Princess Kaitlyn's Kitchen

Last year I started telling 'Princess Kaitlyn' stories to Kaitlyn, which typically start... "Once upon a time there was a princess name Kaitlyn who lived in a beautiful castle by an enchanted forest, a magical lake and a fantastically fun playground. Princess Kaitlyn (continued three paragraphs down)...

As it turns out, Kaitlyn loves these stories and now asks for them on a regular basis. Sometimes, they are all fictional, but other times Kaitlyn asks for a Princess Kaitlyn story to mimic real life and describe a good event or a bad event (like losing a privilege for not listening).

Now that Madelyn has joined our family and Kaitlyn has to share her time with mommy and daddy, mommy started Princess Kaitlyn's kitchen since Kaitlyn always wants to help us cook in the kitchen. Each week this summer, I hope for 'Princess Kaitlyn' and mommy to make a fun dish in the kitchen. This entry highlights our first adventure.

...loved waking up to the rays of sunshine that filled her room with bright, happy colors. This morning Kaitlyn saw red, orange and yellow shining through her windows and on her walls. Princess Kaitlyn climbed out of her cozy princess bed, put on her fuzzy monkey slippers, and walked down the castle corridor to the kitchen. As she entered the room, princess Kaitlyn happily declared "I want my breakfast to reflect the sunshiny colors that filled my room. Let's make a sunrise fruit salad mommy!"

Princess Kaitlyn's Sunrise Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Watermelon
• 1/2 Cantaloupe
• 1 Pineapple
• 1 can Mandarin oranges plus some of the juice
• Future addition: 1/2 honeydew

Equipment:

• Butter knife
• Melon baller
• Sharp knife (for mommy's only)
• Cutting board
• Container

Princess Kaitlyn ready to make her salad with a melon baller.

After mommy cut the watermelon in half, Princess Kaitlyn starting scooping balls out.

Mommy cut the pineapple in chunks for the salad while Princess Kaitlyn worked hard.

Scooping the cantaloupe into the fruit salad.

Dumping in some juice.

Slicing some watermelon with a butter knife. Princess Kaitlyn wanted different shapes.

The fruits of our labor...mandarin oranges added w/ about half of the juice in the can.

Princess Kaitlyn stirring her salad.

Viola - Princess Kaitlyn's Sunrise Fruit Salad!

Nothing beats fresh fruit salad during these hot, sunny days in the south - 0h, I mean in Princess Kaitlyn's Kingdom. Next time, we might make some homemade whipped cream with vanilla and add some honeydew for a splash of green.