Over the past year my daughter Lila has become increasingly interested in cooking and baking, and often wants to ‘do things on her own.’ A couple months ago, Miss Independent wanted to surprise us and make us all breakfast. I knew she was up to something when I heard her feet pitter-patter down the steps and then instead of hearing the tones of the TV turning on, I heard the kitchen stool sliding around and cupboard doors opening and closing. Knowing she wasn’t allowed to use knives or the stove, etc, I found her doing her best to prepare ‘trail mix’ for each of us on the four paper plates she had laid out. I tried to nicely explain that none of us wanted to eat trail mix (made out of stale cheerios) for breakfast, but that she could help me make something. (If I’m being real, I’m pretty sure it ended in her grumping off to watch cartoons and sulk because she couldn’t make anything herself. :-p #keepitreal )
So anyway, this past weekend Sis got her chance to pick out her very own recipe, create her grocery list of what we needed, and then do nearly all the preparation; the dish she picked was Pasta Salad with Cheese, Tomato, and Pesto from her own Do It Myself Cook Book (PBS Kids, 2015). She did a great job and everyone loved it!
We can’t take credit for the recipe but we felt it was worth sharing with you. (We doubled it.)
Pasta Salad with Cheese, Tomato, and Pesto
3 cups bowtie pasta
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup frozen peas (thawed but not cooked)
1 cup grape tomatoes (cut in half)
1/4 cup vinaigrette dressing (we used a little more)
1/4 cup pesto (we used a little more)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Mix the pasta, cheese, tomatoes, and peas. In a small bowl combine dressing and Pesto; pour over pasta mixture. Then sprinkle with parm cheese and serve.
Enjoy, this ones from Chef Lila 🙂
Runner With A Hunger 