A Virtual Cook-Along for You and Your #LittleChefs

A few weeks ago, I had a moment of clarity.  I was thinking about our busy lives (we all have them) and thinking about my childhood (a much simpler time in my memory). The most happy and fun memories that I have are memories of things that I did with my family: sitting around the table almost every night for dinner; cramming with my siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles into my grandmother's small apartment for spaghetti dinner every Sunday;  making cookies with my mom and dad; experimenting in the kitchen with my sisters when we were allowed to cook our first family meal (Thanks for choking down that concoction, Mom and Dad). It might seem like all of my memories revolve around food!
While that isn't the case, so many of my great memories do revolve around the sights, sounds, smells, feels, and tastes of the kitchen. It was my first (and probably best) classroom and I want to give my own kids similar experiences.  

Moments in the kitchen, no matter how simple and brief, teach us in so many ways: it isn't just the math and science of the kitchen but the life experience, the cooperation, and the bonding that happens from creating something together. 

On Tuesdays, after school and homework, it is always a rush to get dinner on the table before I have to take my oldest daughter to ballet class and I head to meet with my Faith Sharing Group. Yesterday was no exception, but I did open up my mind and kitchen to allow for a little magic.  My daughter Olivia is five and at the PERFECT age for an introduction to the basics.  She was so eager to help and the wonder of making something from simple ingredients into a tasty treat is so new to her that it allowed me to really enjoy cooking again through her eyes.

I had a Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit on hand and with the kit and a couple of extra ingredients we had everything we needed to put together an easy, Cheesy Stuffed Pizza Bread Snack in less than 30 minutes! 

The kit comes with ingredients for dough, a can of tomato sauce and parmesan and romano cheese. It couldn't be simpler to put together either--just add warm water! 

Olivia was able to do most of the prep herself with just a little bit of guidance and, good thing, because I was busy manning the camera!

After we folded everything inside it was time to bake--and Olivia got to try her hand behind the camera! 

All that cheesy, gooey, pizza goodness found a happy home in our tummies! And I know Olivia was so proud of her accomplishment. 

I cannot wait to chat with all of you tomorrow during our half-hour Cook-Along session with Chef Boyardee and The Motherhood. There will be some other fabulous bloggers on hand to chat and answer questions about teachable moments in the kitchen. Janene laid out all of the details on Monday, so if you need more info, check it out! In the meantime, head over to The Motherhood and get registered for the session! It's free and only takes a moment. 

We will see you tomorrow at 2pm ET! 

{This post is written as part of The Little Chefs Project series on The Motherhood. We have been compensated for our participation in the project, however I fully guarantee the words and opinions expressed here are my own.}