It seems as though everyone has jumped on the mini burger bandwagon as of late. Sit down and fast food establishments alike have been serving up these pint-sized patties for their guests of all sizes. It’s time for you too to embrace the three-bite burger.

When Kiwi was five years old she hated burgers. Burger night was met with tears and cries about the evils of grilled meat patties squished between two toasted buns. While I don’t care that she prefers steak to hot dogs and sushi to fish sticks – it actually makes me proud – I felt that a burger was really an essential food for her to conquer. For my sanity, if nothing else. Enter the mini burger.


These 1/6th-pound patties accommodate small mouths like those of my children, even though the middle two do not seem to share their older sister’s aversion to the full-sized variety.


You also benefit from a shorter cooking time. Be careful not to overcook your burgers and please – PLEASE – never press the patty down. Say goodbye to flavor and juice and hello to dry, lifeless lumps of meat.


Their small size does make them perfect for small mouths, but it can also be beneficial for indecisive mouths, the ones that can’t decide when given the choice between a bacon and blue cheese burger, a mushroom and Swiss or a California with mayo, tomatoes and lettuce. Why not one of each? This particular burger is a California style topped of with refrigerator pickles.


Little and big mouths approve equally.

Ready?  This one is going to go fast.

Ingredients:

Sweet corn

Water


The trick here is in the technique.

First, peel and remove any loose leaves.  Only the loose ones, we’ll need the rest later. This is the perfect time to get your kids involved. Everyone wanted to get their hands on their own ear of corn as we got them ready.

Next, as evenly as possible, split and fold back the remaining husks just enough to remove the silk, then close the husks back up around the corn.

Place the resulting product into a bucket or cooler full of cold water.  Repeat this procedure on the rest of your ears.  I’ve found that they don’t really need to soak that long, maybe ten minutes.

Oops, Kumquat went a little too far on one of those.

In the mean time, light your grill and let it warm to about 400 degrees.  Place the corn, still wet and in the husks directly onto the grill.  Close the lid and let them cook for six to eight minutes.

After the allotted time, flip the ears over.  You should notice that the kernels that were on the bottom have taken on a more vibrant yellow color, this means you are on the right track.

Notice the darker yellow in the two on the left.

I like to leave them a little on the firm side because there’s nothing worse than mushy corn.  Plus, they will continue to cook off the grill if you remove them to a covered foil pan which is what I do.

Wrapped in foil, they will stay hot for up to thirty minutes or more, which will give you plenty of time to prepare other sides, a main course and drinks.  If your guests don’t mind, leave the husks on and let them peel the corn themselves. The peeled leaves can also act as a handle of sorts.

We had this corn along side herb crusted beef tenderloin and toasted cheese bread tonight.  The best part was, I didn’t set out butter or salt or pepper, and no one even asked for it.  The corn was that good on its own.  The final product is sweet and firm with a distinct roasted flavor that you just can’t get from boiling water.

So do yourself a favor, keep the heat outside and cook your sweet corn on the grill.  I don’t remember the last time I boiled corn, and I really don’t care if I ever do it again.

“What are we having for lunch?” he demanded to know the other day as I rummaged through the fridge. “Umm…grilled cheese sandwiches.” “Yahoo! Sandwiches. What are you going to put on them?” “Cheese.”

Silence.

“Just cheese?”

What exactly is it that he expects from me? Yes, just cheese. Butter-bread-cheese-bread-butter. In a pan until brown. Cut in two, on a plate, on the table, in front of you. That’s it. Cheese.

Wholly unsatisfied, Kola Nut proceeded to watch me make his grilled cheese sandwich (and burn it when I was focusing on coffee and mail). He waited until they were on the plate until he again asked for more than what I was offering. “I don’t like it with just cheese. That won’t taste good. It would taste better with more stuff on it.” “What kind of stuff?”

Really. What kind of stuff does the four-year-old think would be suitable for the grilled cheese?

“Tomatoes and meat and maybe some salad. Can we put some on it, please?” Tomatoes? Salad? Go crazy. And he did.

Here it is. Grilled Cheese: New and Improved.


What’s better is that he ate it. All of it.


He also took his own picture of it. He’s been taking notes on how to take sub-par pictures of food like his mom. I think maybe I’ll give him the camera for my next recipe.


And then I saw these were also on there.


Maybe he won’t be in charge of the pictures quite yet, but he’s definitely on his way.

5 Simple Ways to Get Kids Involved in the Kitchen Today

1. Give them a choice. Will it be tuna salad or chicken pot pie today? Giving them a choice of what they’ll be eating can help increase their self-confidence and may get them to eat more of whatever it is you offer, even if it’s not their favorite thing.

2. Have them set the table. Matching colors, shapes and sizes for different family members or simply learning how to organize the different objects into groups is a wonderful learning activity.

3. Work their small hands into the food preparation. Aimée gave a great list of possible ways to keep young fingers in the mix. Keeping them busy with their food things will also keep them out of yours.

4. Let them serve themselves. Whether it’s adding tomatoes and lettuce to a sandwich, scooping rice onto their plate or using tongs to pick up their own chicken nuggets, all of these things are wonderful sensory motor skills to practice and learn.

5. Get them involved in cleanup. Kids love to wash dishes, and having them wash the one plate and cup in a small pan with soapy water will occupy them long enough for you to get some real cleaning done (or maybe you could use that time to read your mail).

Whatever you do, have fun. The kitchen can be a wonderful place to create memories and build relationships with your kids. It doesn’t have to be involved, and you don’t have to be a wonderful cook to do it. It could be as easy and baking chicken nuggets with them and having them arrange them on the cookie sheet before you stick it in the oven.

I definitely feel the stress when my kids enter the kitchen, but I am determined to have them in that space as much as possible. I have this theory that being involved in the cooking process leads to a well-rounded individual. From all those “tastes” you take, perhaps.

But really, I do think the exposure to the process of food and all that it is can be an important one in a child’s life. I remember when I was 12 going to my friend’s house for a school project. We were supposed to write a tutorial on how to make cookies. I strolled in thinking this was the easiest assignment in the world. I owned the cookie. Not only had I made countless batches of my mom’s chocolate chip cookies, I had dug through recipes and cookbooks and tried several on my own as well. Cookies were easy.

Not for my friend. When the recipe called for brown sugar, I remember her face turning into that “Who farted?” look. You know the look. The crinkled nose. The raised eyebrow. The flat-line lips. That one. Her mom admitted while I was there to never having baked cookies with her. Ever. Not once. Twelve years with no freshly baked cookies, no licking of the spatula. Kind of sad, no?

That’s when I decided that kids belong in the kitchen. Not just for sentimental reasons, but because it brings you closer. You bond. They learn how to measure and transfer. You learn patience. They learn chemistry. You exercise your deep breathing from yoga. They smile. You smile.