Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Ready, Steady, Spaghetti: Cooking For Kids And With Kids
Nonfiction
For ages 9 and up
Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2009 ISBN: 978-0740780875
Cooking is a very rewarding way to spend an hour or so. You get to share time with friends and family as you work together, and when the cooking is complete, you have something tasty that you can eat.
In this beautiful book, Lucy Broadhurst provides young cooks with recipes that are easy, nutritious, and delicious. She begins the book by offering her readers a few important words of advice. For example, she cautions us to read the entire recipe before we begin. She also tells us that doing prep work in advance is a good idea, and she explains how to use an oven properly so that we don’t end up with dried out food.
After her “read this first” section, the author moves on to the recipes. These are divided into six chapters. These are “little food,” “dinnertime,” “eat your greens,” “sticky treats,” “cookies, cakes and sweets,” and “let’s party.”
In the “little food” chapter, there are breakfast recipes such as French toast, and snacks such as nachos. Need to warm up on a cold day? Then try one of the soup recipes. Need to cool down on a hot day? Then one of the smoothies is just what you need.
Many children have an aversion to vegetables, but there are recipes in the “eat your greens” chapter that even the pickiest eater will like. Hash browns and stuffed mushrooms are just two of the dishes young chefs might like to try.
“Sticky treats” is the chapter many people will like because they will find so many sweet comfort food recipes here. Bread pudding, chocolate mousse, sticky cakes, and ice cream sauces are just a few of the mouth-watering recipes that you can try.
Every recipe includes a serving size, a list of ingredients, and simple easy-to-follow instructions. For dishes that are a little more complicated, there are extra photos that show cooks what to do as they follow the recipe.
This is the kind of cookbook that both children and adults will love. The recipes are kid-friendly, but they are not overly simple or dull. Instead, they are interesting, sometimes a little challenging, and they offer cooks (and eaters) a varied selection of dishes to try.
