Customer Reviews

The Family Kitchen: Easy and Delicious Recipes for Parents and Kids to Make and Enjoy Together

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
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Really one of the few books that appeal to an entire family. Easy to follow recipes with fantastic color photos. Debra Ponzek melds an impossible marriage; healthy foods and food that kids will actually want to eat. (The grilled vegetable lasagna and croque monsieurs are two of our family favorites, not to mention the desserts). From youngest to oldest, creating time in the kitchen that is fun and delicious for all. High recommendations for this cookbook...........

I am impressed with the quality of the recipes in this book and the meals that come from them. I have cooked three things so far, and my husband and I have enjoyed them: Ricotta, Tomato, and Basil Pasta, Grilled Prosciutto and Provolone Sandwiches, and Raisin/Apricot Breakfast. My 6-year old ate the latter with no problems. What I also like about the cookbook and Ponzek's philosophy is get the kids in the kitchen to help; even if they don't eat what they help make (like my son), they are still learning important skills, sharing time with you, and eventually may be persuaded to try one of these high-quality dishes. The meals aren't fussy, but they are easy to do and taste wonderful. I checked this out from the library first, and I have now bought it a week later. Worth every penny.

She breaks her recipes up into thoughtful categories that include Breakfast, Breakfast in Bed, Afternoon Snacks, Lazy Winter Weekends, Bake Sales, Dinnertime, etc. Other wonderful-looking recipes include Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa; Easy Apple Pancake (yep, looks easy); Fresh Berry Bismarck (a Dutch Baby); Butternut Squash Gnocchi. Again, your kid may not eat everything, but the experience of making quality meals with you and having exposure to different flavors in simply-made food is worth it.

My wife and I recently picked up this cookbook and were amazed at the number of excellent recipes. Most cookbooks I have bought recently have a fraction of the number of recipes that are in "The Family Kitchen" by Debra Ponzek. We especially love the easy directions and stories behind each recipe. Each recipe lists tasks the children can perform which is a great way to keep my kids (wife, grandparents) busy. Buy this book for the excellent selection of recipes and especially the traditional chocolate cake recipe; IT IS WORTH THE INVESTMENT !!!

This cookbook has great recipes. So far everything I have tried and I have loved and my kids have liked most. The food is not "Kiddie food" like chicken fingers, ordinary mac and cheese etc, but more interesting and my kids have at least tried everything. Also has great illustrations which are important to our family when picking meals!

In our family, we always believed in the sanctity of "the family hour" - that time of day when food became the bridge by which we passed on our culture and our beliefs. This book presents wonderful, helpful ways of creating that bond again with our grandchildren. Brava, Debra!

I learned about Debra Ponzek from a Nick Jr. Newsletter at my child's daycare center in Connecticut. I tried her Cowboy Cookies recipe from the article and I was hooked on Ponzek. It's pretty cool that she is a Connecticut resident as well. I love the fact that recipes are kid-friendly with adult appeal. No smiley faced plates,...just yummy food. I've only had the cookbook for 3 weeks and have enjoyed the following recipes: tuna, pasta & celery salad, fresh mayo,spinach salad with dried cherries, almonds, & blue cheese, ham, cheddar & tom quesadillas, arugula and proscuitto pizza, aux delices marinara, rigatoni with ricotta, tomato, and basil, two simple sauces of basil-lemon pesto and sweet tom marmalade which i served with pan-seared tilapia, and vegetable fried rice. My hands-down fave has been the pizza. The aux delice sauce is my fave to date & i've made many from the food tv network chefs.

This is an excellent cookbook, regardless of whether you have children. We make the pasta primavera, corn & black bean salad, and basil-lemon chicken many times each year. The blueberry crumb muffins are excellent. My three-year-old daughter loves making the patchwork apple pie every time we go apple-picking in the fall. The cookbook is simply inspired!

I bought this book based on the recommendations, and I'm so glad I did. Everything I have tried has been excellent! My daughter is still a little young to cook with me (2 1/2), but she loves to try. I love the sections that give suggestions on how to let the kids help.
The most important feature of the book to me, is that the receipe's taste good! Some of them look a little time consuming for my schedule, but I'm saving those for weekends. I may experiment with lightening up a few things (using light cream instead and heavy cream on the pasta dishes) and hope I don't loose any of the wonderful taste.

Can't say enough good stuff about this cookbook! I love it! The bread recipe is awesome and the pasta primevara is great too. Every recipe that I have tried has turned out great. The kids loved the pizza, it was more work than I would have liked but it did rise in the oven and looked so good. The kids eat everything that I make from this book. LOVE IT!!!