Ages ago, when I first started this blog, I had big dreams of sharing recipes every week. I even had a plan: Yummy Tummy Tuesdays. (Yes, I know… but I was excited!) Well, that didn’t quite go as planned — life happened — but there are a few recipes here, and I still hope to add more. Recipes I love making, and ones my family actually asks for on repeat. In the meantime, I’ll bring you something just as fun — cookbooks and culinary-themed games!

If you’ve been here before, you already know: I love books, puzzles, and games. So let’s dive into the world of culinary gaming.

Games, Games, and More Games

My daily puzzle fix comes from free games on LinkedIn (check out Zip and CrossClimb among others — they’re short, fun, and addictive), and of course, the classics from The New York Times (Wordle, Connections, and more). I also occasionally work on other puzzles across the web — including many from CulinarySchools, which I’ll share below.

Here are some favorites so far.

Cooking Up Fun With Culinary Games

Bento Box Game

This game is cuteness overload with music that somehow doesn’t annoy as well!

A quick story: When I first discovered bento boxes, I wanted to use them for my kids’ lunches. Then my husband went on a work trip to Japan and brought back a few authentic ones. I adored them — and still do — even though my kids eventually outgrew them. They’re now in college, and I’m not packing lunches anymore, but I do love revisiting those memories with this game. I even share it with the little ones in my life — nieces, nephews, friends’ kids — and it’s a hit every time.

You start off with a bento box whose items are missing – your job – to put them in their places. In this, players match each food item to its correct outline in the bento box based on shape/outline, fitting it like a puzzle piece into its proper place. This helps children build visual discrimination, categorization, vocabulary, and fine motor skills while practicing spatial awareness and logical thinking.

Ta-da!

And you can keep going, stacking up cute food in bento boxes over and over again!

Next up –

Farm Animals Matching Game 🐷

This is sure to help kids learn to focus and improve their memory skills. I like it has three different levels so kids and adults too can play the levels they want to. Plus, I appreciate the learning level which can be used as a warm-up session for children to learn the animal names and identify animals.

Good Sort

Then there are the shelf sorting games I keep getting hooked on to every so often on my phone. Since I keep running out of memory on the phone, I now avoid having games on my phone but play every so often on my laptop instead by going to sites like this one.

I’ve fallen in and out of obsession with sorting games. I used to play them on my phone, but memory issues (on the device, not me!) pushed me to find web versions instead. Like this one I enjoy: Good Sort. It starts with a simple, single-shelf level and gradually adds more complexity. It’s the kind of game that teaches without feeling like a lesson — helping kids (and grown-ups) build categorization skills, logic, and even strategy for task sequencing (what to move first to clear the way).

And yes, I get a small kick out of saying I enjoy “the Good Sort” of games!

Other Culinary Games

Recently, I discovered Mahjong Solitaire and… I may be hooked. Or should I say, cooked, since this has many food-themed varieties?!

This site features delicious twists on the classic tile game — think coffee, candy, fruit, tea, and more. It’s relaxing, satisfying, and totally snackable (pun very much intended).

A Little Solitaire and the Rest

If you’re a fan of classic games, you’ll find plenty here — Solitaire, 2048, Tetris, word games, Find the differences, and more. Almost all of them even come with culinary themes — foodie versions that add a little flavor to familiar gameplay.

Like this ‘find the odd one out’ game below

And the site has way too many games that I love and enjoy but the best way to find out is to check it out yourself at Culinary Schools. In addition, it is a rich resource of information on all things food – like culinary careers (and training/education resources for the same), diet/food related health info, and more.

🎉 Reminder: May 22nd is Solitaire Day!

So mark your calendars and celebrate by heading over to Culinary Schools — the site with all these fun games and more. Whether you’re into food puzzles, memory games, or strategic sorting, there’s something there for everyone.

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, thanks for hanging out with me in this little corner of food-fun. More books, recipes(hopefully), games, and of course poems too, are on their way, and I hope you’ll be back to play (and read) along with me!