MG – 15-Minute Foodie (Series NF)

Borgert-Spaniol, Megan. 15-Minute Foodie. Capstone Press, 2023. $25.54 ea. or $204.32 Set of 8. 32 p. Grades 4-8. 

Colorful Foods in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-06153-3.
Eye-opening Breakfasts in 15 Minutes or Less.
978-1-669-06159-5.
Holiday Recipes in 15 Minutes or Less.
978-1-669-06165-6.
Party Foods in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-03-300-4.
Super Snacks in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-03-294-6.
Sweet Treats in 15 Minutes or Less.
978-1-669-03-288-5.
Tasty Meals in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-03-82-3.
Vegetarian Recipes in 15 Minutes or Less. 978-1-669-06171-7.

Each of these books presents thirteen recipes of sweet and savory varieties with colorful photos of the process and the resulting foods, making it easy and enticing for young chefs to tackle the options. A two-page introduction about cooking prepares cooks with basic supplies, kitchen tips, and a chart of standard/metric conversions. Each recipe is then showcased on a two-page spread, with ingredients, supplies needed, and directions to make the recipe. Each book is colorful and inviting, with recipes young people would like to eat or share. The recipes are meant to be made “in fifteen minutes or less,” and they stay true to that possibility. Recipes in Tasty Meals range from breakfast to dinner, including banana oat pancakes, ranch chicken quesadilla, taco scoops, and pad thai. Party Foods includes recipes for ‘nacho mountain,’ cheese fondue, frozen bananas, and raspberry sherbet punch. Super Snacks showcases chili cheese popcorn, parmesan crisps, avocado toast, and sunny smoothies. Sweet Treats includes coconut macaroons, watermelon slushie, peach grahams, and caramel pretzel milkshake. None of the recipes overlap in the books. My tween daughter and I successfully made guacamole, toaster panzanella, crunchy cucumber bites, decked-out pretzels, choco-berry salad, and sunny smoothies. All were tasty, and our family most enjoyed the guacamole, choc-berry salad (minus the chocolate), and the sunny smoothies. Each book ends with one page offering three print and three internet resources (again, all resources are different in each title). The only ‘missing ingredient’ is serving size and numbers. Most recipes seem right for 2-4 people, with the party recipes yielding enough for 10-12, but it would be helpful to know approximate yields.

THOUGHTS: These colorful and upbeat books provide a nutritious variety of foods that young chefs and their families or friends can truly enjoy. Bravo to author Borgert-Spaniol for the realistic and varied choices. 

641.8 Cooking; Meals; Snacks; Party Foods

Elem. – A Spoonful of Frogs

Lyall, Casey, and Vera Brosgol, Illustrator. A Spoonful of Frogs. Greenwillow Books, 2022. 978-0-062-89029-0. unpaged. $17.99. Grades K-2.

Welcome to Bewitching Kitchen, where today’s featured recipe is Frog Soup. This easy and healthy recipe is every witch’s favorite treat! Ingredients include garlic, carrots, fly extract, and a spoonful of frogs for flavor and a “pop of color.” Unfortunately, the frogs in this witch’s kitchen are less than enthusiastic about jumping onto the spoon and into the pot. They outwit an increasingly frazzled witch before leading her on a chase across the street and right into a nearby pond. Luckily, the witch comes up with an acceptable substitute for frogs that saves both the recipe … and the frogs! Young readers will delight in the exaggerated physical comedy as the witch’s composure dissolves amidst the increasing chaos. They also will root for the adorable, wily frogs.

THOUGHTS: Vera Brosgol’s entertaining digital artwork enlivens Casey Lyall’s minimal, action-oriented text. This is a great selection for Halloween as well as introducing the cookbook section. Laughs are guaranteed! 

Picture Book          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD

Elem. – Follow the Recipe: Poems about Imagination, Celebration and Cake

Singer, Marilyn. Follow the Recipe: Poems about Imagination, Celebration and Cake. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2020. $16.99. 978-0-7352-2790-3. 48 p. Grades 2-5. 

An eclectic anthology of poetic recipes on a wide array of subjects. Rather than listing ingredients for a favorite dish, these recipes feature sage advice ranging in topics from success in cooking, to courage, magic, and substitution. A few of the poems stick to foodie themes. “Recipe for Adventure” is a celebration of less common produce such as kohlrabi and rambutan. Others stray far from food as the topic in favor of other concepts. In the “Recipe for Fairy Tales” well-known components of favorite tales are listed as ingredients: “a handful of magical beans\ a gathering of ramps (whatever that means).” Illustrations composed of vibrantly colored goauche, block print, and collage fill each page. 

THOUGHTS: A unique anthology with a wide range of poetic styles to add to any school library’s poetry collection. 

811 Poetry          Jackie Fulton, Mt. Lebanon SD