4 Kids | Eating Stuff

My esteemed colleague, Panteha, recently shared a popular Persian recipe -- green beans and rice. Sounds delicious and I can't wait to try it.

But it might be a while before I do any serious cooking again.

You see, I had a birthday brunch last week for my niece. Thank goodness my other niece helped me. It was a lot of work. Actually, the cooking wasn't so bad. The cleaning the house before was a lot of work. The cooking was quite a bit of fun.

So you know what brunch is, right? The dictionary tells us that it is a late morning meal eaten instead of breakfast and lunch. (See how great it is to work at a library and have quick access to a dictionary whenever you want to look up the meaning of a word?!)

If you're in the mood to do some cooking, I say go for it! Visit your local library and check out the children's cookbooks. Helpful hint: look for the 641's and you'll find a ton of great cookbooks.

One I like a lot is Indoor S'mores: And Other Tasty Treats for Special Occasions by Nick Fauchald. There are quite a few good (and easy) recipes in this one, plus I just love the title: s'mores. In fact, I am going to go camping so I can build a campfire and then eat smores. What's not to love about marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers!?!

Did you know the Library also has lots of cookbooks by celebrity chefs? It's true! Rachael Ray even has a cookbook for kids called Yum-O!: The Family Cookbook. Rachael's recipes are pretty easy, don't take a lot of time, and are always, always yummy. And this book -- for the whole family -- features a lot of healthier recipes. And we all want to be healthy, right?

As with any books I mention here, be sure to ask library staff to help you place a request if you don't find the book you want at the library branch near you. It's really super-easy to get a book from another library branch!

Oh, back to the brunch we had last week. I'm sorry I didn't take any beautiful pictures of the food. I am afraid I was a little busy eating. Our menu? Glad you asked: 

• Pancakes -- plain and chocolate chip (with butter, syrup, and whipped cream)
• Quiches -- super easy made with crescent roll dough, and filled with cheese, zucchini, bacon, and onions
• Fruit parfaits -- blueberries, vanilla yogurt and strawberries, in that order, in honor of 4th of July
• Biscuits and gravy
• Bacon and sausage
• Juice and coffee

Let me tell you. We were all stuffed. Fun times. It's always fun to spend time with your family. I highly recommend it.

So, as always, happy reading. And a belated birthday shout out to P and P!