Mimi Mini Martha

Mimi, 10

Mimi began cooking for our family when I had a toddler and a nursing baby.  My hands were full and it was just me and the five kids, but everybody still needed to eat.  Mimi stepped up to the plate.  

Right at about 5:30pm everybody hits maximum neediness so both babies (Lou was 16 months, Philo was 1 month) needed either nursing or general tending.  I would sit in the kitchen and dictate what needed to happen in order to get dinner on the table.  The boys acted as sous chefs and Mimi would make us dinner.

Wanting to expand her talent Mimi started watching Martha Stewart on TV (it's her ultimate dream to meet Martha some day).  She would take out a little notebook and write down the recipes as Martha made them.  Of course Martha makes everything look easy, but Mimi was undaunted.  

She found a recipe called "One Pot Pasta" on YouTube and that became her go-to dinner recipe.  Her school has an art contest called Reflections in which kids were asked to tell their story through art.  She had the brilliant idea to film herself making One Pot Pasta and turn it into a YouTube video she called "Elvis in the Kitchen."  She explains that her story is 1. Cooking 2. Rock 'n Roll and 3. Crafting, thus the crafted Elvis costume.

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Reflections Winner Ribbon!

When our neighbors and teachers heard Mimi was making dinner for our family they asked to try her creations.  For teacher appreciation week Mims delivered dinners via wagon.

Mimi and her beloved teacher Ms. Giles

Special delivery via wagon

 Mimi's favorite dish to make is Boeuf Bourguignon.  It's a fancy beef stew flavored with a "bouquet garni" which is a homemade flavor packet that she packs in netting and wraps up with twine.

Our recent family trip to Paris was guided in part by Mimi's cooking pitstops.  She had to try authentic Boeuf Bourguignon, escargot, and stop by Julia Child's and all other cooks' mecca:  E. Dehillerin.  

REAL Beef Stew

Chef Mecca

Next on Mimi's cooking agenda is a Thai cooking class in Phuket, Thailand.  Her ethnic heritage is Thai and our family is going there to learn about the kids' homeland.

The hungry mouths to feed: Mimi 10, Jude 8, Silas 7, LouLou 2, Philo 1

Mimi has been making us dinner a couple of times a week for nearly a year now and is NEARLY as proficient as I am in the kitchen.  It's the best hobby for her because everybody benefits and it's a great skill that will serve her for the rest of her life.  If you ask her nicely she will make you anything you want!

For more pics follow @mimi_mini_martha or @nortorious on Instagram.