The Big Island, Hawaii – The Coffee Shack, Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, and Volcano National Park – Tuesday, June 14, 2011

6-14-11 French Toast made out of their homemade luau bread

Hey Young Chefs!

The day before we leave to go home, I ate homemade French Toast made out of luau bread from The Coffee Shack. It was really good. At The Coffee Shack, I saw two Madagascar geckos eating guava jelly next to our table. It was so funny!

6-14-11 Two Madagascar geckos eating guava jelly at The Coffee Shack

After we ate, we drove to Punalu’u Black Sand Beach where the water is crystal clear. The wet black sand and dry black sands’ colors are totally different.

6-14-11 Wet black sand and dry black sand

Soleil found a rainbow rock that is so pretty.

6-14-11 A cool rainbow rock

Punalu’u is so pretty and so different from any other beach I’ve been to.

6-14-11 Me at Black Sand Beach

After we changed, we headed to Volcano National Park. We saw the steam vents, that feel like a sauna. It was cold and hot at Volcano National Park.

6-14-11 The hot steam vents

Then, we drove to the crater. The crater was huge. There was hardened black and brown lava everywhere! This is a panorama of the rainbow and the crater. My camera didn’t stitch it well. LOL At least it looks like a double rainbow.

6-14-11 A panorama of a rainbow and the crater

Next, we walked through a rain forest in Volcano National Park.

6-14-11 Eliana and Soleil walk through the rainforest at Volcano National Park

After walking through the rainforest, we finally reach inside the Thurston Lava Tube!

6-14-11 Inside the Thurston Lava Tube at Volcano National Park

When we were finished walking through the lava tube, we left Volcano National Park and drove around the rest of the island, eating dinner in Hilo. Finally, we went back to our hotel. What a day!

Cool Kids Cook and Visit Black Sand Beaches and the Volcano National Park!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

The Big Island of Hawaii – Glass Bottom Boat Ride, Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, Kona Joe’s Coffee, and Magic Sand Beach – Monday, June 13, 2011

6-13-11 A sea turtle from the glass bottom boat ride

Hey Young Chefs!

On the second day of the Big Island, we went on a glass bottom boat ride. We saw many honu (sea turtles) like this one above. We saw yellow tang and lots of other fish too!

After the glass bottom boat ride, we went to the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory. They grow and process their own chocolate. This is the inside of a cacao pod.

6-13-11 The inside of a cacao pod

There are many steps to processing cacao. This is one of the steps called tempering. It looks delicious!

6-13-11 The delicious chocolate swirling in a pot

When the tour was over, we bought chocolate and then left to go to Kona Joe’s Coffee Factory.

When we got there, we saw coffee cherries. This is what coffee looks like on a tree.

6-13-11 These are coffee cherries

This is what the medium roast, dark roast, and espresso coffee beans look like after they are dried and roasted. Wow!

6-13-11 Medium, Dark, and Espresso Coffee Beans

When we finished touring, we went to Magic Sands Beach.At the time we went in the late afternoon, the sand was disappearing.

6-13-11 Mommy and I frolic at the Magic Sands Beach

At least it was still pretty. In the morning, where we were standing, it would have had a lot of sand there.

6-13-11 The water is so pretty and the sand is so white at Magic Sands Beach

We had such an adventure that day. It was spectacular!

Cool Kids Cook and Explore!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Oahu, Hawaii – KCC Farmers Market, Polynesian Cultural Center, and Sunset Beach – Saturday, June 11, 2011

6-11-11 Ms.Kaiulani and I at the KCC Farmer's Market

Hey Young Chefs!

At the KCC Farmers Market I met Chef Kaiulani. She has a whole line of spices that we bought. She even showed us how to make her Curry Fried Rice. Mmmm!

Chef Kaiulani's Curry Fried Rice

For lunch, I ate fresh Bruschetta Pizza. I want some right now.

6-11-11 Me eating Fresh Bruschetta Pizza

After KCC Farmers Market, we go back to The Polynesian Cultural Center to tour the the rest of what we didn’t see. First, we saw the people in Samoa make fire out of sticks and dry coconut husks.

6-11-11 Making fire at the PCC

Then we saw a man climb a coconut tree with his bare feet. That was awesome!!!

6-11-11 A man from Samoa climbs a coconut tree

After Samoa, we went to Aoetearoa to learn how to use poi balls and play a Maori stick game. It was fun playing the stick game.

6-11-11 I am trying to learn poi balls

Then, we saw a wonderful canoe pageant with all of the Polynesian islands taking their turns dancing. My favorite was Tahiti. I loved watching them do their fast hip-shaking dance.

6-11-11 Tahitian dancers at the canoe pageant

When the canoe pageant was over, we went to Tonga to learn how to make an angel fish out of palm frond and reed. In this picture, you can see me holding it in front of my shirt.

6-11-11 I am holding up my angel fish in Tonga

I had a great time at the PCC. Finally, we drove to Sunset Beach. Here I am admiring the gorgeous sunset.

6-11-11 I am admiring the sunset

I had so much fun that day!

Cool Kids Cook and Go to KCC Farmers Market, Polynesian Cultural Center, and Sunset Beach!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Oahu, Hawaii – Lei Making, Hula, Puka Dog, and Chinatown – Friday, June 10, 2011

6-10-11 Soleil, my mom, and I make orchid leis and receive our Hawaiian names

Hey Young Chefs!

On this day, the first thing we did was make orchid leis. The orchids were freshly picked. They were gorgeous. It was pretty easy to make the leis.

Next, we took hula lessons. The hula lessons weren’t as easy as I thought they would be. It was still fun dancing hula.

6-10-11 My mom, Soleil, Nana and I take an hour long hula lesson. What fun!

After lei making and hula lessons, we ate at Puka Dog. There are only two Puka Dogs in the whole world! There is one on Oahu and one on Kauai. They have different tropical relishes to choose from.

6-10-11 We fell in love with Puka Dog, a Hawaiian tropical hot dog. Ono!

The bun has a hole in the middle of it. I had a Lilikoi mustard and Mango relish Puka Dog. (Lilikoi is passion fruit.)

6-10-11 My Puka Dog, Mango Relish and Lilikoi Mustard

For dessert, we had Blue Hawaii Shave Ice. It is Coconut, Coco Cream, Tahitian Vanilla, and Condensed Milk. YUM!!!

6-10-11 A Blue Hawaii Shave Ice from Puka Dog

After Puka Dog, we went to Chinatown. At Chinatown, I ate Filipino halo-halo, Singapore noodles, coconut tart, pork hash, and ginataan bilo-bilo. Ginataan bilo-bilo is a sweet thick dessert soup made of coconut milk with gummy balls made of glutinous rice. It’s really good.

6-10-11 I eat Filipino halo-halo!

When we got back to Nana’s hotel, we watched hula dancing as we ate.

6-10-11 We watch a lovely hula dancer at the Sheraton

I had a very fun day! I love Puka Dog!

Cool Kids Cook and Go to Puka Dog, Chinatown, and Watch Hula!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Oahu, Hawaii – Polynesian Cultural Center – Wednesday, June 8, 2011

6-8-11 An awesome family photo

Hey Young Chefs!

On Wednesday, June 8, 2011, we went to The Polynesian Cultural Center on the Northshore. First, we visited Aotearoa where the Maori people sang, used poi balls, and played a stick game.

6-8-11 Playing a stick game in Aotearoa

After Aotearoa, we went to dinner at the Ali’i luau. We arrived at the PCC late so we didn’t have time do do a lot. At the luau, we watched kids perform with uli ulis (feather-topped gourd shakers) on stage. They were so talented!

6-8-11 Kids performing uli ulis at the luau

At the luau, I ate kalua pork, rice, baked potato, tarro roll, chicken long rice, pineapple, and poi. I liked everything on my plate. I couldn’t believe I liked poi!

6-8-11 My dinner at the luau

After the luau, we saw a show called Ha-Breath of Life. It was full of dancing and singing from different Polynesian cultures. We weren’t allowed to take pictures. Sorry. The show was amazing. Wish you could have seen it.

Cool Kids Cook and Go to Luaus!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Oahu, Hawaii – Food Tour & BobKat’s Pizza – Tuesday, June 7, 2011

6-7-11 Me at the market in Chinatown

Hey Young Chefs!

I got back from Hawaii less than a week ago! Hawaii is an AMAZING place to go visit for a vacation!!!

On this day, we went on a food tour with Hawaii Food Tours. We toured different local restaurants. This is spam musubi, marinated tuna, and fresh mango. Spam musubi is spam and sticky rice wrapped in nori, which is seaweed.

6-7-11 Spam Musubi, Marinated Tuna, and Mango

Next, we went to a noodle factory in Chinatown. This is what the noodles look like after they’re folded. It was so cool to see them make the noodles. We also ate rice noodles with chicken and rice noodles with shrimp. It was delicious!

6-7-11 Fresh stack of noodles on a cookie sheet

We tasted so many different foods that day, but my favorite is manapua. In Hawaiian that means flower power. Manapua is sweet bread with a sweet or savory filling inside. I ate a coconut manapua. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

6-7-11 Me in front of a big batch of manapua

After the food tour was over and we went back to our hotel, we swam at the hotel’s beach! The water was so cold. You get used to it after a while. The water was super clear and very pretty.

6-7-11 My mom and I at our hotel's beach

Then we went to Uncle BobKat’s house for dinner. For dinner, we had homemade pizza.

6-7-11 The fresh homemade pizza that my mom's Uncle BobKat made

This is the best pizza ever!!!

Cool Kids Cook and Go on Food Tours!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Webster Parish Library Performance, Minden, Louisiana – June 2, 2011

6-2-11 Kid Chef Eliana performs her song, Cool Kids Cook, at Webster Parish Library in Minden, LA

Hey Young Chefs!

At Webster Parish Library in Minden, Louisiana, I performed my “Cool Kids Cook!” song again in my mom’s show. After I sang my song, I signed cookbooks and took lots of pictures with fans.

Then, we went to Moody’s Place to eat. It is a small restaurant but the food is amazing! The first thing they bring out is hot water cornbread. The cornbread is baked and then fried. Yum!

6-2-11 Hot water cornbread at Moody's Place in Minden, LA

After eating hot water cornbread, I had fried pork chops with creamed potatoes and yams. The yams are my favorite!!!

6-2-11 The fried porkchop plate with creamed potatoes and yams at Moody's Place in Minden, LA

Then it was dessert time! We had Peach Cobbler, Blackberry Cobbler, and Apple Pie. Yummy in my tummy!

6-2-11 Pies and cobblers at Moody's Place in Minden, LA

This is me and Ms. Moody, the owner and chef. She is the one who makes the delicious food! It’s true Southern cooking.

6-2-11 Ms. Moody with Kid Chef Eliana

Cool Kids Cook, Read, and Eat at Moody’s Place!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Natchitoches, Louisiana – June 1, 2011

6-1-11 Lasyones Restaurant

Hey Young Chefs!

I went to Lasyones Meat Pie Restaurant in Natchitoches, LA. They make the best meat pies ever!!! if you’re wondering what a meat pie is, a meat pie is made of beef, pork, and other spices stuffed inside of a pie-like crust. My meat pie came with a side of dirty rice and a dipping sauce.

6-1-11 Lasyones famous Nachitoches meat pie

This is me, Travis Newton (left), and Dwayne Cross (right). These are the cooks behind the Natchitoches meat pie at Lasyones.

6-1-11 The two cooks behind the secret meat pie recipe

After Lasyones, we went to an ice cream shop/surrey renting shop. I got Banana Pudding in a cone! It was delicious!!!

6-1-11 Banana Pudding in a cone

This is me and my mom about to ride a surrey. A surrey is like a four wheeled bike. It was really fun riding the surrey with my mom. Half way through the ride, I noticed I wasn’t even steering. LOL.

6-1-11 Me and mom get ready to ride a two person surrey in Natchitoches

I had a fun time in Natchitoches. I love going to Natchitoches every year. This will be our last time for summer reading. I will still go to Natchitoches just for the meat pies!!!

Cool Kids Cook and Go to Natchitoches!

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