. Cooking With Children : by Marion Cunningham, Emily Lisker (Illustrator)

15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to CookMarion Cunningham is probably best known for her work on the Fannie Farmer books, but in Cooking with Children she shares her culinary prowess with the next generation of cooks, teaching both children and parents the basic skills everyone should have in the kitchen. Intended for children age seven and older, Cunningham's book is designed partly to instruct and partly to provide an opportunity for parents and children to share in preparing and eating meals--an element of family life that is quickly vanishing in this age of busy schedules and microwave meals consumed on the run. Cunningham bases Cooking with Children on her experiences teaching youngsters both privately and in community center programs. What she learned about a child's capabilities, likes, and dislikes has been distilled into 15 basic lessons, all centered around a particular recipe.

The first chapter, for example, entitled "Vegetable Soup," teaches how to peel and chop vegetables, how to sauté, how to be organized in the kitchen, and the difference between boiling and simmering. Chapter 6, "Pancakes and Popovers," teaches how to mix a batter, test the heat of a skillet, grease baking cups, and more. The instructions for each recipe are clear, detailed, and easy to follow. Though Cunningham assumes parents will supervise in the kitchen, she's also made sure the recipes are easy enough for older children to follow on their own. Cooking with Children is a terrific introduction to the culinary arts for kids--and makes a pretty nice refresher course for adults as well.

.......Passport on a Plate : A Round-The-World Cookbook for Children by Diane Simone Vezza, Susan Greenstein (Illustrator), Diane Vezza, Andrea D. Pinkney

It's never too early to learn about cooking or other cultures. In Passport on a Plate, children can do both at the same time. This wonderful collection of more than 100 recipes takes kids around the world without ever leaving the kitchen, and results in great food they're more likely to eat because they've made it themselves. Start in Africa with African Fruit Salad, Black-eyed Pea Balls, or Kenyan Crunchy Bananas. Move on to the Caribbean with Callaloo Soup, Curried Coconut Vegetable, and Island Fruit Smoothies, or venture all the way to Russia for Chicken Kiev, Apple-Cinnamon Baba, and Strawberries Romanoff. Each recipe is carefully rated from one to four "utensils" for level of difficulty and the amount of adult supervision required. In addition to the recipes, each section begins with a short cultural lesson about the highlighted country or region and the kinds of food found there. Passport on a Plate is an ideal cookbook for children and parents to learn from together.

.....Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes : A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up by Mollie Katzen, Ann L. Henderson

In the introduction to this marvelous collection of kid-friendly recipes, renowned Moosewood Cookbook author Mollie Katzen notes, "This is the most fun I've ever had writing and illustrating a cookbook!" Nothing could be more apparent. Each of the 19 fun-filled recipes is accompanied by lively drawings of adorable animals, separate instructions for kids and grown-ups, and rave reviews from actual kid critics. ("So many bubbles, I can't even count," says one chocolate-banana shake aficionado. "There might be 177!") Katzen's cookbook is not only a breeze to follow, it also teaches children basic science, math, and teamwork skills--and they won't suspect a thing. The best part? All the recipes (from popovers to pizza, spaghetti to noodle soup) will appeal to the picky--er, delicate--palate of the younger gourmet. (Ages 3 and up)

.......... Messipes : A Microwave Cookbook of Deliciously Messy Masterpieces by Lynn Gordon, Susan Synarski (Illustrator)

Cooking Editor's Recommended Book, 05/01/97: Messipes is a good way to start children off in the kitchen. This sandwich-shaped, plastic-coated "book" gives recipes for kid-friendly dishes like English Muffin Pizza, Stuffed Potato Boats, fruit salad, and a simple macaroni and cheese. Most cooking is done in the microwave oven. The first pages of this book explain safety rules for the kitchen. Recipes make one or two servings, so the amount of food handled is child-sized. Colorful pictures show the ingredients, equipment, and steps for making every recipe. The instructions are written to help children understand what to do; for example, raw vegetables are "cut into long strips" to go with a dip while onion for the dip is chopped into "tiny pieces." Be prepared, though, to explain how to grate cheese, core an apple, and scoop out half of a baked potato.

Cordials from Your Kitchen by Pattie Vargas, Rich Gulling

Create delicious, elegant liquers! This complete guide serves up more than 100 easy recipes for delicious cordials to suit every occasion, including fruit-, nut-, herb-, and cream-based liquers, "candy cordials," coffee liquers, and flavored brandies, vodkas, and rums. Making cordials for entertaining or gift giving is easier than you think.

Cordials from Your Kitchen offers home-crafted versions of popular and traditional favorites, along with an astonishing array of original recipes. This thorough guide also presents simple recipes for using cordials to make delicious dishes, desserts, and spirited fruits, and suggests creative gift-giving ideas.

Using these easy instructions, readers can create fruit, nut, herb, spice, and cream-based liqueurs, as well as flavored brandies, rums, and vodkas.

I highly recomend this book . I own this book and use it often. It is a good beginner's manual. -Aislinn

The Best 50 Homemade Liqueurs (The Best 50 Series) by Dona Z. Meilach

Classic Liqueurs : The Art of Making and Cooking With Liqueurs by Cheryl Long

Book Description : is the best and most complete work on home liqueur making. This book tells simply and exactly how to make the world's most famous liqueurs as well as exquisite fruit liqueurs in the home kitchen. the AUTHORs unlock the secret of liqueur making for the simulation of such classics as Amaretto, Anisette ,Calvados, Curacao, Cherry Heering ,Creme de Menthe, Drambuie, Forbidden Fruits ,Frangelico ,Galliano ,Irish Cream, Kahlua and Tia Maria to name a few. Long and Kibbey solve every kitchen do-it-yourselfer's challenge: to come up with a product that is as good as if not better than the commercial counterpart

.......Angels in My Kitchen : Divine Dessert Recipes by Caryl Westwood

Synopsis: Pastry chef Caryl Westwood offers up her most delightful and decadent dessert recipes to tempt angels and devils alike. Using simple, fresh ingredients, one can revel in truffles, mousses, sorbets, tarts, brulees, and cheesecakes. Charming line drawings illustrate each of the nine choirs of angels, from cherubim and seraphim to archangels and guardian angels.

.......Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book by Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, Nancy Stevens

Synopsis: Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book offers fans more than 90 recipes that are easy to make with even an unsophisticated ice-cream maker. The book is spiced with bright, quirky illustrations in full color.

.........The Chocolate Bible by Christian Teubner, Leopold Forsthofer, Silvio Rizzi, Eckart Witzigmann

Okay, we know you only read The Chocolate Bible for the articles, but will your friends believe you? After all, this stunning book is so overflowing with luscious photographs of chocolate in all its delectable varieties, shapes, and forms that it's hard to believe one could get any reading done under the circumstances. Still, if you can tear your eyes away from the illustrations, the text in this beautiful reference work is well worth perusing. From the history of chocolate in the first chapter to the recipes featuring a savory rather than sweet version of the bean in the last, The Chocolate Bible lives up to its name as the definitive resource.

Consider unusual dishes such as Noodles with Chocolate or Mexico's wondrous combination of chiles and chocolate to make Mole sauce; how about a recipe for modeling chocolate--a substance you're meant to play with, not eat--The Chocolate Bible has them all. Recipes for macaroons and tortes, wafers and candies, cakes, fillings, and beverages are at the heart of the book, but even if you never attempt a single one, you'll still get hours of pleasure just leafing through the pages--reading the articles, of course. 25,000 first printing."

Classic Home Desserts : A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes From Around the World by Richard Sax, Alan Richardson (Photographer)

Food writer Richard Sax compiles a massive selection of over 300 classic dessert recipes. Cobblers, fools, creams, pastries and cakes of every variety, including cheesecakes, are described--delights to tempt the most replete of dinner guests at the end of a meal. The recipes are drawn from old cookbooks, family collections and Sax's own repertoire of classics, giving the book the feel of an old-fashioned heirloom handed down from some perfect past; Sax includes some fascinating culinary history. Thankfully, a few allowances are made for modern taste, including reduced fat and calorie content in many of the recipes. 1995 Winner of the Julia Child Cookbook Award in the Bread, Baking and Sweets Category.

This is a wonderful book , not only to cook with but for an enjoyable read as well. - Aislinn

The Complete Book of Microwave Cookery by Sonia Allison

Microwave ovens are one of those technological breakthroughs that forever changed the way we live. Cooks today need to keep abreast of the times-life in the 90s is fast-paced and hard-driving and microwaves make it possible to keep up. educates us in how to use this economical fuel-saving cooking method. It tells us everything we need to know to turn out delicious gourmet meals from soups and starters, to puddings and cakes. Including detailed instructions for cookware, timings, settings, and controls and instructions for specialty techniques like drying herbs and crisping breadcrumbs.

Easy Livin' Microwave Cooking for the Holidays by Karen Kangas Dwyer

Synopsis: Complete with basic instructions for using a microwave, plus dozens of tips to ensure good results from every recipe, this invaluable cookbook makes it easy to enjoy traditional holiday foods and year-round entertaining without hours in the kitchen. 15 line drawings.

Microwave Party Cooking by Barbara Bloch

.......Rustic European Breads from Your Bread Machine by Linda West Eckhardt, Diana Collingwood Butts

Synopsis: From the award-winning authors of Bread in Half the Time comes a complete guide to making nearly 100 European-style breads with the help of a bread machine to do the hard part. Clear and thorough explanations and step-by-step recipes guarantee satifaction and success every time. Illustrations.

......America's Bread Book : 300 Authentic Recipes for America's Favorite Homemade Breads, Collected on a 65,000-Mile Journey Through the Fifty United States by Mary Gubser

Synopsis: From coast to coast, and Alaska and Hawaii, come these recipes for delicious breads which Gubser gathered from housewives and bakeshops, millers and farmers, cooks and chefs and friends on a 65,000-mile journey through all 50 states. The book covers the basics of breadmaking plus specifics on everything from croissants to braided challah. Illustrated.

This is a great book . It is as much fun to read as it is to cook from. - Aislinn.........The Muffin Lady : Muffins, Cupcakes, and Quick Breads for the Happy Soul by Linda Fisher, Andrew Marton

Do you know the Muffin Lady? If you don't, you're in for a treat. The Muffin Lady is part cookbook, part inspiration; it simultaneously tells the story of "Muffin Lady" Linda Fisher and offers up her mouth-watering recipes for muffins, cakes, breads, and cookies. The food is great, but the story is spectacular. In 1995, Fisher--recently divorced and the custodial parent of a young child--found herself looking poverty in the eye. She responded by borrowing from the "inheritance" her mother had left her: a very versatile pancake recipe that she used to bake cakes, muffins, cupcakes, and quick breads. She loaded these delicacies into a Radio Flyer wagon and sold them door to door, eventually making enough money to stay off of welfare. When the local health department tried to shut her down, it precipitated a community uprising: dozens and dozens of letters began pouring into newspaper editorial pages, an anonymous donor gave her the money necessary for a license, and the volunteer fire department offered her free use of their health department-approved kitchen to prepare her goods. Along with recipes for tasty treats such as Pecan Loaf, Marble Walnut Brownies, Blueberry Upside Down Squares, and the baked good that started it all--the World Famous Pancake Batter Muffin--readers can share Linda Fisher's legacy of riches handed down by her mother.