Starting from scratch after being retrenched had Nicky Stein-Aginsky, of Milnerton, in the kitchen figuring out recipes for children and publishing them in Kids Cooking in a Nutshell.
The first time her name appeared in Tabletalk was in our Read of the Week section, in 2019, when our editor in chief, Chantel Erfort, reviewed her previous self-published book, Your Life in a Nutshell about financial issues, investments and other advice.
This time around, Ms Stein-Aginsky decided to merge her pre-school teaching abilities and being a mother into a kiddies cookbook with 52 recipes.
There are seven sections in the book: salads; make and bake; make no bake; biscuit builds; joint efforts; cake in a cup; and quick and easy tips and tricks. There are eight recipes in each section.
Ms Stein-Aginsky says she hopes the book can prove to everyone that children as young as 3 can cook and so can all.
Children learn a lot when being messy and having fun and should be involved in the clean-up process as well, she says.
“Some recipes need baking and some don’t. Some are healthy and some are sickly sweet. Some are for only one child while some are for a bigger group or family. Some need lots of adult supervision, while others, only a very little.”
Older children can apply their maths and reading skills while busy in the kitchen, she says
“It’s also a good bonding moment between a child and their parent, or one could even include the whole family to help out in the kitchen.”
She encourages parents and teachers to use the book as a practical tool to involve a child in the process of making something.
It has taken her nearly two years to publish the book, she says, adding that being retrenched four years ago helped give her the time to put it together.
Both of her books are self-published, but she says she has learned a lot from the first one.
“My first book lacked colour and had no pictures, compared to this book. It’s colourful and has pictures so that children seeing it, can see what exactly needs to be done.”
The hardest part of putting the latest book together was the pictures, she says.
“I had to make the 52 recipes in one day so that the photographer did not have to come back another time as this would cost too much money.”
The book is spiral-bound and each page is in a protective sleeve so it is easy for young children to turn the pages while their hands are messy.
Contact Ms Stein-Aginsky at 082 293 8855 or nicky@stein.org.za for a copy.
