Last week we had some guests over for dinner, and I helped their teenage son actually make the dinner himself. He had made a list of things to do this summer and the list included learning how to grill and how to make brownies from scratch. Hearing this, I offered to give him a cooking lesson and help him make dinner. As we set about making a menu, he informed me that he cooks all the time, that he makes ramen noodles almost every day. I told him that he would learn much more than how to microwave noodles!
We started out marinating chicken, which would go on the grill.
Then, we got our brownies into the oven. If you have never made brownies without a mix, try it. The end result really feels like a culinary accomplishment.
We made burgers two ways. Here in St. Paul, Minnesota, local lore is that a type of burger called the Jucy Lucy (yes, spelled wrong on purpose) originated here. This type of burger is stuffed in the center with cheese (and sometimes other goodies, but purists would stick to cheese). He had attempted to make Jucy Lucys at home the week before, but, he told me (in the teenspeak de rigueur), “they were an epic fail.” So, he took my advice and actually crafted two patties to mold around the cheese (sharp Cheddar, by the way) rather than try to bury the cheese in a single patty. We made a second type of burger to practice grilling, with horseradish being the secret ingredient.
We then set up the grill, charcoal, and used a chimney to get it started. I had to laugh when he asked me when we would throw gasoline on the fire. I assured him that the chimney would be more than sufficient to get our charcoal ready for grilling. We talked all about food safety, cross-contamination, why we couldn’t dip our cooked chicken back in our used marinade, and how to use a meat thermometer to make sure that chicken is 180 degrees. We grilled just about everything we ate—our Jucy Lucys, our chicken, corn on the cob (in the husk, with the silk removed) and even potatoes.
I couldn’t resist a little joke, since he was such an expert at making ramen, I added a ramen noodle slaw/salad to our menu. He did a great job making it.
He was so pleased and proud with the way the meal turned out, and he was eager to cook again at home, which is a great antidote to the magnetic pull of the couch and television on a long summer day. Know a teenager bored at home this summer? What cooking skills could you pass along?