Cooking with Mrs. Anthony

Welcome to Joyful Cooking!

I am so excited to share my passion for cooking with you, specifically, with children!

A little about me, I am a mom of 2 boys, aged 8 and 11.  They are full of boundless energy and antics!  My husband is a professional working full time, and I am a part-time public school teacher.  I have been trained as a Home Economics teacher and worked as a high school Culinary instructor full time until my children were born.  I choose to be part-time because I value my time with the kids as they grow.   





My first memories of cooking were of my mother preparing rice dumplings in our tiny apartment kitchen.  (See this link for a famous Singaporean vendor for  Dragon Boat Rice Dumplings )  I always wondered how she was able to wrap those bundles with nimble hands without losing a morsel.  One of my most  precious memories is of my grandmother, I watched in fascination as she created noodles from flour, swinging them in the air strand after strand, then dropping them into boiling water. 

 

When I was 8 years old, our teacher taught us how to make "ants on a log" I was hooked!  What fun to dabble in the kitchen, much more rewarding to be able to eat your creations than it was to play with dolls and toys!  These were some of the seeds that have led to my life time of "playing with food" and exploration.  

Working in the kitchen provides a sense of satisfaction that comes from creating with our hearts, minds, and hands.  Teaching and cooking have gone hand in hand, especially when it comes to healthy eating with my children.  

I am very excited to work with the new Canada Food Guide because it is focused on plant based foods and improved on the previous food guide, more balanced.  There is also a new focus on  mindful eating which encourages families to eat together, to cook together more often.  Many celebrations and connections with people are made around food.  Providing the life skills of cooking teaches children to value where our society's food comes from, budgeting skills, healthy eating habits and MUCH, MUCH more!  There is much to learn from the journey and processes of cooking food so here's to Joyful Cooking!