Welcome to My New Website! Sunday, July 19, 2009

7-18-09 Chef Eliana

Hey Young Chefs!

Welcome to my newly re-designed website, www.elianacooks.com. Here, I will be posting my recipes, video tutorials, travelogue, and food reviews. I transferred all of my blog entries from Blogger but the formatting was lost. It’s okay though, because at least we didn’t lose all the posts! If you have a YouTube account, please rate, comment and subscribe to my channel, elianacooks. Please also subscribe to ElianaCooks.com with the RSS feed.

A special thank you to the Eliana Cooks! team: Dianne de Las Casas, Soleil Lisette and Heidi Hafner of Hafner Designs for pimping out my site! Every great chef needs a team in the kitchen. You all are wonderful!

I will be in Cancun, Mexico from July 20-July 27, 2009. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to post anything while I am on vacation with my family. I will definitely take lots of pictures and do a video or two while I am there so I can post when I get back.

Thank you to all of my fans! Please let all your young chefs know about ElianaCooks.com I’d love to hear from you! Email me at elianacooks (at) gmail (dot) com.

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Video Tutorial: Pesto Pizza Muffins – Saturday, July 18, 2009

Hey Young Chefs!

Today, I made Pesto Pizza Muffins. It’s a super simple recipe, perfect for an appetizer, small lunch or snack. It’s perfect for kid parties too! Hope you enjoy the tutorial! Here’s the recipe

Pesto Pizza Muffins

Ingredients:

1 English muffin, halved

1 tbsp. ready-made pesto

1 tbsp. marinara sauce or pizza sauce

1/4 c. mozzarrella cheese

4 slices pepperoni

Directions:

Spread pesto on top of English muffin. Spread marinara sauce on top of pesto. Sprinkle cheese. Top with pepperoni. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and edges of muffin and pepperoni are crisp. Serves 1-2

Cool kids cook so get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Video Tutorial: Berry Simple Fruit Tart – Friday, July 17, 2009

Hey Young Chefs!

This is my very first cooking tutorial video on YouTube! I am making Berry Simple Fruit Tart. Here is the recipe:

Berry Simple Fruit Tart

Ingredients:

1 pkg. of ready-made refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1 8 oz. pkg of cream cheese, softened

1/4 – 1/2 c. sugar

splash of vanilla extract

3 c. seasonal berries

Directions:

Roll out the cookie dough on a small cookie sheet until it is about a 1/4 inch thick. You can even use a small pizza pan if you want. Bake the cookie dough according to the package instructions. You may have to bake the dough a little longer because of its size. While the cookie is baking, mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a bowl with an electric hand mixer. After the cookie dough has fully cooled, spread the cream cheese on top of the cookie, going all the way to the edges. Sprinkle your favorite berries on top. Cut into squares and serve. Great chilled too! Serves 8-10

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Eliana Cooks! Gets a Logo!; Monday, November 17, 2008

Hey Young Chefs!

Check out my new cool logo that Mommy had made for me. It was made by her graphic artist, Philip Chow. Thanks, Phil! We redesigned it several times before coming up with this one. I wanted something fun, cartoony, and kid-like. I love it. What do you think?

I’m going to have aprons made with my logo on them. I’ll also be able to use the logo for the label of my seasoning blend, Eliana’s Magic Seasoning Blend. We’ll be working on a full website for next year. It’s going to be exciting!

Talk to you soon! Cool kids cook! Get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Weekend Fun; Friday, November 14, 2008

Hey Young Chefs!

This past weekend was a busy and fun weekend! Mommy was out of town so on Friday night, Daddy took me to the movies. We saw Madagascar 2: Escape from Africa. Dinner was a quickie. Daddy and I popped a pizza in the oven.

On Saturday, I went to 2 birthday parties! The first one was for my friend, Jessica. Her party was at Jazzy Bear. We all got bears to take home. It was so much fun. The second party was for my cousin, Edward. I jumped in the spacewalk and had a blast. Later that evening, Daddy and Uncle George took me to dinner at Serrano Salsa Company. I ate a chicken quesadilla. Yum! Yum! After that, we went to the St. Clement of Rome fair. I played games and even won a live goldfish! Uncle George is keeping him. The fish’s name is “Macho Nacho.”

Late Saturday night, right before midnight (like Cinderella), Mommy came home from New Jersey. Her flight was late so we didn’t get home until late. But I was happy to see Mommy!

On Sunday, I went to the movies with my friend, Breanne. I saw Madagascar again! LOL Mommy gave me the beauty treatment. Here I am!

Check out the cool hairstyle Mommy did.

I love all the twists! I didn’t get to cook this weekend but I had fun! I’m looking forward to getting back into the kitchen…

Cool kids cook so get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Turkey Wooden Spoon Puppet; Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Hey Young Chefs!

Mommy and I made this cool turkey out of a wooden cooking spoon! You can too, with the help of a grown-up. Here are the directions.

Supplies
Large wooden spoon
Construction paper
Scissors
Glue gun
Large googly eyes
Markers

Directions
Color the flat side of a large wooden spoon with a brown marker. Color slightly down the handle for the turkey’s neck. On four different colored sheets of construction paper (yellow, orange, red, brown, cream, green – fall colors), trace your hand. Cut out each hand and layer them on top of each other, creating “feathers.” Staple them together. Glue the feather to the wooden spoon (should be glued to the curved side of the spoon). Glue two googly eyes on the flat side of the wooden spoon. Underneath the eyes, glue an orange construction paper triangle for the beak. Beneath that, glue a red construction paper wattle. Cut a small ½ inch strip of yellow construction paper to create a collar (this will separate the turkey’s neck from the rest of the wooden handle of the spoon). Done! Now you have a simple Gobbler puppet that can be used for Thanksgivings to come! Happy Turkey Day!

Cool kids cook and craft! Get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Eliana Draws Betsy Ross; Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Hey Young Chefs!

This blog post is not about cooking but I had to share my picture with you. I entered a contest to create a picture for the American Veterans of Foreign War. I had to draw a picture of a historical event in American History. I chose to draw a picture of Betsy Ross, the creator of the first official flag for the United States of America. On the wall behind her is a picture of George Washington, our nation’s first president, who asked Betsy Ross to create the flag. Legend says that Betsy invented a pattern for the five point star, created out of a piece of paper with five folds and one snip of the scissors. Wish me luck in the contest!

Cool kids cook AND try hard in school!

Bon Appetit! Eliana

Grilled Pork Chops Over Creamed Spinach; Monday, November 10, 2008

Hey Young Chefs!

Here I am cooking creamed spinach. Yum! Yum! It’s very simple. First, you wilt the spinach over medium heat. Then you add half a bottle of Mexican Crema (cream). Next, you add 1 cup of Italian blend cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mommy and I grilled pork chops to set on top of the spinach. We also had macaroni & cheese, green beans, and a cheddar cheese biscuit.

Dinner was delish!

Cool kids cook so get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit! Eliana

Recipe: Turkey Cupcakes; Saturday, November 1, 2008

Hey Young Chefs!

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. A couple of weekends ago, my cousins spent the night and we made Turkey cupcakes. They were so cute! Here is the recipe!

Turkey Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cake mix
Candy corn
Chocolate chips
Chocolate frosting
White frosting
Twizzler

Directions:
Make cupcakes according to package instructions. Frost the cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Line two rows of candy corns to create the turkey’s feathers. Cut 2/3 of the Nutter Butter cookie. Use the larger part of the cookie for the turkey’s head and body. The remaining 1/3 will be a wing. Cut another Nutter Butter cookie to create a second wing. Insert the head/body and the wings into the cupcake. Using the white frosting, attach to the head – chocolate chips for eyes, a candy corn for a beak, and a small piece of Twizzler for the turkey’s wattle. Now you have a cute Thanksgiving turkey! Gobble, gobble!

Note from Mom: If your children are allergic to peanuts, you may also use Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies to make the turkey head and wings.

Remember, cool kids cook so get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Eliana Meets Iron Chef Cat Cora – Saturday, October 25, 2008

Hey Young Chefs!

Today, I met awesome Iron Chef Cat Cora!! Macy’s department store had a grand opening at the Esplanade Mall in Kenner, Louisiana. To celebrate, Chef Cat Cora cooked some delicious dishes. She is a chef on Macy’s Culinary Council. Here is Cat Cora cooking crab cakes. Yum! Yum!

Don’t worry. The balls above her head didn’t fall down and crush her. LOL Here is Chef Cat Cora’s recipe for Crabcake Sandwiches with Avocado Salsa and Mango Coulis. This recipe appears in her book, Cat Cora’s Kitchen: Favorite Meals for Family and Friends.

Crabcake Sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 c. canola oil
1/2 lb. crab meat
3 tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp. red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 c. mayonnaise or aioli
1 tbsp. Tabasco
1 1/4 c. bread crumbs
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 c. flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:
In a 10 inch saute’ pan, heat 1 cup canola oil on high heat. Test readiness with a piece of bread. Turn heat to medium. Check temperature with thermometer. It should read 375 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, combine crab, onion, scallions, bell pepper, mayonnaise, Tabasco, bread crumbs, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Mix until fully incorporated. Make 3 oz. cakes and dredge in the flour, then egg and the remaining bread crumbs. Lay the cakes in the oil and pan fry for 5-6 minutes. Remove and place on a paper towel and season with salt in a mixing bowl.

To serve crab cakes, spoon puree’ onto the plate in a small pool. Slice the cake in half and lay the bottom portion in the puree’. Spoon avocado on top and place the top of the cake on the avocado like a sandwich. Top with a small amount of avocado and garnish with a cilantro leaf. Serves 4-6.

Avocado Salsa
Ingredients:
2 avocados
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. cilantro
2 tbsp. red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Mango Coulis
Ingredients:
2 mangoes
2 c. water
1 tsp. confectioner’s sugar

Directions:
In a blender, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Here is Cat Cora with the plated food. She also made Basque Rubbed Shrimp Skewers with Chimichurri Sauce. My favorite dish was definitely the crabcake sandwiches. Delish!

Cat Cora talked during her cooking demonstration. She told us that she was from Mississippi. She’s a Southern girl, like me. She has two children, both boys, 18 months and 5 years old. They are lucky to have a chef for a mom! I bet they grow up with the best meals!

After Cat Cora cooked, Mommy and I met her. She gave me a high five and a hug. We told her about my blog and we hope she comes and visits! I can’t wait to try some of the recipes in her cookbook that she autographed for me! I especially want to make Spanokopita and Milk Pie! Iron Chef Cat Cora says, “Keep Cooking!”

It was so exciting to meet Cat Cora. I can’t wait to watch Food Network’s show, Iron Chef, and see Cat Cora win!

Remember, cool kids cook so get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana