Who Is The Sous

For as long as I can remember I have loved to cook. I enjoy every part of it. Finding a recipe, molding those ingredients together into something tasty to eat, and then most of all taking pleasure in eating the item I made. I enjoy all kinds of cuisine and like to try to cook most of them. I find cooking a joy and a release from the day. A place where I am truly in charge. When It is time to cook dinner, it is a time for me to step away from the kids, cleaning and other stuff to focus on something I enjoy and to have a minute to myself to think while I cut and cook the meat and vegetables. I will admit that there are days when things are busy and we quickly throw together spaghetti or Tacos so we can move on to other things. But I usually find two or three nights a week when I can make something fun.

Once again it is getting close to dinner time. I don't need to look at the clock to know this because I can hear my kids going through the cupboards in the kitchen and asking me the age old question.... "What's for dinner?" usually followed by "can I have a snack?" I head into the kitchen and pull out the meat I have defrosting and the other ingredients I will need. Tonight the menu is Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry. This is one of my favorites. The flavorful sauce and the fresh veggies make it a treat for me. (My kids like the meat, but usually pick out most of the vegetables)

Suddenly I hear the familiar sound of the stool coming across the kitchen towards me, mixed with the familiar three year old voice asking the following questions......

"Are you making dinner?"

"What are you making?"

"Oh you are making chicken" (all meat is chicken to Josh)

"I will help you cook the chicken mom."

I begin cutting up the pork and Josh starts his narration of what I am doing. Then he notices the rice cooking on the stove and sees the little bubbles coming out the side of the lid and popping.

"Mom hurry the water is coming!"

"No Josh, it is supposed to look like that."

"Okay mom you keep cutting the chicken."

Josh then opens up the spice cupboard and begins pulling out the spices he thinks I should add to the meat.

"Mom put this in."

"No Josh that won't taste good."

"Oh will this taste good?"

This continues for a bit as Josh pulls out each spice container one after another telling me it would be good in the dish....I finish the meat and put it in the pan to cook.

"Okay mom I will stir the meat."

I let him help cook the meat, because it makes him feel like he is helping and it doesn't hurt anything. While Josh is stirring the meat I start cutting the vegetables. Suddenly the orders start coming at me again.

"Oh mom you are cutting those. Cut that one. Are you cutting them right. What are you doing with that. Do I like that."

It then occurs to me that I have been demoted from head-chef to sous-chef. Instead of being the one in charge I am now being ordered about my kitchen, and the little sanctuary I had is no longer.

I really don't mind having the kids help me cook. I think it is a fun way for us to spend time together. The meal was good, and in the end it was nice to know that Josh was happy he helped make dinner. But next time he can be the Sous-chef.