Not long after I started The Lunch Tray in 2010, a new kids’ cooking magazine called ChopChop was launched by Sally Sampson, a James Beard Foundation nominated author of twenty cookbooks, as well as a frequent contributor to magazines like Food & Wine and Bon Appetit. But when my friend Donna first told me about the magazine, I was worried: in my experience, most kids’ cooking magazines and cookbooks seem to operate on the assumption that kids have no interest in making anything except sugary foods and beverages.
But ChopChop turned out to be a revelation, full of easy, nutritious, and ethnically diverse recipes, along with useful cooking tips for kids and adults alike. And the magazine was (and is) backed by an impressive advisory board drawing from the experts in public health, nutrition, academia and more. (You can read my 2010 interview with Sally Sampson here.)
Since then, ChopChop has moved on to new heights, even winning a James Beard award for 2013 Publication of the Year. The editorial duties have been turned over to Catherine Newman, a blogger and writer I adore (Ben and Birdy!) and in August the magazine released a gorgeous new kids’ cookbook which I’m pleased to review and give away today.
Called ChopChop: The Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your Family, this new cookbook offers over 100 recipes for every meal, everything from “Fish Tacos with Purple Cabbage Slaw” to ” “Crazy-Good Buttermilk Biscuits” to “Any-Many Bean Soup.” Each recipe is accompanied by a full color photo as well as an easy-to-read coding system that tells children whether an adult’s assistance is required and how long the cooking will take. And scattered throughout the book are amusing and informative little blurbs entitled “Did You Know?,” discussing topics as diverse as what an anchovy is to the origins of the phrase “cut the mustard.”
ChopChop: The Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your Family is so good that here in Texas, it’s going to be placed in every one of our public libraries and over 1,000 of our public schools! I can’t wait share it with my 11-year-old chef, and now one lucky Lunch Tray reader can win a free copy of their own.
Just leave a comment below by 6pm CST, Thursday, November 7th. You can tell me why you’d like to win or you can just say hi. I’ll use a random number generator after the comment period closes to select one lucky winner and if you comment twice (e.g., to respond to another reader’s comment), I’ll use the number of your first comment to enter you in the drawing. I’ll email you directly if you win and announce the winner on TLT’s Facebook page, too. (This giveaway is open only to U.S. residents.)
[Blogger disclosure: As with most of my book reviews, I received a free copy of this book for my perusal. However, I never accept any other form of compensation for the book reviews you see on The Lunch Tray.]
Do You Love The Lunch Tray? ♥♥♥ Then “like” The Lunch Tray! Join almost 7,000 TLT fans by liking TLT’s Facebook page (and then adding it to your news feed or interest lists) to get your Lunch delivered fresh daily, along with bonus commentary, interesting kid-and-food links, and stimulating discussion with other readers. You can also join almost 4,000 TLT followers on Twitter, check out my virtual bulletin boards on Pinterest and find selected TLT posts on The Huffington Post. And be sure to check out my video for kids about processed food, “Mr. Zee’s Apple Factory!”
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2013 Bettina Elias Siegel