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Joel’s Creation Makes Dinner-In-A-Jiffy

Merri Lou Dobler Correspondent

Cheney High School ninth-grader Joel Kathrens has seen the world. Born in Michigan, he traveled with his family to Alaska and Indonesia before settling in Eastern Washington.

Kathrens has also dabbled in the culinary world. At age 11 he asked his mom, Pam, if he could prepare dinner one night. Give it a shot, he was told.

Kathrens combined macaroni, cheeses, hamburger and Italian seasonings. Voila!

“Everybody liked it,” says Kathrens. Even his 11-year-old sister, Julie, who is a tough critic, enjoyed it.

“Dinner-In-A-Jiffy” is a creation that’s “got all the food groups except vegetables,” Kathrens says.

He also likes to make desserts, especially easy packaged ones. He’s prepared Peanut Butter Balls from a cookbook his mother, a registered dietitian, picked up in Indonesia, called “Kinder Crunchies.”

Kathrens remembers making a cake at Cheney Middle School as a seventh-grader, with friend Justin Mager. It was a spice cake, and the frosting was made from scratch.

But Kathrens pretty much leaves the cooking duties to his parents, owners of the Cornerstone Children’s Center in Spokane. He much prefers Nintendo, Magic Cards and bowling.

Try this kid-tested recipe and cook some vegetables to complement it. Better yet, let your kid critics prepare this and discover the fun world of cooking.

Dinner-In-A-Jiffy From Joel Kathrens, Cheney

3 cups elbow, jiffy, or bow tie noodles

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup minced onion

Italian seasoning blend:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 cup nonfat milk, or to taste

2 ounces Velveeta cheese

1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Optional: 1/4-1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Cook and drain pasta. Brown ground beef, onion and seasonings; drain fat.

In saucepan combine pasta, milk and cheeses and cook on low heat. Stir until cheeses have melted. Add the ground beef and stir until well mixed.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Kid cook alert: For the perfect pictoral guide to kids cooking, sample “The Children’s Step-By-Step Cookbook” by Angela Wilkes (Doring Kindersley Books, $18.95). The kids will enjoy making the Cowboy Bean Bake and Fruit In The Oven.

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