Craft: Make Your Own Chef Hat – Wednesday, May 25, 2011

5-25-11 Kid Chef Eliana wears the pink chef hat she made

Hey Young Chefs!

I am going to show you how to make an easy and fun way to create a chef hat. Here is what you will need.

Supplies:
1 sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock or construction paper
1 white plastic grocery bag
scissors
tape

Step 1:
Fold your cardstock or construction paper in half like a hot dog.

5-25-11 Fold cardstock in half like a hot dog

Step 2:
Cut cardstock or construction paper in half

Step 3:
Tape together cardstock or construction paper like a band.

5-25-11 Create a long band

Step 4:
Wrap the band around your head to get the proper size for your chef hat. Be sure to make it just slightly bigger to allow room for the gathered plastic bag that will be inside.

Step 5:
Cut the handles off of your grocery bag and turn it inside out.

5-25-11 Recycle, reuse and repurpose

Step 6:
Tape a little bit of the grocery bag to the bottom of the band. Now, gather up some of the grocery bag and tape it to the band. Do that again and again until you finish taping. This is what it should look like when you’re done.

5-25-11 Gather the grocery bag together

This is what your finished product should look like. I did a pink chef hat and a white chef hat.

5-25-11 Kid Chef Eliana wears the white chef hat

Cool Kids Cook and Get Creative in the Kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Recipe: Prosciutto, Melon & Capiello Salad – May 22, 2011

5-22-11 Kid Chef Eliana with her prosciutto, melon & capiello salad

Hey Young Chefs!

I love summer because there are so many fruits and vegetables available at the market. This recipe is a great summer salad, using in season cantaloupe and fresh mixed greens. Here I am scooping out the melon balls with a special tool called a “melon baller.”

5-22-11 Kid Chef Eliana scoops melon balls

This recipe also has prosciutto, which is a thin, salty Italian ham and capiello, a marinated, slightly spicy mozzarella. If you get tired of regular salad, try this sweet and salty combination. Check out this gorgeous salad. Don’t forget the melon balsamic vinaigrette!

5-22-11 The sweet and salty salad. Mmmmm!

Prosciutto, Melon & Capiello Salad
Ingredients
Mixed greens
Capiello (marinated mozzarella)
Prosciutto
Cantaloupe

Directions
Place your desired amount of mixed greens on a plate. Pull apart a slice of prosciutto with your hands and place on top of mixed greens. Cut capiello into quarter inch strips and pull it apart. Place capiello on top of salad. Cut cantaloupe in half and use a melon-baller to scoop out as many melon balls as desired. Arrange on top of salad.

Melon Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (good quality)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. cantaloupe juice
1 pkt. Splenda (or other sweetener)

Directions
Pour balsamic vinegar into a bowl. While adding olive oil, whisk. Add sweetener and cantaloupe juice. Whisk again. Drizzle on top of salad.

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Live Cooking Demonstration: Fresh from the Garden Salsa

Hey Young Chefs!

I hope you enjoy this video of me demonstrating “Fresh from the Garden Salsa” from my cookbook, Eliana Cooks! Recipes for Creative Kids. Here is the recipe!

Fresh from the Garden Salsa
3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp. onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (½ tsp.)
1 tsp. lime juice
½ tsp. chopped jalapeños from jar
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. salt

Directions
Mix all ingredients in bowl for a chunky salsa. If you prefer smooth salsa, blend in food processor.

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Kid Chef Eliana Demonstrates Salsa at the Westbank Regional Library – Saturday, May 21, 2011

5-21-11 Kid Chef Eliana gets ready for a Mexican Fiesta, demonstrating her Fresh from the Garden Salsa at the West Bank Regional Library in Harvey, Louisiana

Hey Young Chefs!

Yesterday, I was at the West Bank Regional Library in Harvey, Louisiana doing a program sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of West Jefferson. There was a great article in The Times-Picayune newspaper written about me! The cool thing is that the library is down the street from where I live! The Kiwanis Club is doing a program called “Reading Around the World.” I was presenting Mexico. First I started with a song I wrote when I was 5 years old called “Hola, Hola.” Then I did a Powerpoint presentation on my travels to Mexico.

5-21-11 Kid Chef Eliana presents a Powerpoint on Mexico and shows the kids artifacts from Mexico. She's holding a mask made from abalone shell.

I showed them pictures from Cancun and Cozumel.

5-21-11 Kid Chef Eliana shows the audience Mexican hand-painted clay pottery

After my Powerpoint slide show, it was Fiesta time! I demonstrated “Fresh from the Garden Salsa” from my cookbook, Eliana Cooks! Recipes for Creative Kids.

5-21-11 Kid Chef Eliana puts ingredients into her Ninja blender for her Fresh from the Garden salsa

After demonstrating how to make the salsa, everyone got to taste it with tortilla chips. Sabroso! Delicious! Then I signed cookbooks and postcards for the kids.

5-21-11 Kid Chef Eliana autographs cookbooks and postcards

We passed out business cards, postcards, and coloring sheets.

5-21-11 Angel does a great job on her Eliana Cooks coloring sheet!

This little girl, Mya, was my biggest fan! Her dad said that she had never tasted tomatoes in her life. Because of my demonstration, she ate salsa (and tomatoes) for the very first time! Yay, Mya!

5-21-11 Kid Chef Eliana with big fan, Mya

We played salsa music and everyone danced. It was tons of fun!

5-21-11 The audience danced around the sombrero

A special thank you to Ms. Bridgette Becnel of The Kiwanis Club of West Jefferson for organizing this event and inviting me to the West Bank Regional Library. Ole’!

5-21-21 Kid Chef Eliana with Angel and Bridgette Becnel of the Kiwanis Club of West Jefferson

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Kid Chef Eliana’s Cooking Class at Barnes & Noble – Saturday, April 30, 2011

4-30-11 Kid Chef Eliana gets ready to teaching a Mother's Day Breakfast cooking class at Barnes & Noble in Harvey, LA

Hey Young Chefs!

On Saturday, April 30, 2011, I taught a cooking class at Barnes and Noble in Harvey, Louisiana. I taught kids how to make a Mother’s Day Breakfast. On the menu was Cup O’Breakfast and Sparkling Pomegranate Punch from my cookbook, Eliana Cooks! Recipes for Creative Kids. Cup O’Breakfast is layers of potatoes, sausage and scrambled eggs in a clear glass. It is garnished with cheddar cheese. First I sauteed the potatoes, making my Garlic Cumin Potatoes from my cookbook.

5-2-11 Kid Chef Eliana sautees her garlic cumin potatoes

At the same time, I was cooking pork sausage. Mmmmm! After cooking scrambled eggs, it was time to plate the creation.

4-30-11 Kid Chef Eliana plates her Cup O-Breakfast

After making the Cup O’Breakfast, I showed everyone a quick, easy and pretty drink – Sparkling Pomegranate Punch.

4-30-11 Kid Chef Eliana makes sparkling pomegranate punch

Then my mom, Author and Storyteller Dianne de Las Casas, taught the kids how to fold two different napkins. She also showed them a cool, creative way to make a breakfast tray… with a pizza pan and a cookie sheet!

4-30-11 After teaching kids how to fold a napkin, the food is arranged on a pizza pan and presented. Gorgeous!!

Both of my grandmothers were there and we gave the two breakfast trays to them. My Nana and Abuela both enjoy their Cup O’Breakfast!

4-30-11 Kid Chef Eliana's grandmothers enjoy their early Mother's Day Cup O'Breakfast

Then it was time for for the kids to make their own Cup O’Breakfast with their moms!

4-30-11 Moms and their kids make Cup O'Breakfast at the Kid Chef Eliana food station

After we all ate, my cousins, Camrynn and Jasmynn, and I performed a dance we made up to the song, “Pretty Girl Rock,” Keri Hilson. It was so much fun!

4-30-11 Kid Chef Eliana and her cousins, Jasmynn and Camrynn, put on a Pretty Girl Rock dance show

I had a blast at Barnes & Noble in Harvey. A special thank you to Stacey Hensley, CRM, for organizing the event!

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Cooking Demonstration at Strehle Elementary – Thursday, April 21, 2011

4-21-11 Kid Chef Eliana gets ready to do a cooking demonstration of her Fresh from the Garden Salsa at Strehle Elementary in Avondale, LA for 5th grade students

Hey Young Chefs!

This past Thursday, I had a cooking demonstration at Strehle Elementary in Avondale, Louisiana. I demonstrated “Fresh from the Garden Salsa” from my cookbook, Eliana Cooks! Recipes for Creative Kids, for all of the 5th grade.

4-21-11 Kid Chef Eliana pours salt for her salsa

I did separate demonstrations for each of the 5th grade classes. There were three classes in all. After the demonstration, the students tasted samples of my salsa with tortilla chips. Many of them said, “This is the best salsa I’ve ever had!”

4-21-11 5th graders watch as Kid Chef Eliana demonstrates her Fresh from the Garden Salsa

The kids laughed a lot and I had a great time demonstrating the salsa with the Strehle students. I really enjoyed my visit to Strehle Elementary. Thanks, 5th graders!

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Cookies & Cocoa Christmas Party-Wednesday, December 22, 2010

12-22-10 Kid Chef Eliana in front of the Christmas tree

Hey Young Chefs:

I have to tell you about the fun Cookies & Cocoa Christmas Party I had at my house on December 22, 2010. My friends and my cousins came and it was a blast. There were 8 girls, including me, at my party.

12-22-10 Eliana and friends at Cookies & Cocoa Christmas party

I had a beautiful table set. My theme was Santa, Reindeer & Snowmen. We hung stockings on the back of each girls’ chair. The table was so cute!

12-22-10 Eliana's Cookies & Cocoa Table Setting

We played all kinds of games like “Guess the Christmas Character,” “Pass the Present,” “Hot Santa,” “Pass the Snowman Ball,” and Cranium team games. It was so much fun!!

Afterward, we popped Crackers, wrapped rolls that pop open when you pull them. They were filled with toys, jokes and paper crowns.

12-22-10 The girls popped open their Holiday Crackers to find goodies inside

We ate cookies, drank hot cocoa, and made Christmas soap. We even opened Christmas presents (in our jammies)! I love having my friends over for my annual Cookies & Cocoa Christmas party (and sleepover). Merry Christmas!

12-22-10 Opening presents in their jammies

Cool kids cook and have Cookies & Cocoa parties!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Book Signing & Cooking Demo: Barnes & Noble, Harvey, LA-Saturday, December 18, 2010

12-18-10 Kid Chef Eliana gets ready to demonstrate 2X2 Chicken Fajita Soup

Hey Young Chefs:

It’s been a very busy holiday season and I haven’t had the chance to blog! I’ve had lots of events, family functions, and parties! On Saturday, December 18, I did a holiday cooking demonstration and book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Harvey, Louisiana. I demonstrated my 2X2 Chicken Fajita Soup. It’s called 2X2 because it has two helpings of each ingredient.

12-18-10 Kid Chef Eliana serves her 2X2 Chicken Fajita Soup

The soup was delicioso and everyone loved it! I served it with flour tortillas. The recipe for 2X2 Chicken Fajita soup can be found in my cookbook, Eliana Cooks! Recipes for Creative Kids. After my cooking demonstration, I signed books. It was a ton of fun. Thank you Ms. Jane French and Ms. Stacey Hensley of Barnes & Noble. Thank you also to my family, friends, and fans who came and supported me!

12-18-10 Kid Chef Eliana signs books for fans at Barnes & Noble in Harvey, LA

I am ending the year with a New Year’s Eve Book Signing at A Tisket A Tasket on Decatur Street in New Orleans on Friday, December 31, 2010 from 12pm-2pm. I hope to see you there!

12-18-10 Kid Chef Eliana with Mom and Dad

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Kid Chef Eliana Cooks Belizean Chicken Recado Stew-Monday, December 6, 2010

12-6-10 Kid Chef Eliana cuts chicken for the Belizean chicken recado stew

Hey Young Chefs!

A couple of weeks ago, my family and I took a Carnival cruise in the Western Caribbean. Our cruise took us to to the countries of Belize, Honduras, and Mexico. While I was in Belize, I picked up a bunch of spices!

11-23-10 Kid Chef Eliana heads straight for the Belizean spices!

My family wanted to taste Belize again so we cooked a Central American meal of Belizean chicken recado stew. Recado is a ball of paste made of achiote seeds, which are red. You can see the little ball of recado in the top picture. If you are not careful, the recado can stain your hands so we wore food prep gloves.

12-6-10 Kid Chef Eliana mixes Belizean spices and Belizean jerk into the chicken

This is what achiote seeds look like.

12-6-10 Achiote seeds picture

My mom mixed the recado into chicken broth while I seasoned the chicken with Belizean jerk seasoning and Belizean all-purpose spice. We sauteed the chicken with onions, garlic, bell peppers, and celery then added the broth.

12-4-10 Kid Chef Eliana pours the recado broth over the sauteed chicken

The meal turned out soooo good! We ate the chicken recado stew (a taste of Belize) with coconut rice (a taste of Honduras), black beans (a taste of Central and South America), and snow peas with salsa verde (a taste of Mexico).

12-4-10 Belizean chicken recado stew, coconut rice, black beans and snow peas with salsa verde

Yum! Yum! Here is the recipe:

Belizean Chicken Recado Stew

Ingredients
2 lbs. boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size chunks
1 ball of recado
1 c. chicken broth
2 tbsp. Belizean all-purpose spice
1 tsp. Belizean Jerk spice
1/2 c. onions, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. small red potatoes, quartered and par-boiled
olive oil

Directions
Season chicken thoroughly with all-purpose seasoning and jerk spice. Mix recado into chicken broth. Over medium heat, Sautee onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic for 5-7 minutes. Add chicken and sautee’ until brown on both sides. Add recado broth. Add potatoes and cover. Let simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Serve with steamed white rice or coconut rice. Serves 6-8.

I hope you enjoyed this!

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Book Signing: Kid Chef Eliana signs at Barnes & Noble in Baton Rouge-Saturday, December 4, 2010

12-4-10 Kid Chef Eliana signs cookbooks at Barnes & Noble Bluebonnet in Baton Rouge

Hey Young Chefs!

On Saturday, December 4, 2010, I had a book signing at Barnes & Noble on Bluebonnet in Baton Rouge. My mom performed The Gigantic Sweet Potato with Ms. Marita Gentry, her illustrator, and I got to sign my cookbook, Eliana Cooks!, next to my mom. It was fun and we had a nice crowd.

12-4-10 Kid Chef Eliana signs Eliana Cooks at Barnes & Noble

I look forward to more book signings! Join my Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/elianacooksfanpage for updates on upcoming events! You can also catch me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/KidChefEliana

Hope to see you soon!

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana