The Spat Blog

Spatulatta in New York Times

2008-05-12T11:31:00.002-05:00

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

2008-05-07T20:59:00.004-05:00

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

2008-04-21T08:48:00.006-05:00

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

2008-04-10T13:59:00.016-05:00

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

2008-04-04T10:46:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-03-28T12:08:00.000-05:00

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

2008-03-28T11:46:00.003-05:00

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 :)

2008-03-26T11:22:00.017-05:00

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!!!

2008-03-25T12:20:00.005-05:00

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!

From Rain, in China

2008-03-25T12:14:00.000-05:00

I am from China. My mom taught me to cook dumplings. It's not the simple dumplings. It's our traditional food. We have this in May every year. We use lotus leaves and wrap meat, mungbean, ect.

Erin's Chocolate Covered Strawberries

2008-03-21T13:47:00.003-05:00

Erin from West Virginia wrote:

My best recipe is taking two Hershey chocolate bars and put them in microwave for 45 seconds or until they are completely melted.

Then get out 10-15 strawberries.

Place strawberries on bamboo skewers and roll them in the chocolate.  Let them harden for 1 hour.

Take them out and enjoy!

My grandma taught me this recipe last year and I make them alot!!

Our Trip to Kitchen Heaven

2008-03-17T10:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we all went to the International Home & Housewares show, and it was great fun! We were at McCormick Place in Chicago. Right at the entrance way there was a gigantic spatulatta.... oops, we mean spatula (hehe) and rolling pin. Livvy sat on the rolling pin for a photo. It'll be displayed on our Remote Reporter page soon.

Can you imagine 13 miles of booths full of bright colored kitchenware?! It was like going to cooking heaven. Everything that you'd ever want to stock your kitchen was there. We saw a tiny pink rolling pin and these cool things called "Head Chefs," which were utensils that looked like little people, but had measuring cups and whisks for heads.

Companies are making more and more things for kids in the kitchen.

Cecilia's Warm Oatmeal Drink

2008-03-14T17:06:00.001-05:00

I got this recipe from my nanny. This drink is perfect for a cold
day when you feel like having something warm! If you refrigerate it, it's
perfect for a hot day when you need something cold.

It's very soothing, warm, and yummy!

Warm Oatmeal Drink

4 Cups of Milk
1/2 tsp of Cinnamon
4 tbsp of Oats
1 1/2 tbsp of Sugar
1/2 Cup of Water

1. Put the oats, sugar, and water in a blender or food processor and
blend; Set aside.

2. In a small pot, heat the milk and cinnamon till just at the boiling
point; stir occasionally.

3. Add the oat mixture and stir. Let simmer for about 7 minutes.

4. Pour drink into a thermos. Pour yourself a glass and enjoy!

(Note: Drink will be VERY hot and I suggest putting a few cubes of ice in
your cup. You can let the drink cool in the open or in a fridge if you
like. It's good hot AND cold.)

Kayla's 1 +1 Fruit Cobbler

2008-01-14T21:58:00.000-06:00

This recipe is not only easy to make but it's also easy to memorize. Kayla says, "My aunt taught me!"

Got to love those aunties who cook.

Here's the recipe:

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a deep dish, mix

1 stick butter
1 cup fruit
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Bake for 1 hr. or until bubbley. Serve & enjoy!!

Mary Kate's Pesto Pizza

2008-01-11T11:57:00.000-06:00

This recipe for an individual, fresh, hot pizza came from Spatulatta viewer, Mary Kate. It's great for after school or any time you need a snack. The dash of lemon makes all the flavors zing.

Make it in the toast oven or micro the next time you're craving ZAH!

Ingredients:

1 large pita bread or flatbred
shreaded cheese
pizza sauce
pesto sauce
1 lemon wedge
minced garlic
cilrantro
olive oil

Directions:

Spread a small amount of oilve oil over the pita.
Spread on the pizza sauce and pesto.
Sprinkle on cheese, garlic and cilantro.
Squeeze lemon juice over pizza.
Bake until crust is brown and cheese is melted.

WoW! Great job, Mary Kate!

Cooking Tip from Bridget

2007-12-13T12:29:00.001-06:00

Hi! I just wanted to give you a special secret to the BEST mashed potatoes in the world!
When my mom makes mashed potatoes she puts in yogurt as well as butter.
That makes it extra CREAMY!

Bridget

Cecilia's Stuffed Crust Mini Pizza

2007-12-11T06:47:00.000-06:00

Here's an easy recipe for a mini stuffed-crust pizza.

You will need:

- 2 Flour Tortillas
- Tomato Sauce
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Tomatoes
- Any extra toppings you like

Instructions:

Make a quesadilla with the tortillas and cheese, using your favorite quesadilla recipe, but be sure to use both tortillas (DO NOT FOLD).

Next, spread the tomato sauce on the top tortilla. Place some tomatoes on top. Smother it in cheese, and sprinkle all of your favorite toppings. Next, with a parent's permission, put it in the toaster oven until the cheese is completely melted. Let cool for a minute or two, and enjoy!

Tip: If you like, you can just make an uncooked quesadilla and put it in the toaster for a little bit longer. You do not have to make stuffed crust.

Enjoy!

Cecilia

Livvy Picks the Scholastic Winner

2007-12-06T06:34:00.001-06:00

Livvy, assisted by Natalie in the background, pulls numbered balls to pick the Scholastic Cookbook Contest Winner. The lottery selection was made while Liv and Belle were doing a booksigning and holiday cooking demo at the Signature Room at the top of the John Hancock Building.

The numbers were checked against the list of entries. Each entrant was assigned a number by the tabulating program as they logged in. The names were sent to Scholastic and the folks there will be getting in touch with the lucky people soon.

By the way, the folks at the Signature Room donated a meal with a view of the Magnificent Mile to the Grand Prize winner. So exciting!

Jessica's Very Veggie Wrap

2007-11-25T07:43:00.000-06:00

If you like this, this is a recipe that i made up and if you liked it maybe you could put it on your website. It is called Jessica's Very Veggie Wrap.

You need:

1 flour tortilla
1 large lettuce leaf (or lots of small little ones)
3 [shredded] carrots
1 tablespoon of ranch salad dressing. and walla.

Here are the procedures:

1: Place the tortilla on a cutting board. Spread the tortilla evenly with a knife. Place the lettuce leaf on top and press it down gently.

2: Place carrots in the grater and grate them over the lettuce

3: To roll up the tortilla, begin at 1 side and roll up the
tortilla tightly.

Enjoy! Makes 1 wrap

Helpful Hint:

If you would like to pack a wrap for your lunch for your school lunch,
roll it tightly in a peace of plastic wrap, then tick it into an insulated
lunch bag to keep it cold.

Please ad it to your website.

I love your website,
Jessica

P.S. I made up the recipe

Bridget's Rainbow Salad

2007-11-22T06:02:00.000-06:00

I have a cool recipe for rainbow salad!

heres what you need: one bowl, 1 cup carrot pieces,
1 cup apple chunks, and about three leaves each
of red and green lettuce
put the lettuces in the bowl
and sprinkle the apples and carrots on
put on your favorite dressing and EAT!

Bridgit

Double Chocolate Shake from Peter

2007-11-21T07:12:00.000-06:00

Not only do i have a commented recipie, i have a recipie that i make every night (well almost.)

i call it doublede chocolate. first, you add ice into a blender, and then and at least two squezes of chocolate sauce. then add a half a cup of milk. add five to seven scoops of chocolate ice cream, and one scoop of vanilla ice cream. wheat germ is optional. blend for about two to five minutes. if you want to serve to a lot of people make sure to double this recipie. and there you have it, doublede chocolate.

Peter

P.S i love the recipie personal pretzel i'll try it! thank you so much for letting me contact you!

Grasshopper Pie from Shay, Lauree and Stephan

2007-11-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

Grasshopper Pie, it is deliciois and I think it would be perfect for your kind of book!

What your going to need is, one gramcracker pie crust, two jello pistachio boxes, a wisk, and a bowl too. What you do is, get a bowl put two jello pistachio boxes in it, mix it with a wisk, put it in a gramcrack pie crust, put the pie in the refrigorater for five or ten min. and then you share and eat it with your friends and family.

Knife Advice for Claire

2007-11-15T14:32:00.000-06:00

Dear Spatulatta,

can you suggest a good chopping knife for carrots? i am almost 11. my grandma won't let me use her knife because she says it's too dangerous!

Claire

Dear Claire,

Your grandmother is being cautious because she doesn't want you losing any of your fingers. Grandma has probably cut herself a few times and she want to spare you the pain. Ask her about it.

Carrots are tough. Anytime you have to cut carrots you have to use a sharp knife or a mandoline. But even a mandoline has a very sharp blade.

t's not the knife but how you use it. A lot of this has to do with what's called "fine motor skills" or how well you can coordinate your hands, your eyes and your thoughts. And that develops as you get older.

You need to learn how to hold the knife and position the vegetable so that your fingers are never in the line of cut. And actually a sharp knife is better than a dull one because it cuts cleanly and won't slip.

Is there a cooking school near you that gives knife skills lessons? It might be something to research. Try asking grandma if she would feel comfortable letting you use her knife if you had knife lessons. It might be something you'll have to save up for.

Once you learn the correct technique you'll prove to grandma that she needn't worry about you cutting carrots without cutting you fingers anymore.

Keep Cooking!

Long Day for Spatulatta

2007-10-14T12:31:00.000-05:00

There will be pictures coming but in the meantime we'd like to thank our friends at Permabound for hosting a lovely breakfast to introduce the Spatulatta Cookbook to 50 Chicago Public School librarians. The librarians were great and had plenty of ideas on how to use the cookbook that we'll be sharing with you as we progress.

Liv and Belle demonstrated how to make James and the Giant Peach Sorbet, part of last year's Cook By The Book episode. You can find the recipe in our Recipe Box. Scroll down to Cook by The Book.

After breakfast, we all got back in the van and headed up to the Chicago Botanic Garden for a cooking demo. Livvy made Bunny Salad and Isabella made Root Vegetable Bake. Both recipes are found in the Spatulatta Cookbook.

The audience was a mix of people of all ages from 18 months to grandparents. Everyone got a taste of the veggies and lots of people went home with signed cookbooks. In fact, the CBG sold out! But they will be getting more for their gift store, if you are in the neighborhood.

If not, you can order the book on-line from us or visit you local bookstore.

Cherry Soda Ribs

2007-09-16T19:49:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting recipe from our friend Cassidy. Try it for one of those late, late summer barbecues.

You'll need:

At least 2 racks of Pork ribs
Cherry soda, like cherry coke or Wild Cherry Pepsi
What you do:

1. Put the ribs and soda in a pot and marinate for at least 1 1/2-2 hours.
2. If you're too young too use the grill outside, have mom or dad help you with it. But anyhow, have mom or dad help or supervise when you cook the ribs. Remember, if you're using pork ribs, you need to cook them completely! Now, when they're done, EAT!