Kids Cooking and Cookbook Blog

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Soup is a good hearty meal, or part of a meal, in most any season. However, when the wind is blowing and the snow is falling, as it is today, I like to make soup and enjoy its comfort and warmth.

Here is a soup from Amy Houts’ new cookbook for children, Cooking Around the Country With Kids: USA Regional Recipes and Fun Activities. In her book, Amy concentrates on food from each region of the US. It is a cookbook that lets children really engage in the history of the United States through the food of a particular region.

Need chocolate? Here is a delightful combination of chocolate and strawberries for Valentine’s Day from Amy Houts new book, Cooking Around the Country With Kids: USA Regional Recipes and Fun Activities. Her new book encourages children re-engage with the history of the United States by preparing foods typical of different regions of the country.

The following recipe, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, comes from the Pacific coast region. This region’s climate is influenced by the surrounding mountains. Because of its fertile area and rainfall, the Pacific Coast States produce more vegetables and fruits than any other region of the United States.

How are these tied in with St. Valentine’s Day? Was there really someone named “Valentine”? What did he do to have a holiday named after him?

There are many stories about the origin of St. Valentine’s day. We do know there was a man by the name of Valentine, that he was killed for being a Christian during the time of the persecutions, and that he died around the year 270 A.D. Other than that, stories about his life are pure speculation.