07.30.2009 / Cooking Up Family Fun.
Whether you are pinching pennies or looking for a new way to create family togetherness, cooking more meals at home can do both. Try these ideas to create exciting cuisine, get the whole family involved in both good food and good savings practices!
Create new traditions.
This can be as simple as baking special cookies or as complex as gathering everyone in the kitchen once a month to make a week's worth of meals.
Stage a family cook-off.
Nothing brings people together like good old-fashioned competition. Make sure to include prizes - like letting the winner get out of chores for a week!
Prepare exotic dishes.
Learn about a new culture and prepare a related dish your family hasn't tried before. For instance, read up on India then whip up a batch of curried chicken. You could even download related music to listen to while you cook. Trying new dishes lets you sample food without the cost of taking the whole family to a restaurant.
Fix favorites.
Have every family member pick his or her favorite dish and take a turn being "head chef" the day that meal is prepared. (Save the leftovers for yummy, easy lunches to take to work too!)
Share family recipes.
Invite grandparents to be part of the fun. Ask them to help make popular family dishes and get the scoop on the dishes' histories, too.
For more delicious ideas, try these family-friendly web sites for recipes, advice and more.
