Gr 4-6-Readers can cook their way around the nation while digesting fascinating trivia about the states. The book is divided into seven parts by regions, with each region divided into chapters with states listed alphabetically. The authors present foods of the states as well as a brief history, boxed facts (capital, major cities, state bird, tree, flower, etc.), and "Fun Food Facts." There are helpful sections on the use of equipment; cooking skills, such as cutting, measuring, and mixing; and safety rules. Recipes are presented in a consistent fashion: ingredients, step-by-step directions for preparation, time/tools involved, and number of servings. "Fabulous Food Festivals" are highlighted with month and city or town. The wide range of tempting recipes (breads, vegetables, desserts, a beverage, breakfast, fish, sandwiches, salads, and meats) should please all palates. Readers will discover traditional dishes like Boston baked beans, Maryland baked crab cakes, Key lime pie, Mississippi mud pie, and Waldorf salad. There are also fun-to-prepare recipes such as Kentucky burgoo, Wisconsin cheddar dill puffs, and mallo-mallo fudge squares, and foods with lots of kid appeal like Philadelphia soft pretzels. Simple, black-and-white maps, cartoons, and sketches appear throughout. Like Aileen Paul's The Kids' Fifty State Cookbook (Doubleday, 1976; o.p.), this title will be a popular choice.-Augusta R. Malvagno, Queens Borough Public Library, NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
This earnest amalgam of cookbook and geography lesson has some charm, but mostly falls flat. Beginning with a brief rundown of skills and safety rules about measuring, mixing, cutting, and using kitchen appliances, the authors then turn to the United States by region (New England, Southwest, Pacific, etc.). Each state gets an outline map, a box of info about its state tree, flower, etc. a few paragraphs of history, and an indication of some of its food products. This is followed by a regional recipe, nicely laid out with ingredients, steps, the time it takes, and the tools needed. Each state's section ends with "Fun Food Facts" and a note about a local food festival. The research is sometimes frustrating (in what African language is "goober" a word for peanut?) and some terms that should be explained aren't (what's shortening?). There's a heavy reliance on pre-packaged, canned, and frozen ingredients in the recipes. Margarine and oil pan spray are used throughout, which might allay some health concerns but will surely offend some purists, too. There isn't much description to carry youngsters through the tricky parts, like yeast dough; or warnings about, for example, adding melted margarine to egg yolk and what might happen if the margarine is too hot. Budding young chefs will be better served by other readily available regional cookbooks. (Nonfiction. 9-14)