Grasshopper's spaghetti

What can an 8 year old make herself for lunch? I taught my youngens how to make home made spaghetti with tomato sauce. I generally saute diced tomatoes fresh or canned, with onions, olive oil and Italian spices.

Grasshopper grabs a can of diced tomatoes and warms it up a bit. She later determines that it wasn't cooked enough and it needed the onions. I am loving the cooking lessons.

Vegetables for dipping

Grasshopper was my helper on the 4th of July. She washed and dried the vegetables to be served before the meal.

She's an all around artist.

The seafood lover in me

Buy seafood mix at the supermarket. Saute onions, garlic, and tomatoes (fresh or canned) in olive oil until tender. Add the frozen seafood mix in the pot and cook for 10 minutes. It doesn't take long.

This time I added more water and some spaghetti for a more complete meal. It can be served with rice, or potatoes as well.

During the saute step, add the salt and any spices your heart desires. I'm all for bring experimental.

Cilantro

Thinking on my feet, I surveyed the available ingredients and decided to finally use some of the cilantro I have growing in my kitchen.

Grasshopper chopped it with the Pampered Chef chopper. I added olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh crushed garlic.

The sauce is ready.

The tomatoes are slightly sauted and the broccoli is blanched. I poured the sauce over the vegetables and served. I especially like creating my own recipes. It is absolutely delicious.