Spatulatta

Spatulatta Girls featured on PBS's "Biz Kids" Show

2011-06-16T04:12:00.000-07:00

Belle and Liz were interviewed by Biz Kids, the Public Broadcasting series where kids teach kids about money and business. They'll talk about their publishing experiences with the Spatulatta Cookbook. The focus of the episode is and how if kids make enough money, they have to pay taxes.

Ask your local PBS Station when Biz Kids episode #401 with the Spatulatta Girls will be airing. WTTW in the Chicago area will premiere the program on Sunday, June 26 at 11 AM or you can watch their segment now at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bizkidJ9?feature=mhum#p/u/16/OL25oueWtJ4

Pasta e Formaggio AKA Italian Mac and Cheese

2011-01-17T05:24:00.000-08:00

Belle and Liv make Pasta e Formaggio, Mac and Cheese with an Italian twist.

Liv and Belle learned to cook Italian food from their dad, restaurant critic and food aficionado Vince Gerasole. "We love everything Italian," says Liv. "You might say marinara is in our blood," quips Belle.

So we rounded up all the flavors found in a Pizza Margherita and adapted them for 30 Day 30 Way Mac and Cheese.

Pasta e Fromaggio - Italian Mac and Cheese

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1 package (16 ounces) farfalle pasta, cooked and drained

2 cups of heavy cream

1/3 cup all purpose flour

4 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Wisconsin Mozzarella Cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 medium onion, grated

1/2 cup grated Wisconsin Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to directions on the box. While the pasta is boiling prepare your mise en place.

Chop the onion.

Seed and dice the tomatoes. Set them aside.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Start the white sauce. Pour the cream into a one-quart saucepan. Simmer over low heat.

Whisk in the flour until it disappears.

Add the butter and stir, until melted.

Add the Mozzarella.

Keep stirring so the cheese sauce thickens but doesn't burn. It will get a wonderful, stretchy consistency.

Whisk in the spices.

Put the pasta into a large bowl. Add the onions and pour in cheese sauce. Mix well.

Now add the tomatoes and onions. Fold in gently.

Pour the pasta mix into a buttered casserole dish. Use a spatula to pat the pasta into the casserole.

Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes or until the top starts to get golden brown patches.

Remove from oven and serve with a green salad.

Our whole family loves this Italian version of Mac and Cheese. Find dozens of other yummy macaroni and cheese recipes at the 30 Days 30 Ways Mac and Cheese.

Support Wisconsin's farm families by buying Wisconsin cheese.

Promo Video for Spatulatta at Kenmore Live Studio

2010-12-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-11-15T10:53:00.001-08:00

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!

2010-11-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-01-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

"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!

2009-09-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

A great week for us--fun stuff everywhere. Isabella is in Ontario, Canada for the Stratford Shakespeare Festibal--they get to see 5 great plays in 3 days--back home Sunday. If anyone sees her up there, say "Hey!" from Mom.

Olivia and her buddy auditioned this morning for The Nutcracker on Ice at the local skating rink. They did very well, so we'll see what their chilly efforts produce when they put the list up.

We're thrilled with the article Miss Caryn Rousseau of the Associated Press published yesterday, lots of feedback from our fans and family members. If you'd like to check it out, you can see it on our site, Spatulatta.com.

Uncle Vito's in town this weekend from Girasole Restaurant in Pittsburgh--I'm sure we'll go and explore new restaurants with him. He's here to attend Chicago Gourmet, part of which Belle and Liv's pop will be emceeing. The cooking demos there are excellent, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves last year--it's a very elegant "Taste of Chicago" at Millenium Park. Foodies, head that way.

Spatulatta Sisters in Irish Press

2009-07-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Belfast, Ireland was greeted by an invitation to cook with our favorite little chefs, Livvy and Belle. Team Spatulatta is leaving next Saturday for the Belfast Taste and Music Festival. We're all excited! We'll be doing cooking demos that include our Creature Features, a Hawaiian barbecue, and Italian menus.

Our itinerary includes a reception with the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Naomi Long and trips to Ulster and the Mountains of Mourne.

We have a couple free days in our schedule so last night we sat down with the Frommer's guides and planned a couple side trips to the Giant's Causeway and Dairy. Can't wait to see the green rolling hills and the small Irish towns.

We'll be blogging from Ireland whenever we get a chance. So keep posted!

Race to the Taste in Ireland

2009-07-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

THE RACE TO TASTE IS ON…

Little chefs Jake O'Neill (aged 7), Daniel Catterson (aged 11), Matthew Catterson (aged 8) and Jasmine O'Neill (aged 9) race to welcome Team Spatulatta which will be making their UK and Ireland debut at the Belfast Taste and Music Fest which runs from 6th to 9th August 2009.

Team Spatulatta is doing our first international event at the Belfast Taste and Music Festival. We're all really excited!

We'll be blogging from Ireland. So stay tuned!

Share Our Strength Cook-off

2009-06-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

Meet Spatulatta's newest youth spokespeople, brother-sister team Matt and Alisia. They were pitch hitting for Liv and Belle on Sunday because the girls had a previous engagement. Belle was graduating from junior high. Graduation trumps cooking any day.

Alisia and Matt hosted involved in a very special cook-off at Kendall College. The cook-off was a fundraiser for Share Our Strength, an organization that works to end the invisible threat of child hunger here in the US.

The Cook-off was held in Kendall College's 3 professional kitchens. Eighty kids split up in teams of 2 and were paired with Kendall College students. Each of the 3 kitchens was assigned a secret ingredient, Iron Chef style: carrots, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.

Team Tomato, Team Carrot and Team Sweet Potato came up with their own chants and cheers as took their stations and the competition began. Celebrity chefs, Michael Kornick, Paul Kahan, and Erik Williams were on-hand to give teams advice and encouragement.

Left to Right: Chef Michael Kornick of MK Restaurant, Chef Paul Kahan of Blackbird Restaurant, Chef Erik Williams of MK Restaurant.

Alisia and Matt interviewed the young cooks, ranging in age from 8- to 13-years old, about the inspiration for their dishes. The teams had one hour to come up with a recipe, cook it and attractively plate it. Even with the pressure on, cooks and chefs found time to stop and chat with Alisia and Matt. Thanks to the crew at Event Architects, interviews were fed live to the Kendall auditorium where the moms and dads got a chance to experience the kitchen action without feeling the heat.

When time was called, the teams put down their spatulas and laid out the dishes for the judges. Of course beautiful plating was considered, but inventiveness scored high points. Unexpected uses for familiar ingredients abounded. Tomatoes became jam, sweet potatoes became custards and carrots filled quesadillas.

One winner was chosen from each kitchen. After a break, the semi-finalists from Team Carrot, Team Tomato and Team Sweet Potato entered "Kitchen Stadium" for the final round.

Two of the teams were paired with celebrity chefs Michael Kornick and Erik Williams of MK Restaurant. Team Tomato retained there Kendall Student Chef, Brian. He'd seen them to the semi-finals and they were sticking together.

A new secret ingredient was announced - quinoa!

Not many in the audience had heard of the protein-rich, South American grain let alone cooked it. But the chefs and their teams didn't miss a beat.

Tension built in the final minutes. Sautés sizzled and steam bloomed everywhere. Chef Kornick produced an beautiful asparagus flan to accompany his quinoa curry dish.

But the judges had a surprise for us all.

It was the Tomato Team under Kendall's own Chef Brian, who produced the winning dish. A quinoa and kale salad surrounded by perfectly steamed asparagus, brussel sprouts and of course tomatoes.

Go Tomatoes Go!

Many thanks go to the folks at the ConAgra Foundation, who generously sponsored the event and the folks at Whole Foods, who donated the marvelous ingredients.

Cooking: the Exhibition at Liberty Science Center

2009-05-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Team Spatulatta has been invited by the Liberty Science Museum to take part in Cooking the Exhibition, a new experience under development at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ.

Cooking: the Exhibition is an exploration of the everyday science experiment that defines our cultures, our bodies and our planet.

The exhibition will open at the Liberty Science Museum in 2011 and then travel throughout the country.

Most of us don't think of cooking as a science experiment but you'd be surprised at just how much science is involved in getting your food to the table. The exhibit will look at what happens when you carmelize onions, what is the chemical reaction that turns meat brown and other amazing molecular happenings.

Exhibit designer Wayne LaBarr points out, "Through cooking we prepare our sustenance to improve its safety, increase what can be consumed and enhance the pleasure we receive from our meals, while also drawing our individual and group identities from it.

In the 21^st century, cooking has taken on added importance and attention as this universally shared, species-bonding activity now increasingly influences and impacts our nutritional and overall health. It has become the focus of media attention and cultural efforts and is critical to the “growing” issue of food sources and the sustainability of our modern society."

Heady stuff! Who knew that was all happening on top of our stoves and in our ovens?

You can join in the development and ideas for the project by visiting http://cookingexhibitchefs.ning.com/

Bon Bons from Bella

2009-05-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

Bella is a new member to Spatulatta. She writes:

I know a recipe for bonbons and I'd really like to share it with someone.

So here is the recipe.

6 large marshmallows

1/2 cups of chocolate chips

toppings sprinkles, coconut or chopped nuts.

waxed paper lined cookie sheet

microwave safe bowl

microwave

Directions:

have a grown up melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.

When the chocolate is cool enough dip the end of the marshmallow in the chocolate.

Top the marshmallow in sprinkles or coconut or chopped nuts.

put the marshmallows on the cookie sheet and wait to harden.

Enjoy!

Bella

Having Friends for Dinner? Try This!

2009-04-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Liv and Belle,

Last night when we had some friends over, my mom asked me to make dinner and suggested "Tiny Tuna Melts" from your website. It was a great idea, since we had a LOT of English muffins on hand, but my friends and I weren't quite in the mood for plain old tuna salad. So I thought it might be cool to try putting "Hot Tuna Salad" (also from your website) on the English muffins instead. My friends loved it. It was delicious!

-Isabelle

Magic Soup Essay Winner - Part 4

2009-04-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

ala cazam ala cazoop what am i going to put in my soup? a cat and a dog and maybe a frog. a hoop and a loop and a little bit of moop. my brother my mother and my little sister. how about a giant twister? a shoe and a zoo i think i'll invite you. A bee and a sea but of course not me. I'll invie mandy and sandy and i'm thinking about randy. i'll put in candy and my favorite word quandy! i think thats enough or we'll have to much soup. i'll add 1 last thing.... a giant hoop!

Alicia, 10 from New York

Magic Soup Essay Winners - Part 3

2009-04-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Here's an essay from Rosie, our youngest winner. Rosie is holding a picture she drew to go along with her essay. Here's what she wrote:

If I could make magical soup, I would call it "Garden Soup". And I would put in rose petals, and daisies. I would put in honey that bees made, and I would put in fairy dust. I would also put in mint leaves that I picked from my garden. And I would cook it in a pot made of tree wood. I would cook it by the fairy tree, where all the fairies lived. I would serve it in cups made out of lily flower petals, with tiny spoons made out of flower stems. And I would serve it on the top of the mountain in a big tree, where fairies have tea parties. The spoons and bowls are so tiny that I couldn't use them so I decided to give them to fairies. They had rose petal wings and had tiny purple flowers for crowns, and they used mini daisies for wands. Then I would fill their bowls of soup and all the fairies would take a sip of it and each one of the fairies said it was the best soup they had ever tasted! The End!

Rosie, 8 from Utah

Magic Soup Essay Winners - Part 2

2009-04-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here's another winning essay from Carly in California:

I'm standing at the base of a massive oak tree; in its sturdy branches there sits a beautiful old tree house. This is where I'll cook my magical soup. The twisting staircase teeters as I climb up into the homey tree bungalow. I survey my kitchen space. It's a big kitchen with everything needed to make magic. I start boiling the vegetable stock; animals from all around come and sit on the beams of the house, watching me curiously. My close friend comes to help me; we throw into the pot of bubbling broth: kidney beans, spinach, salt, pepper, noodles, tomatoes, basil, thyme, and sizzling turkey bacon. We dip our heads over the soup and breathe in the savory scents. It smells delicious! But we forgot something! Love, gratitude, laughter, kindness, happiness and the most special ingredient...an secret spice that will wipe all your worries away! After we add the special ingredient, a new kind of smell comes over the whole tree house. Do you know what it is? All the feelings that we added are mixing together, blending into the soup. I look at my friend-we know that it's the best batch of magical soup we've ever made.

Magic Soup Essay Contest Winners - Part 1

2009-04-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

The judges have decided! And we have the winners of the Magic Soup Essay Contest.

The panel was made up of 3 young people: Belle, Liv and Liv's friend Jasime and 3 adults: Gaylon Emerzian and Heidi Umbhau, our producers and Mark Farne, our Community Outreach Coordinator.

We judged 90% on originality and creativity and only 10% on spelling and grammar. The essays were a variety of funny, witty, and heartfelt. So were real recipes, other were complete fantasy. It was really tough to make a decision because there were so many great entries.

We'll be posting the winners as we receive permission from their parents.

Here's two of the winning essays:

Mine is a real soup I have been making for years now. Mom says it was my Grandmas recipe and I really miss her. Its simple but good and everyone loves it. Just did out Grandmas old kettle, its the only one you can use for this soup. The fill with water and add a bunch of diced potatoes. Boil for a half hour or so while talking to Mom or watching TV. Then add some onions and boil another half hour. Sometimes there are two really good TV shows on. Next add spices but don't really look at what you add. Make sure to talk to other people so you don't really pay attention. Now butter and go for the real stuff. Mom says its too expensive to use everyday but Grandma would roll in her grave if we used the fake stuff for the soup. Next the secrete, add some sour cream and mix to no lumps then fill the pot with milk. You can taste it here but its not done. Last of all mix some flour with some more milk so there are no lumps then add to soup so it gets thicker.Then you get to eat but you have to eat with people you like and tell stories about Grandma. Its the best!

Andrew, 14 from Mississippi

My soup is called "Hot melted pepper jack, cheesy, chili, chicken soup." Here is what is in my soup. I put 2 cups of melted pepper jack cheese, 1 1/2 cup of chili, 1/2 cup of garlic, 12 jelly beans, 1 1/2 cup chicken, 1/2 a box of make your own noodles out of dough, 1 cup hot sauce, and 3 cherry flavored stones. You are probably wondering who I am eating it with, or where that person and I are eating it! Well, I will eat it with whoever is staying here at my house. I will eat it in the sky on a big cloud. I will eat it without my family, they are not famous. My family are people I love. I would also serve it on the Eiffel tower, it is a famous building. It would be in a familiar place that I wish to go to soon. My magic "Hot melted pepper jack, cheesy, chili, chicken soup" would give special powers, it would make you fly. We would fly over the city after we eat the soup.

Larry, 12 from Mississippi

Congratulations to all the winners! Thanks to everyone who participated.

Team Spatulatta

Spatulatta's Top Ten Picks from the International Home and Housewares Show 2009

2009-04-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

This year we don't have a video report because most of Team Spatulatta was laid up with the flu. Liv and Belle were down for the count and Miss Heidi, their mom, was trying hard to stay on her feet while tending to the girls. So I was on my own with a still camera and a pad of paper.

My first impression was vibrant color. Color was popping everywhere. Even OXO with its signature black and white had added color to their spatulas. Here's our TOP TEN PICKS:

1. Chef'n PalmZester

Looks like a Power Ranger bracelet but really goes on your finger tips. With a few quick strokes this zester makes quick work of a lime or lemon. Chef'n CEO and inventor, David Holcomb, has gone the extra mile once again. The citrus zest is neatly stored in a flip open compartment rather than being shot all over the kitchen! Fabulous design and dishwasher safe.

2. Chef'n Four-Sided Grater

Always on the lookout for knuckle-saving devices. This is variation on the traditional box grater but it has a genius finger guide to keep your digits away from the super sharp blades. It also has a bottom so you're not grating directly onto the counter or having the grater slide around on a plate. The bottom comes off for easy access and cleaning.

3. ISI Flex It Measuring Cups

We've found over the years that children need practice pouring and until they get the coordination to stop the liquid, they have a tendency to overpour. These flexible measuring cups are great for putting oil or milk back into the bottle. Give these measuring cups a little squeeze and they make the perfect shape spout.

They are especially good for getting liquids into a running stand mixer. The flexible cup can be squeezed into a perfect shape for maneuvering into the area between the motor and the bowl. ISI also has flexible bowls that do the same magic for dry measure.

4. Zyliss Apple and Potato Cutter

We're always looking for cutting implements that keep children's hands away from the blades. The Zyliss Apple and Potato Cutter works like a traditional apple corer but it also has a replaceable blade that will cut potatoes into fries.

I could see all sorts of uses for the potato blade. Making small, relatively uniform cubes is a big challenge for small people. We could use it on jicama, squash, maybe even carrots. The child has both hands in plain sight and can use her or his full weight to press down on the implement.

When the cutter makes it through the veggie it gives a satisfying "thunk." Suddenly your 7-year old has done the work of a sous chef.

5. Playful Life French Cooking Set

I'm always rooting for women entrepenuers and I was glad to see a number of them at the show this year. Liz Rossilli was a teacher for years before she started her business. She draws on her knowledge of early child development in her products.

The Playful Life French Cooking Set is a great example. Not only do you get the chef's hat and the child-sized implements but you also get 5 French recipe cards that teach a little geography along with how to make chocolate mousse. Perfect for a 3 or 4 year old's birthday gift.

Liz also has a line of place maps that would be perfect for 1 -5 year olds with mapes and counting games. For older kids she has the Playful Party Planner, with etiquette tips, creative ideas and list maker. The graphics are adorable.

6. Zanda Panda Silicone Heart Mold

Sandra Lira, the designer, started as a sculptor and used silicone for molding bronze. One day it dawned on her that she could put her skills to work in the kitchen. She observed that children would bicker over who was going to get the decoration on a cake so she decided to make the whole cake a decoration.

She has a number of designs of cake and chocolate molds some of which have hand sculpted unicorns. I especially liked the heart mold. It's perfect for shortbeard because it's deeply scored. You can easily divide the cake into 8 individual heart shapes. Sandra uses the mold for chocolate, painting red chocolate into the small hearts before pouring milk chocolate into the rest of the mold. She then uses edible Luster Dust to highlight the flowers and curlicues.

Molds are also great for crafts. They form plaster of paris or paper maché as easily as cake batter.

7. Precidio Buddy Measuring Cups

These measuring cups with extra large handles are eronomically correct for really little hands. They're also beautiful bright colors. The measuring spoons have a slight dip in their handles to accomodate kids' range of motion.

Precido has a complement of cute bowls, cute spoons, cute cookie cutters perfect for the 2 to 6 crowd.

8. Orka Toast Tongs

Orka makes silicone mitts, ice cream scoops, dripless ice pops in a variety of yummy colors. My choice this year are a pair of silicone toast tongs. You can fearless dig down deep into that toaster to rescue that artisan bread slice or half bagel. They also double as mini salad tongs but I'm sure there are many other uses.

Orka also makes an omelet pan with lower sides so instead of struggling to lift the omelet, it can be slid onto the plate.

9. Jo!e - Kitch Pizza Cutter

I saw a lot similar cutters by other manufacturers but this circular blade had a red plastic cover so you can see that the blade is covered when not in use. A child might need to use both hands on this tool and then need some assistance holding the pizza. But this tool will be much safer than the traditional wheel blade on a handle.

Jo!e has a whole line of too cute zesters and peelers with little faces. I was really intrigued by the double bladed carrot peeler. Do twice the work in half the time.

10. ISI Get-it Tongs

Bamboo tongs come with a red silicon stand that also keeps the tongs together so small people don't have to wrestle trying to get the implements at the right angle.

They kind of look like reindeer antlers and I can see all sorts of family pictures featuring these tongs.

Thanks to all the exhibitors for sharing

Find us on FACEBOOK!

2009-04-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

We have a Facebook page!

If you have a Facebook account, type in Spatulatta Cookbook in the search engine.

Find more updates, start discussions, and join the rest of our friends :)

Go to http://facebook.com

Some cute (but disqualified) entries for the Magic Soup Contest

2009-04-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

We got a kick out of these entries, especially since they were from adults entering the Magic Soup Contest. The age limit was 14-years old but that didn't stop some of our friends from wanting to tell us about their version Magic Soup.

Bob, 48 years old, from KY writes:

Claude's Louisiana Gumbo. You start with a roux of butter, flour and spices. Then you add fresh chicken, okra, tomato, green pepper, chili peppers and, of course, andouille sausage. You add the seafood for the last minutes only to avoid it getting rubbery.

Hazel, age 39, writes:

Right out of the can into the pot.

Susan, age 63, writes:

My magic pot of soup would be made with chocolate kisses. Yummy! :D

Shirley, age 73, writes:

Seek and dump. Start with a pot of chicken stock, then seek good stuff from fridge, freezer and pantry that tickles your fancy. Exotic and plain, sweet and sour, add some salt and pepper, put the lid on the pot and simmer for 2 hours sort of, tap occasionally with your magic wand and fingers crossed. The result is a magic soup. Never made a magic soup that everyone didn't like.

Maybe Bob, Hazel, Susan, and Shirley will inspire an "over 18" essay contest!

Thanks for sharing!

From Yun and Baby Hedgehog in China

2009-03-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

My friends:

Every week I always look for your letter. When I heard from you, I felt very happy, but I'm so sorry that i didn't reply to you on time because of the homework. you know that in china the students always have too much homework.

I also have some good news to tell you: I'm keeping a little hedgehog, it's so lovely. And now I can cook more delicious food for my family.

Write me soon.

Yours,

Yun

This is the photo of the hedgehog, do you like it?

Click to enlarge

Spatulatta replies:

Hello Yun!

We love receiving your emails. Your education comes first so please do not apologize! :)

Your baby hedgehog is so adorable. Does he or she have a name?

We are going to post the photo on the Spat Blog.

Stay in touch,

Team Spatulatta

Yucky Lunch at School

2009-02-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Spatulatta,

My best friend is a HUGH fan of your webshows and I just learned about it. I look forward to seeing this very much.

But the reason I am sending you this is because me and my friends are all 13-year old girls and we have a big problem.

At our school we don't have a well balanced diet. Its all greasy pizza and taco salads. Everything that the school says is healthy, no kid wants to eat because its not delectable.

And it's not just our school it's all the schools in our town. Many of our schools have bad lunch menus. So I want to ask you if you would possibly tell us some fun tips to make lunch fun and
healthy.

Thanks!

adrienne, dorie, and val

---------------------------------------

Dear Adrienne, Dorie and Val,

When I read your letter I felt so bad. Greasy pizza day after day for lunch is really depressing.

Bringing your lunch to school is the easiest way to get a healthy, nutritious lunch. You can start by packing a salad or a sandwich on whole wheat bread. Look around our Recipe Box to get some great ideas.

If you want your food to stay cool and you don't have lunch pack with a cooler insert, you can experiment with putting ice in one zipper freezer bag and then putting that bag inside another. That way if the ice melts and the water leaks it, won't get too far. Just don't put the ice directly on top of your lettuce.

If you have a Thermos, you can take soup or stew to school. We like to make soup on Sunday while we're all hanging around the house. Then we freeze small containers for later use. Pop one into the microwave, heat it up and there's lunch. Add an apple, banana or orange.

The great thing about making your own lunch is that you can control how much fat, salt and sugar goes into each meal.

If you young women would want to make sure other kids get a healthy lunch, you might enlist the help of one of your teachers to put a presentation together for your PTA or PTO. Most parents don't ever see the kind of food their children are served in school. It might be an even bigger shock to them to taste it.

Also let your parents know what's going on in your cafeteria. Three families are a good start. If each family can recruit another family you have the beginning of a movement. You could be champions for all the younger kids who hate lunch just as much as you do but don't feel they can speak out about it.

Healthy Schools Campaign and Common Threads are both organizations that are working to help kids eat healthier lunches at schools.

Keep us updated on how your quest for a healthy lunch is going.

Team Spatulatta

Book Review - Picture Yourself Cooking With Your Kids

2009-02-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

Reviewed by Gaylon Emerzian

Beth Sheresh's book Picture Yourself Cooking with Your Kids has a hefty title and is jam packed with recipes and real world tips that will definitely help parents take the plunge and involve their children in the kitchen.

The book begins with a chapter that I absolutely loved called "A Cook's Primer." It has so many great tips: like how to determine the age appropriate recipes for your child, how to encourage a picky eater and how to make sure a child, who is vegetarian or vegan, gets proper nutrition.

The part I found the most interesting was a section called "Defensive Shopping." Ms. Sheresh looks at ingredient lists on packages and highlights the many AKAs. She writes, "Sugar by any other name is still sugar."

But the tip that impressed me the most was on page 36 about how to read the code on those tiny, little labels stuck to fresh fruit and vegetables to determining whether food was conventionally grown, organically grown or genetically modified. It was an "Ah-ha!" moment for me.

Ms. Sheresh also has a whole section on yeast doughs, something we're just starting experimenting with after 3 years on Spatulatta! In fact, we used her recipe for pizza dough to make our heart-shaped "I Love Pizza" for this year's Valentine's Day episode. It came together in a way that made yeast doughs seem less intimidating.

The cookbook is chocked full of pictures of kids in the kitchen and step-by-step photos of making the recipes. I love the fact that the kids in the snapshots look like real kids. They are multi-ethnic and have a variety of sizes and shapes. The disappointment is that the majority of the photos are all a little dark and moody. Some of the food actually looks unappetizing.

But all in all I think it was a task well done!

You can see more of Beth Sheresh's writing on kitchenMage

Picture Yourself Cooking with Your Kids
Published by: Course Technology
ISBN-13 978-1-59863-588-4

Mariah's Fruity Blend

2009-02-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

1 cup washed strawberries

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1/2 cup low-fat yogurt

1 banana

Directions:
Add all the ingredients to blender, then enjoy!

Spatulatta says:

Mmmmm, makes us think of Springtime, which is right around the corner!
- Team Spatulatta

Old Bay Rice by Brooke

2009-02-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

1 cup rice 
1/2 cup water 
Pinch of old bay seasoning 
 
Use the instant rice. 
Cook the rice in the micro wave for 3 min. After its done add the seasoning.

Spatulatta replies:

Fast, easy, and full of flavor.  Thanks for sharing Brooke!
-Team Spatulatta

Russian Salad from Solange in Argentina

2009-01-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a recipe from Solange in Argentina for Russian Salad. The translation into English follows below.

hola!!! soy solange denuevo!! ustedes me escribieron un mail que decían que querían recetas argentinas!!! (translate this) no quería
escribir en inglés porque recién este año voy a empezar quinto grado, estoy en primaria todavía!!! (no quiero cometer ningún error escribiendo en inglés)

¿conocen la ensalada rusa? a mí me encanta la ensalada rusa,
para hacerla necesitas:papa,mayonesa y zanahoria. primero cortan las papas
en cubitos,segundo cortan la zanahoria en cubitos también y luego ponen la
"mayonesa" se puede comer en cualquier momento, ejemplo: una cena familiar.

los argentinos comemos mucha carne y el "asado" es muy conocido por aquí!!! comemos "milanesa",helado,papas rellenas,empanadas... cuando se trata de una fiesta ejemplo:navidad, algunos cocinan pavo,asado,ensalada rusa y por otro lado comen camarones con salsas, anchoas, y comidas mas difíciles de cocinar... tambien comemos los panchos (hotdogs) y hay muchos panchos: platense (mar del plata,argentina), italiano, etc... comemos sushi, (yo como arroz japonés) etc... si quieren saber mas comidas y palabras en español visiten mi sitio www.todoanimalesylibros.blogspot.com y yo publicaré en una de estas semanas muchas cosas argentinas!!! gracias!!!

y perdonen por darles más trabajo traduciendo esto. fueron muy amables y muchas gracias!!! tengo una pregunta:¿ustedes tienen un programa en televisión de spatulatta? como siempre estan bienvenidos a mi sitio web!!! y si tienen un usuario en www.blogspot.com pueden escribirme en mi blog!!! saludos a todos!

(translation to English)

Solange here, hello again! You wrote me an email saying you wanted Argentine recipes! I don't want to write in English just because this year I will start fifth
Grade--I am still in primary school and do not want to make any mistakes writing in English.

Have you ever had Russian salad? I love
Russian salad. The ingredients are just cooked potatoes, carrots and mayonnaise.

First cut the potatoes into little cubes.
Next cut carrot into cubes also.

Then add the mayonnaise and mix well.

You can serve this at any meal, such as family dinner.

Argentines eat lots of meat and "asado" (roast) is famous here.

We like to eat "Milanesa", ice cream, stuffed potatoes, empanadas …
For a party, Christmas, for example, some people cook turkey, roast beef, Russian salad
And on the side they eat shrimp with other sauces, anchovies and lots of other very difficult to cook things.

We also eat panchos (hotdogs or sausages) and
many kinds of sausages: platense (Mar del Plata, Argentina), Italian, etc ...

We eat sushi (I like Japanese rice) etc ...

If you want to learn about more meals and Spanish words to visit my Website:

www.todoanimalesylibros.blogspot.com

and I will publish one of these weeks a lot of Argentinian things! Thanks!

And pardon me for giving you more work translating all this.

You all are very friendly, thank you very much!

I have a question: do you have a Spatulatta program on TV? You are always welcome to post on my website!

And if you have a user account www.blogspot.com can write me at my blog!

Greetings to everyone!

Go Bars and Eggs Unite!

2009-01-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

Amanda says:

Hi Spatulatta crew! 

I just wanted to comment on the breakfast on the go
bars, how did you get yours to stay together? Me and my mom tried twice and both
times it crumbles. Like major crumble. so when we took it out it looked good, and
then we let it cool and then cut it, and then we tried to take it out, and it all
fell apart!  It was like sugary granola with dried cranberries in it, but it was
still yummy! Please if you can help me, please send me and email. Thank you so
much! Oh and I have this really good recipe that my friend Joan gave me and that
she learned it from her camp, im still perfecting it to make it healthier, and their
called haystacks, go figure! 

Thanks again! Bye!

Spatulatta replies:

Dear Amanda,

You're right the Go Bars were a little crumbly for us too but held
together in the bar shape rather than turning into granola. We may have
used an extra large egg. We were trying to keep the fat content down but
maybe we went too far.

Eggs are the glue that holds lots of culinary concoctions together. I'd
suggest trying 2 eggs medium eggs or better yet the equivalent of Egg
Beaters.

Let us know how they came out and we'll update the recipe on the website.

Thanks!
Team Spatulatta

2009-01-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody!

We read the instructions on Spatulatta and grew our own avocado tree! You can do it too! Find out how we did it. Click here

Willa's Fishing Jello

2009-01-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

One tasty treat that I love is Fishing Jello. It's very easy and simple.

Ingredients:

1 packet of blue jello

Whipped Topping

Goldfish crackers (I've also seen whale too)

Net-like pretzels

Directions:

Prepare jello as it says to on packet. After cooling add a school of whipped topping. Add 2 pretzels (one across from another). Add goldfish or whale crackers to make an ocean scene real.

Tip: put liquid in small individual containers before cooling.

Spatulatta replies:

Willa this looks simply delicious! A perfect "lite" dessert after a hearty meal. There's always room for jello ;)

Solange from Argentina

2009-01-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

Hello!!!! 

I'm from Argentina. I have "The Spatulatta Cookbook", I love the
recipes but... I don't understand all the recipes because they are difficult for me
because I'am from Argentina and i talk in Spanish!!! In English class I'am a ten,
intelligent but is difficult for me read recipes in english!!! make "The Spatulatta
Cookbook" in Spanish, please!!! goodbye!!!!!!

Spatulatta Responds:

Dear Solange,

Gracias por su carta. Nos encantaría hacer la libro de cocina de
Spatulatta en Español! We would love to do the Spatulatta Cookbook in
Spanish! I will send your note to our publisher and see what she says.

Meanwhile, we have our first bilingual episode. Tenemos un episodio en
español y en Inglés en el sitio web. Por favor, tome hacer una visita.

Please take a look at:

http://www.spatulatta.com/week67_peruvian/week67.html

Si necesita traducciones, esto es lo que he utilizado:

http://www.spanishdict.com/translation

You may have to click on the word swap to go from Spanish to English
instead of from English to Spanish.

Please send us some Argentinian recipes, we'd be glad to try them out for
our second bilingual episode. Por favor, envíenos algunas recetas
argentinas, nos estaremos encantados de intentar a cabo bilingüe para
nuestro segundo episodio.

Espero con interés escuchar de usted otra vez.

Team Spatulatta

From Olivia and Naomi

2009-01-05T05:37:00.000-08:00

Hi!

Our names are Olivia and Naomi...and we just wanted to tell
you how we LOVE the Spatulatta cookbook. Berry Dip & Roll...YUM! And Extra
E-Z Fudge: AMAZING! We also really like the recipe for the Caprese Salad.
YUM! But really, they're all great!

Thanks for the yummy recipes and inspirational cooking!!!

Spatulatta replies:

Dear Olivia and Naomi,

Thank you so much for your email. We're so happy Spatulatta provides recipes
you love! If you have any of your own favorite recipes you'd like to share, please
email them to us. You can even attach a photo of you both cooking in the kitchen.
This would be added to the Spat Blog to share with all our fans.

We especially love recipes with lots of fruits and veggies!

Keep cookin!
Team Spatulatta

P.S. Tell all your friends at school about the Spatulatta cookbook.
The recipes are designed to bring friends and families together.
They're also awesome birthday gifts!

Email from Yun in China

2009-01-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

Our friend, Yun, from China writes:

Happy new year! We will have three days off , and then we will have the final exam.
By the way, there maybe are some troubles with my Christmas card.

Yun

Spatulatta Replies:

Happy New Year Yun!

We were not able to view your Christmas card. It is so nice of you to think of us!

Enjoy your three days off from school and best wishes on your exams.

Here is a simple recipe you can make on your days off to prepare you for exams.

It's called, "Baked Apples in a Snap" which you can see at:
http://www.spatulatta.com/week29_fathers_day/baked_apple.html

You'll need:

4 red apples (Red Delicious, Fuji or other red apples
4 to 6 teaspoons of brown sugar
Raisins or other dried fruit
2 tablespoons of butter
Aluminum foil
A little adult help

Equipment:

Potato peeler (the kind with the pointy end)
Melon ball maker
Butter knife
Small baking pan or pie pan
Long handled fork
Oven mitts

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the apples.

2. If you're using the oven, set it to heat to 375 degrees.

3. Take the potato peeler and pierce the top of the apple about 3/4 of an inch from the stem. Push the potato peeler in slowly. You don't want to go too deep because you don't want to go through the bottom of the apple. Go all the way around and then pop this center out. This way you'll make a cup to hold the good stuff in the apple!

4. Use the melon baller to dig out the apple seeds.

5. Fill the center of the apple with raisins or other dried fruit.

6. Put about a tablespoon of brown sugar on top.

7. Add a pat of butter. A pat is about 1/2 a tablespoon.

8. Wrap the apple up in foil by lapping one side then the other over the top of the apple.

9. Set the apples top-side up on the pan so they don't leak when the butter and the sugar start to melt.

10. These can be easily slid into the coals of your Father's Day barbecue, or placed on a grill. We did them in the oven at 375 degrees 18-22 minutes.

11. When you can easily pierce the fruit with a fork (you can test it right through the foil) the apples are finished. They taste just like apple pie!

Hope you enjoy this recipe. Let us know how it turns out!

Kai Wants a Popsickie

2008-12-29T10:35:00.000-08:00

A fan sent us the most adorable video of her baby!

Christina's Ham and Spinach Creation

2008-12-29T08:01:00.000-08:00

Christina writes:

I love to experiment with new recipes at lunch time. This is one that I
thought was awsome. 
 
Melt 2 table spoons of butter in a shallow sauce pan. Drop 3/4 of a cup of spinach
leaves. Make sure it is packed really tightly. Rip or chop thin slices of deli ham
into small strips. put both spinach and ham into the pan before the butter starts to
burn. Then take 2 small handfuls of cheese and melt it over the spinach and ham
mixture. When the spinach is soggy and some what dark, remove from heat and serve
while it is still warm. 

By the way, this was a recipe I made up.

Spatulatta replies:

Hey Christina, thanks for your creative recipe!  We love spinach and ham.  
This is a great way to use holiday leftovers.

Keep cookin!

We have a Winner!

2008-12-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Theresa!

Theresa from Maricopa, AZ is the winner of our Patchwork Paté New Years Eve Goodie Basket. Theresa will be receiving her basket in time for her New Year's bash.

The contest is run in a very scienticfic way...not! We put numbered balls in a bucket and then Liv and Belle close their eyes and take turns selecting a ball.

Thank you all for entering the contest and joining our Spatulatta Mama mailing list. And we'd like to give a round of applause for all the dads who signed up as well. Look forward to promotions designed just for you.

Roasted Chestnuts

2008-12-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

Roasted chestnuts are such a traditional winter treat that there's a song about them - sing along as you roast your own chestnuts.

Yield	4-6 servings
Time	30-45 minutes
Tools	knife baking sheet or cast iron pan clean kitchen towel
Ingredients	24 uncracked chestnuts
Directions	Preheat oven to 400. Have an adult carve an X into the flat side of each chestnut (otherwise they will explode) and place on the baking sheet. Bake about 30 minutes, until pressing a chestnut cracks the shell open easily. Wrap chestnuts in a towel until ready to eat. Squeeze open the shell, peel off shell and nut coating, and enjoy.

Nakima's Moldy Sandwich :)

2008-12-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Nakima [Na-ke-ma].  I am 12 years old and I love making sandwiches
especially a moldy sandwich.  This sandwich is good for an April Fool's snack.

You will need:

2 tablespoons of peanutbutter
1 package mixed food coloring
2 slices of bread
1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of jelly

The tools are:

1 dull kitchen knife
2 small bowls.

Creating green peanut butter:

Use the knife to mix peanut butter and 4 drops of blue food coloring in a bowl. Combining these ingredients will turn the mixture green.
Put aside two thirds of green peanut butter for the sandwich filling.

Making the mold:

First use the knife to lightly dab green peanut butter patches on top of one slice of the bread.
Next, sprinkle a little of the powdered sugar on some of the patches and tap it in with your finger. The sugar will take on a gauzy look.
Combine 2 drops from each color of food coloring in the second bowl. Dab the mixture on or near the green areas to create blotches that look like black mold spores.

Assembling the sandwich:

Use the other slice of bread, the jelly and the remaining 2/3 of the green peanut butter to make a sandwich.
Make it a little sloppy so that some goo drips over the sides of the bread.

Pulling the prank:

Wrap sandwich in plastic.
Put it n your lunch bag and get ready for some stares during LUNCH TIME or AT HOME.
LET YOUR PARENTS OR FRIENDS know that it is just a prank so they won't get too worried.

And that is how you make a moldy sandwich.
Bye

Ham St. Paul from Miss O & Friends

2008-12-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a breakfast goodie from our pals at MissO&Friends. They have the coolest learning games and activities. Check 'em out!

You will need:

2 eggs
1 small onion
2 slices of bread
Ham
Salt & pepper

Directions: (get an adult to be your assistant)

Chop onions then put in pan and cook until onions are golden brown.

Leave onions in pan and crack eggs over them.

Using spatula, keep moving the eggs (like you would with scrambled eggs). Chop the ham and add.

When the eggs become one piece they are done.

Now put on one piece of bread and sprinkle salt and pepper on egg. Now put other piece of bread on top of eggs.

Eat.

Claudia's Yellow Cake

2008-12-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

Check out this recipe from Claudia. It's a classic that's always a winner!
Thanks Claudia :)

-Team Spatulatta

You'll need:

Jello- Pudding Mix
3 Eggs per layer ( 2 layers)
1 cup of water ( per layer)
2 boxes of Pillsbury-Super Moist Cake Mix
1/3 cup of vegetable oil per layer ( 2 Layers)
1 container of Vanilla Frosting
1 container of Chocolate Frosting
1 Stick of UnSalted butter

Directions:

Mix 1 sick of butter with 3 eggs,
Pillsbury Moist Cake mix,
and Jello Pudding Mix, and 1/3 cup of Vegetable oil into a bowl.

Place mix into a round cake tin, pre-heat for 10 minutes and place mix into a tin.

Bake at 350 degrees

For the next layer do the same
frost the CHOCOLATE frosting on top of the bottom layer
place two cakes on cooling racks when cool only frost the chosen bottom layer of the cake and frost with the CHOCOLATE frosting flip top layer onto the bottom next, frost the whole entire cake with VANILLA frosting

Let cool

TADA!

Very Berry Special Spinach Christmas Salad Recipe from Gael

2008-12-05T07:10:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

2 T raspberry vinegar

1 c fresh raspberries

2 T raspberry jam

2 large kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced thin

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 small can mandarin oranges, drained juice from drained mandarin oranges
3/4 lb. fresh spinach leaves
3/4 c whole toasted pecan halves

Directions:

Whisk or blend vinegar and jam.
Add oil and orange juice; blend well. Set aside.
Combine spinach, half of nuts, raspberries, oranges, and all of the dressing in a large bowl.
Toss and then top the salad with kiwi and the remaining nuts.
Chill about an hour.

Serves 4-6

Optional: add about 1/2 c blueberries and and 1/2 c purple seedless grapes for additional color.


Spatulatta says:

Wow, now this is a salad everyone's sure to enjoy over the holiday. Definitely a healthy
and easy recipe to make. :)

Thanks for sharing, Gael! 
-Team Spatulatta

Bizymom of the Year Contest - Celebrate Someone Special this Holiday Season!

2008-11-26T09:09:00.000-08:00

Send in a photo & include a 200 word write up explaining why your mom or another worthy lady should be awarded the title of "Bizymom of the Year." Or send us a video.

The person nominated does not have to be your own mom, or related to you in any way, but she certainly can be.

Submissions will be accepted from December 1st to December 30th 2008. Voting will take place from January 1st to January 10th 2009.

Prize details:
Bizymom of the year Award - $200 Cash prize to the winner
Person who nominated the winner - $50 Cash prize and more!

Contest URL:
http://www.bizymoms.com/christmascontest/index.html

Maddie's Funky Fruit Smoothie

2008-11-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

Feelin' a little funky? Take a walk on the wild side with this cool smoothie from Maddie. The sweet flavor will give your taste buds a zip!

-Team Spatulatta

Funky Fruit Smoothies

You need...

1 small banana
1 ripe pear
3/4 cup apple juice
3/4 cup natural yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp runny honey

Slice the banana. Peel, core, and chop the pear.
Place all of the ingredients in the blender. Make sure the lid is on tight and blend until smooth.
Pour into smoothie glass and serve.

More from Chicago Gourmet '08

2008-11-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

Belle & Liv with Top Chef contestants: Dale (Season 3)
and Stephanie (Season 4 Winner)
With Executive Chef, Jackie Shen, of Redlight

With Master Chef, Roy Yamaguchi, owner of Roy's

Churchill Elementary Pics

2008-11-23T03:32:00.000-08:00

On November 20th, the girls hosted a live cooking demo and book signing at Churchill Elementary School in Oswego, IL. The theme was Family Reading Night.

Click photos to enlarge

Churchill Elementary students and parents were excited for the cooking demo to start.
It was our first visit there and we felt so welcomed!

Churchill was nice enough to provide the cool projection screen below. The audience saw everything Liv and Belle cooked up. During the book signing, clips from Spatulatta and national tv interviews played on screen.

We love paparazzi!
Our gracious host, Pat Lofthouse, snaps photos of the girls.

Tori's Original Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

2008-11-19T09:32:00.000-08:00

ingredints:               preparations: 
  
cherry tomatoes       make the cherry tomatoes  
                     hollow on the inside then 
goat cheese          chop up olives and stuff it 
                     into the tomatoes then  
olives(optional)     stuff goat cheese and 
                     for the final touch       
parsley              add the garnish (parsley)


Spatulatta responds:

Mmmm, these sound great!  
Thanks for passing on your recipe, Tori.
-Team Spatulatta

Cocoa Rounds by Sophie

2008-11-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

I LOVE spatulatta.com! I have a recipe you could do.
I have more cool recipes but my favorite recipe are cocoa rounds, the ingredients are,

1 2/3 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cups soft butter
1 egg


Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
Chill for 10 min. and bake at 375 f for 8-10 min.  

we like to roll them in powdered sugar after they're done.   

Love, 
Sophie ;-)

Spatulatta responds:
Hey Sophie, Thanks for your sweet recipe.  This could make a great treat during holidays.
Spatulatta loves you too!

-Team Spatulatta

Chicago Gourmet 2008

2008-11-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of Belle and Liv at Chicago Gourmet on September 28. Held in Millennium Park, the girls, along with other nationally known Chicago chefs stirred up delicious creations for culinary fans.

Check back to see more photos of Chicago Gourmet!

Click photos to enlarge

Ready to work!

Cookin' live with Liv & Belle

With two new fans :)

Looks like a giant cookie cutter!

Rachel's Extraordinary Empanditas!!

2008-11-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

Our buddy Rachel sent us this recipe that we can't wait to try!! 
We appreciate it, Rachel :)
-Team Spatulatta

Rachel writes:

HEY!  I have this amazing Mexican recipe called EMPANDITAS!They're basically
apple turnovers!  

You need:

oven that can turn to 400 degrees
2 cups of flour
2 tsp of baking powder
2 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of shortening
1/3 ice water
applesauce

Cinnamon Sauce

cinnamon
sugar
melted butter (just mix these up.)

Directions:

First combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Then use a pastry blender to put the shortening into the flour mixture.
Slowly add 1/3 ice water, add more if necessary to form dough ball.
Sprinkle flour on the table and rolling pin to roll out dough.
Form circles using a circle cookie cutter, or a glass.
Take a cookie sheet, and lay the circles on the sheet.
Take about 1 tbsp of applesauce for each one, putting on in a line diameter way.
Fold over and press sides down with a fork, and put in the oven for 20 mins.
After cooled, coat with the cinnamon sauce above.

Then, ENJOY!!!!!!!

Queens of Halloween

2008-11-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

WOW - aren't these Halloween costumes incredible?! They were designed and hand-made by their Mom, Heidi. WAY TO GO HEIDI!!!

Liv went as "The Mona Lisa" and Belle went as "The Queen of Hearts" (Lewis Carroll version). Their dog, Connie, dressed as a witch. Adorable!!

Click Photos to Enlarge

Halloween on CBS 2 Chicago

2008-11-04T09:38:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of Belle & Liv's Halloween appearance on CBS 2 Chicago. Pedestrians were able to see the girls in the studio from Daley Plaza, and on the CBS Jumbotron!

The girls made two of their favorites: Monster Hands and Spider Sandwiches.

Click Photos to Enlarge

Egg-cellent Egg Fried Rice!

2008-10-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

Check out Briah's dish for Egg Fried Rice.  Briah and her Dad sure make a dynamic duo!  

Thanks Briah!
-Team Spatulatta

EGG FRIED RICE  INGREDIENTS

a pot of cooked rice
3 eggs
7 strips of bacon
a half of onion
5 table spoons of oil
salt
pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. heat the oil in a skillet . 
2. chop your onion and bacon.
3. put the onion and bacon in the skillet. 
4. after the bacon and onion gets a little cooked add the eggs salt and pepper. 
5. let the eggs cook then add the rice. 
6. last let the rice get a little brown then serve.

Briah adds:
"You can add shrimp and make it shrimp fried rice.  My daddy always teaches me recipes."

Best Wishes on Your Exam, Yun!

2008-10-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yun, from China, emailed us with her latest update:

MY Dear friends :

I was happy to receive the e-mail from you. Recently, I am busy
reviewing my lessons. We will have an ex-am next week, it is very
important for us. Everyone is working hard in order to get a good
score. I also work very hard. By the way , tell you the truth, I
can'ot cook very well by myself. However, I love cooking and
enjoying cooking, it's enough, isn't it?

Happy Halloween!

Yours,
Yun

Spatulatta answers:

Dear Yun,

Spatulatta wishes you all the best during your exams next week!
Study hard, and keep us updated on the results :)

Here is a recipe for a Banana Orange smoothie. It's a simple recipe
and the vitamins will help you keep focused on your studies!

You will need:

Ice
1 cup of orange juice
2 peeled bananas
A blender

Directions:
1. Fill the blender jar about 1/3 full of ice.
2. Pour the orange juice into the blender. Put the lid on tight!
3. Starting with a slow speed on the blender, chop the ice and then using
a higher speed, mix the orange juice and ice until they are slushy.

4. Take the lid off the blender and add the bananas. Put the lid back on.
5. Blend until the bananas have completely disappeared into the slush.
6. Pour your smoothie into a glass and enjoy the cool taste.

Good luck, Yun!

-Team Spatulatta

P.S. Yun, after completing your exam, feel free to email us any video footage
of you cooking in the kitchen with your family. We would love to display
the video on Spatulatta for everyone to see. We'd love to hear your family
speak Chinese while making one of your favorite recipes! :)

BizyMoms.com Halloween Scrapbook Contest

2008-10-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

Spatulatta Fans: Enter the latest Halloween contest from Bizymoms.com! Read more below...
-Team Spatulatta

Halloween is around the corner and we at Bizymoms have something special
for moms and the kids!

Mummy's Goblins and Ghouls Scrapbook Contest

Send in photos of your little trick or treaters
from November 1 - November 10, 2008

Three cash prizes will be awarded.
1. $100 Grand Prize
2. $50 runner up
3. $50 most original costume idea

Paypal account required to receive prize.

Winners will be chosen based on votes, comments and a bizymoms.com
management panel.

Contest URL: http://bizymoms.com/halloween/

Marisa's Banana Smoothie

2008-10-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Mmmm, we're going "bananas" over this recipe!  Thanks, Marisa.
-Team Spatulatta

1  banana  cut  in  half,1 tsp  of  vanilla, 
4 oz.  of  milk,3  ice  cubes  and  a  blender. 
 
hope  you  enjoy  my  banana  smoothie!!!! 
 
                  bye!!!!  
 
p.s. my  grandma   taught  it  to  me. 
plus  you  can  add   strawberries  to  make  a  strawberry  banana  smoothie! 
love  your  recipes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Briah's Macaroni Noodle Recipe

2008-10-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks for sending us your delicious recipe, Briah!
- Team Spatulatta

Macaroni Noodles

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef or turkey
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of pepper
5 cups of tomato sauce
5 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. boil your macaroni noodles until soft.
2. brown ground beef in a skillet.
4. add garlic powder,onion powder,salt,and pepper.
5. take the browned meat of of heat.
6. drain macaroni noodles in shrainer and put back in the pot.
7. turn heat up to hi add the browned meat to the macaroni.
8. then add tomato sauce and let it come to a boil.
9. final add cheddar cheese let the cheese melt in and serve.

Delectable Dessert: Sweet Sushi

2008-10-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Our friend Donald sent us his recipe for sweet sushi. Thanks Donald, this looks so much fun to make!!
-Team Spatulatta

Sweet Sushi:

Use Coconut milk with the water to make the sushi rice, usually 1/2 to 1/2 to 1.
Meaning 1/2 cup of water 1/2 cup of coconut milk & 1 cup of sushi rice

Cook the rice like you would sushi, then instead of adding vinegar you add coco, Lopez coconut cream, a little cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg, not to much.

For the wrapper I use a little cocoa in a crepe batter to make chocolate crepe and that's the nori wrap.

For the fillings you can reconstitute some figs, dried cranberries etc, and for the wasabi fine ground pistachios until the were like peanut butter.

Serve on a bed of sugar raked to look like a Japanese cloud garden with a few chunks of chocolate to be the mountain tops and there you go.

*Image from Family Fun Magazine

How Team Spatulatta Chooses Recipes

2008-10-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

hey how do u come up with 5 new recipes?
-Hannah

Spatulatta answers:

Dear Hannah,

How do we come up with 5 new recipes? Sometimes it's really easy. Our
friends, Miss Karina and Zara, from Language Stars collected the Peruvian
recipes and we tweaked them with the help of our mom, Miss Gaylon and Miss
Janet.

Sometimes we chose a theme, like Doggie Appreciation Day and think up
recipes that we think fit the theme. Some are family recipes, some are
recipes that kids and their families send in, some are classic recipes
that get an update. The adults on our team not only make sure everything
is edible but they go over the recipes to make sure the 5 dishes are
balanced, so their aren't 5 dessert recipes and there's not too much fat
or salt.

Thanks so much for your question. I'm sure other kids were wondering the
same thing.

Team Spatulatta

Hong Bang Bang Wire!

2008-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Our pal Yun, from China, sent us this amazing recipe.
Thank you Yun!!

Your friends at Spatulatta

Yun writes:

My dear friends:

This is a Chinese food Hong Bang Bang wire ,you can try to cook it

Materials: 
150 grams-scented tea, a cucumber 100 grams, 50 grams of bean
sprouts, carrots 50 grams, a Fenpi, 1 tablespoon sesame oil.

Sauce: 
1 tablespoon Zhima Jiang, cream 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sugar 1 / 2
tablespoon, 1 tablespoon broth, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, vinegar 1 / 2
tablespoon, Layou 1 / 2 tablespoon (or more seasonings to Draw Frame).

Practice:
1, scented tea-cut, cut cucumber, carrots cut.

2, bean sprouts into boiling water you picked up in the hot, let cool.

3, Fenpi Yongkaishuitang about cold-water washed, cut, Banshang sesame oil
(do not stick together).

4, Fenpi disc release at the end of Zaipu other materials on top, applying
Banhao of sauces, edible material and then before and sauces to mix well.

Note: Zhima Jiang transfer of skills in the water will have to join in Zhima
Jiang stressed thin and flavor.
                              

Your friend,
Yun

A Moving Letter from Rachel in Pennsylvania

2008-09-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Isabella and Liv,

Hi!  My name's Rachel and I'm a 12 year old girl from Pennsylvania. I checked your
cookbook out from the library and loved it!!! It saved my life!! (Literally!) I'll
tell you why. Yesterday at 5:00 in the morning my dad woke me up and told me that he
needed to rush my mom to the emergency room. She was in a lot of pain. So I needed
to stay home with my 1 brother and 2 sisters. (I'm the oldest.) Well, my parents
didn't come back home 'til 12:35 p.m. Our grandparents were with us for some of the
time though . It was really scary. I used your cookbook to keep the kid's minds off
my mom. I just told them we were going to make something out of your book and they
were so excited!! (They love your book too!) We made something easy, the eggs with
spinach and cheese. (We didn't have any ham...) So I just wanted to thank you guys!
Thank you so much and keep it up!!!

Luv,
Rachel
P.S. Reply would cause many happy screams from younger brothers and sisters!!! LOL! =)

Spatulatta's Reply:

Rachel, what a wonderful big sister you are!  We're glad that the Spatulatta Cookbook brought
cheer to your family :)

We hope your Mom had a speedy recovery!  Please keep us updated.  

Yours,
Team Spatulatta

Chicago Event: Spatulatta at Millenium Park

2008-09-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

If you're in the Chicago area, come out this Sunday, September 28. Belle and Liv will give a live Spatulatta cooking demo at Chicago Gourmet in Millenium Park.

Belle and Liv, along with other nationally known Chicago chefs will stir up delicious creations for the event, which features seminars, cooking demos, and of course yummy tastings!

The Spatulatta demo takes place at 2:30 PM in the Whole Foods Market Family Village, located just East of Great Lawn.

Kids, wear your Spatulatta apron and receive a FREE gift!
Autographed Spatulatta Cookbooks will be sold.

To learn more, click on Chicago Gourmet.
To purchase tickets, click here.

*Whole Foods Market Family Village tickets can be purchased separately from other events.

Dining in Style!

2008-09-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

Above are two adorable photos of Liv posing with Spatulatta's co-creator, Gaylon. These were taken a few months ago at the 2008 James Beard Awards in New York City.

Props from Balboa Elemtary School

2008-09-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Olivia and Belle,

Your are great cooks! We really enjoy watching your cooking
videos. Our favorite recipes are the bunny cupcake and the worms in dirt.
Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. We will continue to
watch your video throughout our school year.

Love,
2nd grade students
Balboa Elementary
San Diego, Californica

Blue Corn Muffins

2008-09-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Blue corn muffins are a perfect addition to breakfast. Try this recipe from the Jalapeno Cafe.

(makes 1 dozen)

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup blue corn meal for tortillas or for atole
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease a twelve cup muffin pan and place in oven to heat while preparing batter.

In a bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl beat eggs, milk and melted butter, until blended. Pour liquid into dry mixture, stir just to moisten.

Remove muffin pan from oven and spoon in batter.

*Make sure muffin pan is very hot when spooning in batter, this will keep the muffins from sticking to pan when you remove them.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes until tops browned.

Remove from oven and turn out muffins to plate. Serve with butter and honey.

Visit the Jalapeno Cafe for more recipes!

Jessica's Garlic Chicken & Pasta

2008-09-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Our buddy Jessica created a great recipe below.
Keep cookin Jessica!
-Team Spatulatta

Hi Liv and Belle! 

I was just writing to tell you that I love your show. It's awesome! I always go on
to see if you added any new recipes.  Anyway, here's my recipe for Garlic Chicken and Pasta.  
I sort of just made it up one night!

Saute 4 chicken breasts in a pan.

While the chicken is cooking, make the pasta.

To make the garlic sauce, put a stick of butter into a saucepan and melt it. When the butter has melted, add about 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic. (It can be from a jar)

Then, add a little bit of oregano. Put the pasta on a plate, then the chicken, and pour some garlic sauce on each plate.

It's really good!

Makes about 4 servings.

From, 
Jessica

Top Notch Recipe on a Low Budget

2008-09-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

Jean from Illinois sent us her beef recipe with an interesting story :)

Jean wrote:

I've got to tell you and the girls about my new
recipe.

Recently I bought a small covered oval roaster made by
Graniteware, at my local Ace Hardware store. I had to
buy the rack (with handles) for it directly from the
manufacturer.  Before I bought the rack, I cooked a
chicken in it and was very happy.

Today, I used the rack for the first time.
I like to buy food at Dominick's in Lincolnwood. When
meat gets close to its sell-or-freeze-by date, they
stick on coupons adding lots off, e.g. an additional
30% off. It's a great way for this food-stamp
recipient to get great food cheaper. If I had enough
money & freezer space, I'd buy all the beef so
discounted, just to make sure it wasn't thrown out.
Jewel doesn't do this.

This is what I bought for my project, a true impulse
recipe idea:

1. beef chuck/top blade steak/boneless/.86 lb.
2. beef chuck/cross rib steak/boneless/.60 lb.
3. beef loin/top sirloin steak/boneless/1.12 lb.
1 onion

The beef pieces were all fairly thin, not the classic
chunky roast. Didn't matter.

Procedure:

0. slice the onion
1. spray bottom of roaster with some non-stick cooking
spray.
2. add 1/2 cup of water
3. put rack in
4. place biggest piece of meat on rack
5. sprinkle seasonings on top of meat
6. place onion slice(s) on top of meat
7. place another piece or pieces of meat on top of
onion slices
8. add seasonings and another set of onion slices as
before
9. place another piece of meat on top of onions
10. add seasonings as before

Pre-heat oven to 325F.

When oven is pre-heated, cover the roaster and put it
in oven carefully.

Check it later to make sure the top piece of meat
hasn't slid off onion - reposition if needed.
Cook for 2 hours.

Use handles to lift food out of roaster.
Pour off juice into separate container.
Etc.

I was super-pleased that the meat was more tender than
I expected. I just ate the top piece, because it's
obviously a 3-serving dish I made. This roaster is
made in several bigger sizes, so you can cook more at
once.

Although I surely made some correct choices in time
and temperature; the Graniteware covered roasters are
"the poor man's Dutch oven" without the thermal mass
of cast iron. It isn't just the speckled enamel that
makes Americans so fond of them!

I'm not telling which seasonings I used - a different
group for each layer of meat - because that's part of
the beauty of this recipe: you can choose your
seasonings, and also the vegetables to put in between
the layers of meat.

Normally I wouldn't offer Spatulatta a recipe, because
I'm a grownup and it's supposed to be the girls'
project. But, the opportunity to make all these
choices gives them plenty of room to be creative.
I've been buying meat nearing the sell-by date for a
long time, but never got this creative. Maybe in these
times when most people are trying to save money, it's
an opportunity to encourage cooks to venture
"off-label" in preparing meat. Cooked is cooked. If I
braised a steak and it came out tender, it's correctly
cooked!

As for the added expense of driving to Dominick's in
Lincolnwood (or Howard L station?) versus walking to
the Jewel, I can't fix that.

A Chillin' Labor Day Snack

2008-08-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

Our pal, Carly, wrote:

This is a great summer recipe. Our friends gave us this recipe (thanks Madison, Makenzie & Michelle!)

Ingredients:

shredded carrots
sauteed zucchini
cucumber (optional)
sliced in half cherry tomatoes
corkscrew pasta (remember to cook the pasta)
goddess sauce (from Trader Joe's)
parmesan cheese

Mix everything together, chill in the fridge, and enjoy!

Pdiddy Brownies

2008-08-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

This chocolatey recipe was emailed by Payton.
Indulge with a tall glass of milk! :)

2 sticks butter - softened
2 cups sug
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tea. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Mix Butter and sugar
Add eggs
Mix well
Add cocoa, flour, vanilla, pecans, chocolate chips.
Beat but, not too long
Bake 30 min. @ 350

Chefs at Play

2008-08-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Liv & Belle chillin' in the kitchen....

Kids' Restaurant Week

2008-08-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken on June 21 during Kids' Restaurant Week. It took place at The Green City Market in Chicago. Tons of people showed up to dine in style! Belle & Liv made an incredible pesto and pasta that everyone enjoyed. They also made new pals and signed autographs.

You'll see some of the kids wearing aprons. Those decked out in an apron received a surprise gift!

Click Photos to Enlarge

Chloe's 4 Piece Egg Salad Sandwich

2008-08-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Chloe's sandwich is eggggg-cellent!
Thanks Chloe!
-Team Spatulatta

Ingridients:  
Egg (hard boiled)
Mayo (or mustard) 
Lettuce 
Tomato 
Sub Bread 
Pickle (optional) 
Salt and Pepper 
 
Take a knife and cut your egg into 4 parts. If wanted, use another egg too. 

Place 4 (or 8) slices of egg on one half of sub bread. 
Cover with mayo.

Take 4 pieces of lettuce and pat them into the mayo. Put a dollop of mayo on the
lettuce. 

Cut tomato into 4 parts. Place tomato onto mayo level 2. Sprikle salt and pepper
over tomato. 

Last, take pickle and cut into 4 pieces, and put on top of tomato. Spread mayo onto
pickles. Put sub bread on the sandwhich. Then, put sandwich in microwave for 24
seconds. 

Yum!

Spatulatta Adds:
To hard boil egg(s), place egg(s) in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so.
Bring to a gentle boil. 

Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 7 minutes. 

Have a bowl of ice water ready and when eggs are done cooking place them
in the ice bath for about 3 minutes - long enough to stop the cooking.

Jiaozi Recipe - Stuffed Chive Shrimp Dumplings

2008-08-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Our pal Yun from China sent her delicious recipe for jiaozi.
Feast your eyes on this Chinese dish (click images to enlarge).

Thank you, Yun. We can't wait to make jiaozi in the kitchen!
Team Spatulatta

P.S. Below you'll see Yun's original email, as well as Spatulatta's
interpretation - measurement conversions, etc. Plus we added
info on dumpling preparation. ;)

----------------
Original Email:

My dear friends:
Today I want to tell you something about Chinese food.
You know that in China we always eat jiaozi during Spring festival.
Ok,let me show you how to make jiaozi: Chive shrimp dumplings stuffed

Zhuliao: Shrimp 150 grams, 150 grams of lean pork, fresh leeks 150 grams
Accessory: ginger adequate, appropriate condiments approach: lean pork cut 0.4
centimeters around the small, plus mirin, soy sauce adequate system of submerged
more than 20 minutes, Shrimp from shrimp lines and cut the meat with a small
amount of soy sauce Dingjia, mirin submerged system 20 minutes (meat Laochou,
shrimp-sheng pumping oh). Leek Qiemo will add ginger, salt, monosodium glutamate,
Wu Xiangfen a small, peanut oil modest, a small amount of sesame oil, submerged
good meat and shrimp stir evenly. . He! As simple as just filling the dumplings,
by the incomparably delicious dumplings taste ah
I wish that you can enjoy making jiaozi.

Yours,
Yun

---------------
Spatulatta's Interpretation:

My dear friends:

Today I want to tell you something about Chinese food. You know
that in China we always eat jiaozi during Spring festival.

Ok, let me show you how to make jiaozi (stuffed chive shrimp dumplings)

PREP TIME: 40 min.

INGREDIENTS FOR 30-40 DUMPLINGS

WRAPPERS:
Fresh or Frozen dumpling wrappers from your local Asian grocery store.
*Be sure to buy dumpling wrappers, not wonton wrappers.

FILLING:
5 oz. shrimp
5 oz. lean ground pork
5 oz. fresh leeks (thinly sliced)
1 inch ginger, scraped or chopped
3 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
Peel shrimp, clear veins if necessary and chop into tiny pieces.
Combine all ingredients and marinate for 20 min.

After 20 min, add 3 tbsp peanut oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in frying pan and cook ingredients until done.
Drain access liquid from pan.

STUFFING DUMPLINGS:
First: Fill dumpling wrapper with 1 tsp of stuffing.
Secondly: Taking your index finger brush a small amount of warm water on far edge of wrapper opposite you.
Lastly: Fold wrapper over your fingers and seal to finish.

STEAMING DUMPLINGS:
Steam Dumplings in a steamer until they're translucent.
You will see the stuffing showing through the wrapper!

Hey! As simple as just filling the dumplings, by the incomparably delicious dumplings taste - ahhhhhh!
I wish that you can enjoy making jiaozi.

Yours,
Yun

Food Allergy Friendly: Pizza Cookie!

2008-08-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Sent from Gina @ AllergyMoms.com

Here's a cute idea for a party or picnic for those with peanut allergy or multiple food allergies. The version that I make is free of gluten, dairy, egg, peanuts and tree nuts. Please check all ingredients for safety and your own comfort level.

To make the "Crust"

To make the cookie, prepare one package of Miss Robens or Cherry Brook Kitchens Sugar Cookie Mix. Form mix into a ball and press into a large circle on your cookie sheet. Leave at least an inch all around as the cookie will expand as it cooks. Increase baking time by about 10 minutes or until cookie is thoroughly baked.

For the "sauce"

Melt one package of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips and spread over the pizza leaving the "crust" visible. Allow to set. An alternative is to use 3/4 cup of organic strawberry preserves.

Add "Green Peppers"

Sprinkle about a dozen green Mike & Ikes or Divvies green jelly beans.

For the "cheese"

Prepare one package of Cherrybrook kitchen vanilla icing and mix with a half package of dairy free white chocolate chips, melted. When the mixture is thin enough to swirl around but stay intact, drizzle it around on top of the dark chocolate (or strawberry preserves) to look like melted cheese.

Top with "Pepperoni"

Top with a safe round gummy candy, or red gumballs cut in half. Try Farley Hot Cinnamon dollars, Double Bubble large gumballs or Divvies Gumballs.

Fun Extras:

Buy a large pizza box from the grocery store or local pizza parlor. This is a great way to transport the cookie. How fun it is to walk into a party or celebration and have a safe treat that all of the kids fuss over!

Buy "Guest Checks" from your local Wal-Mart or office supply store. You can include a birthday message or use them as place cards for a kid's party.

Sprinkle "parmesan cheese" on top with grated safe white chocolate.

Buy a hot pepper shaker at the Dollar Store and fill it with safe chocolate or red sprinkles for the kids to shake on their slices. They get a real kick out of this!

Cut and serve like pizza slices on white paper plates and Enjoy!

Email from Yun in China

2008-08-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

Our new pal, Yun, from China writes:

This is a good site and I am a chinese girl. The site not only teaches me
how to cook, but also practice my English.  And I think you can try to cook some
Chinese food, it is also very interesting!

Spatulatta replies:

Yun, thank you for emailing us!  We're glad Spatulatta is helping you in the 
kitchen and with your English.

We're eager to learn more about Chinese cooking!  What are your favorite foods?
If you have any recipes to share, please email them to info@spatulatta.com

We love featuring recipes from all around the world :)

Keep Cookin!
Team Spatulatta

Taste of Chicago Photos '08

2008-07-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken on July 5, 2008 at the Taste of Chicago. Liv & Belle were invited again to do a live cooking demo. They had a blast cooking away in downtown Chicago. The audience sure got an eye full of great recipes :)

In the 1st photo you'll see Liv & Belle posing with Co-Producers Gaylon & Heidi. Gaylon & Heidi are the creators of Spatulatta. More like fearless leaders, if you ask me!

Brandon's Pics - Spatulatta Cookbook Winner!

2008-07-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

Nini's Chicken with Breadcrumbs

2008-07-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our friend Nini wanted to share her special recipe with all the Spatulatta fans!

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 tsps italian breadcrumbs 
1 pinch salt and pepper
1 pinch dried parsley and paprika
2 tbsp olive oil

Cook on medium high heat in skillet until done.

Food Site of the Day!

2008-06-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, June 26, Spatulatta was chosen as "Food Site of the Day" by FoodSiteoftheDay.com :)

Check out their directory, and feast your eyes on all the food-filled websites!

From Amber in Iowa

2008-06-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Liv and Belle!

I just wanted to tell you how much I love your website! I made the
recipe for PB & Apple that was on your website today, and it was
really good!  I think that if you had your own Spatulatta TV show a lot of people
would watch it.  Anyway, thanks for all of your great recipes!

Sincerely,
Amber from Iowa

Spatulatta Answers:

Thanks for visiting our website!  We're glad that you love our recipes.  
We'll start shooting televised episodes of Spatulatta in Spring and Summer of 2009.  
It will air on PBS in the Fall!

We'll keep you updated :)

Cassidy's Favorite French Toast

2008-06-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Cassidy wrote:

I love your website. This is my favorite recipe for french toast.

Ingredients:
6 slices of bread
3 eggs
1 quarter teaspoon nutmeg
1 half teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup milk

Utensils:
pan
bowl
spatula
mixing utensil

Instructions:
1. Preheat pan to medium.
2. Butter pan.
3. Mix eggs, milk, and spices together.
4. Soak bread in eggs.
5. Place bread in pan.
6. After a few minutes flip.
7. Wait a few minutes.
8. When finished french toast will feel firm.
9. Enjoy :-)

Mary Lou's Letter to Liv & Belle

2008-06-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hello Liv and Belle,

Congratulations on a terrific cookbook! I just bought one for my niece and nephew -
Luca and Gabriella Di Paolo who live in Montreal, Quebec.  They are 10 and 12 years
old.  They are looking forward to a "cooking camp" in my Toronto kitchen when they
visit in July!  Your cookbook will be just perfect for them as they look forward to
developing their culinary skills.

I am your father's second cousin and live in Toronto.  It has been quite some time
since we talked!

Warmest wishes to all of you!
Mary Lou

Bizymoms "Momspeare": Moms Share Your Story!

2008-06-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Nina, our pal at Bizymoms.com wrote:

Bizymoms is launching a terrific writing contest for all moms! We invite you to let all your mom friends know about it so they too can participate!

For all details on the contest please visit: http://www.bizymoms.com/partnercorner/course/view.php?id=4

While there, check out our other features on our newly launched Partner Corner and be part of it!

Thanking you,
Nina Amerasinghe
http://bizymoms.com

Oops! A correction on our Passover Show

2008-06-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Our friend Gila writes:

I'm Jewish and when I watched your video about charoset with Eli
and Belle, I saw a few mistakes that are pretty funny:
1. That thing about the orange - where'd you hear that from?!
2.Um, the egg and parsley do NOT symbolize spring!
The parsley dipped in salt water symbolizes how the Jews had dipped leaves
in blood and had put it on their door post so Hashem (God) would know to
pass over them and not kill their eldest sons. The egg represents the
sacrifice of a lamb to God the night when the Jews were set free.

Spatulatta answers:

I think the orange showed up on the plate because Eli and his mom are vegetarians or was it because they liked the color. We're polite folks and try not to contradict our guests. If they show up with a Seder plate with an orange on it, who are we to tell them they're wrong?

We've heard a lot of different interpretations of the parsley dipped in water. Some people say the salty water symbolizes the tears shed by the Jews in captivity but your version makes a lot more sense. Thank you for setting us straight.

Now I have a question for you. I thought the shank bone represented the lamb sacrifice. Since Eli and his mom are vegetarians they weren't going to put that on their Seder plate!

Figure's Picks for Living Green

2008-06-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Ladies, if you haven't already, pick up the latest issue of Figure magazine. Figure focuses on celebrating women with curves.

Figure is also the perfect magazine for those who are environmentally saavy. They've provided the following links that inspire readers to live green. Green never looked so good!

Daily Living
thegreenguide.com

Green Product Reviews
leafygreen.info

Health & Fitness
gaiam.com

Safe Cleaning
frugalfun.com/cleansers.html
care2.com/greenliving/healthy-home
www.wswmd.org/recipes

Clean Must Have
mrsmeyers.com

Amazing Kids! Review Spatulatta Cookbook

2008-05-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to let you know that Anni's review of the Spatulatta
Cookbook is now online in the 25th issue of the Amazing Kids! eZine!
Please visit http://www.amazing-kids.org/ezine_25/ , then click on the
"Reviews" link to see her review.

Thank you for your time and assistance!

Sincerely,

Brittany
Student Editor-in-Chief
Amazing Kids! eZine
http://www.amazing-kids.org/ezine_25/ez.html
Amazing Kids! - Helping Kids Realize Their Potential, One Kid at a Time

Cecilia's Summer Smoothie

2008-05-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

Cecilia from Sacramento, California wrote:

Here's a recipe for a delicious smoothie. I have it almost everyday!

1 cup of any fruit juice
bananas
Lots of strawberries
Ice
Sugar (optional)

Put the ice, juice, and sugar in a blender and puree. Add the strawberries and bananas. Blend again. Enjoy!

Serves 4 or 5

Spatulatta in New York Times

2008-05-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

EXTRA EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT!

On Wednesday, May 14, the New York Times' Food Section will feature an article about kids in the kitchen. Kids cooking for their families is a phenomenon that is quickly catching on. Belle and Liv are so proud to be featured in this article!

Please spread the buzz to your family and friends. Cooking together is a sure way to bring families closer!

Christina's Bacon Pancake Breakfast

2008-05-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Spatulatta!

Your website is really cool - I've learned a lot from it.  My family is half
Dutch(from Holland) so a lot of that food is popular in our family.  Something we
really like is a bacon pancake.  We don't have a written recipe, but we sort of make
it up as we go along.

What u do:

Fry some bacon in a pan.
In the meantime, make some pancake batter like Bisquick.
Then, pour the batter on a few strips of bacon that are close to each other.  Wait for
the pancake to cook on one side by looking at the bubbles.

When it's done on one side, flip it over and finish cooking!  Yum!

-Christina, age 12, Georgia

Shilyo's Recipe for Chinese Hot Pot

2008-04-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Isabella and Olivia,

I am very excited to know that you have put my e-mail on your blog.  Today I'd like
to give you a recipe for a kind of chinese food - hot pot. In Northern China, it is
very cold in winter. So people like eating hot pot.

First, you should make some soup you like.  But you'd better not make borsch or
chowder, because it will make the taste bad.  Maybe you can make some soup with
pork, chicken or seafoods.  You know, chinese like chicken soup.

Second, you can buy many vegetables or meat you like.  The best ingredients for hot pot
are vegetables and seafood.

Next, you just put all the ingredients into the soup.  For example, if you want to eat
some tomatoes, you can put some tomatoes into the soup.  A few minutes later, you can
scoop them up from the pot and eat.  Don't put all the food into the soup at the same
time.  You could finish some food and then put another food into it.  We usually eat
hot pot with many people, our family or friends.  And we eat it for a long time.  Because
to sit beside the hot pot makes us feel warm in winter and we can talk to our friends
for a long time.

I am sorry that my English is poor.  I am afraid you can not understand me clearly, so
I will send you a video about hot pot.  I hope you will like it.
                
Yours,
Shilyo Tse

Need for Speed: A Mommy's Lunch Manifesto

2008-04-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

By Biggie, a work-at-home mom of a three-year-old preschooler in San Francisco, obsessed with cooking and building a faster, better packed lunchowner . You can learn more about Biggie and her passion for bento lunches at lunchinabox.net

I'm a mom who packs lunch. What's important to a mom? Nutrition and speed: I want to feed my family nutritious food, but spending a lot of time on every meal isn't feasible. I strive to achieve balance between the two - losing this battle would either have me waking up hours before everyone else to cook lunch, or reaching for a Lunchable processed lunch.

Spending an hour preparing a weekday lunch is only going to happen in my house if it's a special occasion like a birthday or holiday - I spend my morning getting myself and a preschooler ready to go out. Although ornate lunches shaped like cartoon characters and whimsical shapes are artistic and intriguing, I know my limits. I would burn out if I tried to do that every day. For me it's got to be sustainable over the long run, which is why I make speed bentos.

How did I arrive at this point? I lived in Japan as an expat for nine years and am fluent in Japanese, but didn't pay much attention to the whole lunch-packing ("bento") culture there until my husband was misdiagnosed with a food intolerance that ruled out restaurant meals. Back in San Francisco, I decided to send him to work with delicious lunches that would make him feel like he was eating better than his colleagues who were going out to eat. A trip to the local Japanese-language bookstore turned up bento cookbooks that I started studying, especially the creative packing tips and techniques that could be adapted to our normal diet. My husband has since been "undiagnosed" with the food intolerance, but then I found myself carting around a diaper bag stuffed full of little Tupperware containers for my toddler son ("Bug"), or leaving the playground early to go get lunch. Time to pull out those bento boxes again so we can spend more fun time out and about!

So now I'm learning to think on my feet when I look at the refrigerator in the morning. Where I used to see either uninspiring food or time-consuming meals, I can now see quick lunches taking shape. I have fast lunch items in the freezer and fridge, and speedy prep techniques at my fingertips. Let me tell you about some of the speed techniques I've picked up from reading Japanese packed lunch cookbooks.

Use your leftovers!
Don't hesitate to pack food left over from dinner! Leftovers can be your weapons against boring lunches - maximize payout for the time you already put into dinner by making a little extra food. Granted, eating the same thing again can get boring, so look at your leftovers creatively and find ways to give them a makeover. Potato salad can become potato pancakes or faux Scotch eggs, leftover curry can become the base for a curry noodle dish or the stuffing for dumplings.

Pre-pack lunches when possible
If you find yourself with dinner leftovers, get a head start on the next day's lunch by packing up some of the meal directly into your lunch container (Tupperware, Laptop Lunchbox, bento box, thermos, etc.) when cleaning up the evening meal. This way you have most of the next morning's work done already, and lunch will be ready with only minimal preparation like cutting up some fruit.

Ready-made foods
You don't have to make everything for lunch the same day. Make full use of frozen foods and canned foods to speed things up. Frozen vegetables can go into quick sautes or little frittatas, canned beans can become quick salads. Ready-made deli foods such as hummus or tabbouleh are quick lunch additions. Also, ready-made foods don't have to be store-bought: many dishes can be made in advance, batch frozen in individual portions (spaghetti cups, unsauced pasta, sandwiches, rice balls), and either defrosted naturally or in the microwave. A well-stocked freezer can save the day on time-pressed mornings.

Pre-made sauces give fast flavor
Stock your pantry or refrigerator with a few flavorful sauces that can be added to simple sliced vegetables or sauteed protein/vegetables. These sauces (homemade or store-bought) can be varied to suit your family's dietary preferences; think black bean sauce, barbeque sauce, teriyaki sauce, cooked salsas, curry sauces, noodle dipping sauce, vinaigrettes or Italian dressing, Korean barbeque sauce, etc.

Make full use of the microwave and toaster oven (or broiler)!
Japanese bento cookbooks often tout the time-saving technique of cooking multiple items simultaneously: in the microwave, toaster oven, frying pan, etc. This saves time and energy; the trick is to select foods that will cook well with the same method and to check doneness periodically (don't assume all dishes will be done at the same time).

Time-saving kitchen tools
Lastly, a couple of tools are particularly useful in speeding up lunch prep. A quick slicer (mini mandoline) makes short work of slicing vegetables and is easy to clean. A microwave mini steamer reduces cook time by 50%, quickly cooking vegetables or frozen dumplings.

A Letter from Shilyo, in China

2008-04-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Isbella and Olivia,

I was happy to receive your e-mail. I like cooking foods, too. There is
many traditional food in China. And it is very delicious. Do you know
zongzi?  We eat this kind of food on a very special Festival.  It calls
Dragon Boat Festival.  But it is very difficult to make this kind of food.

Another kind of special food calls mooncake.

We also eat it on a festival calls Zhongqiu Festival.

I will keep sending e-mails to you and tell more traditional Chinese food.

See you next time!
Shilyo

Belle & Liv - 2008 James Beard Award Nominees!

2008-03-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

There's an exciting buzz going on in the Spatulatta office. We were just nominated for the 2008 James Beard Awards! This is our third straight year to receive recognition for the excellent work we do. In 2006, we won the James Beard Award for best webcast and it gives us all a great deal of satisfaction to know that we're still one of the three nominees, in spite of the fact the competition gets tougher every year.

Congratulations goes to the whole Spatulatta team!
Liv and Belle Gerasole - Hosts
Gaylon Emerzian and Heidi Umbhau - Producers
John Scott - Editor
Jamey B, David B and Cat at Your Plan B Webdesign
Marcus Farne - Marketing

Also, a HUGE thank you to all the guest chefs who have appeared on Spatulatta or have emailed us their favorite recipes. We appreciate all that you've contributed!

Click on the links to read news articles about Spatulatta and other nominees:

Chicago Sun Times: http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/859098,CST-FTR-beard25.article

Chicago Tribune: http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2008/03/achatz-melman-t.html

Megan & Sarah = Dynamic Duo

2008-03-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

We love your cookbook. Today we made 3 recipes out of it for supper. We had lots of fun. Mom and Dad took lots of pictures of us while we were cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Thank you for making such a great book.

Your number one fans,

Megan (8 years old) and Sarah (7 years old)

*Click photo to enlarge

Spatulatta Shout Out :)

2008-03-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Spatulatta girls wanna give you a Spatulatta Shout Out! To be greeted by Liv & Belle on an upcoming episode, email us the following:

1. First Name
2. Last Initial
3. Age
4. Home State, or Country (if you live outside the U.S.)

For example:
1. David
2. Z.
3. 10
4. Alaska

The Spatulatta Shout Out may sound something like this:
"We'd like to give a Spatulatta Shout Out to 10 year-old David Z. who watches us all the way from the state of Alaska. Hey David, thanks for tuning in!"

Or it could sound like this:
"8 year-old Nikhal S. from India requested a Spatulatta Shout Out. Nikhal, we love Indian food and just learned how to make chapatis!"

Pretty cool, huh?

With your parents permission, email us at info@spatulatta.com

Spatulatta Cookbook Sweepstakes Winners!!!

2008-03-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been waiting to find out the winners for the Spatulatta Sweepstakes. We finally received the results from Scholastic! Check out our winners below:

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:
Brandon R.
South Carolina
Favorite Ingredient: Chicken

RUNNERS-UP:
Michael H.
Tennessee
Favorite Ingredient: Cheese

Ashley H.
Michigan
Favorite Ingredient: Chocolate

Isabella H.
Indiana
Favorite Ingredient: Cheese

Alexandra M.
Virginia
Favorite Ingredient: Cheese

Liam G.
Oregon
Favorite Ingredient: Cheese

As a Grand Prize Winner, Brandon won 2 round-trip airfare tickets to Chicago, IL to be featured in an upcoming Spatulatta webcast. 2 nights accomodations at the Hotel Orington, ground transportation, a signed copy of the Spatulatta Cookbook, and a Spatulatta apron are included in his prize!

Each Runner Up will receive a signed copy of the Spatulatta Cookbook, and a Spatulatta apron. These kids will surely be cookin up a storm!

Congratulations to all of our winners!