Cooking With My Kids - Part 3

For the final installment of this series (Cooking With My Kids - Part 1, Cooking With My Kids - Part 2), I will share my experience with my oldest daughter. To be honest, she is the motivation behind my idea for this "getting the kids to cook this summer" project because she is the least comfortable in the kitchen among my three children. Although she is still several years away from having to fend for herself with regard to preparing meals, I feel like the clock is ticking, and we'd better start working on it now.

So for her meal she chose one of our family's favorites: Olive Pasta. This is also one of the quickest, easiest meals in our family recipe collection. It's one of the few meals that my husband makes, too. I know the process was a little challenging for my daughter, including learning how to hold a peeler correctly and operate the food processor safely. In the end, she was very proud of her accomplishment and enjoyed sharing her meal with the family, and I was a little more hopeful that she'll be able to cook for herself in the future. :)

OLIVE PASTA

(Adapted from The 5 in 10 Cookbook, by Paula J. Hamilton, 1993)

1 6-oz. can pitted black olives, drained

1 garlic clove, peeled

½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. angel hair pasta

· Prepare angel hair according to package directions.

· Mince the garlic clove in the food processor.

· Add the olives, cheese, and olive oil to the food processor.

· Puree until the mixture is smooth.

· After draining the pasta, put it in a large serving bowl.

· Add the olive puree to the pasta in batches, mixing thoroughly. This may take a little effort and I recommend using a pasta server and a spoon to do the job.

Serves 6.