As I expected. "Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way."

My SiL (aka Mary Poppins) is in town which means my personal nanny is back! She plays with the kids, helps them with their homework, cleans the house and is an all around great traveling companion. But every visit comes with a price...for her. I demand that she learn how to cook.

I always tell her 'anyone can cook' and so I get her to practice by making simple meals. I give her the recipe and have her do everything herself while I watch and answer her questions along the way. Learning by doing is always the best, even if mistakes are made. We always start out easy and ramp up to more complicated dishes by the end of her stay.

For one of the meals I had her make Mochi Pizza from my cookbook and baked pasta. Easy side dishes like fruit and veggies let her focus on one main thing and making sure it's right.

So far so good, she's an excellent cook and getting more confident every time. Now on to baking...