Do you kids love to help out in the kitchen? Are they looking for more recipes that they can do on their own, with little help from adults? If so, you will want to pick up the new "The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs," that includes 100+ recipes that kids will love making, and that the whole family will enjoy eating together.
As part of our schooling this year, we have added cooking as an elective for the girls. Last month we did a whole month of smoothie drinks and talked about the benefits of fruits and vegetables in a diet. I had picked up a kid-friendly smoothie recipe book and the girl chose a different recipe each week to shop for at the market, so that they could learn to identify different fruits and vegetables, and then learned the health benefits of each, before making tasty drinks for the whole family to enjoy. On the few occasions we found ourselves with leftovers, the girls poured the smoothie mix into freezer pop molds, and enjoyed this frozen treat after. They found that some of these tasted even better frozen. And, the frozen pops and ice cold smoothies they made really helped with the sore throats they had few a couple weeks during the month, from illness.
This month we have been all about fall fruits and vegetables, and have gone crazy with using apples all different ways -- we made apple crisp, apple turnovers, apple cinnamon muffins, homemade applesauce and apple pie -- all over the course of two weeks, thanks to the bushel of apples we picked at a nearby farm. And, this week have been working pumpkin, making pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread filled with cream cheese and tonight will be enjoying pumpkin soup. We even have pumpkin butter cooking in the crock pot, which will enjoy tomorrow with breakfast. The remainder of this month we will be cooking with acorn, winter and butternut squash. I personally can't wait for this, as I love this time of year and incorporating seasonal vegetables in my recipes. I have a prosciutto and butternut squash recipe that is a family-favorite that I will be making with the girls.
Next month, the girls will be using their new "The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs," from America's Test Kitchen, which we received a couple weeks ago in the mail. I sat down with the girls and we selected recipes that they want to make. The girls loved seeing kids in the book as it was made for young cooks like them. And, most of the recipes they said look kid-friendly and not that fancy stuff that I like to make. :-)
This past weekend we did try out a couple recipes as the girls wanted to switch things up from the apples recipes we were making. We ended up making the Overnight Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar recipe, as well as banana and brown sugar version (there were other ways to customize the oatmeal recipe based on your fruit likes) -- my girls really liked this as my youngest loves bananas and was excited to see that you could make an oatmeal with it. This recipe used the stove, which the girls are getting used to using safely. They started by bringing water and steel-cut oats to a boil, and then left covered overnight. The next morning, they got up and saw the oats had plumped up and absorbed the liquid. Then, they added more water, heating and stirring until it became creamy in consistency. The real fun came next, as the girls got to customize their oatmeal. We had doubled the recipe as I like to fill mason jars with oatmeal so that my husband can grab and heat up at work, or I can warm for the girls on a cold fall morning.
In addition to the overnight oatmeal, the girls also made Roasted Tomato and Corn Tostados. OMG, these were delicious! I usually make homemade tortilla chips with flour tortillas, but next time I will leave whole and top with corn, tomatoes, queso fresco and cilantro. The girls had so much fun adding the toppings to everyone's tostada.
This is how our flour tortialla bowls turned out. Just ball up some aluminum foil and lay a tortilla on it, and bake in oven for 5-6 minutes until it starts to get a crisp to it. Remove foil ball and fill with your favorite salad, or fillings.
My youngest found that she is a fan of crumbled queso fresco and has been adding it to almost everything including eggs and beans, or just grabbing a chunk and snacking on for a mid-day snack.
What I love so far about this cookbook for kids, is that it written so that young beginner chefs can follow and complete the recipes without must adult participation. And, when an adult is needed, it states this in the directions, my girls are quick to tell me they need help.
My girls are really excited to make the other recipes they have chosen, and we have already decided that as part of our planned December cookie baking, we will choose more recipes from this kid's cookbook to make and share with family. Just to give you an idea of the recipes included in this new kid's cookbook, here are just some of the ones that stand out to us, and that we will making...
Recipes include French Toast for One, Monkey Bread, Hummus, Guacamole, Best Hot Chocolate, Pesto Flatbread “Pizza”, Roasted Tomato and Corn Tostadas, Sesame Noodles with Snow Peas and Carrots, Crispy Baked Cod, Sheet Pan Pizza, Quinoa with Herbs, Mexican Street Corn, Banana Bread, Birthday Cupcakes, and Fudgy Chocolate Mug Cakes. Is your mouth watering yet? If so, and you have young chefs between the ages of 8-13, then you will want to pick up the new America's Test Kitchen complete cookbook for young chefs, and get cooking with them. They will have so much fun learning the ins and outs of the kitchen, and how to cook simple yet delicious meals, and just wait until you see them bring their dish to the dinner table to serve the family. They will be proud of what they accomplished on their own in the kitchen, and everyone will leave the table full and with a happy belly. :-)
Here is more about this new kid's cookbook from America's Test Kitchen, which is available now.
"Want to bake the most-awesome-ever cupcakes? Or surprise your family with breakfast tacos on Sunday morning? Looking for a quick snack after school? Or maybe something special for a sleepover? It's all here. Learn to cook like a pro―it's easier than you think.
For the first time ever, America's Test Kitchen is bringing their scientific know-how, rigorous testing, and hands-on learning to KIDS in the kitchen!
Using kid-tested and approved recipes, America's Test Kitchen has created THE cookbook every kid chef needs on their shelf. Whether you're cooking for yourself, your friends, or your family, The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs has delicious recipes that will wow!
- Recipes were thoroughly tested by more than 750 kids to get them just right for cooks of all skill levels―including recipes for breakfast, snacks and beverages, dinners, desserts, and more.
- Step-by-step photos of tips and techniques will help young chefs feel like pros in their own kitchen
- Testimonials (and even some product reviews!) from kid test cooks who worked alongside America's Test Kitchen will encourage young chefs that they truly are learning the best recipes from the best cooks.
By empowering young chefs to make their own choices in the kitchen, America's Test Kitchen is building a new generation of confident cooks, engaged eaters, and curious experimenters."
Buy now in hardcover from Amazon for only $13.51
Disclosure: I was sent a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
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