In the current issue of People magazine, writer Allison Adato tried out four of the latest kid cookbooks with her six-year-old son, Julian. Here’s what they had to say:

Yum-O: The Family Cookbook by Rachael Ray
Great idea: Breaking out tasks (stuff apples, tear basil) that the youngest chefs can handle.
Not so great: Candy “pseudo sushi.” (Cute, but all that sugar!)
Sous chef loved: Clam Bake Stoup

The Toddler Cookbook by Annabel Karmel
Great idea: Roasting cherry tomatoes for fast red sauce, instead of jarred.
Not great: Must fish sticks look like fish with a single pea for the eye? Must they?
Sous chef made (with help): Banana muffins.

Paula Deen’s My First Cookbook
Great idea: Easy instructions with table-manners tips.
Not great: Processed foods (marshmallow ambrosia salad).
Sous chef wanted to make: That ambrosia, of course.

Cook It Up In A Cup! by Julia Myall
Great idea: Risotto cups, oven-baked in 20 minutes.
Not so great: Recipes for 12 portions - but only 6 cups in the box.
Sous chef wanted to make: Anything that looked like a cupcake.

That is, no doubt, the most often asked question from my five-year-old son.

“Why are you putting those cans in a separate container, and not in the garbage?”

“Why is the cardboard over there?”

“Why are you shutting the light off?”

Each time he asks a question, I answer him, and questions relating to being more environmentally friendly and reducing our carbon footprint are no exception.

He’s on Spring Break this week, and while lining up a few activities for him to do, I spied the perfect thing on Earthbound Farm’s website, their Organic Farming Activity Book. Free via download, it’s filled word searches, maze puzzles and more, with bits of easily digestable organic trivia along the way. My favorite kind of lesson — fun mixed in with fact.

You can print out your own copy right here, and it’s perfect for ages 5-9. Have fun!

Photo from Earthbound Farm.

Available in three different styles (Chef, Overall, and Cobbler), Beansoup’s line of kid aprons are perfect for the young cooks in our kitchen. We received the Rust Overall apron, and Nicholas put it on as soon as he opened the package. He loves knowing that it’s his. All his. Made from machine washable denim fabric, it’s a snap to throw in the wash and holds its shape and color really well. Although not yet available at mass retailers, there are a number of locations where you can find the aprons, and you can also order them easily online. They have a wide array of fun and colorful patterns to choose from and retail for $29.00.

Perhaps the best part of Beansoup? The outstanding customer service and personal touch. After my newest kitchen helper arrived in February, very shortly thereafter, she received her first package in the mail … her very own, very adorable floral print Beansoup apron to grow into … and we can’t wait to use it!

Chop up a bunch of ingredients and mix together with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  It doesn’t get much easier than that, and while this recipe is perfect for summer-ripe tomatoes, live on the edge like we did and have it any old time.  One caveat though - fresh basil is a must for this one, no cheating and using the dried stuff.

Salami Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Recipe courtesy of Michael Chiarello

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

1 pound salami, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 pound mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for drizzling
Vinegar, for drizzling

In a large bowl, combine salami, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and toss well.

I’m not a big fan of “hiding” vegetables to get kids to eat them, because then they’re still not learning which vegetables they actually like. If broccoli is a challenge with your children too, then you might want to try these no-hiding-vegetables tips in a recent issue of Woman’s Day magazine:

- Have him make broccoli trees with carrot-stick trunks and broccoli-floret treetops. Serve with a ranch dip.

- Add to macaroni and cheese.

- Slip some sliced cooked broccoli stems into a quesadilla.

Photo from MorgueFile.com.

Made from cotton, the aprons have an adjustable neck band and a front pocket to keep all their little treasures in place. They are machine-washable and come in Blue Twill, Claret (what you and I call red), or Blue Denim. The $22 price includes the personalization of up to nine letters. If this one is not your style (or your kids’), they also have a princess and race car themed ones available.

Happy shopping!

Picture from Williams-Sonoma.

My five-year-old son, Nicholas, was no exception. Although he tends to be a little picky about fast food, he does have it on occasion, and when I mentioned that I was going to make him chicken nuggets at home, he didn’t want to hear any of it. It wasn’t until the third time that I made them that I could actually convince him to try enough of it to really give it a chance. And then? He succumbed and admitted, that yup, homemade chicken nuggets really ARE better than what you can get at McDonald’s, Happy Meal toy notwithstanding. I’d also hazard a guess that these are a tad bit healthier to boot.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

2 lbs skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, mixed with the milk

Dip chicken in egg and milk mixture, then toss with bread crumbs, coating well. Brown in a little oil until golden. Serve.

A few notes on the below recipe — While mixing, I needed to use a little bit of water to get the ingredients to hold properly. When inserting the olive (aka eyeball), be sure to get it in there good, otherwise it will pop out while baking. When serving, I included a little honey mustard alongside it for a dipping sauce, which worked well.

Although Halloween has come and gone, there’s no better time than the present to creep out your kids in the most fun way possible.

Monster Eyes
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living magazine, October 2007

Prep: 20 min., Bake: 18 min. per batch

Combine 3 cups all-purpose baking mix, 1 lb. ground hot pork sausage, and 1 (8-oz.) block Muenster cheese, shredded, in a large bowl until blended. Shape sausage mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Press 1 pimiento-stuffed Spanish olive (you’ll need 1 7-oz. jar) deeply into center of each ball. Bake at 400° for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Bisquick for all-purpose baking mix and Jimmy Dean Hot Ground Pork Sausage.

Yield: Makes about 4 1/2 dozen

Photo from Southern Living magazine.

What inspired you? I was making butternut squash puree for my baby and mac ‘n cheese from a box for my other kids. I realized the colors matched exactly. So, I added the squash to the mac ‘n cheese and they didn’t notice. I was so excited! I thought, “What else can I hide?” It became an obsession.

What else do you hide? Sweet potato in pancakes, pureed tomato in taco meat, spinach in brownies … I’ve met kids who say they hate spinach - “Eww, it’s so gross!” I’ll give them a brownie and tell them, “That was FULL of spinach.” They don’t know what to say.

Do you and Jerry eat what your kids eat? I’m not making two meals a night!

Jerry Seinfeld’s eating chicken nuggets? Yes. I might put a little red sauce on it and some mozzarella cheese.

Do you trick him too? I don’t have to. Jerry’s a good eater. Imagine if your husband was a bad eater? That would be my worst nightmare. But he won’t eat asparagus.

So if you snuck in some asparagus? He would love it. He thinks this whole thing is so much fun. He would say, “I stand corrected.”