Cooking up Quality Time with My Teenage Daughter

My husband does all of the food shopping and cooking. And he’s a great cook. Am I spoiled or what? At the end of his work day, he’s in the kitchen and I am still at my computer, happily working away. Of course, I am on clean up duty, but that works for me.

You’d think that my husband’s enthusiasm for cooking would have rubbed off on one of our daughters. Guess it didn’t rank very high compared to whatever they do for endless hours on their computers. I was delighted when my teenage daughter started doing a little cooking at a girl friend’s house over the holidays. I thought, now’s the time to add some kindling to the fire. I asked her to take a cooking class with me and she agreed.

offers cooking classes and food-related events each week. We attended a cooking demo and tasting event called, “Thai in the Raw.” Chef Melissa Mango demonstrated how to make Thai Iced Tea, Leaf Wraps with Almond Ginger Sauce, Tom Kha Soup, No Beef Broccoli Salad, Green Curry with Parsnip Rice, and Banana Ice Cream with Ginger. It was educational and entertaining.

Monday, after my daughter got out of school, we went shopping together at New Leaf for all of the ingredients. We made leaf wraps and the No Beef Broccoli dish. Yum! My husband enjoyed watching us “work” in the kitchen. He got a well-deserved day off!

I recommend cooking with your kids. It’s a wonderful recipe for a great evening with your loved ones.

Here are the cooking classes coming up at New Leaf Community Markets in March (plus a hands-on cooking class for kids starting on April 2). For more information, visit www.newleaf.com.

Cooking Class Schedule

Tuesday, March 13, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Wellness Lecture: Understanding Vitamins & Supplements with Dr. Brad West, naturopathic doctor and supplement expert and formulator

Wednesday, March 14, 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Cooking Class: Gluten- and Dairy-Free Stews and Comfort Foods with Chef Lauren Hoover-West and Dr. Brad West

Thursday, March 15, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Gluten Free Store Tour & Tasting with Chef, Ayurvedic practitioner, and Nutritionist Talya Lutzker

Thursday, March 15, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Wellness Lecture: Pre-Natal Health with Licensed Nutritionist and author Rebecca Rovay-Hazeltonn and Naturopathic Doctor Holly German

Wednesday, March 21, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Cooking Class: Cleansing Food with Chef, Ayurvedic practitioner, and Nutritionist Talya Lutzker

Thursday, March 22, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Cooking Demo: Sweet & Savory Party Pleasers  with Chef Scott Delk of Delk Bees Honey

Fri, March 23, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Healthy Cookbook Club: Vegan World Fusion Cuisine Cookbook with Chef and Nutritionist Jenny Brewer

Sat, March 31, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Cooking Demo: Dressings & Sauces in the Raw with Chef Melissa Mango

Monday, April 2 – Friday, April 6, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. daily
Kids Cooking Camp with Chef Lauren Hoover-West

Patti Bond is the publicist for New Leaf Community Markets and local marketing consultant and copywriter.