Lucy Broadhurst: Ready, Steady, Spaghetti

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Already know your way around a kitchen, but you just need some recipes kids would like? Then Lucy Broadhurst's Ready, Steady, Spaghetti (Andrews McMeel 2009) is the book for you. The recipes are inventive, but simple with lots of healthy vegetables and other ingredients. Show your kids the photographs and they'll get excited, too. The subtitle is "Cooking for Kids and with Kids." However, it is up to you to figure out where your kids can help – the book doesn't lead the way. The first section is "little food" and includes spreads like Humus and Tzatziki (p. 18) and more substantial lunch fair like Sticky Chicken Drumsticks (p. 24) that are slathered in soy sauce and sesame seeds – serve these up to the adults at the next big game. There is also a recipe for Fresh Spring Rolls (p. 26) that are basically Vietnamese Summer Rolls. Kids love to help choose the ingredients and roll up their own. There are helpful photographs by Michael Aboud that show step-by-step how to roll them up. In the Dinnertime chapter, there are plenty of dishes that incorporate vegetables, most with an international flavor like San Choy Bau (p. 51) served in lettuce cups, and Pork, Squash, and Cashew Stir Fry (p. 64) with plenty of bok choy. There is also a fun take on frittata, Bubble and Squeak (p. 78) in this case a frittata of potatoes, squash, and broccoli. As for the spaghetti in the title, there is Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs (p. 48) flavored with plenty of garlic and basl. Although the dishes are shown in small bowls and plates, in larger portions they'd all be fine for an adult meal. At the back of the book is a section called "Let's Party". It's full of fun, hip recipes for Mini Burgers (p. 159) known as sliders on this side of the Atlantic…sure kids would love them, but they're also great adult party food. There are fun desserts like Chocolate-Cherry Spiders (p. 177) and Fairy Wands (p. 178) star cookies on a stick – that would make any kids' party extra special. As long as you can figure out how to let your kids help safely, Ready, Steady, Spaghetti is full of great family recipes, that will get your kids eating more then Mac n' Cheese and frozen chicken nuggets. Previous articles: [Children's Books - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, cookbooks, cookbook reviews --> back to Cookbook Reviews --> back to Super Chef