Serve a Good Meal

It’s fun. It’s delicious. It’s a great way to spend time together. Making a good meal and serving it to someone is one of the most essential and beautiful of gifts. It shows someone you care. It turns your efforts into something delicious and satisfying. And it grows you up a little, too – making your own food is a fundamental skill for independence.

Getting Started:

Start Small: If you haven’t cooked much yet, practice first with a few small dishes. Start easy so you can build momentum. For example, making pasta or rice, or a smoothie, can be a satisfying start.
Create a Menu: Once you have some practice, create a menu for a meal you’d like to serve. Remember to keep it simple at first. You can find recipes online. Once you have the menu and recipes, make a list of all the ingredients needed.
Create a Shopping List: Check your kitchen for what you already have, and for everything else, turn it into a shopping list. Ask your parents if it’s ok to buy those items. If possible go to the store to do the shopping yourself.
Practice: Practice making each dish individually at least once before the main meal.
Choose a date and have fun: Choose the day you’ll make your family and/or friends a meal. Make it a special occasion. Get yourself in the kitchen early. Take photos. Put on music. Document it. Don’t expect it to be perfect. Call it a “test kitchen”. This may be the first of many, many meals you’ll get to offer in your lifetime.