This month we’re talking about Eatable Gifts because no matter what holiday you celebrate—and even if you don’t celebrate any—it's a great time of year to share food with your family, friends, and neighbors.

Receiving is great, but giving is even better; neuroscientists have taken images of people’s brains that show that when they are generous, the pleasure and reward centers light up. These are the same parts of the brain that light up when you do well on a test. So whether you’re making a gift or sharing one of our books, you're not only delighting the recipient, you’re also getting a little jolt of pleasure yourself.

Besides hearing from listeners like YOU, this episode features chef Ana Sortun and sixteen-year-old entrepreneur Te’Lario Watkins.

Try out this Month's recipe: Cinnamon Toast Granola.

Follow us on Instagram for your chance to win whole library’s worth of books: The ChopChop Family Cookbook, I Made This: Snacks, Eatable Alphabet Kitchen Activity Cards, a 1-Year Subscription to ChopChop Magazine, 1 back issue of ChopChop Magazine, and 1 issue of Benjamin: The Smart Money Magazine for Kids, AND Ana Sortun’s book Spice, and Te’Lario Watkins book Te’Lario’s Amazing Mushroom Farm. Wow, that’s a lot of books.

Music in this episode includes modified versions of: "Strange Italian Song" by Juanitos, "Bright and Positive Acoustic Melody" by Universfield, "Jazzy Inquisitors" and "Cheesy Radio Ballad" by Lisa Hammer, and "Fastest Man on Earth" by Jahzzar.

Thank you to Sora, John, Hannah, Anaya, Emilia, Audrey, and Emma for adding your voices to our show.

Want to hear yourself on air? Send a joke, a “did you know,” or anything else you’d like to share! Email us your recordings at podcast@chopchopfamily.org. Please include your name, age and your address. If we use your voice on the show we will send you a special gift.

If you’re enjoying the show and want even more great food content, follow us @chopchopkids.

Have a few minutes this July? Help us improve ChopChop Family! We’ve been on a mission for 15 years to teach and encourage kids to cook and eat real foods with their families. We want to be sure we’re delivering what your families need in a format and frequency that works for you. Please respond to our brief survey this July and include your contact information to be entered into a raffle for a special cooking gift box curated by the ChopChop family team. Thank you!