Toad in a Hole

When my middle sister was a kid, our parents bought the Better Homes & Gardens Junior Cookbook for her. I think she made several recipes from the book, but the most memorable one was something called Muffin Surprise (or Surprise Muffins - something along those lines). As I recall, they had a bit of jelly in the middle - hence, the "surprise." Pop called them "concussion rolls" because they were, well, quite dense. If one were hurled at your noggin, we imagined you'd be struck unconscious on the spot. My sister didn't think that was funny at all.

I've ordered the same book (new cover - not sure what else has changed) for my daughter for Christmas.  Last week she came home from the school library with a kids' cookbook. It's not the classic Better Homes & Gardens one, but it has some cute recipes. We tried one this morning.  Now, historically my daughter is not all that self-sufficient so I was a little apprehensive. She doesn't seem to have an interest in doing much for herself. I mean, why bother when you have two capable servants who will either a) dress you or b) be late for work every day? I was reading the blog of a fellow May 2005 mom (I met her through Babycenter.com years ago) and came to this realization: I've been had. She wrote in a recent blog entry that her six-year-old often makes herself breakfast. I read that sentence about eight times. Makes herself breakfast. Mine doesn't even pour her own juice . . .

I suspect that one reason my daughter doesn't do more for herself is that there is no younger sibling around. So it's not as if she needs to prove that she's more grown-up than this non-existent resident of our home. And because this other young person doesn't exist, I don't have to devote part of my parenting resources to him/her. So, I get that. We probably do more for her than we should. Maybe we need to start pushing her a little.

So, I was happy to encourage Short Stuff to make a recipe from her library book this morning. She chose a culinary delight called "Toad in a Hole," which is essentially a piece of toast with an egg in the middle. She made it and she ate it. Had I made the same thing for her, she would not have eaten it (she is not fond of eggs).

This afternoon we are headed to an orchard to pick apples. Maybe we'll go crazy and try the Apple Crisp recipe.

 
 

Comments

Melissa said…
When I was younger we called this breakfast dish 'Eggs in a nest'... They are delicious! She did a great job! Have fun!
October 2, 2011 at 7:02 PM
aliciajill said…
Lol. Thanks for the shout out. Glad that little sentence encouraged some culinary skills!! Toad in a hole looks delicious. B is pretty sure she can cook anything, I have to supervise to make sure she doesnt burn the house down. Our main problem with B is that she is convinced she is a third adult in the household. Sigh I am really digging A's hair in that pic by the way.
October 2, 2011 at 8:53 PM
Sam said…
My son requests that all the time! But we call it 'egg bread'.
October 5, 2011 at 8:20 PM
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