If you have been reading my blog for a while, you are probably familiar with Stella.
If not, please allow me to introduce you:
This is Stella, my youngest daughter. Stella recently turned 4. Where Sarah (my oldest) is a lot like her father, sweet and quiet and uncomplicated (though that is starting to change a bit now that she’s entering tween territory), Stella is a lot like me: opinionated, loud, chatty, but also really affectionate and warm, and fun (though occasionally retroactively so) to be around. Just in case anyone needed further proof that she is my daughter, she also loves shoes, makeup, accessories in general, computers, my iPhone, traveling pretty much anywhere.
Stella was born in Zurich. At the ripe old age of 4, she is already a pretty experienced traveller, having visited (among others) San Franscisco, New York and surroundings, Orlando FL, Boston several times, a bunch of places in Italy, and of course Zurich and surroundings. She is perfectly at ease on a plane, and so she should be, since she has crossed the Atlantic 6 times.
Might be the travel, or the fact that she likes to see and try new things, or maybe just that she likes good food, but recently Stella has taken to reading cookbooks. In bed. Before she goes to sleep every night, she demands that we read her a cookbook.
It started with a children cookbook, something along the lines of this one (only, in German):
But most recently we have been reading this one:
One of the last things we read last night before I turned off the light was the ingredient list for Ossobuco alla Milanese.
My husband is mystified. Why in the world would a child select a cookbook as a bedtime read? Well, why not? They have pictures, they show how to make good food… it’s an interesting choice. Probably more useful than Hansel and Gretel. Maybe reading cookbooks helps her have nice dreams: dreams involving cool ingredients, mouthwatering smells and delicious food being prepared. She might be onto something.
Think about it: we could read about desserts and dream about them and then wake up feeling all satisfied without having cheated on our diets. I bet we’d wake up in a better mood too.
I’m going to have to look into this further, but right now I have to go: it’s Stella’s bedtime and tonight we are reading the recipe for Tiramisù. Sweet dreams, indeed.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Your little girl is sooooo cute.. and what a traveller. It is brilliant.
Her choice of bed time story books is a bit odd , I wonder why she likes them.. interesting though.
Twitter: goodgirlgonered
June 1, 2010 at 10:53 PM
I love it! Cook books. Incredible idea! She’s precious, of course, just like her mama!
.-= Andrea´s last blog ..Number 28: The Help =-.
Cute…and smart!
How else would she know what to put in the tiramisu when she has guests?
Btw my little one loves a children recipe book and add comments like “mmmhhh…eat eat” to all pictures – must be in the genes…
A foodie in the making! So cute!
Twitter: bichonpawz
June 2, 2010 at 10:14 AM
Look how freakin’ cute she is!!! Yes indeed….she is YOUR daughter!! One of the things I miss…dressing my daughter up in the CUTEST outfits EVAH!!
I love that you guys read cookbooks together! Perhaps she will be a chef?? You are right…all the great food and pics and none of the calories! Perfect!
.-= JeanneP´s last blog ..Picnics, Barbecues, Margaritas = Holiday! =-.
Elisa, she is beautiful, look at her, the little fashionista – just like her mother! Also, that is so interesting and neat that she reads cookbooks before bedtime – aww! Imagine she becomes the next Martha Stewart or something? It is possible!
OMG, I adore her!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sure her life is going to be nothing short of fabulous. Look at that outfit!
.-= Andi´s last blog ..India: Day 3 (Part 4) =-.
When she’s a world famous chef, she’s going to tell tales of how her parents would read to her cookbooks as bedtime tales…
Stella is beyond darling!!! I love, love, love the outfit!!!
I remember watching my niece one night and we forgot her books. At the age of 4 she had me read her a book on Jackie Kennedy (I have passed my fascination with Jackie and the Kennedy’s on to her) before going to bed. Try coming up with a totally different word for “philandering” for a 4 yo.
That is a great thing to be reading! She looks so cute as well. I see you don’t only shop for yourself.
I love Stella’s shoes, by the way. I secretly want them for myself, but I suppose I would settle for the children’s version.
.-= Mwa´s last blog ..What is this world coming to? =-.
Such reading would only make me hungry
My kids like “odd” books at bedtime as well. My 6 yo took cookbooks to bed for a while (but she didn’t want to go through all the recipes like Stella is doing), but the main culprit is my 4yo. It started 2 years ago with a knee surgery brochure and has included various science text books, & industrial design books/mags, but her favorite BY FAR is a child’s English to German “dictionary”. This particular choice tickles my husband and I since we always joked that her baby talk sounded German, and, though I’m no expert,I think her pronunciation of the German word is often better than her English. Hopefully, this will translate well to school since our elem teaches German. If she could absorb the language by falling asleep with a book open on her head, she’d be fluent by now.
.-= Cranky Sarah´s last blog ..OOTW: What I wore on my anniversary =-.
that is AWESOME!!!! what a novel approach.
Twitter: aleciahoobing
June 4, 2010 at 9:46 PM
Elisa, she is adorable! Maybe she will quickly become a foodie and can cook for the family. That would be welcomed with open arms in our household!
.-= Alecia, Hoobing Family Adventures´s last blog ..Souvenirs From México =-.
I think that is positively wonderful!
Smart girl, you have there, and I love that she flies in the face of convention and reads whatever she damn well pleases before bed. 
That is awesome! And she is so cute in that outfit! I think I may have worn something like that in the mid-ninties, hey I was in college. I love that she likes to read cookbooks- that is awesome! My daughter currently likes to look through catalogues- anything that has come in the mail- Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, West Elm- you name it she was to look through it. We may be in trouble!
how aaaaaaaaahdorable! does stella also like to cook? has her taste in food changed depending on the cookbook you’re reading? what are her favorite foods? i just read the following article, you may enjoy it as well. Locanda Vini e Olii is one of my top 3 favorite restaurants: http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/food/don_mess_with_the_chef_PH5yKZUc7uiGUcKtZ9BcYM
Stella is so BEAUTIFUL! I love her outfit! tres chic mama!! As for reading cookbooks, I used to do that as a kid! (and I still do!) lol! When I was Stella’s age, I much preferred looking through lovely thick cookbooks filled with glorious pictures of cakes, muffins, etc. I used to read all of my mum’s cookbooks from back to front!
It would be an understatement to say I just love to cook and bake. The kitchen is my zone!! And luckily my little Zee is totally into baking & hanging out in the kitchen as well.
I’d say you have a seriously curious mini-chef in the making! Not only is she curious about cooking, but she’s also a fashionista!
Cooking in heels perhaps?!
Stella just became my hero. I read cookbooks in bed, too! Check this book out:
http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=280895&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fgourmetfood%2Eabout%2Ecom%2Fod%2Ftelevisionforfoodies%2Ftp%2Fkidcookbooks%2Ehtm
I love all the pieces in this post!! Every last one.