Cooking with Kinley and an Awesome Cookbook Gift

We have hit week four of living with 2 kiddos and have finally run out of prepared meals for dinner. I was totally blessed to have so many friends and family bring over meals for us after Ty was born. Fortunately, it lasted for a long time and we had leftovers for lunch and weekends and it was a dream. Unfortunately, Ben is now spoiled by everyone else's fantastic cooking. I am not really a cook...not at all actually. I wish I loved it...but, I don't. So, it was definitely appreciated and my very favorite gift when someone brought over a meal for us!

The only thing saving grace I have now is that Kinley LOVES to cook. She loves helping me in the kitchen. She loves pretending to cook in HER kitchen and taking orders like she is a waitress with a marker and paper. She loves it. She likes to pour things in a bowl, put anything I have chopped on a salad, put cookies or crescent rolls on a cookie sheet....pretty much anything. She will stop whatever she is doing to help me cook. Therefore, my goal is for this to become a regular productive activity for the both of us...and maybe because she is doing it with me, I will start to love it.

Yesterday, we really went after it and made some homemade banana bread and a new recipe for dinner!

Kristen's mom, Kathy, brought us some banana bread a couple weeks ago and we ate every bit of it and have been craving it ever since! We used Allison's grandmother-in-law Gran's recipie here. I did not quite get the timing in the oven right. The edges were a little dry but, the taste is great and it is definitely delicious heated up with butter on top!

Kinley loved helping pour the sugar and mash the bananas.

Then, for dinner, we made Beef Enchiladas from a recipe book that Ben's Aunt Deb gave us for Christmas last year. I can't believe I have not blogged about this book yet! It was SUCH a thoughtful and creative Christmas present.

She basically made this scrapbook/cookbook on Snapfish. Deb titled this book "Tastes like Another" because that is what their mom would say when she really liked something. When their dad "Walter" really liked something he would say "You got a good do on that one Lusel!"

She scanned in old family pictures and recipe's in their mother or grandmother's handwriting and told the story of every recipe.

It was so fun to read about the memories Gary and Deb have of when their mom made these dishes and the history of certain recipes like these "Dust Bowl Desserts." These were desserts their mom made during the Kansas dust bowl when everyone was poor and they could not afford anything but the basics and tried to make the best tasting desserts with what little they had.

This beef enchilada recipe was SUPER easy and fantastic. I actually halved it since I did not need the entire amount.

How cute is this old picture of Ben, Alex and their cousin (Deb's son) Adam!?

This book is really so cool and such a great idea for a present for Christmas or really any occasion....even for someone who doesn't cook much because it inspires you to want to!

I was really excited when Gary and Cheryl came by last night. I already had this made and Gary hadn't eaten yet so I was glad he could try the enchiladas. He said they were great and just like he remembered. Yay! Then we initiated a fun photo session with Gram and Pops.

I mean...how cute is this guy!?

I will keep you updated on how the cooking goes....I am hoping it will stick!