(NAPSA)—Looking for a fun way to spend time with the family while creating lasting memories and traditions? Then look no further than your kitchen! Cooking can be a great way to bring the family together, whether you’re preparing daily meals or a special holiday feast, everyone can take part in the action. Some of the best childhood memories are created while whipping up cupcakes with mom or manningthegrill with dad. Involving children of all ages in the cooking process helps them to establish independence and learn to develop creativity. Cooking together as a family fosters a spirit of cooperation and teamwork, and most importantly, it’s a great way to spend time as a family. And who knows? Thenext celebrity chef may be in your kitchen, just waiting to blossom! To jumpstart family fun, Kikkoman has created the Celebrating Family Time Guide, an informative online guide filled with great ideas and helpful tips for enjoying time spent with family and food. This free downloadable guide offers tips on how to plan time to cook, select recipes and fun suggestions for involving the whole family in meal preparation. It also includes information on food safety, nutrition and proper table etiquette, as well as great family-friendly recipes. Here are a few tips that you'll find in the Celebrating Family Time Guide: * Designate one night a week as “family night” and let a different child choose a special themeor cuisine each week. ily Time Guide today, where you will find great family-friendly recipes such as this one: Caribbean Pork with Bananas Yield: 4 servings Enjoy time spent with the family with delicious recipes like Caribbean Pork with Banana. * Turn to resources like the Internet, food magazines or the food section of your newspaper for culinary inspiration. A great place to start is the recipe library at www.kikkoman-usa.com. * Create a shopping adventure by turning the shoppinglist into a treasure hunt. For younger kids, at each aisle, look at the shoppinglist and let the child decide whether the item can be found in that particular aisle. For older kids, divide up thelist, and see whocanfind all the ingredients first. * Turn the kitchen into a classroom and practice fractions as children measure out ingredients or delve into the cultural history of ethnic dishes. * Play restaurant at home. Have kids design menus, and take on roles such as a chef, sous-chef, server and busser. Don’t forget to have Mom and Dadtake a part in role playing! Log on to www.kikkomanusa.com for more information and to download the Celebrating Fam- 3 medium-size yellow bananas % cup Kikkoman Sweet & Sour Sauce 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed 3 tablespoons dark rum 1 large clove garlic, pressed 4 center-cut pork loin chops, % inch thick , teaspoonsalt % teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1. Peel and finely chop 1 banana; combine with sweet & sour sauce, brown sugar, rum andgarlic. 2. Trim excess fat from pork; sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Brown pork thoroughly in hot oil over mediumhigh heatin large skillet. 3. Pour in banana sauce mixture; turn pork over to coat both sides with sauce. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 50 minutes, or until pork is tender, turning pork over every 20 minutes. 4, Remove pork; keep warm. 5. Peel remaining bananas; cut each in half crosswise, then lengthwise in half. Arrange bananas in single layer in sauce; cook 1 minute. Carefully turn bananas over; cook 1 minute longer.
