Reese in the kitchen

Reese is a chip off the ol' block in more ways than one. But, one way that I love the most is how much she likes to be in the kitchen with me. Anytime she sees me in the kitchen, she asks me what I am doing, if she can help and, usually before I have had time to respond, she brings her stool over and sets it beside me so she can get right into the action. Our favorite things to make are desserts, naturally--it's way more fun to taste along the way, and a lot less chopping that mom won't let her participate in.

Reese also loves to watch the Food Network with me. Her favorite tv chef is Giada de Laurentiis...she especially loves the episodes that show Giada's daughter Jade. She has said so many funny things that I know she learned from Giada, and they always crack me up! She has a little play kitchen and lots of kitchen tools of her own, so she is frequently in her "kitchen area" making all kinds of goodies. It is so funny listening to her narrate as she works. She'll say things like, "I need to zest a lemon for my filling" or "Ooh, look at these! They look delicious...nice and golden brown, just what we want!" One night we were making brownies and I told her that we were going to spray some cooking spray in the pan so that the brownies wouldn't stick, and Reese said, "How about we use some parchment paper?" Hilarious!