ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families is an award-winning quarterly magazine, published in English and Spanish for over 10 years. Each 48-page issue of the magazine contains delicious, nutritious, culturally diverse, affordable, and easy-to-follow recipes, along with essential kitchen skills, STEAM learning, and loads of fun games, and activities.

QUICK BITES

THE LEARNING GUIDE TO THIS ISSUE

CHOP CHOP Jr. Toast with Tahini and cinnamon • RECIPES JUST RIGHT FOR THE LITTLEST COOKS

Spinach Frittata for a Crowd • We love to make something special for a holiday breakfast, especially if we’ve got guests. But if you’re not feeding a crowd, you can halve this recipe and bake it in an 8-inch square baking pan.

KITCHEN CASH MATH AND FINANCE IN COOKING • You are planning to make the Spinach Frittata for a Crowd (page 9). If the recipe feeds 6 people (it actually feeds 6 to 8, but we’re simplifying here), and a dozen (12) eggs costs $3.00, then …

CARTOON CORNER

Kenji´s Red Beans and Rice • A plain old pot of boiled beans may seem like a boring meal, but once you start adding exciting flavors to it, it’s anything but. This recipe should be familiar to anyone who has visited New Orleans, where every Monday, the Creole cooks flavor their beans with smoky sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, and spices. You can even add hot sauce to your bowl—if you dare! This recipe tested well with Kids Advisory Board member Owen, who is a native Louisianan, so we know it’s good.

Feast Your Mind • The perfect book for any food lovers on your holiday list.

FOOD AS KINDNESS

Our Favorite Applesauce • If someone in your house isn’t feeling well—or isn’t feeling happy—then a batch of homemade applesauce might be just what they need. You can eat it plain, spoon it onto yogurt, or use it to make our Applesauce Bread (see page 37).

Pasta e Fagioli • Pasta e fagioli (PAHS-ta ay fah-JOE-lee), or Italian pasta and beans, is a hearty soup that makes a good, simple winter meal. Feel free to experiment with different kinds of beans and different shapes of pasta (you can even use rice), and consider bringing it to your next potluck—or to a friend who needs a comforting meal.

Parmesan Cheese

KITCHEN SCIENCE

Lemony Cucumbers • This is a really simple salad—especially if you already have a jar of Lemon Vinaigrette (page 36) in the fridge! If you don’t have any lemons, then just make the vinaigrette with vinegar instead of lemon juice, and use that instead.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT?

Make a Meal from a Can? YES YOU CAN! Classic Hummus • Homemade hummus is almost as easy as opening a can. We love to bring a batch of this dip along with some Pita Chips (page 39) when we’re visiting friends and family over the holidays. (But you can always eat them yourself instead!)

INTRODUCING: TAHINI

ALL ABOUT LEMONS • We love everything about lemons. From their brightly fragrant zest to their tart juice, these bright yellow citrus fruits add so much flavor to food. Drop a wedge of lemon into a glass of water and you’ll know what we mean—something plain is transformed into something tangy and aromatic. Plus, lemons add tons of flavor to a wide range of dishes—from baked goods and other sweets to dips, salads, soups, and just about anything else you’d want to eat.

Lemon Chicken • This is a fantastic family dinner, of course, but it’s also a wonderful meal to bring to anyone who could use a night off from cooking. Using 3 whole lemons gives the chicken a really amazing flavor.

Hot Lemon-Ginger Tea • A warming, tangy mugful. Think spicy lemonade—but for the wintertime! (It’s good cold, too.)

Avgolemono • Avgolemono (av-GO-li-MO-no) is a tangy egg-and-lemon soup from Greece. It is delicious and nutritious—plus, it’s quick and...