is old, yet at the
same time, for a creative
cook, cooking is always new.
Welcome to the club!
family traditions
Do you and your family eat a special holiday meal, handed down for
generations? Or do you have fun food traditions that you invented your-
selves? Here’s what girls have to share about their own family traditions.
Every year, my family and I—including
my mom, sister, cousin, grandma, and
aunts—make hundreds of homemade
ravioli to eat at holidays and birthday
dinners. They are the most delicious
ravioli ever tasted, hands down!
—Rosita
For Hanukkah, my
mom always makes
her own donuts and
potato pancakes.
—Rachel
At Christmas, my mama
makes tamales and posole.
Posole is a Mexican soup
that has hominy, meat, and
a spicy broth. Tamales have
masa on the outside and
spicy sauce and meat on
the inside. They’re delicious!
—Naya
I’m from Sweden, and we
always make saffron buns
for the holiday Saint Lucia.
The buns are shaped like
an S and have raisins. Saint Lucia brings light to the darkest time of the year! —Caroline
We have spaghetti for dinner every
Monday night. It always gives me
something to look forward to on
the first day of the school week!
—Katie
My grandma has a
recipe called Czech
puzzle cookies. They
are crunchy and
have powdered sugar
all over them, and
they’re so good! Best
of all, she passed the
recipe down to my
sister and me.
—Erin
My family makes monkey bread
for any special holiday. My mom
makes it, my mom’s mom makes
it, and my mom’s mom’s mom
makes it, too!
—Tyler
About once a month,
my mom or dad will
serve one of us kids
on a special bright red
plate. When someone
gets the special plate,
each family member
will say one good thing
about him or her while
we eat dinner.
—Eva
For our tradition, my family always
has a Sunday night dinner. I like it
because this is a time every week
when I get to be with my sister
and brother, who are gone a lot.
We always have a special home-
cooked meal.
—Madelyn
My family celebrates Eid. Girls wear
clothes called salwar kameez, and everyone eats a rice dish called biryani and a dessert called mitai. —Sania
the joys of cooking
What’s so great about
cooking? Let’s see . . .
Cooking is fun!
It gives you a zillion chances to
explore and experiment. Comb
through cookbooks and web-
sites for dishes that get you
excited. Discover the foods of
other countries and cultures.
Be creative with flavors and
food combinations. There’s no
end to the pleasures you’ll find.
Cooking brings
people together.
Sure, you can make
something just for your-
self. But cooking is a
great way to have fun
with friends and fam-
ily. Put on some music
and pull your pals into
the kitchen. Decorate
cupcakes. Create per-
sonal pizzas. Mash up
guacamole. Take your
place among the family’s
holiday cooks and show
what you can do.
Cooking keeps you
healthy and strong.
When you make your own
meals, you’re eating fresh
food that you know is good,
not mystery ingredients
from plastic packages. If
you’re the cook, you’re more
likely to know what’s really
on your plate—and to care.
Cooking puts you in charge.
When you know how to make your
own meals, you’re the boss. You can
design your own lunches. You can
cook just what you like for friends.
You don’t have to rely on someone
else. You’re the chef!
Cooking is delicious.
Making—and eating—scrumptious
homemade food is one of life’s
great pleasures. It just is.
Quiz
your
cooking