TikTok Treats

 Tik Tok is just more than dance offs and book reviews. IT's providing the inspiration for holiday baking. It;s giving the world excellent cookie and candy  ideas. Best part is that you can even add your own recipes and favorites to the mix.

If you want to see some of the latest trends , first download the Tik Tok app and then go into baking. It's an amazing amount of fun recipes done within just a few seconds. I love the holiday pumpkin rolls one, a tiny film of ingenuity and thread. Then there are the pizookie videoes which feature that clever marriage of pizza and giant cookie. These are easy to make and would be great for any Christmas tree party. Another fun Christmas party treat is the Christmas tree bread, made only and simply with chocolate ganache, what looks like store bought puff pastry and some clever twisting. The dough is cut into a tree shape with some stars cut from the extra dough and then the tree branches are twisted. The stars then are placed onto the tree's middle then the entire bread is baked.For the truly ambitious there are Tik Tok videos on homemade gingerbread houses build with scratch gingerbread. You could even try hot chocolate bombs for an interesting gift. The candy videos are also fun and there are some interesting recipes like crockpot candy one or the treat made with Saltines!

Keep in mind that most of the TikTok videoes do not give measurements , cooking times or oven temps. You have to look on the web for the recipes which, luckily there are many. The app does have some really great cake decorating videos. The cupcake ones are really fun and easy to replicate. However if you want a more detailed video then go to Youtube. As we all know the videos are much more detailed and can give you recipes with exact measurements and show  how to decorate every baked good with precision. Remember all this if you want to make your own Tik Tok clip. You only have a few minutes to create a cohesive clip. Get everything you need together. The bowls, measuring cups and spoons along with whisks and beaters should all be laid out. It helps to measure out everything before hand, like  what's done on You Tube and cooking shows. A good idea is having the treat already baked and decorated. You don't have the time to include the baking and decorating time together. Decorating is another thing. You can show how you added whorls and faces on your creations. The last is picking out the music. Go for a holiday theme background. wear an apron if you want to,

Tik Tok is a great way to get inspiration for your holiday table/ There are some neat ideas you can try. It could be a pizookie or a pan of fudge. Take a look at the app and have fun.

The Best Beginner's Cookbook Ever!

Cookbooks for kids and novices have a tendency to talk down to their readers.That's the quickest way to turn anyone off to the great experiment of cooking. However there's a really neat and informative one out there. This is the perfect must have not just for those little chefs and newbies but also for kitchen experienced foodies too.

This marvelous book is called Starting from Scratch:What You Should Know about Food and Cooking (Owl Kids Books) and it was expertly written by Sarah Elton and sweetly illustrated by Jeff Kulak. Ms..Elton is a Canadian author on several books ranging from locavore  dining and Canadian cuisine. She also is a food columnist for the CBC's Radio program Here and Now. She has a deft hand at explaining even the most complicated of cooking methods and putting them into simple terms. and ideas.Everything from food prep to clean up is listed and explained why . Also thoroughly explained are the tools used from pots to measuring cups and their purpose. There is even a section on how to stock a pantry which is one of the most important factors in running a good kitchen. She also is big hearted to mention other cookbook authors like Jamie Oliver and Mark Bittman in one section.

What I like the most (although I like every page of this amazing guide) is Ms. Elton's push for healthy eating. She wrote a very good section on the evils of fast food and why it's always better to create your own fun snacks and treats.Another plus is her What Goes With What chart on making different types of cuisines, from Italian to Indian. .It's a great way to create the perfect themed dinner thanks to four columns of herbs, fats, flavors ,veggies and other foods. A novice chef can create a pretty authentic meal. her recipes are simple and best of all healthy. Kids can cut their culinary teeth on oatmeal cookies, pasta sauce and granola. She throws in the tasty and grown up recipe lentil soup too for some sophistication.

Starting From Scratch:What You Should Know about Food and Cooking is one of the best kid and novice cookbooks out there.It is the perfect way to introduce any kid or even kitchen challenged adult to the fun and amazing world of  cooking . They will learn a lifetime of lessons and hints!