cooking

Au Pairs with Dietary Preferences Need to Cook for Themselves Sometimes

by cv harquail April 7, 2015
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It seems that half the world has some kind of dietary restriction. I read a poem a few days ago about the challenge of trying to meet everyone’s different expectations, until the poet gave in and served a bowl of polished stones. (I wish I could find the poem– it was by a real poet, and […]

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How to Get Your Au Pair Ready To Cook

by cv harquail September 12, 2014
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Once your host kids get past the ‘oatmeal and smashed peas’ phase, it’s time for an Au Pair to do some real cooking. Even au pairs who’ve cooked in their home countries find cooking in America to be a bit challenging. Au Pairs need to figure out: How our appliances work What each of the foods […]

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Autonomy vs. Food Safety When The Au Pair Cooks

by cv harquail February 21, 2014
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How do I give my Au Pair autonomy in the kitchen without worrying that my kids are going to eat something that could make them sick? Dear AuPairMoms —  I need to find ways to teach my au pairs about food safety, without offending them. Any ideas? Here’s my story: AP1: Raw Bacon My son was […]

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Holiday Gift: For her or you?

by cv harquail December 13, 2011
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I ran into one of my friends while shopping at Williams-Sonoma this afternoon. I was supposed to be getting a Christmas gift for my BIL, but instead my arms were loaded with stuff to upgrade my own kitchen. What can I say? I really needed some pinecone place card holders… But I digress. My friend […]

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5 Tips to Help Your Au Pair Prepare Healthy Meals for Kids

by cv harquail September 29, 2010
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Sometimes, I get really envious of host families whose au pairs know how to cook. I mean really know how to cook– au pairs who will suggest meals, create something new out of a chicken breast, and clip a recipe from People Magazine. We have never had an au pair who is an accomplished cook, […]

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Au Pairs and Dinnertime: Preparing in advance for a smooth routine

by cv harquail August 18, 2010
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Mealtimes are important family times. Most of us hope that our Au Pairs will join us for dinner so that s/he can be part of this family time. But as we know, food and mealtimes can easily become places where individual differences, cultural differences, and just plain organization can get in the way of a […]

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When your Au Pair has an eating disorder

by cv harquail March 25, 2010
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Every au pair we’ve ever had (all 11 of them) went on some weird kind of diet. These diets included protein drinks, Slimfast shakes, grapefruits, Diet Cokes for breakfast & lunch and — my personal favorite —  rice and bread. (Going without butter was where ya really saved on calories!) Thankfully, most of these diets […]

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