For homework, my son was given an assignment to plan, prepare, and clean up after a meal. There were several guidelines, such as limiting fat and cholesterol.
So, for dinner tonight, my son prepared a vegetable pasta dish, garlic bread, and some meatballs on the side. We had milk or water for our beverage. He created the recipe instead of consulting an outside source. Since my son has been cooking for years, this was not an overly difficult thing for him to do! He’s known as a chef with his Boy Scout troop, where they look forward to his cooking. We enjoy his cooking here as well.
The pasta was loaded with plenty of vegetables, just the way I like it. It contained carrots, peppers, broccoli, corn, herbs and spices. The sauce was made with milk, bread crumbs, and more herbs and spices. It all came together nicely. The garlic bread was nicely crunchy, and had a perfect amount of garlic to it. He even left some pieces of bread untoasted in case anyone wanted to dip it in the garlic butter he made. I tried it both ways! It’s hard to decide which I liked better. To round it out, he also handmade some meatballs as a side dish. The meatballs were very good – cooked thoroughly without being dried out or burned. They were seasoned expertly.
In addition to the meal planning and preparation, another part of the assignment was to get a grade and written evaluation from everyone who ate the meal. I give him an A because he did a really good job, and took care of everything without any help.
My husband wrote this: “As far as the meal goes, it was heavenly delicious! The Primavera was thoroughly cooked and a bit gummy which made it easy to chew and enjoy. The garlic bread was in a well done status with a crunchy enough sound that makes you want more. The garlic butter was another story of deliciousness. The meatballs were all natural and tasted perfect. My review for this not so tiny chef would be: Hungrier for more…” He gives the chef an A plus!
My daughter said, “I thought that his garlic butter was delicious. The pasta was good. It had a nice texture. The garlic bread was crunchy. I like crunchy. The meatballs were really good. They were moist, and that’s a good thing. Overall, the meal was delicious and well made.” She said she’d give him an A.
Here’s what my son had to say about his experiment: “It tasted good. The meatballs were really good. I thought that the pasta would be creamier, but it was still good.” He would give himself an A, too.
I would say that the experiment was a success. I honestly wasn’t surprised, because my son loves to cook, and this was far from his first time preparing a meal. This was his first time creating his own recipe, but since he has so much experience in the kitchen, he drew on his knowledge from past cooking sessions.
I look forward to the next time he cooks dinner (especially if he does the dishes again)!
