Kitchen Counter Confidential - Get the Whole Family Cooking in the Kitchen

Well, I haven't done a Kitchen Counter Confidential post is a while, but today I have someone that I would really like you to meet. Today, we are going inside Leah's kitchen, from the great family food site Skill It. On Skill It you will find all sorts of great recipes and resources to get you cooking with your family. I am super excited to share an amazing giveaway with you...a seat in Skill It's - Season's Eatings Winter online cooking classes for families. Keep on reading to find all the details.

Tell me 3 things about yourself

I studied cello starting at the age of 9, and it is one of my hidden talents that I wish I did more often!

My high school graduation gift was a Cuisinart food processor, and I asked for a lemon-yellow KitchenAid stand mixer when I graduated from college.

My favourite vegetable has always been zucchini, and my favourite way to prepare it is sliced and cooked under a broiler with olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese.

Are you for, or against, small appliances on the kitchen counter?

Great question! I think most appliances are best kept tucked away. Right now I have a teeny, tiny kitchen, but if I had more counter space, I would definitely leave out my yellow mixer because it is so cheerful!

Name 5 things that are on your kitchen counter right now

A wire basket filled with garlic, lemons, tangerines, and cherry tomatoes. The dark blue ceramic bowl I made in high school pottery class. Dried black and white beans in glass canning jars. A cast-iron teapot. Our kitchen timer in the shape of a pear.

What, if anything, would you change about your kitchen counter?

The actual counter-tops! At the moment they are fake wood formica from ages ago, in an apartment we do not own. I love dreaming about what kind of gorgeous countertop I will have in the future...polished cement? Corian? Marble or granite? So much to look forward to when we buy our first house!

What is your favourite thing to do on your kitchen counter?

Knead dough for fresh pasta, pizza, or crackers.

Please, let us know more about Season's Eatings, your online cooking class for families

I love teaching classes in my local community but wanted to reach out and connect with more families and give them the tools to cook at home with their kids. So many parents were surprised that kids could cut vegetables with ordinary craft scissors, I think that's when I realized it would be great to share this with more and more people!

Kids are really amazing chefs and more often than not, they are surprisingly focused and creative when they are given the space and the trust to work in the kitchen. In my life, food and cooking are sources of great pleasure and I feel really confident and happy when I can put together a tasty and healthy meal with simple ingredients. I created Season's Eatings to help bring that feeling to life around your own kitchen tables and counters.

I am so pleased to be giving away a spot in the Season's Eatings Winter course to one lucky reader. Aside from cooking classes, what else is included in Season's Eatings?

My favourite part of Season's Eatings is the community! Everyone can join our private Facebook group to ask questions, share stories or post photos. I love seeing people who have become friends through this shared connection. It feels like we're all having dinner at a virtual table together!

In addition to the delicious recipes, each week includes a full-colour printable workbook with a grocery shopping list, creative activity, and featured writers who share their stories about life and food with their family. People in past classes have loved the Dinner Table Conversation Starters because our prompts to way past "how was your day?" and lead to silly and heart-warming moments between parents and kids.

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Thanks so much for letting us inside your kitchen, Leah. It sounds like a fun place to be. I wish that I had asked for a Cuisinart food processor for my high school graduation...I still don't have one. I too believe that kids can excel in the kitchen. When I cook with kids, I am always amazed at how quiet and focused on the task they become. Season's Eatings sounds like a fabulous online experience...so much more than a simple cooking class.