Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am not the biggest fan of the Everything books: I have found their text to be over-simplified. However, here, it plays in their flavor tremendously. Like the fantastic Mom and Me Cookbook by Annabel Karmel, (which I can't recommend enough if you are looking to cook cutesy-crafty items with your kids, especially younger ones) this book gives illustrated utensils needs (like if it needs an oven to make, then there's a little picture of an oven at the top of the recipe) and starts with a glossary of cooking terms and safety guidelines. It's got a great little guide for how to set a table, and is full of puzzles for the older kids to do and tips about any number of things that have to do with the meal. It also includes a difficulty level which is terribly handy when you're cooking with younger children or children spaced far apart (like mine). It also has a very handy conversion chart (you know, how many cups in a gallon sort of thing) that for me, is worth the purchase price alone.
But what I love about this book most of all is that it is REALLY full of kidcentric recipes. I didn't find a single recipe that would not appeal to my children, plus in the end, it included a chapter entitled "Let's Play Some More" which had five craft recipes including making bubbles and edible finger paints! I was especially pleased to see a chapter entitled Lunches, Sandwiches, and Brown Bag Ideas for which my nine-year old is extremely grateful-- "Bologna and Cheese, or peanut butter and jelly?" is the most asked question in our house besides, "Did you use the blowdarts on the kids again? They're awfully quiet."
Anyway, this book truly gives you what you are really looking for-LOTS OF EASY DINNER IDEAS constructed around your children joining in. I have found that most children's cookbooks (even the aforementioned Mom and Me Cookbook) have a majority (or at least half) of sweets as opposed to really good dinner fare, and this includes both working together without leaving the most difficult meal to come up with out of the picture. I mean, if you want to make a dessert with your kids, almost all of them are thrilled with a roll of pre-made cookie dough or a boxed cake mix-are they not? Dinner is another matter, and I think it's important to be able to include them on such an important daily chore. Imagine the gap-toothed happy grin when you point out to your spouse that they did a great deal of work on dinner knowing that you are instilling the importance of working as a team to provide a meal for the family-it's priceless. This book helps you do this without strapping you or the children with a hard-to follow recipe that doesn't appeal to the children.
I also want to note that I highly recommend this book for the ten or eleven year old that has expressed a desire to learn to cook-if they love to read then this is the book for them, and the book covers safety in detail so I would have no problem letting them loose with the easy recipes by themselves-with supervision, of course, but in the hands of a mature 12-year-old, you could sit and read the paper while they work at dinner (just the thought makes you giddy, does it not???) They will be well-educated and also enjoy the puzzles as well-it would make a great gift for the inquisitive and studious tweenager who loves to help out around the house.
I have to honestly say, this cookbook is in my top two for children. It's a good purchase by half.
Chapters Include
Lets get cooking
Wake up to a good breakfast
Lunches Sandwifches and brown bag ideas
Snack Time
Soothing Soups
What's for Dinner (By far the largest with 24 entrees)
Desserts
Smoothies
Let's Play Some More
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The Everything Kids' Cookbook: From mac n cheese to double chocolate chip cookies - 90 recipes to have some finger-lickin fun (Everything Kids Series)
Click here for more information about The Everything Kids' Cookbook: From mac n cheese to double chocolate chip cookies - 90 recipes to have some finger-lickin fun (Everything Kids Series)
