My kids are not adventurous eaters. They subsist on chicken nuggets and pizza. Despite this, I have hopes of International travel with them in the near future and have often worried they will starve to death when forced to eat outside their comfort zone. So when I found the Eat to Explore program, I thought it a great opportunity to expose them to new foods and flavors without digging out our passports.
Eat to Explore offers several different types of culinary subscription boxes from around the globe. We started with a one-time box and picked Spain as our first taste into worldly dishes. I thought the meal options in the Spanish box would best fit our families tastes. When our box arrived we dug right in; chose what meal to make, made our shopping list, tacked on our souvenir flag pin and got cookin.’
Let’s Get Cookin’
We chose to make the Spanish Chicken Paella. The recipe instructions were easy to follow and didn’t involved complicated steps. The boys were able to easily follow along. We started by dicing a red pepper and half an onion and then browned chicken legs in a fry pan. We don’t own a paella pan or a Dutch oven (I know we should invest in one) so we had to improvise with a fry pan and shallow baking dish.
Next we added diced tomatoes and the seasoning packet that came with the Eat to Explore kit. The seasoning packet with a blend of spices from the Valencia region of Spain, known for cooking with saffron. The kitchen smelled amazing once the spice was added. After simmering the tomato/pepper/onion mixture, we added Arborio rice. With the rice incorporated, the entire mixture goes into a baking dish along with the browned chicken legs. Bake for 45 minutes.
Cultural Learning
While the paella baked we took time to learn more of Spain’s culture by reading through the materials included in the Eat 2 Explore kit. We learned about the country’s history, customs, language and geography in two colorful pages of information. All of it was portioned in bite-sized bits allowing our boys’ to sample a taste of life in Spain (all puns intended).
When the paella was done, we scooped it onto plates to savor the flavors of one of Spain’s most recognizable dishes. At first, the boys’ took small bites and seemed unsure. In the end, they said the paella was good. A small step in exposing them to more unique and unfamiliar foods. If you’d like to try an Eat to Explore meal kit with your family, use this link to receive $10 off your first order.
Cooking with our boys while exploring a new culture and cuisine was fun. As a couple, we’ve also found adventure in a couple’s cooking class where we learned to make homemade pasta. Read more about this adventure here.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle