In the kitchen with Emily: Chicken Parmesan #kids #cooking #motherhood #SAHM #parenting

The kids eat dinner earlier than David and I do because he works such late hours, it's just always been this way. When the planets align, we all eat the same meal only I portion out some for the kids around 6:00pm and then David and I eat ours together once he's home around 8:30-9:00pm. 

Last night wasn't one of those nights.

The kids wanted a "lunch dinner", which means they want salami, crackers, and cheese with some cheese puffs or chips, fruit, and maybe some carrots. I obliged and later in the evening went to work on the chicken parmesan that was on the menu while David put the kids to bed.

As I was preparing my three trays for breading, Emily wandered into the kitchen to observe me making dinner.

Emily: "What are you making, mama?"

Me: "Chicken Parmesan. It's like chicken nuggets but then you melt cheese and marinara sauce on top."

Emily: "So, that's flour (pointing to the first tray which was flour) but what is that (pointing to the egg wash tray), gravy?"

Me: (laughing) "No, that's eggs with a little milk, salt and pepper."

Emily: "Oh. And is this bread crumbs? What's that dark stuff, pepper?"

Me: "Yes, this tray is breadcrumbs I seasoned with dried basil, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper."

Emily: "Oh, spicy!"

She watched me cut the chicken in half to butterfly it - thinner chicken allows for more of the super yummy crust and it cooks more evenly and dredge it though each of the three trays.

Emily: "Wait! Can I get some tongs, too and do it?"

Me: "Sure, just pinch kind of hard so you don't drop the chicken and lay it on this tray. Leave room between each piece so they don't touch."

I breaded six pieces and she helped pat the bread crumbs on each one then, grabbed each one and expertly placed them on the cooling rack I placed over a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. She was confident and focused, it was really neat to watch her get so much out of a few pieces of chicken.

I think I may have found a great activity to continue helping her work on her confidence.

Oh, and please ignore the sink piled high with dishes. I hate doing dishes. I seriously just pile them up in the sink and David does them when he gets home. He says it's a nice even trade off for the great food he gets every single night. Please Lord let him continue to feel that way.