A New Bedtime Routine

January 13, 2015

I don’t know if you hold as little sway in the kitchen with your kids as I do with mine, rarely getting them to eat new things. It’s frustrated me since my kids were born.

I grew up watching Julia Childs on television at my mother’s side. I never sparked to the stove in my childhood but perhaps Julia had an impact. I ultimately went to cooking school, had a catering business and have always enjoyed cooking for friends.

How frustrating was it that my wife who is a great adventurous cook and I have two children who don’t share our passion for food? We decided to consult with the experts at the NY Times.

Part of our bedtime routine with our kids has been reading them books since they were born. It occurred to us that perhaps integrating screen time into the bedtime routine, the communication medium of our kids’ generation, might help expand their horizons. It might excite them about new things in a way that a book or a parent doesn’t.

Porchetta, pork schnitzel with quick pickles, cornmeal plum scones, pasta with fried lemons and chile flakes, skillet chicken with rhubarb, scallops with sorrel butter, steamed clams with spring herbs…There are desserts. There are snacks. There are entire meals. Most importantly Melissa Clark and her segment producers at the NY TImes have a presentation style in the 3 minute videos that appeals to my 9 year old daughter. Watching Melissa, as we affectionately call her, during the bedtime routine, we pick out recipes every week to try out. if there are offensive ingredients to my daughter, we leave them out. One step at a time. If my daughter is open to rhubarb and quinoa, I’m willing to postpone her introduction to parsley, cilantro and fennel.

And what could be better than my daughter dreaming of delicious treats as she goes to sleep every night?