I have found that the best way to entertain my almost 2 year old while I’m trying to cook is to pull out the step ladder and let her watch what I’m doing. I try and cook with plenty of time to spare so that I can let her get in there and do some ‘mix mix mix-ing’ as she calls it!

Making pizzas is one of her favourite things to cook and I’m not surprised. Firstly she gets to help measure the flour and mix the dough. She gets to sample most of the things I’m cutting up for the topping and enjoys checking progressively throughout the day how big the dough is growing.

Making her very own pizza for the oven gets her very excited! She cheats a little and uses a rolling pin to roll out her dough first but it always ends up with her little fingers in it before the sauce makes it on. It’s amazing how many colourful veges you can get a toddler to eat when they’re using it to decorate their own dinner! I find kids and toddlers are much more willing to try new foods when they have been involved with the preparation and cooking and choosing the ingredients.

My little one eagerly watches her pizzas cooking in the oven. She loves the warm fire on her face- so she tells me. She’s so excited when she sees her own creation cooked to perfection come out of the oven ready for her to eat. She loves her weekly pizza night. To her it’s so much more than just the chore of having to sit down to eat. I love creating these memories for my little girls and our family tradition that is pizza night.