Book Review: Whining And Dining

Ah, back from the big city. I'll go into how wonderful and blissful and amazing my trip was another day -- Aaron's still out east (gets back tonight) and has the camera, so no photos. Instead, today I'll launch something new over here at Elizaboothy... book reviews.

So, here goes. I've decided to start peppering these pages with the odd book review -- probably mostly crafts, but today I've got a cooking/parenting book for you. It's Whining And Dining by Emma Waverman and Eshun Mott. I really wanted to pick up this book because Miss Ruby -- who used to count asparagus as her favourite food, followed closely by broccoli -- is the pickiest eater in the world. Pizza? Yes. Grilled cheese or peanut butter? Sure. Macaroni or pasta with tomato sauce? Usually. Anything else? No way.

So, Whining And Dining is a guide/recipe book for parents of picky eaters. The book itself is really fun -- the writing is cute and conversational and the pictures (which are of the authors' actual children eating actual veggies) really pop. It's funny and as a very frustrated mum, it made Ruby's situation seem so much more normal -- kind of like sitting around and gabbing with a mother's group. In addition to the main text and the recipes, there are loads of sassy little tips sprinkled throughout.

Now, the recipes. To be fair, I started trying these the week before I went to NYC and I did do some substitutions that weren't really that wise. I tried the chicken curry and a tuna and tomato pasta and... they weren't a success, either with the Roo or with Aaron. Still, there are a lot of others I want to try for dinner, as well as some good baking ideas. There's also a really clever chapter on party food that I look forward to trying once the occasion arises.

So, the long and the short of it is: an entertaining book with recipes that may or may not suit your tastes. Emma Waverman is the daughter of Canadian recipe master Lucy Waverman, so I know she's got good taste in food, I just have to explore further to see if these recipes work for me and more importantly, if they get some healthy goodness into my picky princess. Stay tuned.

Update: Tonight we had the Pad Thai from the book for dinner. It is one of the most delicious things I've ever cooked. We're never getting Thai take-out again. Even Ruby ate some -- in fact, she picked out and ate the chicken from the leftovers after she tired of her noodles. Hooray!