Promo Video for Spatulatta at Kenmore Live Studio

Join us for a super holiday event. On December 20, 2010 at 5 - 7 PM at the Kenmore Live Studio, The Spatulatta Girls will be cooking up the Ultimate Christmas Morning Breakfast.

See the promo video!

Belle and Liv will be cooking up baked oatmeal, crispy bacon, a pomegranate and grapefruit salad and a non-alcoholic Mimosa. We'll be serving samples and generally having a blast.

You can reserve your spot until Friday, December 17, 2010.

If you can't make this event, don't worry!

We'll be back at the Kenmore Live Studio in March for a fabulous Mardi Gras Party. The Spatulatta Girls will be cooking up Yumbo Gumbo, Bread Pudding and Curly Creole Salad. We'll end the evening with a Mardi Gras costume parade.

Sign up now for the Spatulatta mailing list so you will get an invitation. Just scroll down on the lower left of our home page and enter your e-mail address.

Extended the deadline for Amazing Kids! Healthy Kids Recipe Contest

Amazing Kids! invites all the Spatulatta fans, ages 6-17, to take part in their Healthy Kids Recipe Contest, 2010!

The extended the deadline for entries is January 31, 2011!

Are you an amazing kid who enjoys whipping up delicious food in the kitchen?

Enter your recipe in our Amazing Kids! Healthy Kids Recipe Contest for the chance to be published in the Amazing Kids! Healthy Kids e-Cookbook, by and for kids!

Check out the rules

Want to change up your dinner time routine?

Just got out of the live discussion about family dinners on the motherhood.com. The host was Laurie David, who recently released "The Family Dinner." Fantastic conversation. Check out the site for highlights. I'm inspired to keep on keeping on...

Couple of highlights I got from the chat: Use your crockpot to make baked spuds! Also, you have to read about Laurie's "treasure bowl" idea--it's in the conversation. There was some chat about getting kids involved with dinner prep--which as you know we are ALL ABOUT at Spatulatta--and trying to keep the conversation flowing. Good stuff, as most of us will be sitting down to at least one family dinner next week!

Spatulatta Mama has a hot tip for you!

At Spatulatta, we are constantly looking for, finding and cooking fabulous healthy meals for you and your family. Our great hope is that the kids are involved or maybe even leading the preparation of the meals. What would all that hard work come to if the family isn't there to EAT IT?

I'm going to be co-hosting a talk in the Motherhood on Monday November 15, from 1pm to 1:30pm ET, on themotherhood.com site. Leading the discussion is the incredibly accomplished Laurie David, who just published an awesome book called "The Family Dinner." Look her up online people.

If you were looking for proof of why family dinners should happen at your house, this is it! You can try out fabulous recipes, and the book has conversation starters, games and all kinds of wisdom on how to bring your family together at mealtimes. Hope you'll be there. Just sign on to themotherhood.com and join in.

We've heard a lot about the importance of family dinners and at our house, we try to make them happen as often as humanly possible. Having the Spatulatta girls as daughters sure helps, because they sometimes assist in preparation of the meals, but the real treat is sitting down as a family and reconnecting after a crazy busy day.

Papa's work makes it tough for us to sit down before 7:30pm, so we pretend we're in Europe and try to hold off until he arrives. I actually save fun information for the family meal because I know it'll spark conversation and lead to other good things. Think of the huge number of things your family can talk about. In our house these days it could be who you ran into by chance today, who Pop interviewed (as part of his job as a reporter), school, practice for Romeo and Juliette, the HUGE science test coming up, piano, basketball, Science Olympiad, the dog, who called, letters we got in the mail, voice lessons, Girl Scouts, volunteer work etc. and there are only four of us un=der this roof.

If you've got a great tip for fab family dinners, join the circle on Monday and add your recipe for success.
Heidi

See Belle and Liv at Dr. Oz Health Expo in Chicago on November 6

The Dr. Oz Health Expo is this Saturday in Chicago's Millenium Park, and one of the challenges Dr. Oz posed to local chefs was to prepare a delicious, affordable meal that is less than 500 calories per serving.

The Spatulatta Girls, Olivia and Isabella Gerasole, the youngest ever winners of a James Beard Award, joined us to share their favorites. This family-oriented event is free to the public.

For more information: www.spatulatta.com

repost from Fox News Chicago
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/health/dr_oz/spatulatta-girls-tuscan-bean-dip-berry-roll-olivia-isabella-gerasole-dr-oz-health-expo-20101102

Kids Helping Feed Hungry Kids

Sharon Meyers, one of our Spatulatta Mamas, approached us with an idea. Sharon had heard of woman who was willing to donate whole wheat flour to any organization that would use it to feed hungry kids.

With a little help from Spatulatta Papa, James Hill III, we put together a plan that would benefit Chicago Commons' breakfast program for preschoolers.

Chicago Commons runs Child Development programs in three of Chicago's neediest neighborhoods: Pilsen, West Humboldt Park and New City (Back of the Yards). The outstanding program uses the Reggio Emilia approach to early learning. The program not only provides preschoolers with rich learning experiences, it also provides programming to strengthen the whole family.

Sharon called and got 250 pounds of whole wheat pastry flour donated.

Eagle Scouts from Evanston Troop 916 helped pick up the sacks of flour at the Randolph Street Cold Storage and parceled the flour into manageable bags.

They are joined by the Girl Scout Troop that Spatulatta's host, Olivia Gerasole, belongs to, in pledging to bake whole wheat fruit and nut bars for bake sales here on the North Shore.

Our co-sponsors on the project are:

Whole Foods Evanston North - They donated the 100 pounds of oatmeal and 20 pounds of dried cranberries.

Jackie's on Prairie - Chef Jonadab Silva donated 500 baking pans.

The Spice House - Patty and Tom Erd donated the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.

The initial sales will take place on:

October 7, 2010 at 6-9 PM on Central Street's Retail Therapy night. We'll be stationed in front of Weichert Realtors 2006 Central Street, Evanston 60201.

October 9, 2010 8 AM to 1 PM at the French Market in the Village Center, Wilmette, IL. The Village Center is Central Avenue & Green Bay Road near the Metra Station. The time the scouts will be selling is to be determined.

We're also looking for at least 2 other farmers' markets to present the baked goods.

So if you're in the Chicago area, you can get a double dose of goodness. First some yummy whole wheat fruit and nut bars then secondly, the good feeling of having helped Chicago Commons continue their great work.

Here's the recipe we'll be using:

SPATULATTA Whole Wheat Fruit Bars

2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cup regular oatmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

3/4 cup of applesauce

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg - beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1½ tsp of ground cinnamon

¾ tsp ground nutmeg

¾ tsp ground clove

¾ tsp ground allspice

1/3 cup maple syrup

¼ cup apple juice

1 cup of fresh blueberries or dried cranberries

3/4 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Cooking spray

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large electric mixer bowl, mix the applesauce, oil, egg, vanilla, spices, baking powder, baking soda, salt and syrup or sorghum. Mix well.

Add the flour and oatmeal. Mix again.

Add the fruit and nuts. Stir in, gently, by hand.

Spray a 9 X 13 baking pan. Spread the batter into the pan. It will be stiff but spread it out to the corners.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick stuck into the cake part comes out clean.

On the Road Again

Labor Day Weekend is just about on us...where are you driving and more importantly, what are you giving the kids to snack on until you get there?

We all know that road trips are full of the fast food pitfalls we do our best to avoid, but a little thinking ahead can get you a long way toward a healthier journey.
At Spatulatta, the postman regularly drops off fun stuff, like new products that are sent to us by health conscious companies looking for a little feedback.

We found a winner in some fruit jerky distributed by an Idaho company called "Golden Valley Natural." Liv and Belle tried their apple cinnamon flavored natural fruit stix and declared them most definitely road worthy.

The 'stix' come in a resealable pouch with 4 servings inside, a scant 80 calories each, and as the package declared, all natural ingredients. The 'stix' are brown and sausage shaped, kind of like a healthy Slim Jim, but not as long. Belle being Belle said, "Mom, if I saw those floating in a pool, I'd think twice about swimming in it." Followed up immediately by, "Wow--they're really good!" Which just proves our theory that beauty is only skin deep, right parents?

Several kinds of jerky came with the Fruit Stix, including turkey jerky, buffalo jerky and beef jerky, all made with no added hormones, no antibiotics, no preservatives, no added MSG and no artifical ingredients. Frankly, the beef jerky was so good it didn't even make it into the car.

Food for thought, when planning your next road trip. Have a safe Labor Day Weekend.

Want Kids to Eat Veggies? Move the Salad Bar

We've heard so many people lamenting how hard it is to change the way kids eat and/or school lunch policy. We just had to share this post by Cliff Kuang of Fast Company. Read this:


Uncommon Act of Design: The Secret of Getting Kids to Eat Veggies? Move the Salad Bar
BY CLIFF KUANG
Tue Apr 27, 2010

http://www.fastcompany.com/1629662/the-secret-of-getting-kids-to-eat-veggies-move-the-salad-bar?partner=homepage_newsletter

A new study out of Cornell produces bigger results than any food revolution or food-policy change could hope for.

Lately, Jamie Oliver's become a saint in his quest to change our attitudes towards food. And the White House and Michelle Obama have been flogging the idea of local produce, while making noise about changes in food policy, which gives woefully sums to big corn and red-meat farmers and contributes to making us fat.

But what if getting kids to eat more veggies is simpler than that? Like, waaaaaay simpler?

Laura Smith, a researcher at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, has discovered that simply changing the placement of a middle school's salad bar can cause a spike in veggie consumption.
What would your guess be on that spike? 15% 25%? 50%?

Try 250-300%. That's not a typo.

Smith basically discovered what Sizzler's known for decades. Instead of relegating the salad bar to the wall, she moved it four feet, so that it's in front of the cash registers. (As far as Sizzler is concerned, note that it's more profitable to fill people up on veggies, since they're cheaper and higher margin than steaks.)

"By the end of the year, this even led to 6% more kids eating school lunches," Smith said. "It's basic behavioral economics. We made it easier for them to make the right choice."

That, of course, opens up a fat opportunity for architects and designers: You can make people healthier simply by redesigning cafeterias, so that healthier options are easier to access and more prominent -- not to mention, as we previously reported, turning corridors into inviting, creative spaces. Now get to work!


Thanks, Cliff!

=

Barbecued Chicken Pizza with Spelt Crust

Our Spatulatta Remote Reporters, Carly, Meagan, and Katie, just filed a story. They sent us a recipe from their kitchen in California. The pizza crust is made of spelt flour and they used rice milk. It's a perfect recipe for someone who is both wheat intolerant and lactose intolerant.

Watch their video for Barbecued Chicken Pizza with a Spelt Crust on You Tube. Then send us your favorite recipe on video!

Mac & Cheese with Red Pepper Volcano with Dinosaur Trees

"Dinosaur trees are what some of our fans call broccoli flowerettes." - Livvy



All of us here at Spatulatta were excited when we got the invitation to participate in the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's 30 Days 30 Ways with Macaroni and Cheese.

We chose to cook with Carr Valley 5 -year Cheddar. The wheels of cheddar are dipped in wax and allowed to rest for 5 years. During that time the flavor gets more and more concentrated.

Carr Valley also makes 12-year old Cheddar--that means there are cheeses that are as old as Livvy.

Macaroni and Cheese with Red Pepper Volcano and Dinosaur Trees

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 pound macaroni elbows
3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the pan
2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup yellow onion, grated or very finely diced
2 cups Wisconsin Carr Valley Cheddar Cheese, shredded and divided
2 cups Wisconsin Carr Valley 5-year Cheddar, shredded
1 cup broccoli flowerettes
2 sweet red peppers

Directions:

Start by bringing a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Preheat the oven to 350 F.


When the water comes to a boil, add the macaroni. Cook according to package directions, then drain and set aside.


Butter the bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over low heat; whisk in the flour to make a roux.

Cook the roux over low heat; stirring constantly. The butter will make frothy bubbles and go from yellow to golden brown in color.


Add milk, garlic powder and onion. Mix and continue to cook over low heat.

Add 1 cup of Cheddar into the milk mixture and stir until the cheese melts. Don’t let it boil. Reserve 1/2 cup cheese sauce.


Put the cooked macaroni into the buttered pan.





Sprinkle the remaining 3 cups of Cheddar over and mix.

Reserve about 1 cup of the macaroni and Cheddar mixture and set aside to fill the red pepper volcano.


Pour all the cheese sauce, except the reserved 1/2 cup, over the macaroni and cheese mixture; gently stir. This reserved sauce will come into play later, when we assemble our volcano.


Into the oven it goes! Bake about 20 minutes or until bubbly and some of the edges begin to brown.

You may need a little adult help getting the casserole out of the oven, because the steam coming out of the casserole will be hot enough to burn.



While the macaroni and cheese is baking, lightly steam the broccoli, about 4 minutes. You want these "dinosaur trees" to be bright green and still a little crunchy so they will stand up when you assemble the volcano.


Cut off the stem end of one red pepper and make a 1 inch hole in the other end. Remove any seeds from inside. This is the volcano cone. Dice the remaining red pepper into 1/4-inch squares.



When the mac and cheese comes out of the oven, it will be super hot. So be careful!



Microwave the reserved macaroni and cheese and fill the red pepper cone. Be careful so the hot mac doesn't come out of the hole at the bottom and burn your hand.



Place the filled red pepper with the small opening side up in the middle of the macaroni and cheese. Carefully, push the broccoli "trees" into the macaroni and cheese around the pepper volcano to form an island around the volcano.

Sprinkle the red pepper squares around the volcano to be the red hot "cinders." Reheat reserved cheese sauce over low heat until it is smooth and melted.



Pour cheese sauce over the volcano so it looks like molten lava.



And there you have it! A beautiful volcanic island in a sea of mac and cheese.



We can't wait to dig in, but the macaroni and cheese is very hot. Way HOT — but so yummy!