Hooray for collective cooking!

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Ready in a jiffy

Why cook alone when you can transform this activity into a special moment for two, three or more! Your kids will love it and so will the adults!

The back-to-school routine has settled in, the leaves will soon be turning yellow and red and your local supermarket shelves are bursting with fresh products from the recent harvests. What better time to assemble the kids, family and perhaps a few friends to experience the pleasures of cooking as a group. It can be a very pleasurable way to spend time with the people you love.

Any day can be a cook-and-chitchat day. Instead of quickly defrosting something in the microwave, why not spend twenty minutes cooking and chatting with loved ones? The kids are hungry? Get them to pitch in by giving them a job they can safely handle like peeling the garlic or mashing the potatoes? It will take their minds off their hunger while providing the opportunity for them to tell you about their day. They will be proud to have participated in the process!

A Cook-and-Chitchat get-together with friends?

Why not! A cook-and-chitchat get-together with friends is an instant party! Invite them late in the afternoon to help prepare dinner with you and then you can all sit down together and enjoy the fruits of your labour. It’s a great way to have friends over for dinner and not have to spend all your time in the kitchen before they arrive!

Better yet, send out invitations for an afternoon cook-and-chitchat get-together! Collective efforts in the kitchen make cooking more fun and provide great meals to share. The general rule is: the more people you invite, the more you’ll laugh, the more food you’ll prepare! Not only do you get to enjoy talking away the afternoon with your friends, you’ll have all kinds of delicious food to enjoy for weeks to come!

Selecting a cook-and-chitchat get-together menu

A cook-and-chitchat get-together is the ideal time to learn how to make Simon’s Fresh salmon pie or Linda’s fabulous Chili con carne! It is also a great opportunity to try new dishes and with the thousands of recipes on metro.ca, you’re sure to find something you like! Here are a few simple and delicious recipes you can eat on the spot or freeze for later.…

Fresh salmon pie
Chili con carne
Lasagne with spinach and grilled vegetables
Cross-rib rosbif provençal
Pesto

Rendez-vous at your favourite Metro store

Why not get everyone to rendez-vous at your favourite Metro store and do the shopping together? It may be a good idea to meet at the corner bistro for a bite before you start the process to avoid the excessive sampling which inevitably occurs when cooks prepare meals on an empty stomach.

It's all in the ambiance!

Once you get home, hand out aprons, knives, cutting boards, and recipes to the cook-and-chitchat squad. Music? Of course! Set the tone with a little salsa beat or Italian opera! You may also want to uncork a little wine or bubbly to get the cooks a-cooking and the conversation started! Start your ovens!

Michelle keeps saying she has no talent in the kitchen? Put her in charge of the delicate task of doing the dishes along the way, she’ll still be part of the conversation and…won’t it be a nice change to finish the party with clean counters!

Home made ravioli: team work made delicious!

Since you have all these helping hands in the kitchen, you may want to cook up something special for supper and save the fall provisions the group has just prepared for later. Home made ravioli sound too complicated? Well, it’s not. In fact, it’s so simple, even the kids can help out!

Defrosted won ton squares make it easy. They can be used to make delicious ravioli stuffed with…three-cheeses - ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella - mixed with a little bread crumbs and beaten egg…sautéed mushrooms and duck confit…minced veal with spinach…or any other stuffing you prefer!

First you prepare the stuffing. Spread the won ton squares on the counter and drop a spoonful of stuffing in the middle of the won ton, brush the sides of the pastry with egg wash before folding over. Press sides firmly with your fingers or the tines of a fork to seal. All you have to do now is bring some broth to a simmer in a large casserole and drop the ravioli in the broth for a few minutes. As soon as the won tons are al dente, drain the ravioli and flavour with a little basil pesto.

It’s time to declare an end to the proceedings and top off the day by inviting everybody to move to the table for a wonderful meal. A toast to the chefs!