This local Navajo blogger writes a children’s cookbook to teach Diné language, recipes

Preserving Diné language and customs is essential, especially for urban Navajos living off reservation in places like Phoenix. On Tuesday, a local Navajo blogger is launching her latest project — a colorful, hand-drawn children’s cookbook.

Founder of the popular food and lifestyle blog The Fancy Navajo, Alana Yazzie of Queen Creek is now also the author behind “The Blue Corn Kitchen: A Navajo Story of Food, Family, and Tradition.”

“When you’re writing a children’s cookbook like this, there’s not as much text, and so I think that was the hardest part,” admitted Yazzie, “like condensing it so much into a short story, but still having my main points come across.”

Like the magic of cooking with family — a timeless message Yazzie tried to convey through words and pictures. Even by sharing reference photos of her own mother and daughter with illustrator Natalie Schnitter, who sketched out characters resembling both of them.

“There’s these little, like corn wafts of sparkly, glittery cornmeal going throughout the book. And it’s just so beautiful — like you want to eat it, you want to make it,” explained Yazzie while giggling.

Originally from the reservation New Mexico border town of Fruitland, Yazzie and her family have since relocated to the Valley. Despite that move years ago, she doesn’t want her young daughter to forget her roots.

“And I never want her to feel like her culture stays there,” added Yazzie. “It can go with you, so a lot of the work I do with The Fancy Navajo is inspiring others to embrace their culture no matter where they live. So this book really ties into that.”

Using uniquely Southwestern and Indigenous ingredients, some of Yazzie's scaled-down recipes for kids include sumac berry yogurt pops, boba Navajo milk tea and mutton noodle soup.