As a chef and a mom, I'm forever trying to strike that balance between trying to get my kids to eat new things and present them with things they will actually eat. When my older daughter, Ava, was 2 that became a real challenge. After all, I was a chef who prided myself in the fact that I could get my toddler to eat virtually anything - the stranger the better!

I already knew that by involving her in the kitchen, she would be more willing to try new things - I previously had good luck with that. So I continued with that theme, but added to it what I discovered to be the ‘magic’ of kebabs. We started skewering everything - because oddly enough, as long as it was on a skewer, she was interested in eating it.

What to put on a kebab is only limited by your imagination. They can be used for pretty much any part of the meal - starter, side dish, main dish, and dessert. And therein lies the beauty of the kebab. For example, I couldn’t get her to eat the salad from her plate that the rest of the family was eating - however, if I took those pieces and had her help me skewer them, she would happily eat them. Ditto for the pasta, meatballs, shrimp, grilled fish, chicken, lamb, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, squash, etc. It was unbelievable. Success after many, many, many frustrating meals.

The success doesn’t last forever. Ava just turned 4, and we no longer skewer everything. BUT, it did bridge the gap until she was past that obstinate-toddler-eating stage - and now she happily eats most of those things sans the skewer.

So, to all of you frustrated parents of toddlers out there, go invest in some skewers and see if you, too, can discover the magic of kebabs.

Natalie Marble is chef/owner of Ann Arbor Cooks! - a new recreational cooking school in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at natalie@a2cooks.com or 734-645-1030.