Kids Cooking and Cookbook Blog

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

Apple blossom festivals are appearing all over the U.S.A. There is good evidence this will be another great apple season.

Your fresh apple supply is probably near the end, but you may still have some apple foods available – such as applesauce, dried apples, and apple cider.

Quick story on my apple cider morning fiasco -I had some apple cider in the refrigerator and wanted to have it for breakfast. I went to heat it up, but unfortunately, I forgot it on the stove. When I realized what I had done, the cider was all cooked down into a thick syrup. It was past the point of redemption, however, and now the pan is soaking in the sink. This is a poor way to start the morning and a quick reminder to tend to the job at hand!

It’s apple blossom time! Despite the “not-like-spring” weather, nature continues to work its magic.

Enjoy apple blossom time and all the beauty of the season.

Lee Jackson,
author and publisher
http://www.imagesunlimitedpublishing.com
love the apple/country life

What fun to run to a neighbor’s house with a May basket to hang on their door. Then there is the joy at the other end – opening the door and seeing the colorful collection.

Whether we may or may not be fortunate to give or get a May basket, let’s remember to do something good for another today.

Lee Jackson,
author and publisher
http://www.imagesunlimitedpublishing.com
exploring apple/country themes

Help your child experience the “Great Melting Pot” through food and the part it plays in America’s cultural diversity. What better way to learn about each other than by sharing the foods and customs of different parts of the country?

The cookbook, Cooking Around the Country with Kids: USA Regional Recipes and Fun Activities by Amy Houts, focuses on helping children learn how different cultures in America came to co-exist, yet continue to celebrate their uniqueness. By settling in different parts of the country, people developed distinctive dishes based on what was harvested and available.

Cooking Around the Calendar with Kids – Holiday and Seasonal Food and Fun is the newly revised and updated childrens’ cookbook just back from the printers! This book helps children celebrate the changing seasons with great tasting food and fun activities.

For this season of spring, the author Amy Houts has included food for April Foods, Easter,  May Day, Mothers Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Fathers Day.

Here is a recipe for May Day taken from the book:

Strawberry Parfait
1 pint fresh strawberries
1/4 cup granola
ONE of the following:
2 cups vanilla pudding
1 pint vanilla ice cream
12 ounces cottage cheese
16 ounces yogurt