On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:03:40 -1000, dsi1
> wrote:

>I used to make pizza with the kids - they're kinda old these days - 15
>and 18. My 18 year old son asked me to teach him how I made my last
>batch of oatmeal cookies. The new recipe on the box of Quaker Oats was
>made with butter instead of shortening like the old days. This results
>in a cookie that flattens like a blown tire. I don't like the look or
>the texture. Welcome to the non-hydrogenation of America. :-)

Hey, cookies are a start! It seems to me that pizza is an even better
way to hook them in, considering their age and specific tastes. Pizza
is a great way to allow them to accommodate their particular wants and
needs in a meal, which may even ignite a cooking spark for you to
build on.

My kids are wonderful cooks now. We cooked together often when they
were kids. I told them that they didn't need to be a good cook, they
only needed to be a good reader... meaning to be able to read a
recipe. The important fact is they were open to cooking and
ultimately experimenting with flavors. Both can turn out fabulous
meals that are not presumptuous, but take courage and a good palette
to make.

Considering their age... have you thought about teaching them to BBQ?
(I'm not talking about the slow cooking/smoking kind) Heck, in
Hawaii... you have huli huli and imu too. Take a chance, it might
work out... my kids have always liked to cook for their friends, maybe
yours will too.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.