually asked these two questions: “When did you find time to teach them? How can you stand the mess they leave?” Once when I was very ill, my hus band Dick took over all the house hold duties. I’ll never forget how grateful I was to his dad for teach ing him the basic steps of cooking and caring for a house. It was about then that I decided our children would know how to make a few good breakfasts, lunches and dinners. I made up my mind I would do my very best to make it fun and crea tive both for Laurie, who would spend much time cooking as a fu ture mother and for Rick, who some day, as a father, would have to “ pitch in.” We began with simple things like putting the toast in the toaster, waiting for it, and buttering it quickly. They were not aware of the teaching process much of the time as it seemed a natural thing to “ help” with dinner. The first thing Rick ever made was pancakes (it helps if they LOVE what they are cooking) and we taught him gradually, not all in one lesson as in cooking school, but slow ly. For instance, one day he broke the eggs, another day he beat the batter, and finally, pancakes, from start to finish! When mothers think of teaching their children to cook often they stop right there. You and I know that there’s more to cooking than just cooking! There’s cleaning up the mess! So with teaching our children to cook, I taught them how to use the right utensil and to clean up as they went along. For instance, one little piece of paper toweling under the pitcher of pancake batter is easier to clean up than dried, hard ened batter on the sink. We estab lished a rule that part of cooking was the cleaning up. Too often we forget this and our own cooking leaves our kitchen in shambles. Now when our children cook, the kitchen looks as it does when I cook (messy but not demolished). The Scripture that tells us to “ train up a child in the way he should go” was written, not only for his spiritual growth, but for every area of his life; to help girls and boys to be someday the best moth ers and fathers that they can possi bly be.
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Coffee
by Joyce Londorf
When someone says, “ This is de licious; who cooked it?” , I’m not sure who beams more proudly, the children or we the parents, but I do know that I fairly burst with pride as I say, “ The CHILDREN cooked it!” RICK'S CHICKEN (It's not really Rick's chicken as we got it from- a BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS BOOK. . . . But he has made it so many times we have given it this name.) 1 - 2Vi or 3 pound fryer chicken. Cut up. (Or special pieces if you like.) Vi cup butter or margarine. 1 - 4 ounce package of potato chips. 14 teaspoon of garlic salt. (Use onion salt if you prefer.) Dash of pepper Set oven to 375 degrees. Melt but ter in a small skillet. While it's melt ing, tear off a small part of the corner on the potato chip bag (to release the air) and then crush the chips with a rolling pin before open ing the whole package. Mix crushed potato chips with garlic salt and pepper on waxed paper. Dip chicken into butter, then roll in potato chip crumbs. Place pieces on a pan, skin side up, so they do not touch. Pour rest of butter, crumbs over chicken. Bake 1 hour (do not turn). This serves four. Note: I have made this for 25 to 30 people, using thighs and/or drumsticks. Remember to allow Vi hour extra time in baking. Thought: Home cooking is where a lot of modern women should be.
KANDY KAYE SAYS,
VERSE FOR TODAY If God were to treat me tomorrow As I treated others today. Would I be granted His kindness Or would He His face turn away? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.— Matthew 7:12
I honestly hate to cook. I feel ashamed of this especially since I do have a family to cook for. Have you any suggestions? Mrs. C. D. Lyons Dear ~Mrs. Lyons, I ’ll probably not be much help to you os I honestly love to cook but I did think o f one thing. My friend Joyce gave me a great little book called, THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK, by Peg Bracken. It’s a humorous book with more than 180 quick and easy recipes, fun to read and simple to use. The paperback edition cost 50 cents; it may be the best 50 cents you ever invested. Ruth Young people are invited to send in questions to Mrs. Ruth Calkins.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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