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

Leesville Parish Library, Leesville, Louisiana – June 1, 2011

6-1-11 Kid Chef Eliana performs her song, Cool Kids Cook!

Hey Young Chefs!

Less than a week ago, my mom, Author & Storyteller Dianne de Las Casas, and I did a summer reading program in Leesville, LA. After she told her stories, I sang my new song, “Cool Kids Cook!” with the kids’ help. When I finished with my song, the kids clapped and cheered for me.

I sold and signed cookbooks and took a picture with this little girl, named Victoria. Her mom bought my cookbook. Little Victoria was tired so that’s she looks sad.

6-1-11 Kid Chef Eliana takes a picture with little Victoria, who looks only slightly amused. LOL

This is me, my mom, and Ms. Flo, the Leesville librarian. We had a great time. It was a lot of fun!

6-1-11 Kid Chef Eliana and Dianne de Las Casas with Flo the chilrens libdrarian in Leesville

Cool Kids Cook and Get Creative in the Kitchen!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Carnival Cruise Day 6-Cozumel, Mexico and Thanksgiving-November 25, 2010

11-25-10 Eliana and Abuela on a pedicab in Cozumel

Hey Young Chefs!

On our last excursion day, we docked in Cozumel, Mexico. Cozumel is an island and the water there is so pretty.

11-25-10 Entering the last port - Cozumel, Mexico!

You would never catch me on a gator like this in Louisiana! LOL

11-25-10 Eliana tames a giant gator in Cozumel, Mexico

We went to San Francisco Beach Resort to have fun sunning and swimming in the clear Caribbean water.

11-25-10 Welcome to San Francisco Beach Resort!

The beach was so pretty – white sands and turquoise water!

11-25-10 Playa bella at the San Francisco Beach Resort in Cozumel, Mexico

On the beach, we saw a man with a squirrel monkey. He told my mom that it was from Panama and it was rescued and rehabilitated. It ate monkey food off the top of my mom’s head! hahaha

11-25-10 A squirrel monkey, rescued and rehabilitated

For lunch, I had tasty chicken quesadillas. Delicioso!

11-25-10 Kid Chef Eliana eats chicken quesadillas. Que delicioso!

After sunning and swimming all day, we went back to the ship. It was Thanksgiving and there was a Saints game on!

11-25-10 Headed back to the ship after a full day of sun, sand, surf and shopping in Cozumel

The Saints won against Dallas…

11-25-10 The Saints won the Saints v. Dallas game on Thanksgiving and Saints fans rocked the boat!

… and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner on the ship!

11-25-10 Elegant Eliana at Thanksgiving dinner

It was sad to leave our last port but I am so inspired by the food, the culture, and the memories!

11-26-10 Smile for the family Christmas picture!

Cool kids cook and cruise!

Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana

Carnival Cruise Day 5-Roatan, Honduras-Wednesday, November 24, 2010

11-24-10 Antonio, Dianne, Soleil & Eliana in Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Honduras

Hey Young Chefs!

On Day 5 of our Carnival Cruise, we stopped in Roatan, Honduras. I was so excited about this port because I am part Honduran. We decided to take an excursion to Maya Key, a small island off Roatan with a wildlife conservatory and a replica of the Copan Mayan Ruins.

11-24-10 Auntie Erly, Trina, Jasmynn, Josie, Eliana & Camrynn on the boat to Maya Key, Roatan, Honduras

When I got to the pier, I caught this cool picture of a plane soaring overhead.

11-24-10 A sillhouette of an airplane flying over head

Mom, Dad, my cousin, Camrynn, and I visited the the ruins first, before swimming. Along the way, we saw beautiful macaws, colorful like rainbows. Wow!

11-24-10 Two macaw birds fighting

Next, my cousin, Camrynn, and I took a picture by a Mayan statue.

11-24-10 Camrynn and Eliana pose next to a Mayan figure on Maya Key, Roatan, Honduras

It was cool to see the ruins even though they weren’t in ruins. LOL

11-24-10 Soleil, Antonio, Dianne & Eliana in front of the replica of the Copan Ruins, Maya Key in Roatan, Honduras

Here I am in front of another Mayan structure.

11-24-10 Eliana in front of a replica of a Mayan structure

After visiting the museum and the ruins, it was time to go swimming! I snorkeled too, in crystal clear water where I could really see the beautiful coral and colorful fish.

11-24-10 Jasmynn, Soleil, Ashlynn, Camrynn & Eliana swim in the Maya Key waters, Roatan, Honduras

I also had fun collecting sea shells and coral for my mom.

11-24-10 Eliana collects a handful of shells and coral from Maya Key in Roatan, Honduras

For lunch, I ate some delicious island food, just like my Abuela makes!

11-24-10 Kid Chef Eliana eats coconut rice and beans, Honduran barbecue and fried plaintains

After having fun on Maya Key, it was time to go back to Roatan. We hopped on the same boat and zipped back, arriving with enough time for shopping. Abuela is from Honduras so my dad was so excited to find handicrafts to bring home to represent his heritage.

11-24-10 Honduran shopkeepers with carved wooden masks

After a full day in Honduras, it was time to head back to the ship for dinner. Look at this gorgeous island sunset!

11-24-10 The sun sets in pretty Honduras...

I loved dining in the London Dining room for dinner. For dinner, I had a delicious spiced chicken with roasted cauliflower and cheesy peas.

11-24-10 Spiced chicken with roasted cauliflower and fresh peas

And even though I had a very full day, I still danced when the dinner dance number came on! The fun never stops on a cruise ship!

11-24-10 Even after a full day of sunning, swimming and snorkeling, Eliana joins the dinner dance number!

I loved all that fun in the sun! Cool kids cook and cruise!

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: Mexican Chicken Tostadas

Hey Young Chefs!

Bienvenidos! Welcome! I recently came back from vacation in Cancun, Mexico and was inspired to create a Mexican dish. In this video, I make chicken tostadas. Here is the recipe:

Mexican Chicken Tostada

Chicken Tostadas

Ingredients:

Corn tortillas (you can crisp them in the oven beforehand by baking them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes)
3 cups shredded chicken (Tip: Buy roasted chicken from grocery store and shred with fingers)
1 can of mild Rotel (diced tomatoes & green chiles)
1 can of refried beans
Grated Mexican blend cheese
2 c. chopped lettuce
1 c. diced tomatoes
1/2 c. salsa

Directions:

Spread refried beans on corn tortillas, about 1 heaping tbsp. per tortilla. Mix can Rotel with shredded chicken. Spoon mixture on top of refried beans. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. After tostada has cooled a little, top with lettuce, tomatoes & salsa. Makes 12 tostadas. Optional: You can also top with sour cream and guacamole! Ole!

Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen.

Bon Appetit! Eliana

My Visit to Cancun, Mexico – Friday, July 24, 2009

Hey Young Chefs!

Here is a short video clip about my vacation to Mexico. This was filmed in Tulum, the site of Mayan Ruins.

Cool kids cook and have great adventures!

Bon Appetit, Eliana