Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a cookbook. That's it. Now, what is so bad about that? When I got this book I thought it would be more of a party-planning book, such as Christopher Lowell's: themes, and dishes to go with the themes. But it's not. It's just a book telling about how she likes to cook with her kids and other families, the fact that she is a Food Network producer and trained chef, and all the places she has lived in. The dishes are arranged the usual way: appetizers, mains, desserts, etc. There are maybe four-themed "parties," and all she does is reference the page numbers of the recipes, and several themes use the exact same recipes for each!
Now tell me something: would your kids eat dishes like
pickled shrimp with mango and fennel? (and would you serve shrimp to a crowd of people, kids included?)
duck and andouille jambalaya? (and once again, would you serve duck to a crowd, only to be thrown out and wasted by the children?)
grilled lobsters with garlic butter? (um, yeah, what part of this are the children going to be able to do? Grilling around children? My idea of a supervision nightmare.)
This is a beautiful cookbook full of color photos and beautiful graphic design (not a photo for each dish, however). And there are some kid-friendly recipes, like Spaghetti carbonara and Parmesan chicken fingers. But do you need a kids' cookbook for that? Your standard Betty Crocker cookbook has these recipes, I'm sure.
This is a fun idea, and cooking with your kids is wonderful. But this is not marketed correctly. If you're going to cook with $40 ingredients, don't try it out on your kids or others' kids. Let them Try your entree at a restaurant and THEN make it at home.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Kitchen Playdates: Easy Ideas for Entertaining That Includes the Kids ** 70 Delicious Recipes
Sophisticated entertaining with kids? Lauren Bank Deen proves that it is not only possible, but great fun, too! Filled with 70 delicious recipes, varied menus, and themed activities, Kitchen Playdates offers parents a new way to socialize with friends and family without resorting to pizza. This handy cookbook includes 'Kids in the Kitchen' notes with each recipe, providing age-appropriate tasks to keep children busy (and safe). And tons of creative all-ages craft ideas allow everyone to get involved when there are too many cooks in the kitchen. For easy, don't-miss house parties that are truly fun for the whole family, come on over for a Kitchen Playdate!
