Tamar Ansh, otherwise known as the challah queen (at least that is how I know her cause of her book, Taste of Challah), just came out with the perfect Passover coobook for you and your kids. Let My Children Cook!, would be a fun book for anyone and can really help get your kids get involved in the kitchen his year. She covers all the basics, like matzah balls and charoset as well as lots of new serving ideas and recipes for the whole family to enjoy. She even throws in a few clever crafts. I spoke with Tamar and learned a bit more about her.
1. What inspired you to write this cookbook for kids?
Inspiration for a book can come from many sources; with each book I’ve done, Hashem sent me the idea and the inspiration in a different way.
For this book, Let My Children Cook!, the inspiration actually came from a totally unexpected angle. A friend of mine mentioned the idea to me in a short email. I read it quickly and the idea just took off nearly immediately in my head. I sat there all that day and part of the next and by just thinking about it without interruptions, so many ideas got put down in my first outline. The best part about it – the title!! THAT ‘came to me’ almost instantaneously! Every time I see it again it makes me chuckle inside – the title was so perfect that I just had to see this book become a reality; and now, Baruch Hashem, it is…
2. What ages do you think your book is best for?
As I wrote on the cover, this book is for “kids aged 8 – 108!” BUT, the truth is that it can really be used by nearly everybody. The recipes were written and geared towards food the average kid will enjoy and want to eat. And if they like to eat it, they will also like to try cooking it. This book’s younger cook age is around 8-year-olds and above, just as I wrote on the cover, and kids aged 11-16 will find it easiest. However, I know that anyone making Passover will enjoy it, those new to their Passover kitchen, grandmothers with grandkids coming over to visit, kids who want to make something for their cousins and friends, or mothers who want something quick and easy that their kids will eat. Just about anyone, regardless of whether there are kids in your life or not, can have a good time with this book.
Passover Chocolate Sponge Cake
3. What do you like to cook with your kids?
Scroll to continue
More Love
21 Awesome Family Themed Purim Costumes
Purim is not only a time to rejoice; it’s also an opportunity to unleash your inner Martha …
Fun Ethnic Recipes to Make with Your Kids
Know what I love? I love that my kids love to cook. They love their personalized aprons; …
My kids are actually very good cooks by now. They will make anything but their absolute favorite is making sponge cakes, brownies and ice creams – in other words, desserts! Last year my girls made the most amazing potato blintzes and Pesach egg noodles (sorry, those are in my other Pesach cookbook, Pesach – Anything’s Possible!), besides lots of salads and of course, nearly every single dessert we had. They are planning to do so again…I love working together with all of them in the kitchen; it really makes it feel like the holiday is coming and the smells and the enjoyment of having them with me together is very special.
We’ll leave out mention of how many dishes we have to wash every time!!
4. What is your earliest cooking memory?
Ahem…can’t say I have one! I wasn’t much of a cook when I was a kid! Matza pizza and matza and butter were all I really did on my own…my mother was and still is a great cook, though!
6. How did you decide to add some craft projects into this book too?
I used to be a pre-school teacher and every year we made the crafts you see me listing in Let My Children Cook! The kids loved making them, I enjoyed seeing the fun they had when taking them home on that last day of school before Pesach break, and so I decided, why not share them here? Plus, kids who can do them on their own or have their parent set them up to do it, will have something productive to do with themselves while the family is so busy getting ready for the holiday. Parents of younger children are sure to appreciate this bonus to this cookbook. Try out this Passover Placemat Craft here.
Have a great, delicious and enjoyable Passover!
Try these two favorite recipes from the book: Passover Chocolate Brownies and Fluffy Matzah Balls and Chocolate Sponge Cake from Pesach Anything’s Possible.
While I don’t have them, my wife tells me she cooked as a child.
yes mine cook all the time
I would love to win this for my family. Yes, even in Montana we can keep kosher.
I let my grandson cook all kinds of thing we make our own pizza, nachos, he loves to help in the kitchen I need more Ideas though!
Yes, both of my sons love to cook 🙂
Yes, I love to have my kids help me cook.
My kids love to cook. 🙂
I do let my child cook but only certain things and it’s usually monitored. They are just now showing interest in learning now.
Yep, with some help from me.
Not yet, they’re still little.
My little girl is only 3 weeks old but we’ll be training her well!
Yes,
Yes all the time
We cook together all of the time, my 12 year old daughter is becoming a pro at it 🙂
Yes I let my kids cook in the kitchen with me.
All the time!! They help me so much and it means I can cook while they get my attention!
Yes! My kids love to cook with me. Even though they are too young to do it alone still
THe kids love to help cook.
My kids help me. They are still too young to do on their own
Absolutely, they can cook.
Are you who I think you are? 🙂
With my help. They are too young to cook on their own 🙂
my daughter is older but when she was younger i always let her cook in the kitchen and she is a great cook now.
Yes! I love cooking with my kids.
i let my son help as a reward for being a very good boy- and he LOVES it.
My kids are grown and gone but I love to cook with my grandkids.
My kids LOVE to cook & be in the kitchen.
Thursday nights are now known as the Thursday night cookery club in my house. I get home from work and get going with Shabbat cooking. Within seconds, 3 chairs have been pulled up across my meaty counter and stove area and I have my kids age 2, 4 and 6 all adding things to pots, mixing and stirring and learning how to make everything from soup to pavlova.
Love cooking with my grand daughters. this would be so much fun for them.
Even if it takes double the time, I let my kids cook and bake with me. Last night my 3 year old and I made meatballs.
We cook together all of the time, they are 16 and 14 now and they’ve been helping with every day and holiday cooking since they were little!
Right now expecting my 1st. Iy”H will def. let him/her help me in the kitchen! Can’t wait!
My kids love to cook, but they don’t always love Passover recipes. We could use a great kid-friendly Passover cookbook!
great idea to work with children
I was teaching my boys how to cook not only for them selfs but for when they get older I was 8 years old when my father showed me how to cook
My child is almost 2 so he’s a little too young to help but as of next year I look forward to letting him ‘help’ in the kitchen. I have some very fond memories of helping my mother make (taste) cookies!
My kids help cook all the time.
I realized I don’t get to spend enough time with each child separately, so I started letting one child stay up with me a little later each Thursday night to help with shabbos cooking. And they also help with baking and cooking other times as well.
We try to get them involved as much as they are willing to participate. They definitely help in making weeknight meal menus and in baking dessert for Shabbat.
I totally let my kids in the kitchen. They are big fans of kids cookbooks in both Hebrew and English. They bake, which I don’t. My youngest could already make pancakes, all by herself, in 3rd grade. My middle daughter made a roasted chicken with stuffing in 5th grade! My sons also like to be in the kitchen and don’t even mind chopping vegetables.
Of course! They need to learn and participate in healthy eating by preparing food with us!
I just started to cook with my 3 year old. She has cut out cookies and frosted cupcakes
Our kids LOVE to cook…it’s a big part of our lives. We’ve taught them that the right ingredients make all the difference but that the food tastes so good at home because it’s made with love.
No kids yet but I’ve cooked several time with the nieces and nephews and have enjoyed it immensely. I was a bit shy about my cooking when I first started so it was a relief to have the kids cover up anything that did not come out OK. I’d emphasize “Look what the KIDS made” 🙂
My daughter recently has started helping in the kitchen with some easy tasks
I cook with my kids all of the time. I don’t have a lot of “kid friendly” recipes for Pesach, though!