Sue's Chef

I am so excited! I have a little chef in the house. My daughter Miss O enjoys helping out in the kitchen. She will chop veggies, she will stir pasta, she will bake cookies, and much more. One Saturday morning a few weeks back, she made pancakes for all of us - a little bit burnt, but overall a good job. Then a week or so later, we baked a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie together. She cut all of the strawberries and the rhubarb for the filling - awesome!

Miss O likes to eat healthy, and she loves flipping through my Everyday Food and Real Simple magazines to find new recipes to try. Her latest dish, Herbed Ricotta Pasta with Corn and Zucchini, came out pretty tasty. She did most of the prep and cooking herself with the exception of grilling the zucchini. She gave that job to her daddy. She refused all my offers for help, just like when she was a little girl. "I do it myself," she used to say. Kids change in so many ways, but in many ways they stay the same.

Later in the evening on the day Miss O made dinner, my husband was reminding the kids about being kids for as long as they can, and to avoid acting grown up too soon. "OK," said Miss O. "Tomorrow, I am not cooking dinner."

If you would like to make Miss O's pasta dish, here is the recipe from the June 2012 issue of Everyday Food. She omitted the dill, used frozen corn instead of fresh (she just let it thaw a bit before adding to pasta), and bow tie pasta instead of campanelle.

Herbed Ricotta Pasta with Corn and Zucchini
Serves 4

• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 pound short pasta such as campanelle
• 1 3/4 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving grilled zucchini, chopped. (about 3 small to med. sized zucchinis
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

To prepare zucchini: Slice thinly lengthwise. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Chop into bite-sized pieces.

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook past 3 minutes less than package instructions; add corn and cook until tender, 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup pasta water, ricotta, and Parmesan. Add pasta mixture, zucchini, basil, and dill and toss to combine. Add more pasta water if necessary to create a light sauce that coats the pasta. Season with salt and pepper and top with more basil and Parmesan if desired.

Do you know some kids who like to cook? Do they have a yummy recipe that they like to make or try? Do share ~ send me email, just click the tab in the left sidebar.