Delicious dishes kids will really want to make.
I shared in the previous two cookbook review posts about how I love to cook, and love that my girls are older and now showing interest in learning how to cook and bake. We have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen for school, as I am teaching them about measurements with recipes and letting them explore foods with their senses in a fun way. They love helping me make dinner and especially desserts, and love when I share kid-friendly recipes or cookbooks with.
Recently, I was sent a copy of Complete Children's Cookbook from DK Publishing, to review. I sat down with the girls and went through the cookbook asking them which recipes they would like to try making in the kitchen. Again, never look at a cookbook on an empty stomach, as you will want to make every single recipe in book, especially the desserts.
As my girls and I browsed the pages, I loved seeing them get excited about food and trying out the recipe. I mentioned before how they are still picky eaters, so it is hard to get them to each more than a handful of foods each day. But, I have found that when they are helping me in the kitchen with a recipe, that they are more willing to sample new foods and try what they make.
With over 150 recipes, all with color step-by-step photos of each, it was hard to choose our top 10 recipes to make, as part of a fun "Cooking 101" class I wanted to this month with them for school. Desserts were always popular, but I made a point to have them choose 1 from each section.
The cookbook is broken down into the following sections, each with 20-30 pages of recipes...
- Breakfast
- Soups and Salads
- Light Bites
- Main Meals
- Desserts
- Cakes and Muffins
- Cookies and Bars
- Bread
- Party Time
Before you begin, there is a great "Before You Begin" section in the front of the book, which shares information with kids on the importance of healthy eating, weights and measurements, safety in the kitchen, all about common kitchen tools and gadgets you would find in the kitchen and need for these easy to follow along and execute recipes, as well as ways to cook and bake.
I spent a day going over the information section with the girls before we dove into the book and started cooking and baking.
We just wrapped up our "Cooking/Baking 101" using this book for a homeschool lesson, and the girls had a blast. Savannah learned that she likes to cook, while Bella loves to bake and sample the tasty treats we make. :-) With Christmas fast approaching we plan to go through this cookbook again and choose a few more recipes to try and share at Christmas dinner. Yum!
If you have a budding cook or baker in your life, or have been looking for the perfect cookbook to introduce your child to kitchen, then you will want to check out the Complete Children's Cookbook. This is one book young cooks will reference time and again, and will inspire them to want to learn more as they hone their cooking and baking skills.
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More about this cookbook:
"More than 150 fabulous recipes, divided into nine themed chapters (Breakfast, Soups and Salads, Light Bites, and more) will have you and your child in the kitchen and cooking in no time. From French toast to rainbow salad, vegetable lasagna to tomato soup, and ice cream to mini muffins, Complete Children's Cookbook has a recipe for every occasion. And with beautiful full-color photography, simple instructions, and a focus on safety, each one makes an ideal cook-together project that will have children excited to try the new flavors in the dishes they helped make. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and feature a picture for every step, so children can see clearly just what to do as they build basic cooking skills, safe kitchen practices, and adventurous palates."
Disclosure: I was sent a review copy from the publisher in order to write up an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
This would be great to own! I love to cook with my grandsons because it gets them more excited about eating different foods!
ReplyDeleteI think children's cookbooks are such a wonderful idea and this looks like a good one.
ReplyDeleteheather [email protected]