Disclosure: I was provided with a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
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My girls are at the perfect age, as they love trying new things and helping me in the kitchen. When they were little they would help dice up vegetables with their kid-safe knives, or help me mix or just taste test foods. But, now they are more curious and wanted to roll their sleeves up and learn how to cook and bake different things. I love seeing them enthusiastic and wanting to try new recipes whenever they join me in the kitchen. I know that when they get older and are own their own, they will be comfortable in the kitchen and be able to cook up tasty dishes to enjoy. I learned how to cook and bake from my mom and Nana, and love passing down this skill to my girls. And, just like me, my girls love to collect cookbooks, and have almost filled a bookcase with cookbooks they have received or bought themselves over the years. Recently, we were sent the LET’S EAT: Recipes for Kids Who Cook (Touchwood Editions; October 17, 2023) by cookbook author DL Acken & food stylist Aurelia Louvet, and have been having fun cooking up recipes in this cookbooks each week as part of our homeschooling home economics lessons.
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More about this kids cookbook:
"Called "Vibrant, fun, and full of tips and recipes that manage to be kid-friendly without being too kiddish... Perfect for budding school-aged cooks!" by Stacie Billis, Co-host of the Didn't I Just Feed You podcast, LET’S EAT: Recipes for Kids Who Cook (Touchwood Editions; October 17, 2023) by cookbook author DL Acken & food stylist Aurelia Louvet is the perfect way to create engaging, delicious recipes with your child!
LET'S EAT is a colourful, comprehensive cookbook that teaches kids (ages 9+) and beginner chefs to cook, and arms them with accessible yet impressive recipes they can make with little-to-no parental supervision.
If the young gourmands on MasterChef Junior are anything to go by, lots of kids are eager to get into the kitchen. So why wait until they're off at college facing the (gross) communal microwave in their residence lounge? Seasoned cookbook author Danielle Acken, food stylist Aurelia Louvet, and their six proteges (age 7 to 17) are here to help. Let's Eat brings together kitchen basics, tools, terminology, and 60+ recipes with loads of variations to suit a range of tastes.
The book opens with a chapter of recipes to build basic techniques--making eggs, rice, pasta, salad dressing, mashed potatoes, bread, and roast chicken (what? Yes, really)--that will set kids up for culinary success, before branching into breakfasts, fresh snacks and sides, hot main courses, and desserts. Learn to make hits like:
- Sticky Soda Pop Ribs
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Falafel Veggie Burgers
- Deviled Eggs
- Pulled Chicken Tacos
- Sweet Potato Curry
- Teriyaki Baked Salmon
- Oven Baked Doughnuts
Following this fun, choose-your-own-adventure style primer, with its bold, colorful photography, kids will soon advance from quick afterschool snacks and summer picnics to breakfasts in bed and full-course family dinners (with dessert, of course)."
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What drew me to this kids cookbook and made me want to share it with my girls and you all is that this book is made for kids in mind. The books includes full color photos of the recipes, and is set up that kids can start at the beginning and work their way through the cookbook, building on skills they learn from previous chapters. Kids will learn to make eggs, rice, pasta and even homemade salad dressing, before moving onto things like bread and roast chicken.
Kids ages 9+ will have a blast cooking their way through the different chapters of this kids cookbook as they make breakfast dishes, snacks and sides, main courses and even desserts.
Here is one recipe my girls made a handful of times so far, just to give you an idea of how the recipes are laid out in this cookbook. The recipes are written for even the youngest or novice of chefs to follow along and understand. And, the finished product looked amazing, and tasted great!
Chicken Pot Pie
"Pot pies make a great family meal and are easy to make in a short amount of time. Once you have all the ingredients on hand, you can have this dish in the oven in under 20 minutes and on the table within the hour.
Serves 4-6
2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1 small white onion, cut into small dice
3 stalks celery, cut into small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 Tbsp (90 mL) unsalted butter
1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
1 tsp (5 mL) dried sage
½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
3 cups (750 mL) chicken stock
½ cup (125 mL) milk
Meat from one full Roast Chicken (about 3 cups/750 mL), cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups (500 mL) frozen vegetable mix (carrots, peas, corn, and beans)
1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt
½ tsp (2.5 mL) freshly ground black pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 Tbsp (15 mL) water
Place a large pot on the stove over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onions, celery, and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the celery and onion start to soften, 4–5 minutes. Add the butter, thyme, and sage and cook, stirring constantly again, until the butter is fully melted.
Add the flour. Use a whisk to mix it in and then continue to cook until the mixture starts to turn a golden color, 2–3 minutes. Add the stock ½ cup (125 mL) at a time and whisk quickly to mix all of the mixture smoothly together. Whisk in the milk and cook until your mixture starts to thicken, 3–4 minutes. As soon as the mixture starts to thicken, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chicken, frozen vegetables, salt, and pepper.
Turn off the stove!
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Scoop the mixture into an ungreased 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33 cm) baking dish with sides at least 2 inches (5 cm) high. Place the puff pastry sheet on top of the filling. Or use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes and place them on top of the filling. Use a fork to lightly beat the egg and water together to make an egg wash, and then use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash. Place the dish on the middle rack in the oven and bake until the pastry is puffed and golden and the filling is bubbly, 25–30 minutes.
Using oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven and let the pastries sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Turn off the oven!
Mix It Up!
PULLED PORK & APPLE PIE
Wash and grate (no need to peel or core) 1 Granny Smith apple and add it with the onions and garlic. Use 3 cups (750 mL) pulled pork instead of the chicken.
SWEET POTATO & CORN PIE
Replace the chicken with 3 cups (750 mL) peeled and cubed (1 inch/ 2.5 cm) sweet potatoes, swap the frozen vegetable mix for just corn, and, to keep it vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock."
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We have made over a dozen recipes so far and have loved each and every one. My girls are honing their cooking techniques and skills, and love the variations of each of the 60+ kid-approved recipes that fill the pages of this must-own kids cookbook. My girls especially loved making the French toast and donuts recently.
They couldn't believe how easy these two recipes were to make, and kept going back for seconds and thirds.
With the holidays fast approaching, this would make a great gift idea for young chefs in your life who want to learn how to whip up afterschool snacks or even hot main courses the whole family will enjoy eating together. This is one of those cookbooks that will grow with your kids and that will become a favorite cookbook to grab and use time and time when kids want to cook in the kitchen with you.
Disclosure: I was provided with a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
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