By Pillsbury Editors, Wiley, $18.95, 192 pages
“Doughboy Tips: Look for these tidbits throughout the book to show steps that kids can help with, little recipe secrets and menu ideas.”
When I first picked up Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Meals for Kids, my immediate reaction was about Christmas some 40 years ago when I received my first kids’ cookbook from my grandmother. I spent many hours fixing goodies from that glossy cookbook! But as I flipped through these pages, I wondered if these recipes were designed to appeal strictly to kids or if they were developed to teach kids how to navigate the kitchen. For me, the ultimate goal of who the book targets isn’t clear, although adults should like the variety of food and drink recipes offered.
This spiral-bound edition draws reader attention by utilizing brilliant, mouth-watering photographs of many recipes, adding splashes of bright colors, and incorporating infographics that stand apart from the text and photos. Young cooks will definitely be drawn in by the book’s packaging and consistency of information presented with each recipe. The concept works.
What attracts my interest are the substitution ideas, good eats for kids health tips, and doughboy cooking tips aimed at kids. I plan to share this book with my grandson when he’s ready to log some serious kitchen time with grandma, and I imagine we’ll whip up memories, as well as blueberry-pomegranate smoothies, chunky pizza soup, and lemony fruit dip.
Reviewed by LuAnn Schindler