Kids Cuisine

My son Zander learned how to eat from Annabel Karmel.  When he was born, I determined that most of his baby food was going to be homemade, and I went in search of a cookbook or two to help me prepare good food for him.  Our first book was The Healthy Baby Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel, and it was an excellent one.  It gave very complete information as to what food could be introduced when to baby, as well as an incredible collection of recipes for baby — many of which could be applied to an older pre-school sister.  As a result, my son ate very well, and still has a bit of an adventurous appetite when it comes to trying something new.

So when I saw that Annabel Karmel had put out a cookbook for kids, I knew I had to have a copy.  Mom and Me Cookbook is fun right at the get-go.  The cover picture of a little girl grinning from ear to ear as she mixes dough with her hands is so inviting that my children bypassed a waiting snack to get to the book in the background. Together they turned each page, looking at all the recipes and all the pictures of food.  My daughter read the recipe titles to my son, while he pointed to all the kids who got to mix, cut, knead, and cook.  Children as young as three are photographed doing the actual cooking, and they sure do make it look like fun. So fun that my two children are having a hard time choosing the first recipe to make!

The recipes range from basic scrambled eggs to baked potato mice to a master cookie dough with endless possibilities.  My only complaint with this book is that there are only 21 recipes, and then a few variations.  And while this probably is a perfect cookbook length for a child, as the head chef here at home, it’s a little disappointing to me.  Regardless, both my children give Mom and Me Cookbook two enthusiastic thumbs up, and as soon as they can agree on a recipe, they will be busy at work in the kitchen.  That right there makes this cookbook worth its weight in gold.