Cook It in a Cup! - Quick & Easy Kid-Friendly Meals & Treats in Silicone Baking Cups | Perfect for School Lunches, Birthday Parties & Family Cooking Fun

I picked it up used. But it arrived in original package and doesn't look used at all...maybe shop worn on outside of package but basically intact and complete right down to the little rings that hold the silicon cups apart. Didn't expect the cups....but already have a dozen Red and a dozen solid green cups. These cups don't always seem to allow the cupcake or muffin mixes to rise as far up as do paper cups or metal muffin tins. But they can be handy. A tad difficult to get clean but never have tried the dishwasher as one lady recommends works for her. Might do that one of these days. Anyway the cook book is pretty decent for a kids oriented cook book. I think I will be able to come up with my own versions of meals in these cups using this as a starting guide. A chili cup with a cornmeal muffin mix cooked on top for one. I'm not a big fan of cookie crusts or frozen roll dough but the lemon pies are quite interesting and look forward to giving those a try and also a key lime alternate make it with lime instead. I'll use real lemon juice not bottled. And it's unclear if they pat the dough crust up the sides of the cups as it says just pat out on the bottom. But the picture shows the crust clearly up the sides and the filling clearly in the middle....so trial and error will accompany some of these recipes. I already thought it might make great date filled cookie bars when I saw the brownies. I don't see why it wouldn't. I make a cookie dough for top and bottom and usually pat out the bottom 2/3'd of dough then spread on the date filling and sprinkle the rest of the dough that's been kept crumbly over the top as evenly as possible. I can make one batch in a 9 by 13 inch standard cake pan. So the 24 now plus 6 cups might just make a whole batch of bars at one time using that recipe. And brownies our family loves my somewhere between fudge and cake recipe I developed over the years too. NO reason you have to limit yourself or your little one to just 3-6 cups by seeing how much some of your family favorites fit in the cups for individual portions cooked ahead. Great for sack or carried lunches too. My husband and I are not fond of the sides of some items not browning up nice in these cups so we'll see how it all works out...and maybe gain some insight on that too. Over all...I think it's a good gift for not just kids but adults and elderly wanting smaller portions they might be able to freeze or store too. And of course more cups and try some of the full size recipes you already enjoy in these and always think outside of the box.....lifes full of pleasant surprises if you are open to them.This delightful little book is wonderful not only for kids 10+ but for adults as well! Six silicone cups are provided; I purchased another 12 cups from another provider. Some recipes are innovative such as the Crispy Potato Nests, created by turning the silicone cups upside down! Some are simple but tasty like The Nacho Cups; I wouldn't bother heating the servings. The font styles and sizes are readable; the pages are coated allowing you to wipe off the page with no damage; the pages are heavy enough so eager hands can't rip pages out; there is lots of color on every page; the directions are quite clear and make use of equipment most every kitchen would have; there are good photo 'how-tos'...for pressing in crumbs, for cutting puff pastry (a chopstick!), and for scooping out a finished product. The only drawback is the lack of a frosting recipe. You show pictures of frosted cupcakes, however. Other than that, this cookbook covers the bases not only for dessert cupcakes but also for snacks, entrees, and sides. Go, Julia Myall!This book was the perfect gift for my 9 year old who loves to cook. She could do most of the recipes herself, and the cups made anything fun. She could also cook most of them in the microwave, so she could cook independently. The only drawback is that the recipes all kinda seemed the same after a while. Still, overall, it is a great buy for a very young cook. You'd be surprised what kids will eat out of a colored cup that they'd never eat off a plate!This is the third version of this book I have purchased for grandchildren and notice that Ms Myall has updated it beautifully. We have all always enjoyed her recipes and format, and I can. See that we will continue to do so for many years. I always buy an extra dozen cups in addition to the six that come with the cookbook because the results are so good that six servings are never enough! This is my recommendation for introducing children to cooking, math, science, eating a variety of food, using leftovers, and keeping busy productively.This kit with recipe book and silicone baking cups is going to be a big hit with my granddaughter at Christmas. I'm going to include some ingredients for a few of the recipes that I know she will want to try immediately. I would have loved this as a gift when I was a child---I'm pretty sure I'll be the cool Grandma at least for one day! Great gift idea for kids with easy-to-understand instructions---pure genius!I bought this for my 2 boys (ages 4 and 6) who love to help in the kitchen. We've had this for 4 months and have only used it 1 time. My boys are still helping in the kitchen - a lot, but this cookbook and cup set just hasn't interested them. I guess we don't eat many of the foods listed in the cookbook - or I have my own recipes for certain items. I should try harder to incorporate the "cups" in our meals. At least then, this cookbook wouldn't be a total waste.I love to give this book as a gift for a child, along with an apron and hat. Wonderful recipes for kids to make, with a little help from their parents. The silicone baking cups are colorful and an appropriate portion size for kids. So far all the gift recipients have loved it!It is a cute idea and my daughter loves cooking in them. The cups are versatile but you only get 6. They are difficult to clean even with a spritz of oil. They fly all over the dishwasher. If your going to buy this, buy extra cups and long basket or something to put over them if you use a dishwasher.