Hazel has always loved cooking and wants to really learn how to cook on her own. I have gotten her a few cookbooks over the years. Tonight I am sharing a new one, 20 Recipes Kids Should Know by Esme Washburn and photographs by Calista Washburn. This is one of my favorites of all of them.
As you see on the cover of the book Esme is 12 and Calista is 17. These are recipes these two sisters think kids should know. It is not an adult saying this to other kids. These recipes are real and do not include mixes or shortcuts. There is even a recipe to make homemade pasta with encouragement about how easy it actually is. We haven't tried it yet, but Hazel wants to this summer. She has tried a couple of recipes from it. The first being grilled toast. I unfortunately did not get photos of the sandwiches before we enjoyed them. They were delicious!! She also made the pesto sauce. It was a school night so we used some fresh tortellini from the grocery store. She had helped me (watched) me make pesto previously but had not done it on her own. She did it on her own following this recipe.
She was very proud of her sauce. I love the confidence cooking gives her and of course the more she cooks the more comfortable she will be with cooking. Plus the more independent she will be. The pesto sauce was delicious!!
The book includes an introduction that includes things like converted measurements, safety tips, before and after cooking instructions as well as a glossary. It also has chapters with recipes for breakfast, lunch, appetizers, mains, sides, desserts and more. There are recipes to make chocolate cake from scratch as well as pie. This book is the perfect sampling for budding young cooks.
Each recipe has a photograph as well as clear instructions. They are pretty easy to follow and are very clear. I love the variety as well as the difficulty. I feel this book takes cooking a step higher than many of the cookbooks for kids that I have seen. I hope you will check it out!
