Cooking With Emily

It's Tuesday again.  The days are flying by, and I am doing my best to savour the moments that will never come again, and hopefully create lessons and memories that one day will serve Emily well.  She is getting more skilled in the kitchen every week; this week I did help for efficiency's sake, but she could have handled the meal pretty much on her own.

Sunday evening she got home from spending the afternoon at her dad's, celebrating her stepsister's birthday.  She was tired and over-sugared, complaining of not feeling well, but while she tried to eat a bit of pizza (I hadn't expected her for supper, it was "emergency" rations, since I had a late & hearty lunch) she began to comb through the stack of cooking magazines on the coffee table. No, they are not usually there, I had been searching for a recipe myself earlier in the weekend.  She rejected a few because they would take too long for a week night, but soon had a couple of options.   She wanted to make chicken pot pie, but I don't have a recipe, it is a catch-as-can, use up the leftovers dish usually.  The recipe she found for it looked great, but was a little labour intensive for a Monday night.  Eventually she settled on a different chicken dish, one I had short-listed last week.  That settled she retreated to her blanket on the couch, drowsily watching Downton Abbey with me.

I didn't get to the store Monday afternoon, but the day was fine, so when Emily got home from school she hopped on her bike and went to the grocery store for a bag of spinach.  She arrived back at home breathless and apologetic for taking so long (I didn't think it was too long for the time of day). She told me she had run into a teacher and several friends....ah my sociable child!  Everyone in town seems to know her.  She told me she had trouble finding the spinach, but she had been looking in the ice cream freezer-no wonder!  She went on to explain that she realized spinach was probably in the vegetable section, not the dairy aisle.  I think maybe she wanted to see if she had enough cash to get ice cream too, since she spoiled our last carton by putting it in the fridge not the freezer, although she denies she was the culprit.  Nonetheless she found the spinach and was pleased it only cost $3.  I guess the first bag she found was twice the size but cost more than the six dollars I had given her.  Smart shopper too, sometimes.
While she was shopping I pounded the chicken breasts (great stress relief) and grated some mozzarella.  While she coated the chicken pieces with a package of Shake-n-Bake I covered a pan with foil.  The chicken was arranged on the pan and she put it in the oven, setting the timer for 10 minutes.  I told her if she wanted rice she ought to start it too.  I admit I was pleased she knew that for a cup of raw rice she needed two cups of water, since I don't recall telling her that before.  She even reminded me that it would "make more".  After arguing that we had no rice, and then discovering we have several kinds to choose from, she choose the last of the pearl rice.  But she thought she could eyeball the necessary water into the pot....and again wanted to use a dry cup to measure liquid.  Oh well.
The rice was under way, the chicken now ready for step two; topping it with grated mozzarella cheese.  Once that was done I helped her start the spinach, mincing a couple cloves of garlic and heating some olive oil.  We cooked it in stages, and before long we had a lovely dinner on the table.
Dinner was delicious, I think this recipe will be added to the rotation.  I was even pleased Emily tried the spinach, although she didn't eat much.  She didn't reject it entirely either though-a good sign.
I added a generous spoonful of jarred marinara sauce to the rice in the lunch plates I made for her to take to school, it seemed a better pairing than the soy sauce she put on her rice initially.  I skipped the rice altogether, the chicken and spinach were more than enough for me.

I wasn't sure how this project would pan out in September when we began this endeavour, but I have to say Emily is learning to plan and to shop, and to try new things.  She seems to enjoy perusing recipe books and finding appropriate (for both time and skill level) recipes....and choosing side dishes that work.  There is much still to learn though, and she is pushing me to become a better and more patient teacher, and to step back and let her make mistakes-and then show her how to remedy them.  I look forward to Monday suppers now, I confess initially they filled me with dread-mostly of the extra dishes and bigger mess in my already crowded kitchen.  And I can see her pride and confidence growing as we enjoy her efforts.

Crispy Mozzarella Chicken with Garlic Spinach

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts                      2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pkg Shake-n-Bake, Extra-crispy Original recipe         2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese                                  8 cups baby spinach leaves

Heat oven to 400F.  Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap & pound to 1/4" thickness.
Coat chicken with Shake-n-Bake, place on a foil covered baking sheet.  Bake 10 minutes.  Top with cheese, bake 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken is done.
Meanwhile in a large skillet heat olive oil on medium heat.  Add garlic; cook & stir 1 minute.  Add half the spinach; cook one minute, until it just starts to wilt, turning constantly with tongs.  Add remaining spinach; cook one minute, until just wilted, turning occasionally.