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

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

Carnival Cruise Day 4-Tuesday 23, 2010

Hey Young Chefs!

Day three was a relaxation day for me, so nothing special happened that day, but day four was an exciting and tiresome day. We went to Belize City, Belize.

11-23-10 - A house in Belize

On that day we stopped at a local market and bought Belizean spices. The spices look so yummy!

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

First, we went cave tubing. We had to wear head lamps on our foreheads because some parts of the cave were so dark. Here is my cousin Ashlynn with her head lamp on.

11-23-10 My cousin, Ashlynn dons her headlamp for the caves. Look at the size of the inner tubes behind her!

The river water was freezing! The kids went across the river first and held on to a rope. Then, they gave us our inner tubes. We all had to walk on a trail through the rain forest. Look at the beautiful rain forest.

11-23-10 Amazing rock formations in the Belizean rain forest

Here we are cave tubing down the river. The water was cold but we had to get used to it! Brrr.

11-23-10 Dion guides us with ease... backwards!

It was fun cave tubing. After cave tubing, we went ziplining! I had to wear a helmet, belt harness, hooks, and gloves. It was very heavy. We had a little lesson and then off we went, ziplining through the rain forest! Here is me ziplining like a pro. LOL!

11-23-10 Eliana zips across on the practice line

Look at my dad ziplining. On the longest zipline my dad was trying to be like Tarzan. It was funny.

11-23-10 Antonio breezes in on the zipline

When we finished ziplining we had lunch. I ate Belizean barbecue chicken, platanos (sweet fried ripe plaintains), congri (rice and beans), and a tortilla. Delicioso!

11-23-10 Kid Chef Eliana eats rice and beans, Belizean barbecued chicken, and a homemade tortilla

When lunch was over we went back on the ship to our cabins and took a nap. Then, we had to wake up and get ready for dinner. Didn’t get to pictures of dinner, sorry. I forgot my camera in my cabin. I’m so mad at myself! It tasted wonderful.

Cool Kids Cook and Cruise!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Carnival Cruise Day 2-Sunday, November 21, 2010

11-21-10 What a beautiful couple! Mom hand beaded her dress with pearls and rhinestones.

Hey Young Chefs!

On November 21st my Nana and Paw Paw renewed their vows on the Carnival Cruise! It was a gorgeous vow renewal. Here is a picture of all the grandchildren, including me, waiting for our turn to walk down the aisle.

11-21-10 The grandchildren process down the aisle for the vow renewal ceremony

(Left to right) Jasmynn, me, Camrynn, Ashlynn, Jourdan, and finally Soleil. We walked down the aisle for Nana. Here is mommy walking Nana down the aisle. Isn’t that sweet?!

11-21-10 Mom had the privilege of walking my Nana down the aisle

After the vow renewal was over, we had the wedding reception. Nana and Paw Paw cut the cake together. There was a lot of food, but we still hadn’t eaten dinner yet, so we didn’t eat a lot. They had fruit, lamb empanadas, egg rolls, and chicken nuggets with a zesty honey mustard. The food was delicious!

11-21-10 I wish you could see how intricately the fruit was carved. Gorgeous!

After the vow renewal, we went to dinner. For the entree I ate my first lobster! It tasted awesome. It also came with shrimp.

11-21-10 Kid Chef Eliana eats her first lobster!

As for dessert, I had the Warm Melting Chocolate Cake. I’m so mad that I didn’t take a picture because it was the best dessert. After dinner we went to our cabins because we were exhausted. We were knocked out! That was a fun night.

Cool Kids Cook and Cruise!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Carnival Cruise Day 1 at Sea-Saturday, November 20, 2010

11-20-10 On board the Carnival Triumph with our Sign & Sail Cards

Hey Young Chefs!

During the Thanksgiving holiday week I went on a Carnival Cruise to Belize, Honduras, and Mexico! It was exciting. I ate a lot of tasty food, had some thrilling adventures, and had the time of my life. (Sing Fergie!) LOL

11-20-10 Taking a picture before we set sail, with New Orleans as our backdrop

We were on the Carnival Triumph. It was my first time on a cruise ship. Boy, was it BIG. On the Lido Deck (Floor 9), there was a humongous screen for an outdoor theater; 4 swimming pools and 5 Jacuzzi tubs; a basketball court; and a putt putt golf course.

11-20-10 Paw Paw enjoys putt putt golf with my cousins, Ashlynn & Camrynn on the top deck of the ship

The view from the top deck was amazing. Here is a picture of the city of New Orleans. Pretty!

11-20-10 A picture of the city of New Orleans from the aft of the top deck of the Carnival Triumph

After the ship set sail, we had dinner and then we went to a family dance party at the Hollywood Dance Club. We even learned a new dance called “The Wobble.” It’s so much fun!

11-20-10 My mom, my cousins and I dance at a family dance party in the Hollywood Dance Club. We learned a new dance called the Wobble!

It was a fun ending to a great first day on the Carnival Triumph. More to come!

Cool Kids Cook and Cruise!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Video Tutorial: Dulce de Leche Dessert Pizza – January 8, 2010

Hey Young Chefs!

Here is a delicioso recipe for Dulce de Leche Dessert Pizza!

Ingredients:
1 package of pizza mix
marshmallows
dark chocolate chips (or any kind)
1 can of dulce de leche
1/3 c. of milk

Directions:
Follow the directions on the pizza mix and bake the pizza in the oven. In a sauce pan over low to medium heat, dilute the dulce de leche with the milk. Mix thoroughly. When the pizza is cool, spread the dulce de leche mixture on the pizza. Sprinkle chocolate chips on the mixture. Place marshmallows on top. Now it is ready to eat. Yum!

Cool Kids Cook and eat dessert pizza!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Video Tutorial: Old Fashioned Waffles – Sunday, January 3, 2010

Hey Young Chefs!

This is an easy waffle recipe that tastes great. Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Waffles

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. milk
Dash vanilla extract

Directions:
Heat the waffle iron. In a bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix. Pour 2/3 cup batter onto the waffle iron. The batter will spread once the top is lowered. Cook the waffle until golden brown, about 2 to 5 minutes.

Note: Waffles may be cooked, stored in a plastic zip bag, and reheated in a 350°F toaster oven until warm and crisp. You may also store waffles in a zip bag and freeze them.

Cool kids cook so get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana

Video Tutorial: Ragin’ Cajun Burgers – Thursday, August 6, 2009

Hey Young Chefs!

This is a great recipe for a burger with a little Cajun kick. If you want to make it spicier, you can add Cayenne or Tabasco to the meat. Enjoy!

Ragin’ Cajun Burgers

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef (we like 85/15)
2 tbsp. Cajun Power Garlic Sauce
1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. Eliana’s Magic Seasoning Blend (or your favorite seasoning salt)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Form meat into palm-sized balls. Put ball on flat surface and use a plate to press down, forming a patty. Season both sides of patties with Cajun seasoning. Fry in an iron skillet until blackened. While patties are still hot, top with slices of Comte cheese (or cheese of your choice). Use soft French bread for a bun. Garnish with sauteed Vidalia onions (from Louisiana or your favorite sweet onion), Creole tomatoes (or any large tomato), and green leaf lettuce. Yum! Yum!

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Eliana