Title: The Supernatural Kids Cookbook
Author: Nancy Mehagian
Publisher: Smith Publicity–Huqua Press
When I saw the title for the The Supernatural Kids Cookbook
, I thought it was going to be a Halloween-themed book filled with recipes that kids would enjoy. Well, it kind of is and kind of isn’t. It’s not really a supernatural-themed book in the sense that I thought, as the “supernatural” refers to foods that are natural and healthier, but it’s still a pretty cool cookbook for children.
The book starts out by introducing kids to the different food groups and explaining what types of foods are considered “supernatural.” It also defines all the cooking terms and offers a list of what you’ll need to set up your healthy kitchen. There’s even a useful page on how to dry fruits.
The recipes are divided into the typical sections, including fruits, vegetables, breakfast, soups, salads, main dishes, desserts, and snacks. They’re all fairly simple (well, they would be simple for most people, a few are a little over my head), and there is plenty for younger children to do to help when preparing them. The Magic Baked Apple (one of the few “magical” types of recipes in the book) only contains four ingredients, so even I can make it. Some have really cute names, like Hippotatoes and Monkey Muffins.
I really like how colorful the book is, with a mix of different colors used to outline the ingredients and the directions. It gives the whole thing a more fun feeling, definitely perfect for kids. However, there are no pictures of the final product, aside from a few cartoon-style drawings, and I think that makes it much harder to know what you’re making. I suppose if you’re a more advanced cook, you already have a good idea of how it’s supposed to turn out, but when it comes to recipes, I browse by the pictures until I find something that appeals to me.
The majority of the recipes in The Supernatural Kids Cookbook are vegetarian, which is fine with me since I don’t eat a lot of meat. Those of you who are hardcore carnivores, however, may not enjoy the main course section as much. I really love how the author even thought of including a recipe for dog treats at the end of the book, it added a nice touch. Also, even though the focus in on healthy foods, most of the ingredients are things you can actually find in your grocery store, so you won’t have to scour the natural food stores for stuff (I only have one tiny, expensive health store in my area, we haven’t caught on to the Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s movement yet apparently).
