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Cooking with kids

By Karyn
Cooking with kids can seem daunting. Will they make a  mess? YES! Will it be time commitment? YES! Will it be fun? YES!

Don't let the mess stop you! Cooking and baking are one part chemistry experiment and one part art project. When making vegetable soup, teach your children safe knife skills (the claw and the tunnel) but let them choose the shapes to cut. When making homemade pizza dough explain how yeast works but let them shape the dough and arrange the toppings.   

Don't let the time commitment stop you! Pick one day a week to cook with your kids - a Friday night pizza and salad or Saturday morning pancakes. Here are some of my favorite cookbooks to get you cooking with your kids!

It might seem silly to start with an alphabet board book but why not challenge your kids (and yourself) to eat each of the fruits and veggies found in Eating the Alphabet.

I love every Mollie Katzen cookbook and this one is no exception, Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes. Some of her recipes don't even require a stove!

Image via Amazon.com

ChopChop, a Watertown, MA based company offers a magazine and a cooking guide.

Seriously, this Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook looks amazing! Why not cook treats from your child's (or your) favorite book!

Let's all learn from Julia Child (she would have recently celebrated her 100th birthday) who said "Learn how to cook, try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun."


Content provided by Karyn Novakowski, Somerville Farm to School Project Director.
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