Kids Kan Kook! The Big, Fun Kids Cookbook edited by Maille Carpenter

Kids may be bored with their summertime routines, but they are always hungry, and when it's too hot for picnic lunches, Food Network has a new cookbook that combines healthy ingredients and easy recipes for fun cooking for kids.

With section of recipes for Breakfast, Snacks, Dinner, and Desserts, there something for everyone in Food Network Magazine The Big, Fun Kids Cookbook: 150+ Recipes for Young Chefs(Food Network/Kids Hearst Home, 2020).

The section on snacks is bound to be one of the most popular, with variations on the old Ants on a Log (a celery stick filled with peanut butter and dark raisins) such as "Lady Bugs on a Log"--a celery log filled with strawberry cream cheese and dried cranberries (or dried cherries) and "Blueberries on a Branch," using cream cheese mixed with honey and fresh blueberries.

Desserts will be a close second in popularity, especially the Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches, the Blueberry Cheesecake Mug Cake, and the Design-Your-Own Granola Bars, not to mention "cakes" that look like candy bars. There are also plenty of unusual breakfast creations such as French Toast Pigs in a Blanket or Stuffed French Toast with fancy fillings such as cream cheese with Blackberry jam and French Toast Foldovers filled with ricotta and apricot jam. And for dinner, there are novel creations such as Fried Spaghetti Pizza and Tex-Mex Pizza Taco Dogs, new recipes kids can't complain they're tired of. There are also fun facts sprinkled throughout the text such as that Nike's cofounder got the idea for the soles of his new running shoe from his breakfast waffles, or that it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. The editors also sprinkle in handy safety tips along with work-saving clean-up tricks throughout the text.

Adds Booklist in its starred Review, "... there are also fun, healthy alternatives and food quizzes to keep the text even more engaging. With recipes for cakes that look like cheeseburgers, mac and cheese, giant s’mores, and more, the final section may be reason enough to purchase this delightful cookbook."