Carrot Pennies, Pretend Soup, Salad People and Honest Pretzels

A few months ago, I bought my middle, youngest son (that's kid number 4 for those of you playing along at home) this cookbook called Pretend Soup. I call him my little foodie because he loves food. He likes to grocery shop, he likes to watch me good, and loves a good snack. He'll pick a snack over a toy any day. He also has this incrediable sense of smell.

Three nights ago, we tried our first recipe from his cookbook. We made Carrot Pennies (glazed carrots).

Here's the process:

1. Gather all of your ingredients, cookbook, camera and pull a chair up to the counter.

2. Then after mom has cut all of the carrots into penny shapes, beg to cut just one of the carrots. Compromise when mom allows you to pose with last carrot in cutting position.



3. Carefully toss all of the carrot pieces into the saucepan.

4. Add small piece of butter to carrots in the saucepan.

5. Squeeze a bit of lemon on to the carrots.

6. Add some yummy sugar.

7. Look around with mom for the measuring cups. Then give up, figuring one of the younger siblings must have ran off with them. Use a baby bottle instead.

9. Turn on heat. Stir occassionally. Get bored watching them cook and run off the play until they are done.

10. Get called back to kitchen when carrots are done. Help scrap carrots into serving dish.

11. Pose with finished dish with a goofy grin.

12. Try your best to get out of actually eating them at dinner time.

What I like about this cookbook is that it has the recipe for the adult, and then a easy to follow along with picture recipe for the child. All of the recipes are for things that our kids will actually eat like Blueberry Pancakes and Surprise Muffins (jam filled). There's also some really cute ones like Counting Salad and Pizza Faces.

The author, Mollie Katzen, has a few other cookbooks. I'm thinking Salad People, which is just like Pretend Soup, would make a great Christmas present this year. There's also Honest Pretzels, which is geared toward kids 8+.

This cookbook has been a great introduction to the kitchen for my little foodie. Through our cooking sessions he's learning so much. I've been able to work in the basics like counting, sequence, addition and colors. I think he's also catching on to the idea of responsiblity, organization, cleaning up after himself, and healthy food choices. Not to mention all of the great one on one time we're spending. I also like to think that I'm doing his future wife a favor. ;)