Yesterday, my daughter spent some time at my mother-in-law's house. As always, she was delighted to hang out with her grandmother, her aunt and their dog. But this time, she was inspired by her new-found interest in cooking to put together a mini Master Chef inspired competition between her aunt and herself. And my eight-year-old took it quite seriously. After completing their dishes, I received a phone call summoning me back as a judge. My mother-in-law and a foreign student resident from Japan joined me on the judging panel.

First up was my daughter's entree: mini heart-shaped patties with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley on a bed of lettuce. While my daughter required adult assistance when it came to using the stovetop, I was told she prepared and plated this dish all on her own. The mashed potatoes were delicious as was the beef patty and the medley was an interesting mix of carrot, cucumber, avocado and caramelized nuts.

My daughter designed her own drink which she called Woosh, a simple mix of water and juice. For dessert, she made mini crepes topped with blueberries.