
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 4, 1994                   TAG: 9405050009
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IT'S YOUR TURN TO COOK FOR MOM

Hey, kids, stumped by what to give for Mother's Day? Most moms would love a day away from having to plan menus and cook meals, not to mention cleaning up afterward. And if that relief came from you - maybe with a little help from Dad or another adult - it would be even better.

Kids really can be good cooks. Studies say that children between the ages of 7 and 12 are most receptive to learning how to cook. But it's never too late to start, and even younger children can get into cooking with some of the easier recipes.

There are all kinds of cookbooks especially written for kids. There's also a free nutrition newsletter for 7- to 10-year-olds, from the American Institute for Cancer Research, that you can get by calling (800) 843-8114.

Feel ready to give Mom a day away from the kitchen? Then just remember to read the recipes through before you begin to make sure you understand them and have all the ingredients needed. Follow kitchen safety rules, being especially careful of perishable foods, hot surfaces and sharp edges.

Wash your hands before you begin, and don't forget to clean up when you've finished.

On Mom's big day, wake her with the wafting aroma of easy-to-make waffles topped with fruits and other tasty, healthful ingredients. For lunch, fix her a prize-winning sandwich created by first- and second-grade students for a Ziploc Sandwich Bag contest.

At dinner time, whip up a mess of mashed potatoes to serve with succulent, crusty chicken, using recipes from Joan Scobey's "The Fannie Farmer Junior Cookbook" (Little, Brown and Company, $19.95). This whimsically illustrated cookbook for children 10 years or older has a wide range of recipes and a few basics that even old hands at cooking may have forgotten, such as using a dull-finish aluminum pan for pastry crusts and a glass pan for crumb crusts.

If Mom prefers meatless meals, try the spaghetti dish from the "American Heart Association Kids' Cookbook" (Times Books). The book, for ages 8 to 12, includes tips on smart shopping, reading product labels, foods' ethnic backgrounds and kitchen hints.

Either dinner could include a tossed green salad topped with homemade dressing from Tina Seelig's "Incredible Edible Science" (Scientific American Books for Young Readers; W. H. Freeman; $19.95). This fun and funny book does double duty, teaching principles of chemistry and physics through the cooking process. How better to learn why popcorn pops than to make popcorn nachos or to understand why pickles are sour than by making puckered pickles? The salad dressing is part of an experiment that explains why oil and water don't mix.

The perfect dessert is buttery cookies made from cutouts of your very own hands. Use a frosting pen to write a special message, if you'd like.

Serve Mom's meals with nice clean napkins, an "I love you" and a hug.

Recipes for:

GIVE MOM A HAND COOKIES

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

BANANA SPLIT WAFFLES

PRIMAL PEAR SYRUP

CREAMY RAISIN DELIGHT

THE OLYMPIC GOLD SANDWICH

BAKED CHICKEN

MASHED POTATOES

PASGETTI SPAGHETTI

BUTTERMILK RAISIN MUFFINS

HONEY-MUSTARD SALAD DRESSING

by CNB