Kids Cooking and Cookbook Blog

Cooking terms used in recipes and methods of cooking have changed throughout history. Our American forefathers would marvel at foods heated and/or cooked in a matter of seconds. The term barbequing was still non-existent, but they knew about outdoor cooking and grilling.

One of the first lessons in the cooking course of the Fannie Farmer 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book was “The Making and Care of a Fire“. Many of the American cooking terms, methods, and recipes in this turn of the century standby may seem foreign to present day cooks.

Kids cooking and eating takes into account many sensory experiences that tend to remain in memory. These sensory experiences include taste, smell,  touch, sound, and sight.  All of the senses are utilized when eating, including experience and memory. These  combine to give children the sense of food being “yucky” or “mmm, mmm, good”.

You as a parent or caregiver can encourage and reinforce many of their sensory reactions by saying, “This apple sounds crunchy”,”Doesn’t the cinnamon smell spicy?” “This juice tastes very cold”. Help them use descriptive words such as wet, dry, crunchy, mushy, chewy, hot, cold, lumpy. You can ask: Can you taste the sugar? Isn’t this really hard and lumpy? You can also provide opportunities for them to be aware of the use of their senses.

Here is a book for the homeschool curriculum. Attention Homeschool Moms – and Dads::

The book I’ve been showcasing, Cooking Around the Country With Kids by Amy Houts, is not only a cookbook, but a treasure trove of historical facts and food history. It is a recommended book for the homeschool curriculum.

Along with recipes, Houts has included food facts, historical notes, and fun activities. For example, “When was ice cream “invented”? What are hush puppies and how did they get their name?  What are funnel cakes? Why doesn’t all corn “pop”?”

Many parents and teachers feel that kids do not always make healthy food choices. They feel that food choices are shaped only by what food and beverage marketers choose to promote. However, there are many ways parents and teachers can help children shape healthy food choices.

This is where cookbooks serve an important part in educating children. They can provide hands-on training in learning about the wide variety of healthy food choices.

Childrens cookbooks help kids learn how people in other cultures live. This expands their global cultural awareness. Food makes up the culture of every part of the world. Many kids have expanded their food knowledge by watching cooking shows and traveling to different parts of the country sampling their food. But not all children have these opportunities.

One way to help children learn about foods from different cultures is through childrens cookbooks. Amy Houts book, Cooking Around the Country with Kids: USA Regional Recipes and Fun Activities shows how this country is a unique melting pot. It captures the tastes of different regions of the country.

Looking for children’s holiday gift ideas? Browse our editors’ picks for a wide assortment of children’s books – from story books to cookbooks. That’s me with our books at our last event.  See brief summaries of these books below, with more info at http://www.imagesunlimitedpublishing.com

The Littlest Christmas Kitten  – This is a story of how the lost is found in the midst of a miracle on that Holy Night. It helps children gain a close-up, richer understanding of the Nativity. Plus, all cat lovers and those who enjoy animals will enjoy this book with its big and bold art work by noted artist, Kelly Dupre, adding dimension to the story.

It’s apple season and I want to share two delicious recipes with you from my new apple cookbook that are tailor-made for cooking with kids.

Sauteed apples are good to serve with ham, sausage, or pork. They are really easy to make and are good on their own as well. Any of these apples will work well: Rome, Jonagold, Granny Smith, Pippin Gold, Braeburn, Northern Spy, Gravenstein, Rhode Island Greening, York Imperial, and Cortland.

Sauteed Apples

2 teaspoons butter
2 firm, tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Pinch of cinnamon, if desired

With Labor Day gone, apple season has officially arrived. And with it we can almost taste the crisp, juicy apples. Let’s go back in time for a bit to see what influenced apple production in America. Remember Johnny Appleseed?

Was there really such a man as Johnny Appleseed? He has become immortalized in song and story as a dedicated tree planter. It was said he traveled on foot through the hills and valleys of the eastern part of our country planting apple seeds.

What better way to tempt kids to eat right than to start with one of their favorite foods – APPLES.

Wanting to bring this home in a hands-on way, my new cookbook: Healthy to the Core! All-Natural Low Sugar, No Sugar Apple Recipes for Kids works toward this goal.

It’s a great year for apples in most sections of the apple growing country. There are bushels and bushels of apples to be picked. Kids will soon be going out to orchards on field trips. (One of my most favorite times of the year!) Families will be enjoying the apple experience at orchards.

Cooking Around the Country with Kids
By Amy Houts
Images Unlimited Publishing
$19.95

This review of the book, Cooking Around the Country with Kids – USA Regional Recipes and Fun Activities was written by Joan Leotta, journalist, in the Myrtle Beach Sun News