~ MMGM S.T.E.A.M. BH&G NEW JUNIOR COOKBOOK ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY S.T.E.A.M. FEATURE ~

--  'BETTER HOMES & GARDENS

NEW JUNIOR COOKBOOK' -- 

LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS 

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:
This new and fully-revised edition of the beloved New Junior Cookbook is the perfect way to introduce children ages 6 to 10 to the rules of the kitchen and successful cooking.

The book begins with the framework needed for navigating the kitchen––safety is always first. Then recipe chapters that cover breakfast, brunch, supper, snacks, and desserts draw in children with their colorful and whimsical illustrations. All recipes in this edition are new, and are nutritious without sacrificing great taste.

Throughout, kids learn the message that good food fuels the body, and the recipes, tips, and hints hone that message.
Each recipe is easy to follow, with a simple-to-read ingredient list, a list of tools needed, and a step-by-step method. In addition, there are food swaps in recipes, turning kids from picky eaters into chefs who customize their food as they please. Full nutrition, including grams of sugar, is included in every recipe.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR {from Goodreads}:
Better Homes and Gardens is the fourth best selling magazine in the United States. Better Homes and Gardens focuses on interests regarding homes, cooking, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating, and entertaining. The magazine is published 12 times per year by the Meredith Corporation. It was founded in 1922 by Edwin Meredith, who had previously been the United States Secretary of Agriculture under Woodrow Wilson.

Better Homes and Gardens is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.

MY THOUGHTS:
Last week I featured a middle-grade cookbook compiled by Williams Sonoma of California. This week I am sharing a completely different style cookbook designed by Better Homes and Gardens especially targeting middle-grade students.

This cookbook is colorful and engaging with its diverse cast of graphic-novel style boys and girls of various races and ethnicities engaged in various activities and sports such as martial arts, skateboarding, surfing, baseball, horseback riding, cooking, playing musical instruments, golfing, cycling, swimming, running, etc.

Each recipe includes a fun name, i.e. 'Hole-in-One Spaghetti & Meatball Pies' for a meatball cooked in a 'nest' of cooked spaghetti and covered with marinara sauce. There is also a detailed ingredient list, number of servings, tools, stepped-out instructions, and a sidebar with tips with suggestions for side dishes to serve with the recipe. Included in every recipe are the nutrition facts listing calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, sugars, and protein. This information is a bonus, in my opinion, because it assists children in learning about their dietary needs as they are learning to cook healthy meals for themselves and their families and friends.

The book also includes kitchen and food safety, provides graphics of various kitchen tools, instructs readers how to measure ingredients correctly, and shares a glossary of cooking terms included in the book, and illustrates nutritional information about how to make a great plate and how to eat the rainbow.

My favorite recipes include: 'Space Monkey Bars' {banana-flavored granola breakfast bars}; 'Up & Away Oatmeal'; 'Rappin' BBQ Wrappers' {tortilla wrap stuffed with meat, coleslaw, cheese, and barbecue sauce}; 'Pump-it-Up Veggie Soup'; Triathlon Tortillas'; 'Serve-an-Ace Meat Loaf Muffins'; 'Fill 'er Up Granola Cups'; and the 'Snow Fairy Ice Cream Sandwiches'.

The back matter includes an index and 'Metric Information', 'Product Differences', 'Oven Temperature Differences', etc.

Highly-recommended for children/tweens interested in learning to cook using a fun and engaging book. Some of these recipes would be great to take on a camping trip.

I borrowed this book from the local public library.

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Friday, September 13th, was 'National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day'. 

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Learn about more great middle-grade reads by visiting Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' blog to find the links to other blog posts celebrating Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

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~ BACK-TO-SCHOOL
BOOK GIVEAWAY ~

ENTER TO WIN A CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE PACKAGE GIVEAWAY FROM THE 'ON THE SCENE IN '19' DEBUT CHILDREN'S AUTHOR GROUP!
 
Enter to win a prize package including two signed middle-grade novels -and- two signed picture books written by members of this collaborative group. {US residents only}
LEARN ABOUT THE BOOKS HERE 

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE:
LINK TO ENTRY FORM 

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~ MMGM S.T.E.A.M. FEATURE THE COMPLETE JUNIOR CHEF COOKBOOK ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY S.T.E.A.M. FEATURE ~

--  'THE COMPLETE JUNIOR 

CHEF COOKBOOK'  --

BY: WILLIAMS SONOMA OF CALIFORNIA

 LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS

 

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

Packed with more than 65 tasty recipes and easy cooking tips, Williams Sonoma Complete Junior Chef features an inspiring collection of kids’ favorite recipes in a colorful, easy-to-follow format that is perfect for the aspiring young chef.

Kids will love recipes like Nutella Donuts, Wonton Soup, Chicken Salad Sliders, Thin Crust Pizza, Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Pretzel Bites, Ultra Chocolate Cake, Watermelon Ice Pops, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirls.

More than 80 kids’ recipe favorites Recipes for all times of the day, from Breakfast through Dinner and Dessert Illustrated cooking techniques for easy comprehension at a glance Easy step-by-step recipe instructions make cooking easy Gorgeous color photography provides visual inspiration. Perfect for kids age 8-12
 
Aspiring junior chefs will never be at a loss about what to cook again. With this yummy and comprehensive collection of kid favorites, young cooks will learn to master their favorite recipes with easy step-by-step instructions, helpful illustrations, and beautiful color photography to guide them.

Whether the objective is a family breakfast for four, pasta for supper, soup on a cold day, or ice cream on a hot one—the recipes in this colorful book ensure that a yummy kid-friendly recipe is always close at hand and easy to accomplish. Fresh-tasting recipes appeal to kids and adults alike, and many offer simple variations for picky eaters. All will appreciate the colorful graphics and photography throughout.

Chapters include:  Breakfast; Soups, Salads & Sandwiches; Mains; Snacks; and Desserts.

MY THOUGHTS:

I became interested in cooking--and creating my own recipes--at around age nine. I was given a copy of the Betty Crocker cookbook with the bright red cover for Christmas one year, and I used that cookbook until the cover fell off and the pages separated.

If you have not had the opportunity to visit a Williams Sonoma of California store, you are missing out on a special treat. If you love to cook and you haven't gone into one of their stores, you have probably saved yourself several hours of time along with several hundred dollars. 🤣

As you may imagine, the photography in this book is absolutely beautiful. People who like to cook and/or eat will enjoy the colorful, attractive styling of the cooked dishes as well as the full-page layouts of the prepared recipes.

The format for each recipe features a blurb about the recipe, an ingredient list, and the stepped-out instructions for how to make the dish.

I enjoyed reading the blurbs because they included little-known facts {to me, at least} about the dishes. For example, on the 'Pizza Margherita' recipe, the authors mentioned that this pizza was developed in Naples in the late nineteenth century. It was created to mark the visitation of the reigning monarch of Italy, Queen Margherita. The recipe's creator chose three toppings to represent the colors found in the Italian flag -- basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes--green, white, and red. Middle-graders will enjoy learning this type of trivia.

The recipes include simple dishes such as granola and move up to more complex recipes such as French Crepes, chicken potpies, and Wonton Soup with handmade wontons.

Safety tips are given throughout the book so that children are directed to have an adult help them with appliances, knives, sharp kitchen gadgets, the stove, and the oven. Diagrams on kitchen basics are also included.

Some of my favorite recipes included the Taco Salad, Sweet Applesauce Bread, Sloppy Joes, Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups, Chicken Potpies, and Jumbo Pretzel Nuggets.

If you know an aspiring chef or simply want to try some delicious recipes yourself, this is the cookbook for you!

Highly-recommended for cooks of all ages!

I borrowed this book from the local public library.

🍚 🍪 🍳 🍲 🥘 🥫 🍚 🍪 🍳 🍲 🥘 🥫

This Friday, September 13th, is 'National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day'. 

🍚 🍪 🍳 🍲 🥘 🥫🍚 🍪 🍳 🍲 🥘 🥫

 

Learn about more great middle-grade reads by visiting Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' blog to find the links to other blog posts celebrating Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

# # # # #

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~ BACK-TO-SCHOOL
BOOK GIVEAWAY ~

ENTER TO WIN A CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE PACKAGE GIVEAWAY FROM THE 'ON THE SCENE IN '19' DEBUT CHILDREN'S AUTHOR GROUP!
 
Enter to win a prize package including two signed middle-grade novels -and- two signed picture books written by members of this collaborative group. {US residents only}
LEARN ABOUT THE BOOKS HERE 

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE:
LINK TO ENTRY FORM 

 📚 📕 📗 📘 📙 📚 📕 📗 📘 📙 📚 📕 📗 📘 📙 📚

 

   

~ BACK TO SCHOOL BOOK GIVEAWAY ~

 📚 📕 📗 📘 📙 📚 📕 📗 📘 📙 📚 📕 📗 📘 📙 📚 

~ BACK-TO-SCHOOL
BOOK GIVEAWAY ~

ENTER TO WIN A CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE PACKAGE GIVEAWAY FROM THE 'ON THE SCENE IN '19' DEBUT CHILDREN'S AUTHOR GROUP!
 
Enter to win a prize package including two signed middle-grade novels -and- two signed picture books written by members of this collaborative group. {US residents only}
LEARN ABOUT THE BOOKS HERE 

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE:
LINK TO ENTRY FORM 

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~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE 'NATIONAL READ A BOOK DAY' ~

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~

VISIT MY AUTHOR'S FACEBOOK

PAGE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN

AN E-BOOK COPY OF ONE

OF THESE THREE BOOKS:

HERE'S THE LINK TO MY AUTHOR'S FACEBOOK PAGE 

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MMGM JAGGER JONES AND THE MUMMY'S ANKH

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY HISTORICAL FANTASY/

ADVENTURE FEATURE & GIVEAWAY ~

--  'JAGGER JONES & THE MUMMY'S ANKH'  --

AUTHOR MALAYNA EVANS

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, Author

Bio, Link to Excerpt, My Thoughts &

Giveaway {One signed copy of the

paperback to one US winner}

LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS  

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Malayna’s debut novel, Jagger Jones and the Mummy’s Ankh, features a biracial thirteen-year-old whiz kid from Chicago’s South Side traveling over 3,000 years back in time to the court of Amarna, Egypt, with his eleven-year-old sister, Aria, in tow.

Jagger, a devoted history buff, is shocked when he discovers that books don’t teach you everything there is to know. Sure he knew ancient Egyptians believed in magic, but he didn’t expect amulets that alter time and space, giant crocodiles with blood red eyes and teeth like daggers, and evil generals who want to murder the royal family and, by extension, Jagger’s own. It’s enough to make even a die-hard Egyptophile like Jagger anxious to get back to Chicago.

The series was inspired both by Malayna’s son and by her favorite ancient Egyptian blessing: ankh, wedja, seneb, which means (may you have) life, prosperity, and health. In book one, Malayna explores both modern and ancient notions of “life.” Books two and three will similarly contrast modern and ancient ideas surrounding “prosperity” and “health,” respectively. The series juxtaposes modern modes of thinking and objects with ancient artifacts, people and beliefs. But mostly … mummies!

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO READ AN EXCERPT FROM THIS BOOK 

Release Date:  May 28, 2019
Available at: Amazon, IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Kobo & More
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-948671-62-0
Price: $12.99
Approx. 200 pages

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Malayna Evans spent ten years in the Chicago media market, another ten in academia, and the last decade as an entrepreneur. Years after earning her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago, her son, then nine, suggested she write a story about a kid, who looked like him, lost in ancient Egypt.

Excited both by the idea of sharing her passion for ancient history with today’s middle graders and pursuing her dream of becoming a published author, she jumped into the project with abandon. Her debut novel, Jagger Jones and the Mummy’s Ankh, was released in May, 2019.

A single mom with two kids, one rescue dog, and a hamster, Malayna lives in Oak Park, IL. She spends much of her time writing–and balancing her writing with kids and career–but she’s “mature” enough to have wandered through Havana with her kids, shopped the souks of Bangkok and Istanbul, eaten her way through Italy, enjoyed deep sea diving in Bermuda, and, of course, trekked the ruins of Egypt. 

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR:

Malayna loves meeting new people, so reach out to her on Twitter, Instagram, or Goodreads or visit her at www.malaynaevans.com

MY THOUGHTS:

In keeping with my policy of being transparent on this blog, I will admit that the first thing I did before I began reading this book was to search for the definition of 'ankh' because I had absolutely no idea what it was or what it meant.

ankh
/äNGk/

noun
noun: ankh; plural noun: ankhs

an object or design resembling a cross but having a loop instead of the top arm, used in ancient Egypt as a symbol of life.

Once I understood what the title meant, I was ready to delve into reading the book.

Combine a multi-dimensional main character, time travel, adventure, Egyptology, and some snappy dialogue and you have this appealing, action-packed story.

Follow 13-year-old Jagger Jones and his 11-year old sister, Aria, on their adventures in ancient Egypt. With strong character development and unique settings, this fast-paced story will appeal to upper-middle-grade and tween readers who enjoy a mix of current lingo and historical surroundings.

The cover art and the illustrations complement the story well and will enrich the reader's understanding of the action occuring on the page.

Note from blogger: I was given access to a digital copy of this book by the publisher. I was not compensated in any way to read this book, write this review, or post this review on my blog or any other site.

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