In 1990, we began caring for our granddaughters, Tara age 5 and Sabrina age 3. Their mother was “recovering” from a bad marriage. We were happy to help with the girls.
Once they got used to us, we had great fun. At times, both were in the kitchen when I was cooking. Eventually it was Sabrina who was most interested in what I was doing, often asking a lot of questions, mostly “why?”
Tara, now nearly 40, is a good cook. She and her family live nearby. Sabrina married and lives in Norway. She and her husband are expecting their first child any day. Not surprisingly, she’s a very good cook.
As they got older, the girls helped us when we were having a party, doing some food preparation but mostly serving and cleaning up. To me, that was proof it’s good to allow youngsters “help” in the kitchen when you can.
In many cases, it comes back in the form of a good cook who understands discipline and following directions. Although Tara was a little interested in what was happening in the kitchen, Sabrina became a help and often had her own ideas. One lunchtime, she was watching me mix tuna. When I said I was adding mustard, she said, “No – use Grey Poupon.” I said all right, as I opened my Grey Poupon jar. She liked it, as did everyone else. The recipe follows:
1 can tuna, well-drained - your choice: either in water or olive oil
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 teaspoon mustard (Grey Poupon)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 scallion/green onion, finely chopped
Blend ingredients well and cool for an hour. Serve as a sandwich or, as I prefer, on a bed of crisp lettuce. Unless one of you is extra hungry, this should serve two. It’s easy to double, triple, etc. if needed.
Enjoy and stay safe.
If you have questions or suggestions for this column, please contact me directly at guthrielarason@verizon.net.
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