We’ve partnered with American Girl® to create a new book perfect for any budding young chef who enjoys being creative in the kitchen. Written for kids and designed to inspire, American Girl Cooking: Recipes for Delicious Snacks, Meals & More is a compilation of mains, sides and snacks, from tried-and-true kid classics to inventive new favorites. Each recipe includes easy-to-follow instructions, helpful tips and color photos.
Below is a peek at two of our favorite recipes from the new book. If you’re into the dishes you see here, be sure to join us along with your kids at your local Williams-Sonoma store on Wednesday, September 14 for our next cookbook club event. $50 per person includes a cooking demonstration from one of our culinary specialists, a copy of American Girl Cooking and a generous tasting of a ll the recipes prepared. On the menu this week? Spiced beef tacos, guacamole and star chips, and ice cream sandwiches. For an additional $10, take home a copy of our American Girl Baking Cookbook, too. Get in touch with your local store for more details.
BLT Salad with Avocado
This recipe turns a classic sandwich into chunky, colorful salad. Bacon, lettuce, red and yellow tomatoes, crunchy bread, and avocado are topped off with a creamy, lemony dressing. Yum!
Makes 4 servings
DRESSING
1⁄2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, chopped 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
SALAD
8 slices thick-cut bacon
4 thick slices crusty country-style bread, such as Italian or sourdough, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
1 ripe avocado
1 large or 2 medium hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup red cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
To make the dressing, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, Parmesan, garlic, and salt in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a second rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the bread cubes, sprinkle with salt, and, using clean hands, toss until evenly coated. Put both baking sheets in the oven. Bake the bread cubes until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet with the bread from the oven and set aside to cool. Turn the bacon with a spatula, then continue to bake until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Let cool completely, then chop it into pieces.
Cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the large pit in the center. Twist the halves in opposite directions to separate them. Using a spoon, scoop out the pit and discard it. Carefully peel the skin off each half, and then cut the avocado into small cubes.
In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, bread cubes, and avocado. Drizzle with the dressing and, using tongs or salad servers, toss to combine. Serve right away.
Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs
Food on a stick is so much fun to cook and to eat! With chunks of pineapple, cubes of chicken, and a soy-ginger sauce, these kebabs are loaded with yummy sweet and savory flavors. Serve them with steamed rice and sugar snap peas.
Makes 6-8 servings
1/2 cup pineapple juice
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing the kebabs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds total), cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
Have ready 12 to 16 skewers. (If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water to cover for at least 15 minutes, and then drain.) Ask an adult to help you prepare a medium fire in a gas or charcoal grill or have ready a stovetop grill pan.
In a small bowl, combine the pineapple juice, olive oil, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic. Stir until the sugar dissolves. This is the basting sauce.
Thread 2 or 3 chicken pieces alternately with 2 or 3 pineapple chunks onto each skewer. Brush the kebabs lightly with olive oil, and then brush them liberally with some of the basting sauce.
If using a stovetop grill pan, preheat it over medium-high heat on the stovetop; brush the grill pan with oil. If using the grill, clean and oil the grill grate.
Place the kebabs on the grate or grill pan. Cook, brushing them often with basting sauce and turning with tongs as needed, until lightly browned on all sides and the chicken is opaque throughout when cut into with a knife, 7 to 10 minutes. If you have any basting sauce left over, discard it.
Transfer the kebabs to a platter and serve right away.
Reprinted with permission from American Girl Cooking: Recipes for Delicious Snacks, Meals & More. Copyright © 2016 by Welden Owen.
© 2016 American Girl. All Rights Reserved. All American Girl marks are owned by and used under license from American Girl.
2 comments
love to cook and want to get the grandkids cooking
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