Tween Pick: Recipe for Trouble (with recipe)

Recipe for Trouble
by Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
171 pages
with recipes, ideas and tips
Excerpt of Winner Bakes All included

What happens when four friends start a cupcake company and each one starts growing up and apart? Is Peace, Love and Cupcakes doomed for failure?

The girls each go their separate ways for the summer, and Lexi is sad. She is looking forward to fifth grade and a new season for launching the success of their company. She visits her flamboyant, fun, and flirty Aunt Dee in New York City. Dee is a tornado of energy and ideas. She takes Lexi to see all the sights: museums, Central Park, trendy restaurants, extravagant shops, and they even experience nirvana off a real New York City hot dog vender's cart. Lexi can't believe a hot dog can taste so good!

Lexi uses all the experiences, sights, and sounds to write new cupcake recipes. She is inspired by the great masters' paintings in the museum and can't wait to share her recipes with her friends.

Kylie comes home from summer camp with great news. She had the time of her life and met such interesting new friends. In fact, she wants one of her new friends to join the cupcake business. Lexi is hurt, and a little furious. She thought Kylie was her bff, and she doesn't want any more members in Peace, Love and Cupcakes.

Trouble is brewing between the two besties, and the girls have a few spats and misunderstandings as the orders for cupcakes begin rolling in.


The business is running smoothly when Lexi realizes she has a crush on Jeremy. The other girls try to help shy Lexi let her feelings be known, but it's not until the school production of "Romeo and Juliet" that Lexi conquers her fears.

Recipes and tips for cupcakes are a nice addition to the mix (pun intended). Girls will love the idea of a tween business and the friendship that is threatened. This is a sweet little book written by mother and daughter team Sheryl and Carrie Berk. Great fun!

Recommended grades 4-7.

Here is a fun recipe from the book (with permission):

Jeremy’s Pastalicious Cupcakes

Spaghetti Cupcakes

Makes 6

1 Cup tomato sauce

4 ounces ricotta cheese

3 ounce Parmesan cheese

8 ounces shredded mozzarella

1 tablespoon milk

1 egg

1 package pre-cooked whole wheat spaghetti

1 package of turkey meatballs


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, grated mozzarella cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and 1 egg.

3. Pour the cooked spaghetti into the bowl with the tomato sauce cheese mixture. Toss the spaghetti in the mixture, making sure to coat all of the noodles.

4. Add spoonfuls of the mixture into greased muffin tins. It can come up to just below the top of each opening. Press down so the noodles are packed into muffin tin—they will apart if not packed enough.

5. Dip the turkey meatballs intomato sauce and the top of cupcakes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

6. Bake for eighteen to twenty-two minutes.

7. Let cool for a few minutes. Run a butter knife around each one to loosen.


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