Awesome Snacks and Appetizers (You're the Chef)

Brie Cohen is an award-winning photojournalist based in the Twin Cities. She has worked as a photojournalist for the Albert Lea Tribune and as a freelancer for The Associated Press. Her work has appeared places like the front page of USA Today and is the front cover of the twelfth edition of Mevlin Mencher’s News Reporting and Writing. Brie grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota, and graduated magna cum laude and with distinction with a Bachelors of Arts degree in visual journalism from the University of Minnesota. Brie lives in Northeast Minneapolis and enjoys running, playing soccer, hanging by the lakes, eating local food, picnics, keeping up with the art scene, and frolicking.

"As with most cookbooks, reactions to the full-color photographs will range from 'eeeewww!' to 'yum!' so everyone is sure to find something appealing in these titles. The offerings in Snacks range from meat samosas to chicken dippers and apple-slice sandwiches. Smoothies contains recipes for strawberry lemonade and a Turkish-style yogurt drink. Veggies includes kale chips and stuffed squash as well as the more common mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. While most of the recipes are perfectly reasonable for beginning chefs, with ingredient lists from 3 to 17 items long and steps anywhere from 2 to 14, adults will need to be on hand to assist in selection and execution. Several features add value for older elementary kids, including an illustrated cooking-tools page and a special-ingredients glossary where they learn more about acorn squash, allspice, chutney, feta cheese, kale, mango, etc. 'Try This!' text bubbles provide substitution suggestions for some of the recipes. Overall, these are solid choices with an appealing variety of complexity and flavors." ―School Library Journal

"The You're the Chef series cover images are so bright, bold, and, well, mouthwatering, readers are gonna want to cram on their chef's hat, roll up their sleeves, and dive right in. Each title opens with a 'Before You Start' section, covering safety tips, cooking tools, and techniques. Once kids have washed up and found their tools―and located an adult helper for certain tasks―they are ready to tackle Awesome Snacks and Appetizers. There are nine recipes total, all super kid-friendly fare, like pigs in a blanket and cheesy fondue. A sidebar lists prep and cooking time, ingredients, and equipment, while the remainder of each recipe consists of simple numbered steps; small, illustrated diagrams; and, of course, drool-inducing pics of the finished dish. There are 13 straw-worthy Slurpable Smoothies and Drinks to choose from, including Kiddie Kiwi Colada and Cherry Fizz Punch. The most popular book in the series will likely be Sweet Cookies and Bars, with its recipes for s'more graham-cracker sandwiches and Halloween chocolate brownies. And then there's the front runner for least popular (although you never know): Terrific Veggies on the Side. This cover smartly depicts sweet-potato oven fries, rather than the crispy kale chips―although, truthfully, most of the veggies will be right up kids' alleys. The titles conclude with further reading, a listing of special ingredients, and metric conversions. Get cookin'." ―Booklist