Kids, cooking means more than waiting for the microwave to beep or getting take out pizza. I learned to cook scrambled eggs when I was 5 years old and I’ve been learning ever since. Learning to cook means trying and tasting, learning to combine foods and flavors you like. This book will help you learn to cook. I want you to see that cooking is fun and the results are delicious! This book shows how cooking can be easy & satisfying. Foods today are sold pre-cut, pre-shredded and even pre-portioned. With the creative use of simple kitchen tools, cooking a lunch or dinner can be safe for the youngest aspiring chef. The reward of cooking is preparing something that you love and that you want to share. Following recipes is a great way to start. The fun part is trying new things of your own invention and learning what works. Enjoy experimenting and shout out “Yes, I Can Cook!”

About the Author

JoAnn Janke’s youth was spent at large family gatherings with two generations of Italian cooks. Whether it was cold homemade Sicilian pizza after church, fresh eggs from the henhouse, or eating carrots pulled from her grandfather’s huge garden, food was front and center. She has been cooking since she was 5 years old and was surrounded by great home cooks. Her “training” consisted of trial and error, learning to combine foods and flavors she liked. 

JoAnn’s  mother ran her own business when she was a teenager.  It was a deli and she cooked everything from scratch.  The author spent her summers working there with her.  They cooked their own roast beef for sandwiches.  All the salads were made from scratch: potato, macaroni, coleslaw, and “specialty salads”.  There was a hot lunch special every day.  During the holidays, she took limited orders for cookies and pies.  Her oven was right there in the store and people smelled and saw those goodies coming out.  She couldn’t cook them fast enough to keep up with the demand.  She worked so much that JoAnn was the main cook at home for the family of six.  

JoAnn has been writing on and off for 20 years.  This is her first attempt at being published.