First, I need to share a little experience.  I recently babysat our precisous grandson, Simon. We had a grand time together.

Several months ago, Grandpa bought a large plastic container of animal cookies. The kind that are not frosted.  The kind that (to me) taste like cardboard.

“It’s for the grandchildren,” he exclaimed. (Then why did I see him sneak into the pantry and snitch handfuls of cookies when nary a grandchild was in sight??)

We kept the cookies on the floor of our walk-in pantry. One time, when I was making supper, I went to the pantry. Simon followed me. He saw the almost empty container of cookies. And, being a normal child, he wanted a cookie. And, being the nice grandma that I was, I gave him three little ones.

The pantry door has a teeny tiny squeak when it is opened. Simon instantly learned that the squeaking meant the pantry was open — and he could gain access to those little cardboard cookies. (I really must improve his culinary tastes for cookies, now mustn’t I??)

Anytime he hears the squeaking door, he dashes to the pantry.  Alas the cookies are all gone now so he stands there puzzled, trying to figure out where they went.  It is so cute — the dashing to the pantry NOT the lost forlorn look on his face when he realizes the cookies are gone!

Upward and onward to today’s idea.  This little experience made me think it would be great fun to have a cooking activity with my grandchildren.

Yah, yah, I hear you saying. I bake cookies with my grandkids. I whip up batches of pancakes. I make all sorts of culinary delights with them. Cooking with grandchildren isn’t a revolutionary idea, ya know.

That’s true. But add a twist to it. Create a cooking show with them. Film them making those cooies, pancakes, and that special culinary delight that you both love so much. So, grab your video camera and head to the kitchen.

Here’s a video to give you an idea of what you can do. (This is so fun to watch!)

You might want to practice a couple of times before you start filming. That way, your little sous chef  can have confidence as he demonstrates how to make that special something. After filming your grandchild, switch places. Let HIM do the filming and YOU do the demonstrating.

When you are finished, copy your movies to a DVD — bloopers and all — and send it home with your grandchild. He will have tons of fun watching it with his friends and family.

To add more fun to the activity, create a chef’s hat for him to wear. The easiest style to make is one out of butcher paper. Make a tube hat that is similar to the picture at the beginning of my post. Or, you can make a pourfy paper one.  Here’s a tutorial on how to make it.

Or, you could sew a hat (and matching apron if you are really ambitious).  Here’s a great tutorial on how to sew one. I love how she used a die cut machine and added the word ‘chef’ on her hat.

If you don’t have a video camera, use your digital camera to take pictures and create your own tutorial for the family. E-mail it out to your other grandchildren. Post it to your family blog. Print it in booklet form for your grandchild to take home.

Bon appétit!

Have you had any experiences filming a cooking activity?

I mentioned in my posting about Lewis Day (creating your own family holiday) that our son and his wife left pieces of homemade licorice around the house.  I finally got the recipe and finally made it.

I had to exert TONS of self-control with the candy they left us and eat only one or two pieces at a time because it was so yummy.

As I wrapped up the candy that I made, I didn’t have any self-control.  At the end, I almost felt like I was sugared out.  I’ve decided I have lots of self-control when there isn’t any tempting thing to eat in the house.  When it’s right in front of me and I’m working with it (wrapping the pieces of licorice in pieces of wax paper), I’m a goner.  I ought to join Licorice Anonymous . . .

Here’s the recipe.

Licorice Caramels

2 cubes butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon black paste food coloring
1 teaspoon anise flavoring oil

Line a 9×13 inch pan with foil.  Butter the foil and set aside.

Slowly melt butter in a large, heavy pan.  Use a fork to swirl butter up the sides of the pan to prevent sugar crystals.  When melted, add the rest of the ingredients — except the black paste food coloring and the flavoring.

Turn heat to medium-high and cook stirring constantly with a flat bottom wooden spoon.  Do not cook on high heat.  It will scortch!)

Cook to 234 degreed on candy thermometer (soft ball stage).  Remove from heat and add coloring and flavoring.  Mix well so there are no light colored streaks in the caramel.

Pour into prepared pan and let sit in a cool place overnight.  Turn out on a cutting board and remove foil.  Cut into squares and wrap in waxed paper.

Now that you’ve read the recipe, let me give you a couple of hints — based on my experience.  First, about the coloring.  When I went to the store, the clerk told me about a powdered coloring.  “It will last 30 years and won’t go bad,” she said.  I thought that sounded like a great deal.  The food coloring from my cake decorating days that sat in my cupboard was 30 years old.  That’s why I went to get new coloring. . .

However, the coloring wasn’t a dark black.  It was more a greenish steel gray.  The candy tastes yummy but looks rather odd.  I recommend that you try the gel coloring instead.

Second.  My daughter-in-law said that her sister just sprayed a cake pan with Pam instead of lining the pan with foil.  (At least that is what my memory told me.)  Even though I sprayed the pan it was rather hard to get the licorice out.  (And then there was the flavoring from the spray.  I had to wipe the oil off so it wouldn’t over power the yummy licorice flavoring.)  So, next time, I’m going to use buttered foil in the pan.

Third.  When the recipe said to put in a cool place overnight, I thought, “Put it in the fridge.”  The fridge is a cool place, right?  Well, I think it is almost too cool.  The licorice was really hard to cut.  And that leads me to my fourth suggestion.

Fourth.  Test out your candy thermometer BEFORE you make the candy.  It had been a long time since I used my thermometer.  Heck, I don’t even know if I really even used it at all!  As I was cooking the candy, it started looking like candy at the hard ball stage instead of the soft ball stage.  But the thermometer didn’t say 234 degrees.  So, I’m thinking that part of the reason the candy was so hard to cut was because it was cooked too long.

You might want to make a practice batch before you invite your grandchildren over to make it with you.  That way, you’ll work out the kinks beforehand.  Then, you’ll have a much happier time with your grandchildren!

Candy making is a great skill to add to your grandchildren’s culinary repertoire.  Happy cooking!