The Child Chef

Tonight was The Child's night to cook dinner. She was making Creamy Spinach Soup and Fontina Toast. She's been working from Rachael Ray's "No Repeats" cookbook and of course, Rachael is famous for 30 minute meals. Well, The Child is still learning and so it's usually more like an hour. Which is fine.

She started to cook dinner and I was noodling around on the computer. I smelled smoke but didn't even bother to look around. I figured that it was just the oven pre-heating for the toast. The Spouse came out to get a glass of wine and amps up the fan, making some comment to her about the importance of ventilation. "I'm just heating some EVOO," she says, in Rachael-speak. (EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil). I swing around and smoke is billowing out of a stock pot. EVOO has a low smoking point.

"NO!" The Spouse and I shout in unison. He pulls the pot from the stove top. She makes a boo-boo face. Snaps to The Spouse. He didn't yell at her. He patiently explained that you don't heat your oil until you're ready to cook. He tells her that it's ok, every chef has burned oil at least once. (Which really was the best thing he could have said because learning to cook is all about making mistakes. Where do you think "brown butter" came from?)

Alarms went off, fans got amped up even higher, doors were opened to the 40 degree night. She dumped the oil and got out another stock pot, then went back to some chopping. "And that's why I have to do mise en place," she says. That's my girl. Dinner was delicious.