As soon as Lily Mae Cox was old enough, her
Mum, Jolene, propped her up in a highchair so she could watch her cook. Just
like me, Jolene believes that the kitchen is definitely the heart of the home
where all the fun begins. She’s super enthusiastic about encouraging kids to
get hands-on with cooking and they love it.
In 2020, she launched the Family Cooking Club, a
weekly online Cook – A – long for children to learn the skills of how to
prepare delicious meals that they (even fussy eaters) want to eat.
Seeing Lily Mae enthusiastically talking and
cooking on camera got thousands of kids hooked, Her enthusiasm is infectious
and now there’s the book, NOW YOU’RE COOKING!
It’s got 70 recipes, carefully chosen for
kids from 5 to 12.
There have been a myriad of books for children
but many ‘talk down’ to kids, NOW YOU’RE COOKING seems different to me. Jolene
and Lily Mae speak directly to kids, sharing tried and tested
recipes that provide them with the skills and confidence to cook real food that
they really love to eat.
And yes, five-year-olds can cook, this book
introduces children to the simple basics,, how to use knives safely, grate
cheese, garlic and onions, lemon zest and ginger without grating your fingers,
how to make carrot ribbons, diced peppers, how to chop fresh herbs and
test to make sure your chicken is cooked.
Starting with perfectly cooked simple classics,
like rice, potatoes and pasta, Joeleen and Lily Mae bring everyone along,
gently and steadily, sharing recipes like a brilliant energy boosting crunchy
granola for breakfast, simply delicious recipes for lunch and after school
fuel, one pot wonders, tray bakes, ‘can’t wait to tuck into’ dinners and the
sort of sweet treats every kid will enjoy.
Well, Lily Mae affectionately known as Lils,
didn’t ‘lick it off a stone’ as we say in Cork, her mother Jolene,
is an award winning food writer and a content creator who has been featured on
national TV as well as newspapers and magazines.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll find in NOW YOU’RE
COOKING, published by Nine Bean Rows.
Crunchy Granola
Making your own crunchy granola is like stepping into history if you use a pestle and mortar – it’s one of the oldest kitchen tools there is. The mortar is the heavy bowl and the pestle is the stick. (Even grown-ups still forget which one is which.) You use the pestle to smash and crush the nuts inside the mortar, just like cavemen and cavewomen did with their food. It’s a fun way to mix things up, literally!
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
100g mixed nuts (try almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans,
pistachios and/or walnuts)
300g jumbo oats
50g desiccated coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
180ml maple syrup or honey
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas and/or dried
cranberries)
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C for a conventional oven or 180°C for a fan oven.
Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
To crush the nuts, put them in a pestle and mortar. Press and twist the pestle (the stick) to break them into smaller pieces, but not too small – you still want some chunky pieces. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, put the nuts in a Ziplock bag, seal it closed and gently bash them with a rolling pin, which is still fun!
Put the crushed nuts, oats, coconut, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir together.
Put the maple syrup or honey, oil and vanilla in a separate small bowl or measuring jug and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir everything together.
Spread the mixture evenly onto the lined baking tray, then press it down firmly with a spatula.
Put the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Using oven gloves, carefully remove the tray from the oven and put it on a wooden chopping board or on the hob to protect your countertop. Use a spatula to stir the granola, then spread it back out in an even layer and put it back in the oven to cook for 10 more minutes.
Use oven gloves again to remove the tray from the oven and put it on a wire rack. Let the granola cool completely, then add the mixed dried fruit. Use clean hands to break up any big clumps of granola and mix in the fruit.
Put your granola in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for up to two weeks.
Tropical Berry Smoothie Bowl
Our smoothie bowl recipe is just a guide, so get creative. Add your favourite fruits, nuts, seeds or even chocolate chips. Scatter, drizzle and dollop as much as you like. Just grab a bowl, and remember, the more colour, the more flavour. Like all good art, nothing is out of bounds (within reason, of course!).
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients
300g frozen berries
100g frozen mango
200g natural Greek yogurt
1 tbsp milk
Topping suggestions:
fresh raspberries and/or blueberries
sliced strawberries and/or sliced bananas
hazelnuts, pecans, flaked almonds and/or walnuts
a handful of granola (see recipe)
a handful of raisins or chocolate chips
a handful of desiccated coconut
maple syrup or honey, to drizzle
Method
Put your frozen fruit, yogurt and milk in a blender (ensure there is an adult present to help). Make sure the lid is on tight, then blend until smooth. Wait until the blender stops before taking the lid off and keep your hands away from the blades. Pour the smoothie into cereal bowls.
Now it’s time to have fun! Add your favourite toppings, like fruit, nuts, granola, raisins, chocolate chips or coconut, then drizzle a little maple syrup or honey on
top. And remember, the more colour, the better!
Meatball Subs
With the perfect blend of herbs, these meatballs turn into flavour bombs. Stick those flavour bombs into a sub (which is a bread roll to you and me), smother them in tomato sauce and top it with melty cheese, and just like that, you’ve got the ultimate after-school feast. Or make a batch of the classic tomato sauce and cook a packet of spaghetti and put it all together to make spaghetti and meatballs.
Makes 4
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
500g beef mince (at least 8% fat)
50g Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
a few sprigs of fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp onion powder
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
salt and pepper
For the subs:
4 hot dog rolls or mini baguettes
1 x 125g ball of fresh mozzarella
150g classic tomato sauce (see recipe)
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C for a conventional oven or 180°C for a fan oven.
Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
To make the meatballs, put the beef mince in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
Grate the Parmesan, then add it to the well. Peel the garlic, then grate it straight into the bowl.
Pick the basil leaves off the stems, then tear the leaves into the well (or add the dried basil if you’re using that). Add the oregano, onion powder, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper, then mix everything together using your clean hands.
Divide the mixture into four equal portions, then divide each portion in three to make 12 portions in total. Roll each one into a ball, then put the meatballs on one of the lined baking trays.
Put the tray in the preheated oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meatballs are fully cooked. To check, cut one in half to make sure there is no pink meat in the middle. If there is, put them back in the oven and cook for 5 more minutes, then check again.
Put your rolls or baguettes flat on your chopping board and put your hand on top to steady the bread. Use a serrated bread knife in a gentle sawing motion to cut each one horizontally through the centre, going all the way through. (Some hot dog rolls and mini baguettes come pre-sliced, so keep an eye out for those.) Put the split rolls on the second baking tray, cut sides facing up.
Tear the ball of mozzarella into pieces, then put one-quarter of the cheese on the top half of each roll. Spread some tomato sauce on the bottom half of each roll. Put the tray in the oven for the last 5 minutes of the meatballs’ cooking time to warm the rolls and melt the cheese.
Using oven gloves, carefully remove the tray of meatballs and the tray of subs. Put one tray on a wooden chopping board and one tray on a clean tea towel to protect your countertop.
To
serve, put three meatballs on the bottom half of each roll, then sandwich together
with the top half.
Classic Tomato Sauce
A good tomato sauce is the base for so many dishes that we always have the ingredients for it in the kitchen. That’s why when I’m hungry, it’s one of my favourite things to rustle up. We always add a little sugar to our tomato sauce because it helps to balance out the natural acidity in the tomatoes, which can sometimes make them taste bitter. But did you know that many jarred sauces are packed with sugar? By making your own, you control exactly how much goes in. And the best part? A classic tomato sauce not only tastes amazing, but it also counts as one of your five a day!
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
a big handful of fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
Peel and grate your garlic.
Method
Put the olive oil in a saucepan, then put the pan on the hob on a low heat to let the oil warm up. Add the garlic and cook for just 1 minute, until you can smell it. Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper and stir everything together.
With the pan still on a low heat, let the sauce simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then. You want the sauce to get a little thicker and all the flavours to get to know each other.
Your sauce is now ready to use, but you can put it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Or you can let it cool down, then put it in a freezer proof bag in the freezer for up to six months.
