1
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,879
Speaker 1: Hello, and good morning, Madison. How are you doing today? Good?

2
00:00:02,879 --> 00:00:03,279
Speaker 2: How are you?

3
00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:06,120
Speaker 1: Absolutely fantastic. I got to tell you, my wife and

4
00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,519
I love watching cooking shows that feature kids, and along

5
00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:14,000
comes your book. Oh my god, this here is so

6
00:00:14,279 --> 00:00:16,640
in tune with what's really going on when it comes

7
00:00:16,679 --> 00:00:17,480
to young lives.

8
00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:21,440
Speaker 2: Oh thank you. We're so excited to be releasing our

9
00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,280
first cookbook, and we know that our Highlights and High

10
00:00:24,359 --> 00:00:27,399
Five magazine readers are super tuned into our recipes, so

11
00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:29,760
it only makes sense for us to be combining the

12
00:00:29,839 --> 00:00:32,840
creativity of cooking with kids curiosity for science.

13
00:00:33,039 --> 00:00:35,240
Speaker 1: Well, that's a fun part about this is that, I mean,

14
00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:37,600
even as adults, do we ever really think about the

15
00:00:37,679 --> 00:00:39,439
science that goes into cooking something?

16
00:00:40,679 --> 00:00:43,560
Speaker 2: There is so much science behind the food you eat,

17
00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:46,280
and we've captured all the questions that kids and grown

18
00:00:46,359 --> 00:00:48,880
ups have wondered. You know, why do onions make your

19
00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,240
eyes water? Or how much water is in a watermelon?

20
00:00:52,359 --> 00:00:54,960
So we're answering all the fun questions. That it's done

21
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,759
in a super approachable and kid friendly way that kids

22
00:00:58,799 --> 00:01:01,039
and parents can love and learn from.

23
00:01:01,159 --> 00:01:02,640
Speaker 1: And there's so many different things that you can do

24
00:01:02,679 --> 00:01:04,480
as we can get closer to the spring months and

25
00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,280
then into the hot summer months. I mean to have

26
00:01:06,359 --> 00:01:09,000
a pucker punch with those little gummy worms in there. Yes,

27
00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:12,280
this is my kind of thing that was.

28
00:01:12,439 --> 00:01:16,280
Speaker 2: Such a fan favorite among our kids taste testers. I mean,

29
00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,959
who doesn't want to try putting candy in some punch.

30
00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,879
It's like the perfect summary drink. So there's a little

31
00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:24,480
something for everyone, whether you're a picky eater or whether

32
00:01:24,519 --> 00:01:26,599
you're a little bit more adventurous. We've got you know,

33
00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:28,840
your fun pucker punch type of stuff, and then we've

34
00:01:28,879 --> 00:01:32,480
got you know, healthier options too, So there's everything to

35
00:01:32,519 --> 00:01:33,159
choose from.

36
00:01:33,239 --> 00:01:35,359
Speaker 1: Well, the popsicle stick is going to be used inside

37
00:01:35,359 --> 00:01:36,640
of this, and what I mean by that is is

38
00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,200
you've got cocoa spoons here. I think this is great

39
00:01:39,239 --> 00:01:41,760
for kids to invent something that they can, you know,

40
00:01:41,799 --> 00:01:43,680
they can call their own and then go out and

41
00:01:43,719 --> 00:01:44,680
share it with friends.

42
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,239
Speaker 2: Yeah, when we created this one, we really kept the

43
00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,439
giftable nature in mind. It feels like something that you

44
00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:53,680
would wrap up and give to a neighbor or a

45
00:01:53,719 --> 00:01:56,560
friend or a teacher. And the great thing about it

46
00:01:56,599 --> 00:01:58,840
is because you can customize each and every one of

47
00:01:58,879 --> 00:02:01,439
those coco spoons you can think about what that specific

48
00:02:01,519 --> 00:02:04,400
person likes and make it perfect for their taste. So

49
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,040
we tried to keep all of our recipes open ended

50
00:02:07,079 --> 00:02:09,400
so that you can tailor everything to your own taste.

51
00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,319
And this is a great example where you get to

52
00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:13,039
think of others in their taste as well.

53
00:02:13,199 --> 00:02:15,840
Speaker 1: And it's not the same welld macaroni and cheese and

54
00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:18,560
chicken McNuggets. Oh no, I mean you give us the

55
00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,240
opportunity to have pizzas and so many other things.

56
00:02:22,199 --> 00:02:24,479
Speaker 2: Absolutely, there's so much stuff in there. And if we

57
00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,800
do throw a chicken nugget in there, they are dino

58
00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,080
chicken nuggets that are walking on a tortilla moon in

59
00:02:30,199 --> 00:02:34,199
space with their little cheese helmets. Everything is super playful

60
00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:36,520
and humorous and approachable for our readers.

61
00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:39,120
Speaker 1: You ask a very important question inside this book. Why

62
00:02:39,159 --> 00:02:41,840
are some foods sticky? I want to know why is that?

63
00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:42,919
Is it because of the sugar?

64
00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:46,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, so for a lot of them, it is the sugar.

65
00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:50,240
And the marshmallow dinos are one of my favorite sticky recipe.

66
00:02:50,879 --> 00:02:53,400
You get to learn all kinds of science behind your food.

67
00:02:53,439 --> 00:02:57,599
You can learn about how the marshmallows are. You can

68
00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,319
balance them by making sure that the center of gravity

69
00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,120
stays between the dinosaur's feet. So we've got all kinds

70
00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,479
of fun facts and explanations of the science behind your

71
00:03:06,479 --> 00:03:07,520
food woven throughout.

72
00:03:07,719 --> 00:03:10,520
Speaker 1: I can totally see school teachers adding this to their classroom.

73
00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,719
Speaker 2: Yes, it is totally. There's so many opportunities for critical

74
00:03:16,759 --> 00:03:19,120
thinking and really getting kids to think like a scientist.

75
00:03:19,159 --> 00:03:22,240
So in that same marshmallow dinosaur recipe I was talking about,

76
00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,879
it's great because kids can hypothesize what they think might work,

77
00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:28,039
they can test it out, and if it doesn't work,

78
00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:31,240
they really get into this problem solving mindset that a

79
00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,439
lot of kids aren't used to. So this is a

80
00:03:33,439 --> 00:03:36,000
great way to kind of introduce them to the ways

81
00:03:36,039 --> 00:03:38,240
of thinking like a scientist. But it's done in a

82
00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:40,080
really low stakes and fun way.

83
00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:42,039
Speaker 1: See. I would love to see what the research is

84
00:03:42,039 --> 00:03:44,080
going to be as you grow forward with this, and

85
00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,639
how many kids will actually jump into you know, stem

86
00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:48,479
research and all that kind of stuff, because I mean

87
00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,400
everything here is about using your imagination to grow.

88
00:03:52,719 --> 00:03:57,639
Speaker 2: Our readers are such incredible learners. They are already scientists.

89
00:03:58,039 --> 00:04:00,759
They are just waiting for an opportunity like this to

90
00:04:01,159 --> 00:04:02,840
unleash all of their curiosity.

91
00:04:02,879 --> 00:04:06,240
Speaker 1: And creativity, And there's so many incredible good foods here.

92
00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:08,479
For instance, like you know, the very very mixed salad

93
00:04:08,479 --> 00:04:10,280
and you've got to seize your nugget salad in the

94
00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,960
and the green dream salad. I mean it's I mean,

95
00:04:13,199 --> 00:04:15,120
the salad is a good You know, kids will run

96
00:04:15,159 --> 00:04:16,839
away from stuff like this, but when they look like,

97
00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:18,839
look at this, they're going to say, no, I want

98
00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:20,600
that totally.

99
00:04:20,759 --> 00:04:23,279
Speaker 2: And that's a great example of another one that's super

100
00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:25,839
open ended. So we want for you know, your pick,

101
00:04:25,879 --> 00:04:28,279
your eaters to be able to customize it so their taste.

102
00:04:28,319 --> 00:04:30,600
That's why we show so many options of all of

103
00:04:30,639 --> 00:04:32,879
our recipes, and we also want for you to be

104
00:04:32,879 --> 00:04:35,079
able to use what you have on hand. Every parent

105
00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,720
has experienced that moment where you know, you go into

106
00:04:37,759 --> 00:04:40,360
the pantry and you realize you're missing an ingredient. And

107
00:04:40,399 --> 00:04:42,480
we've got a motto at highlights here that there's no

108
00:04:42,639 --> 00:04:44,759
wrong way to cook. It's all about the fun. So

109
00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,720
we really want for kids to get creative and make

110
00:04:46,759 --> 00:04:48,040
every single recipe their own.

111
00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,000
Speaker 1: As a kid, I couldn't stand cucumbers, but as an adult,

112
00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:53,759
I crave them. Look at what you guys are doing

113
00:04:53,759 --> 00:04:55,759
with your cucumbers. You've got so many different things in

114
00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,040
here that we can add to it to make it fun.

115
00:04:59,439 --> 00:05:02,480
Speaker 2: Yeah. And the great thing about that, going back to

116
00:05:02,519 --> 00:05:05,639
the customizing, if you are the kid who doesn't like cucumbers,

117
00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,240
maybe you swap it out for a carrot slide, yeah.

118
00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:10,399
Or maybe you decide you don't want to use cucumbers

119
00:05:10,439 --> 00:05:11,959
as your base, maybe you want to use some kind

120
00:05:11,959 --> 00:05:14,839
of fruit like an apple or a banana. So there's

121
00:05:15,199 --> 00:05:18,879
endless possibilities when it comes to your taste and getting creative.

122
00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:21,519
Speaker 1: Speaking of those bananas, you also get very creative with those.

123
00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:23,279
I mean I never even thought about putting peanut butter

124
00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:25,959
and jelly on a banana.

125
00:05:26,199 --> 00:05:29,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was a favorite among our kid taste testers.

126
00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,000
Are one of our kid taste testers, Oliver. His mom

127
00:05:33,079 --> 00:05:35,399
said that this was a great one where she could

128
00:05:35,439 --> 00:05:37,759
kind of sneak in some new foods for him. So

129
00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:39,720
he might be used to eating like a peanut butter

130
00:05:39,759 --> 00:05:42,120
and jelly banana that's maybe a little bit normal and

131
00:05:42,199 --> 00:05:45,519
safe for him, but then the banana that has some

132
00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,399
cucumber and mint on it might have been a little

133
00:05:47,439 --> 00:05:50,040
bit wackier for him. So it was a great opportunity

134
00:05:50,079 --> 00:05:51,800
to say, just try one bite, and if you don't

135
00:05:51,879 --> 00:05:54,800
like it, you haven't wasted all of this time and

136
00:05:54,959 --> 00:05:58,480
these supplies, you know, dumping into something that you don't like,

137
00:05:58,639 --> 00:06:00,399
and if you don't end up liking it, you can

138
00:06:00,399 --> 00:06:03,160
always revert back to your safety zone and go back

139
00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:04,680
to that peanut butter and jelly banana.

140
00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:07,319
Speaker 1: Don't you think that this book introduces kids to cooking,

141
00:06:07,319 --> 00:06:10,800
which then introduces them to accountability, because if you're going

142
00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:12,839
to go in the kitchen and cook something, you have

143
00:06:12,879 --> 00:06:14,839
to clean it up as well. It's almost like there's

144
00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:16,600
a connection of all things here.

145
00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:21,319
Speaker 2: Absolutely, this book is truly packed with life skills, and

146
00:06:21,399 --> 00:06:24,759
that's a great example of one. We're also teaching kids

147
00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,759
all kinds of critical thinking and problem solving skills that

148
00:06:29,319 --> 00:06:32,759
are really essential to growing them as young learners. So

149
00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,199
it's more than just learning lessons of science in this book,

150
00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:39,199
it's life lessons that all kids and grown ups need.

151
00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,079
Speaker 1: Now, I put a waffle cone, you know, crunched it

152
00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,399
up inside my ice cream, But you put corn chips? Ooh,

153
00:06:45,439 --> 00:06:46,639
what happens with that?

154
00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,800
Speaker 2: These were also spicy corn chips, oh, which is a

155
00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,279
really fun idea we've you know, it takes bravery to

156
00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:59,199
try something like that, to try these wackier combinations, And

157
00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,240
it was so interesting to see our kid taste testers'

158
00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,959
reactions to them. Sometimes it was a really strong dislike

159
00:07:06,199 --> 00:07:08,759
and sometimes it was like, hey, I'm kind of surprised,

160
00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,199
but I really enjoyed that. So this is a great

161
00:07:11,199 --> 00:07:13,160
way to get kids out of their comfort zone and

162
00:07:13,199 --> 00:07:13,920
try new things.

163
00:07:14,079 --> 00:07:16,680
Speaker 1: A lot of people don't realize how incredible pickles really

164
00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:19,800
are for your body. I mean, because it's a probiotic.

165
00:07:19,959 --> 00:07:22,240
The thing is, though you add a protein to it

166
00:07:22,279 --> 00:07:24,519
by adding peanut butter. That's a good combination.

167
00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:29,480
Speaker 2: Yes, a pickle and peanut butter sandwich is featured in there,

168
00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:33,040
and that's another one that has very polarizing results. Even

169
00:07:33,079 --> 00:07:36,279
within our own Highlights community. We have staff members who

170
00:07:36,319 --> 00:07:39,519
are totally pro peanut butter pickle, and we've got our

171
00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:41,959
grownups and kids who are maybe not all for it.

172
00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:43,759
Speaker 1: And you're not afraid to teach the kids how to

173
00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,879
cook either, I mean, because look at this cheese sandwich.

174
00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:48,959
Oh my god, I want that kind of melted cheese

175
00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:50,959
on mine totally.

176
00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,079
Speaker 2: And this is a great example where families can cook together.

177
00:07:54,199 --> 00:07:56,759
The kid can prepare the grilled cheese and the grown

178
00:07:56,839 --> 00:07:59,079
up can help them grill it. It's something that we

179
00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,399
love for the whole family to get involved with doing together.

180
00:08:01,519 --> 00:08:04,120
So we've got your simpler recipes that younger siblings can

181
00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:07,199
join in with. We've got your recipes that maybe require

182
00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:09,600
an oven, and we always ask for them to help

183
00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,639
an adult with anything hot or sharp, so parents and

184
00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,120
grandparents and other grown ups can get involved. It's a

185
00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:16,000
family activity.

186
00:08:16,079 --> 00:08:17,759
Speaker 1: And you know what's really interesting about your book. And

187
00:08:17,959 --> 00:08:20,079
last time I even heard of this was way back

188
00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:21,800
when I took home mech when I was in the

189
00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:26,680
tenth grade. Frozen yogurt baked Alaska. Why is that falling

190
00:08:26,759 --> 00:08:28,399
off the map? I mean, and now, but you're putting

191
00:08:28,439 --> 00:08:29,199
it back on there.

192
00:08:30,439 --> 00:08:33,960
Speaker 2: Yes, it's so fun and kids get to learn about

193
00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,519
insulating properties and how exactly does that ice cream not melt?

194
00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:41,039
So it's super fun for them to dive into the

195
00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:43,080
science of how their food is working. And then they

196
00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:45,039
get to taste it and see it in action as

197
00:08:45,039 --> 00:08:46,879
they're making it themselves.

198
00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:48,240
Speaker 1: And then to make banana bread. What listeners need to

199
00:08:48,279 --> 00:08:50,080
understand is that if you go to your grocery store

200
00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:51,879
and you go into the produce section, a lot of

201
00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:54,919
those leaders in that produce section have bananas that they're

202
00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:57,000
putting to the side. For people who want to make

203
00:08:57,039 --> 00:08:59,360
banana bread, you don't have to pay the high price

204
00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:01,600
for bananas. Go get like a big bag for like

205
00:09:01,639 --> 00:09:02,080
a buck.

206
00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,559
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's a great example where we wove in

207
00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,559
an experiment with that recipe too, So kids can write

208
00:09:08,639 --> 00:09:11,720
messages on a banana pill and they can watch how

209
00:09:11,759 --> 00:09:14,960
it browns, and then they get to use that same

210
00:09:15,039 --> 00:09:17,440
banana to make the banana bread. So we're trying to

211
00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:20,360
keep it minimal waste, and you're getting to experience two

212
00:09:20,399 --> 00:09:21,000
activities in.

213
00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:24,080
Speaker 1: One man teaching kids how to or even just showing

214
00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:26,799
them how to do one of these delicious boards. This

215
00:09:26,879 --> 00:09:28,960
to me is like grown up stuff. So this is

216
00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:30,600
going to make them feel like that they're older than

217
00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:34,039
what they really are, which is a positive. Yeah.

218
00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:36,519
Speaker 2: And it's really a great opportunity for kids to get

219
00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,559
creative and decorative. Not all of cooking has to be

220
00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,080
so traditional where there's measuring and you have to be precise.

221
00:09:43,159 --> 00:09:45,039
This is a great example of one where kids can

222
00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,000
let their creativity soar, and you know, they can play

223
00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,480
around with different flavors they might like together they can

224
00:09:50,519 --> 00:09:53,120
play around with the way that things look, so it's

225
00:09:53,159 --> 00:09:54,440
a great creative exercise.

226
00:09:54,759 --> 00:09:56,960
Speaker 1: Glow in the dark Gelatin. How come I even have

227
00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:57,799
this when I was a kid?

228
00:09:58,679 --> 00:10:01,200
Speaker 2: Super fun? And aren't the little candy eyes.

229
00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:05,320
Speaker 1: Just the most adorable day? I mean, there's so many

230
00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:07,360
things in here. I want to see how many adults

231
00:10:07,399 --> 00:10:09,879
actually jump into this book before their kids do, because

232
00:10:09,879 --> 00:10:11,919
this really is for all ages. If you just want

233
00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:13,440
to just play in the kitchen.

234
00:10:14,039 --> 00:10:16,440
Speaker 2: It is, and I can promise you, kid or adult,

235
00:10:16,519 --> 00:10:18,519
there is something to learn. Kids are going to be

236
00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,559
shouting out the favorite fun fact that they've learned from

237
00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,639
this book for weeks after they start reading it. Wow.

238
00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:26,600
Speaker 1: Where can people go to find out more about you

239
00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:28,360
and everything that you're doing at Highlights?

240
00:10:29,159 --> 00:10:31,360
Speaker 2: Yeah, they can check out Highlights dot com or they

241
00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,279
can find the Ultimate Science Cookbook anywhere the books are sold.

242
00:10:34,399 --> 00:10:36,159
Speaker 1: Please come back to this show anytime in the future.

243
00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,200
The door is always going to be open for you. Madison.

244
00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:40,639
Speaker 2: Well, thank you so much. It was lovely talking with you.

245
00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,519
Speaker 1: Will you'd be brilliant today? Okay, thanks you too.