Brilliant Inspiration for Fun Kids Recipes and Pastry Chef Play

Freelance writing has allowed me to connect with my kids in ways I never would have imagined. 

No, I don't shoo them out of the kitchen every time I cook, but for goodness sake, the questions and messes and tripping-over-kids-stools gets old. OUT. GET OUT. 

So when my editors gave me this assignment, I knew it would be a special experience for both me and the kids. And it was. 

The problem is, I'm not a cook. I hate cooking. I hate cooking. And I also hate cooking. But my food photography is off the chain, so I'm often given kitchen-oriented projects. The result is about six or seven recipes that don't turn out stellar, and then one that just blows my socks off. (In a good way, thankfully.) The mini-pies my kids made in this article was one of those insanely successful examples. 

Readers loved it - you'll see why when you check it out. You don't even need to do all the things suggested in the article. Just choose one activity and I promise, your kid will enjoy it. 

The keyword was "fun kids recipes," but if you know anything about the Build-a-Bear brand, they don't just want "fun kids recipes." No, they want a blog post to make the kitchen a place of wonder, enchantment, and memorable surprises for you and the littles. Mashing the two factors was a challenge, and it took me a few days of hard work, but I nailed it. 

Throughout this article, you've seen my original photos cut. 

Here are a few outtakes that tell the behind-the-scenes story:

Are you excited to see the final product? I'm delighted to share it with you. Here it is. Brilliant Inspiration for Fun Kids Recipes and Pastry Chef Play. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed crafting it. 

P.S. - If I could offer a bit of advice to other freelance writers, I'd say learn how to use your camera. Mine is an old (2007) Nikon D80 from Craigslist. It cost a couple hundred bucks with a $50 lens. You don't need to spend a ton - but you do need to learn how to use it if you want higher-profile gigs.