Cupcakes

One of Jackson's favorite things to do is help me in the kitchen.  Almost every evening he will drag (or attempt to) a chair up to the counter and declare, "Cook!  Cook!"  I've always allowed encouraged his help.  There are actually quite a few learning opportunities in the kitchen (counting, pouring, washing hands, etc.).  And who knows, perhaps these are the formative days for America's next top chef.  Or not.  But either way, we have fun.

This morning Jackson was helping me boil a chicken and prep veggies for homemade chicken and noodles.  On a whim, we decided to make some surprise cupcakes* while the chicken was boiling.

First, I will admit that I let him lick the bowl.  We're pretty diligent about no sweets/junk food for Jackson.  However, I make an exception when he and I bake together and always let him go to town on the beaters or empty bowl.  I know, I know...raw eggs are dangerous and blah, blah, blah.  I guess in this case I just throw caution to the wind and let my kid be a kid.  (Light bulb moment:  could this be why he loves helping me cook so much?!)

Anyway, here is the scene that unfolded when I gave him the green light on the mixing bowl.

In this shot, Jackson realized that he could see his reflection in the side of the bowl. 

He pointed at himself, said "mine" (his current word for me), looked up at me, and uttered "Uh Oh".

Uh Oh indeed.
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*Drew introduced me to surprise cupcakes when we first met (via his Mom's recipe).  They are just standard boxed chocolate cupcakes with a dollop of a cream cheese/chocolate chip mixture in the center that sinks to the middle as they bake.  Hence the surprise.  They are a family favorite.  Trust me...you want these in your life!  Leave a comment if you want the recipe.