He Made Homeamde Egg Rolls (And He is Only 12)

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Sometimes I think we forget that we don’t need a holiday to celebrate. I can be guilty of this.

We do not need a birthday or an event to acknowledge life is a special occasion. We can celebrate and make memories just because.

You know we homeschool. Anthony is 12 and in his 6th grade curriculum we are covering the Eastern Hemisphere. Weeks ago, maybe months ago, one of his assignments was to find an egg roll recipe and make homemade egg rolls. (We use Sonlight curriculum.)

homemade egg rolls

I’ll admit, I was kinda dreading it. I knew it was going to be a lot of work. I knew Anthony had never cooked a meal on his own, he is only 12.

And then I remind myself…. he is 12. I was cooking at 12.

He is a boy- even more reason for him to learn. He will have a wife he needs to help someday.

I also knew I had avoided making homemade egg rolls because it is a lot of work. Remember, I am a fan of easy recipes.

Finally we set time aside and he searched online for a recipe.

He made a grocery list.

His father took him to the store. Three hours later they returned with ingredients that were supposed to make egg rolls for lunch. Now it turned into egg rolls for dinner.

My husband let Anthony shop all by himself- he wanted Anthony to navigate the store and ask questions of the staff when he could not find something.My husband stayed in the store, but watched from afar.

Good thing my husband took him. I hover too much, this we know. I worried Anthony would confuse lettuce and cabbage, and how will he find the egg roll wrappers. My husband is very good at letting our kids do for themselves. I suppose we balance each other out. There were two things Anthony could not find- oyster sauce and green onions. He asked for help.

homemade egg rolls

Anthony used the food processor to shred the cabbage. I worried he would not be able to assemble the machine. I watched. Helped. Come to find out, he assembles it better than me. He is mechanical like that.

I watched (and helped a little) as the carrots and mushrooms were shred. We realized we could easily double the recipe- which we did.

Now it was time to stuff the egg rolls. I did the first one. Easier than I expected.

how to make homemade egg rolls

He did the next dozen.

We add oil to the pan for frying.

frying homemade egg rolls

He was attentive and carefully used tongs.

He did it. He really did it. He made and cooked homemade egg rolls. I was shocked and proud. I really had underestimated him.

I did take over and fry the last two batches because I was concerned about oil getting too hot and catching on fire, but he did a fantastic job.

He saved some egg rolls to share with his mom and I was so excited to tell her about his success. (Anthony is my stepson, but he lives here and I homeschool him.) She was so proud of him too.

homemade egg rolls

I have bragged to just about everyone. We have celebrated the every day. I really could not be more proud of him.

Here is my point- Hallmark wants to help us all remember that life is a special occasion. How are you celebrating the every day this year? Is that a goal for you?

Happy New Year from Hallmark! Share how you’ll create memories with your family in the new year. Visit Hallmark.com/explore for their full product line and special offers. Life is a special occasion so celebrate!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hallmark. The opinions and text are all mine.