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Cook!

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Unless there’s a particularly compelling show on television, each time I begin my dinner preparations in the kitchen, I hear the pitter patter of little feet as four-year-old Kyle comes in to ask, “Can I help you?” He doesn’t even wait for an answer as he heads over to pull the step stool up to the kitchen island.

Creative Summer DaysHaving the kids help me in the kitchen is fun for them, and it’s a character-builder for me. I have to slow down and remain calm, and be willing to take a little more time to clean up the bigger mess that it creates. It’s absolutely worth it. In the short run it encourages them to try new food, because they see where it comes from, but in the long run maybe I will be able to kick back and watch my favorite television show while my kids are cooking my dinner.

Just last night, my nine-and-a-half year old daughter told me that she would like to cook more dinners (by herself) this summer. I told her that she could, but she had to plan ahead, and pick out some recipes so that we could shop and be prepared. Children’s cookbooks are great, because they have recipes that can be prepared with a minimum amount of adult supervision with great pictures so that she knows what it’s supposed to look like.

yumo.jpgIf she’s armed with a good step-by-step cookbook, the right ingredients, and a willing Mommy standing by, she does a pretty good job of putting a meal together.

Yum-O: The Family Cookbook is Rachael Ray’s newest cookbook. This book has so many positive features:

  • As Rachael Ray says in the introduction, one goal of the book is to “make eating healthier as a family easier, more affordable, and fun.” I tested out a recipe for Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta which uses canned pumpkin and whole grain pasta. My family didn’t love it, but they ate it, and it was an easy and healthy recipe. I might tweak it and try it again soon.
  • Each recipe has a sidebar which guides you towards how “The Itty-Bitties” can help (by beating eggs, squeezing spinach dry, mixing dry ingredients etc.), which can encourage you to let even the youngest of children join you preparing dinner.
  • One section is devoted to “rollover dinners” which allow you to cook once and eat twice (or more) with some quick variations.
  • Other sections are devoted to breakfasts and lunches and snacks, which are helpful in trying to break out of the same old menus that could be replaced with better alternatives.

 

More Ways To Get Cooking with Your Kids

Here are some recipe ideas and inspiration to help you cook with your children…

 

Reader Interactions


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594 Comments

  1. big rachel ray fan here. i love to cook and I love watching shows that rejoice in the art of the meal

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  7. Please pray that this book contains simple easy to follow with no hassle receipes; many thanks SW

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  28. I love to watch Rachel Ray. I don’t have any of her cookbooks yet. I’d love to win. Enter me too please.

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  33. I am always looking for ideas to keep the grandkids busy when they come over. This is such a great way to get them involved!

    I am emailing my friends to let them know about the book.

    Thanks for the contest.

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  37. I have two preschoolers who LOVE to help in the kitchen, so this Rachael Ray book sounds great! Thanks!

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  38. I am so hoping a book like this will finally convince my son that he’ll truly benefit from learning to cook (as opposed to assuming mom will make everything forever!)

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  48. My kids love to help me cook. Measuring & following directions are great skills for them to learn. Cooking together also helps to stengthen our relationship. Thanks for the contest.

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  61. Would love to have a cookbook that is geared for families, so that I might get some new ideas on things to cook that all of my kids will like! Some nights my husband and I feel like short order cooks! Rachel Ray is fun and has great recipes so that makes it even better!

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  64. Her recipes are easy enough to actually follow unlike lots of other tv personalities!

    Thanks for the chance.

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  82. I have to admit, Rachael Ray drives me crazy, but every one of her recipes that I’ve tried has turned out great.

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  86. I really like Rachel Ray’s recipes. I have 3 of her cookbooks and her dishes have never failed to please my family.

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  92. Great cookbook, she also has a great kids section on her website to encourage little ones to try new foods…

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  94. I love nearly every recipe of Rachel Ray’s that I have tried. I would love to win a free cookbook.

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  96. My daughter loves to help cook also. At 7 y/o she has become quite the pancake/french toast turned on the griddle.

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  100. Nothing says lovin’ like cooking with your kids!!!

    Thank you for the chance to win this AWESOME cookbook!!

    Rachel Ray rules— I love me some EVOO!!! 😉

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  106. I love her books and recipes and would like some ideas to help get my daughter involved in cooking with me.

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  113. We just love Rachael Ray in this house. It would bring my two children and I closer together while cooking an evening meal. Thank-you for the wonderful contest.

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  121. This cookbook looks wonderful! I would love to win this and use it with my kids this summer!

    tfisher83 AT myexcel DOT com

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  122. She’s the best! Only she could give us hundreds of recipes that take only minutes and taste great!

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  127. Yum-O looks Yummy! My kids love cooking together as a family. This would be a great addition to our collection.

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  132. I love Rachel Ray!I am not a big reader but when it comes to cook books I can’t get enough.Thank you for the contest.

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  139. i am a truly picky eater and i have to say that i just love her recipes. just good eats and i say yummy.please include me in this wonderful giveaway. rachael ray is the best.

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  143. The kids and I intend to do a lot of cooking together this summer, so a new cookbook would be perfect.

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  147. I would love to win this. We have other Rachael Ray cookbooks. My kids love to cook from her just for kids cookbook. They would love to have new recipes to try. I have emailed all my friends and they are hoping they can win too.

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  151. I really never cared for Rachael Ray until I actually sat down and started watching her talk show. I paid attention to the types of things she cooked and I was shocked to find that eighty percent of what she made was appealing to me. Now I’m a fan. Thanks for the chance to win one of her cookbooks!

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  153. We love Rachel Ray and would love another one of her cookbooks!! Woo hoo! Great contest! chrisandamyward at comcast dot net

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  158. My daughter just turned 4 and she loves Rachel Ray. She got an easy bake oven for her birthday (along with her own cooking utinsils and apron) and calls it her Rachel Ray oven! She loves to help me in the kitchen and this would be perfect! Thanks for the chance (she thanks you too~)!

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  160. Rachael is my kitchen hero. The recipes on her show are usually a big hit in my house and I have a feeling the ones in this book would be no different. 🙂

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  161. I love her recipes! It would be great to win a cookbook full of them! THanks for the contest and the chance to win!

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  165. My stay-at-home Mom always had me help her in the kitchen. I was 14 (and the oldest of 5 kids) when she went back to work. I got a “job” making menus and grocery list and preparing dinner for the family several nights each week. It was adventageous for both of us, and I felt a lot more prepared to take care of myself when I went away to college.

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  166. I would love to win a copy of this! I too, stuggle with kitchen control issues and would love to give this a try.

    owatz (at) telus (dot) net

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  167. Cooking with my kids is something I love as an ideal… but in practice, I really struggle with some control issues. I’m always hoping to find more easy recipes, and the way this book is laid out sounds great for me! I’ve blogged about it now, so here’s hoping some luck comes my way!

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  169. I love Rachael Ray. She’s got some awesome recipes too and my husband has enjoyed those that I’ve made. It would be wonderful to win one of her cookbooks

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  175. I really like RR. She is one of the only celebrity chefs that acknowledge the presence of vegetarians in the world. Her magazine often has substitutions you can make.

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  182. Love you and your cooking show, I watch every week i would love to have your cookbook. Thank you

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  188. We could totally use this. My kids wont eat anything except mac and cheese or pizza!! Im at my wits end trying to get them to eat!! (not to mention husband doesnt eat anything worthwhile either!)

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  193. I don’t have a blog, but my four year old granddaughter loves Rachel Ray so this would be great for us. She says she’s going to be a chef when she grows up and she’ll stop whatever she’s doing to watch cooking shows!

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  196. Forwarded this link to my sisters… They love to cook and watch the Food Network (esp. Rachel) as much as I do!!! 🙂

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  200. I must admit my husband hates her voice, but does that stop me from watching regularly — heck, no. I adore her.

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  208. Sounds Great! I enjoy Rachel Ray but have never tried one of her cookbooks. Thanks for the chance to win one!

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  214. It is going to be a long summer because mom is already complaining about the fact that the boys are complaining. Thanks

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  217. 30-Minute Meals is my favorite cooking show and Rachel Ray is my favorite television chef! I would love to have her cookbook!

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  220. OK-both of my girls (ages 3 and 6) will sit and watch Rachel Ray with me! And BOTH are ALWAYS in the kitchen wanting to help. They’ll sit and watch the bread maker for 20 minutes! Yes, mine have been cracking eggs and mixing batters for years now! We would LOVE a chance at this book!

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  222. I love watching Rachel Ray on Food Network. My husband is always wanting me to try something that she is fixing. with this I could actually do that.

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  225. This would be a wonderful book to win! I absolutely love Rachel Ray and her daytime talk show is one of my favorite shows!

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  226. me and the girls love rachel ray we watch her everymorning my girls just like to watch her cook she is great

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  239. Please enter me for this cookbook. I’m really looking for new recipes that my VERY picky eater will eat, and that are fast and easy to make. I’m weary of my regular meals…..

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  242. Love love love RAchel Ray and as her fellow italian sista I need this cookbook. Well really I need it because I have 3 kids and meals that can be ready in 30 minutes or less is perfect. I dont’ have time to cook in the evenings if it takes more than 30 minutes and my children living on hotdogs is not a good idea LOL

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  251. My daughter’s nickname is actually Chef-O because she loves to cook! We enjoy watching Rachel’s 30-minute-meals show and would love to win this cookbook! Thanks!

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  257. This looks like a great cookbook! Just love Rachael Ray! Watch her shows as often as possible and my kids love her, too! They are helping out more and more in the kitchen. Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  260. I’ll have to email my friends about this. My DH and I love watching Rachel Ray!

    Miranda
    bleucowgirl at hotmail dot com

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  268. Great idea! My 11-year-old daughter loves to cook and it would be fun to help her plan things she could cook over the Summer. Love Rachael Ray

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  277. I’d like to win this book. I need recipes my teen son can do easily.

    This quote is funny…I tested out a recipe for Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta which uses canned pumpkin and whole grain pasta. My family didn’t love it, but they ate it, and it was an easy and healthy recipe. I might tweak it and try it again soon.

    I make up my own recipes, and sometimes they don’t come out the way you would think. I tried to do a pumpkin lasagna using canned pumpkin and lasagna noodles. My family didn’t love it either, but they did finish it. My kids will taste anything, as long as I don’t try pumpkin lasagna again.

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  289. Sounds like a great book! The kiddos are just getting interested in helping me cook; it would be nice to have it broken down this way.

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  290. would love to win a copy of this–sounds like it would be helpful for involving the little ones! thanks for the chance to win! -beth

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  298. My three year old daughter loves Rachel Ray and so do I! We also love to cook together so I’d just love to win this one. I will post about it on my blog!

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  299. Love Rachel Ray and her shows. My son loves to be in the kitchen with me. This cookbook would give me some great ideas.

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  300. ok, we LOVE RR!! the kids love to watch food on TV lol. we are constantly trying to come up with new things to cook so this would be great to win!

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  303. Rachael Ray has a great show, though I doubt I’d ever be able to finish the meals she cooks in 30 minutes.

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  306. I would love to win this book. I am always looking for more easy, kids friendly recipes and a bonus, ideas to have the kids help. Yea!

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  313. HELP!!! I need HELP cooking and I am CERTAIN that Rachael Ray can teach me something simple yet delicious!

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  314. What could be better than putting together a healthy, great tasting meal in less than 30 minutes? Winning a Rachel Ray cookbook!

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  315. I dig the Rachel Ray!
    I have yet to be disappointed yet.
    These are the only recipes I cook,
    ’cause I need all the help I can get!

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  325. Not only do I LOVE Rachael Ray, but my DAUGHTER loves her, too! How great would this cook-book be for the both of us?! Thanks!

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  330. I would love to win this! My daughters (ages 5 & 6) have really begun to take an interest in cooking. We always watch RR and since they love to be in the kitchen with me, this would be something we could really, really use!

    Thanx for the awesome contest!!!

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  348. I am a huge fan of Rachel Ray, she is always smiling and just so excited about whipping up new and cool recipes.

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  352. My daughter and I both love Rachael Ray (She is only 6) and she goes around saying YUM-O all the time!

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  358. ooh – that would be great for us as I always struggle with dinner…thanks for the great giveaway…I’ll have my button up momentarily!

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  360. I just saw this book advertised in my book club catalog (along with all the other books I’d love to read, but can’t find the time). This would be perfect for getting my 3 and 5 year old involved in the kitchen so hopefully they’d eat someting at dinner time.

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  366. I’m letting my friends know about this contest; if one of them wins, maybe s/he’ll invite me over for dinner!

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  367. I am not great in the kitchen which leads to many PB&J sandwiches – I would love to win! Rachel Ray makes yummy looking food!

    (Your button is in my sidebar)

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  370. Sounds like a great book to check out and winning it here would be the perfect opportunity to do so 🙂

    Thanks,
    Maureen

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  396. Rachel Ray is such a bundle of energy. Sometimes, o her show, she talks so quickly that I can’t stay up with her! She has wonderful cookbooks and I like the fact that this one is for family meals and eating healthier with less cost. Please enter me in your wonderful contest. I always appreciate it! Many thanks, Cindi

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  400. I have yet to try out any of Rachel’s recipes but they sound delicious! What a great way to involve the kids too. Thanks.

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  401. most of my kids want to help when I’m cooking and my 12 yo wants to be a chef 🙂 so this book would be great for our family!

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  407. I am always looking for easy recipes that my kids will think are “Yum-O” ! Sometimes it’s hard to get them to eat anything except noodles! 🙂

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  409. I have looked at this book at work. I love almost all of the recipes in it!!1 I will spread the word to some friends about it too

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  410. I posted the button in my sidebar last night. Please enter me. We love RR at our house!

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  416. my girls always want to help too, I have another cookbook of Rachel rays and love the turkey corn chowered recipe in it

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  426. Ya know, if I could fit all six of my kids in the kitchen at once it might be fun to try some of these recipes. Or would that be too many chefs in the kitchen?
    Still I need some ideas – The spagetti thing is getting old.

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  430. I agree that getting a toddler or child to help in the kitchen at a young age will help them later on in life. I love Rachael Ray and am a big fan and would love this book.

    Thanks!

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  441. all linked up over at DesignHER. My do I need some new dinner choices over here….

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  447. Just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading your blog today! You had so much great information and the layout was awesome! I hope you will stop by and visit my blog soon! Our blog is Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio we are a Podcasting show that has live shows every Tuesday and Thursdays at 10:30 am! We are always looking for guestspeakers too if you are ever intersted!
    http://frugalwahmstalkradio.com
    Thanks so much have a great week!
    Angie

    Reply

  449. I really enjoy Rachael Ray,yet I don’t have any of her cookbooks. I’d love to win this! Great giveaway – thanks for offering it!
    ~Tanya
    the4moyers(at)msn(dot)com

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  458. I’m so thankful I found your website! I’ll put this up on my blog. I have a 13 and 10 year old daughter who are in the kitchen already and, a three year old son who loves to help me cook. And my one year old son is following in his footsteps. God bless you and thank you for this blog!

    Reply

  459. Everyone else wants one of these cookbooks and I do too! I was just thinking of preparing a recipe I saw her make last week on her show. Yum!

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  466. Rachel Ray is my fave on the Food Network and I have many of her cookbooks. This cookbook would be great to use with the kids though and I don’t have any family cookbooks. Thanks for a super fun give-a-way!

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  467. Great idea to get kids to help in the kitchen – I do it all the time (although it doesn’t make my daughter any more interested in trying new foods!).

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  469. This looks like a great new cookbook! Thanks for the contest… and your banner’s on my sidebar. 🙂

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  470. Oooooo! I love Rachael and would love to win this! I emailed all of my friends and told them about this site. 🙂

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  471. i would love one of these books, i’m forever trying to figure out ways my little ‘uns could help!

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  477. Love Rachel Ray! Me and the kiddos watch her show on Food network and then try and make some of the food she does. I have one of her cookbooks, and love it! Spreading the word now!

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  479. My husband got me watching Rachael Ray! He loves cooking shows & would love it if we won this.

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  481. I’m not exactly sure what a Yum O is, but I am certain it’s NEVEr been said about something I cooked. Please enter me in your giveaway as I need all the help I can get! thanks.

    Reply

  484. It’s my nieces birthday today and whenever we are together she always wants to bake or cook something with me. I love to cook myself and cooking with her is a lot of fun – count me in!!!!!

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  490. This sounds like a neat family cookbook. Rachael Ray really does have great, practical recipes. My ‘itty bitty’ toddler isn’t quite at the helper stage, but she does her best and she loves mixing it up with her little baking set while Mama’s cookin’!

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  491. I enjoy the recipes Rachael has on her show and in her books. I would love to add this book to my cookbook collection. Thansk for the goveaway!

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  497. My kids (ages 3 and 4) love cooking, but it would be great to expand their repertoire beyond green eggs and ham 😉

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  501. I have her first 2 books and am a huge fan! I have the button up on my blog to share the fun!

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  509. I don’t have this Rachael book yet. Her recipes are simple and delicious. Thanks for the chance.

    I have spread the word about your blog!

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  510. Rose are red
    Violets are green.
    Pick me, please
    And I’ll make the Yum-O scene! 🙂

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  511. i remember the lazy saturdays my father spent with me and me sister cooking something. i remember thinking he actually let me do that when i got the chance to crack an egg. it would be nice to be able to have the children in my life help me cook and get the same joy from it i did. thanks for the chance

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  517. I’d love to win this cookbook. This entire event is a great idea since I’m already scrambling to think up ways to entertain the kids. And summer has only begun…

    Thanks! 🙂

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  519. I’d love this cookbook! Her show is great, and I love her ideas for simplifying and letting the kids help!

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  520. Rachael Ray is so inventive & her show’s great, she always inspires me! Thank you for a really great giveaway!

    Reply

  522. Oh I love Rachael Ray and My 8 year old daughter is into cooking as well so this would be great! I have alos bloged about it and put your button in my sidebar! Thanks

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  523. This would be great! We are in need of some new recipes; we keep eating the SAME things over and over and over again.

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  540. I’ve never had one of her books before, so I’d love to get one and give it a try! Thanks for the opportunity!

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  542. This is something that I know I need to improve in as mom. My boys really love to help but I have been so hesitant to allow them to help me much in the kitchen. Just reading your post was an “aha” for me. I’m like – oh yeah, they could squeeze out the spinach. Never thought of something like that.

    I wrote a post and will put the button in my sidebar but the button isn’t working right now.

    Thank you for always providing such excellent ideas and resources!

    Reply

  543. OH wow, this is a great idea!!! Your button is up on my sidebar….yay, for summer fun!!! 😀 Thanks girls!

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  544. I’ve told my friends that I would love to win this cookbook! I’m a big fan of getting kids involved with everything I do in the kitchen.

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  546. I’ve been really working on learning to cook more things this past year. My daughter is always under foot and wanting to help. This would be perfect!

    Oh…and your button is in my sidebar. 🙂

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  557. This would be awesome to win. One of my kids is anemic and it would be great to have a new cookbook to use to try to get him to eat new things …

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  562. You are on the right track when it comes to teaching your children to navigate the kitchen. All of my children help out in the kitchen and my oldest two can prepare meals.

    Patience and perseverence builds memories now and reaps benefits later on.

    Please include me in the drawing.

    Reply

  569. Wow this sounds great and I am not quite sure how to have my “itty-bitties help me at 3 and almost 2!

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  572. Rachel Ray just happens to be one of our favorite people to watch. The girls go crazy when I turn her on. It’s because of her, that I’ve been letting the girls help a little more, in the kitchen.

    Reply

  574. I would love this cookbook, I’m e-mailing my friends right now about it to see if any of them have it! Thanks for posting this!

    Reply