My ten year old daughter is a fairly picky eater.  She wrinkles her  nose at the thought of quite a few meals.  However, for a picky eater, she will eat foods that many kids won't touch, such as broccoli, asparagus, salads.

She always has enjoyed being my assistant in the kitchen, but recently she has expressed more interest in helping.  As she is more capable, I offered to have her make a whole dinner.  She gladly accepted.

Initially she wanted to try a new pasta combination.  However, her finickiness made her start to hedge on that suggestion as her day for making dinner grew near.  So, she decided to make a pasta salad, a dish she loves.  This was fine with me.  

To allow her more cooking opportunities, I suggested making a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  She had fun adding seasonings and sampling the vinaigrette.  (To read her recipe, click here.)  

I plan to have her cook meals more frequently.  As I assist her, it gives us one-on-one time, which is precious when you have 3 siblings.  Plus, the works with different foods, the more open she is to expaning her palate.