Utilize Your Little One's High Energy in the Morning

Hello there. 3 year old Chef Izabella (aka: Chef Izzy) here. My mom and I cook together just about every day. Allow me to expand on how cooking in the kitchen with my mom, enriches my life as a 3 year old:
1) I feel like a capable contributor in my home. I make a difference. I can help out in some small way with every meal. We have to eat 3 meals a day. Whether I help brush the braising liquid over the spare ribs, or I help kneed the bread dough, or I help roll out the pate brisee, or I simply whisk the homemade dressing ingredients together, I am helping my mom. This makes me feel important and significant.

2) I learn to follow instructions with specific boundaries, especially when it comes to adhering to our kitchen safety rules. My mom makes the rules and boundaries in the kitchen, clear. I love new challenges. My mom allows me to try new, fun techniques in the kitchen with her, as long as I am a good listener and I obey her closely. I know that she has my safety as her top priority. This is a key life lesson, that I will take with me in every stage of my life.

3) I enhance my cognitive, motor and spatial abilities as I work in the kitchen. I portion the appropriate amount of dough, or meat loaf, or pancake batter, etc in my mind as we are cooking. Sometimes I'll score the food with my hand, to make the right portion sizes. I know that 1 cup is more than 1/2 cup. I even know that when I cut my waffle into quarters (we also call them 4's) using a blunt knife, that if I cut them in half again, I end up with 8 triangles. I count mini paper muffin cups as I line a muffin pan. I know that there are 24 little holes in a mini muffin pan. And there are 12 holes in a regular muffin pan.

4) I have gained incredible dexterity from working in the kitchen, which has helped my writing skills on paper. Using a biscuit cutter to cut out dough rounds after I roll out dough, for our mini quiches or biscuits has helped! Folding dough rounds in half after I fill them to make our empanadas has helped! Crimping the empanada edges with a fork has helped! Scoring ridges on our gnocchi dumplings has helped! Cracking and separating eggs has helped! Rolling our tortilla dough into little balls, pressing them into the tortilla press and then tossing them back and forth to lighten the dough has helped! You get the point! Dexterity comes from working in the kitchen!

5) I am really gifted and talented. I gain confidence in my abilities every day. When I crack eggs and separate them for my mom, some days I crack all the eggs perfectly. Other days one slips. I keep trying. I know that with practice, I improve every single day. The point is, I'm 3 years old, and I can separate and crack eggs almost flawlessly. This skill has been acquired over the last year. I feel pretty awesome!

When I wake up in the morning, I literally am a bundle of energy waiting to erupt. My mom, transforms this energy by allowing me to help out in our home. I can help her make the beds. I can help her transfer the laundry from the washer to the dryer. The most fun way to use up some of my energy, is to help her make breakfast every day. She'll set 3 eggs on the kitchen island, with a whisk, a large bowl, a bit of cream, and some salt and pepper. She'll say, "Ok darling, crack the eggs, add the cream, add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk them up". And you know what. She can turn and look the other way and cut up our fruit for breakfast, while I get the eggs ready for her to scramble up. Then I wash my hands and I help her set the table. It might seem easier to throw me in front of the television, so she can get breakfast ready more quickly on her own, but revisit notes 1-5 above. You'll see why the time investment in allowing your little ones to help, is vitally important and rewarding in the long run. Many days, after we clean up our breakfast mess, my mom will let me help her prepare our dinner that will be slow braised all day. When I eat my food, I take a large amount of pride, in knowing that I helped make it!

So for my older readers, please take some extra time and patience, and let your little ones help you out in the kitchen. For my younger readers, remember to follow instructions vigilantly. This will make your caretaker want to include you more often.

Enjoy your day. Cheers and Salute! Chef Izabella

For some cool recipes, check out my mom's site at: Cook Out Loud

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Hummus is Yummy, Easy and Healthy for you.

Hello there. 3 Year Old Chef Izabella here. My mom and I recently wrote a new recipe for "Italian White Bean Hummus". As the title suggests, our hummus is delicious, easy to make and it's even healthy for you too! White beans have a lot of protein in them. Since white beens (or cannellini beans) are the predominant ingredient in this recipe, our hummus is power packed with protein and flavor.

Do you or your neighbor have a lemon tree? Pull off a fresh lemon and get ready to use it in this delicious hummus dip. Also, get out your grater or zester and your juicer or reamer. We'll be using the    outer skin of the lemon, which is called the zest. We'll then cut it in half and use the reamer to get the juice out. We like to juice our lemons over a strainer, so it catches the pulp and seeds. This way, we just get pure, perfect lemon juice for our recipes. Note, if you end up with extra lemon juice, just put it in an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze it. You can thaw it out the next time you need fresh lemon juice.

Make sure you have a parent or guardian help you out. Always be mindful of the food processor blade. Let the supervising adult handle the blade at all times. My younger readers can enjoy zesting the lemon (with supervision), juicing the lemon, and transferring all of the delicious ingredients into the food processor (being mindful of the blade at the bottom of the bowl). I use a spatula to transfer the hummus to a serving bowl. The more you cook, the bigger your muscles get. I'm only 3, but now I'm strong enough to hold the entire food processor bowl in one hand, and transfer the hummus with a spatula into a serving bowl, with the other hand.

We put hummus on our hamburgers and sandwiches. We also love to dip freshly cut vegetables, pita chips or pretzels in our hummus. We dip our fresh carrots from our garden into our hummus. It's uber- delicious! Here's the link to the recipe:

RECIPE FOR HUMMUS

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Crack, Mix, Grate, Tenderize, Frost, Garnish

 

 

CRACK. MIX. GRATE. TENDERIZE. FROST. GARNISH.

Hello there. 3 Year Old Chef Izabella here, writing a new post for my fellow foodie readers and eaters. I've heard from some of my younger followers, that they are trying new things in the kitchen with their caretakers, and they are having a lot of fun! This makes me incredibly happy. My mom even told me that some of her fellow mom friends have mentioned to her, that they are allowing their young kids to be more adventurous in the kitchen with them, as a result of seeing just how much I do in the kitchen, at the tender old age of 3! The truth is, we hear a lot of people generalize in a defeated tone, "I just don't know how to cook". Well, Rome was not built in a day. Just start out with simple steps.
1. Always, always, always measure out your ingredients and place them in preparation bowls; set up your mise en place.
2. Have all your necessary pots, pans, bowls, utensils, etc, clean and ready to use.
3. Make sure you clear off extra unnecessary things off your counters, to give yourself a clutter free preparation area.
4. Clean as you go. I help my mom wash the dishes (she pulls the chair over so I can reach the sink and faucet). I love using the scrub brush and various color soaps to clean the dishes. Note, she does not allow me to wash anything sharp or hot. If you are a young reader, always adhere to the safety rules of your kitchen.
5. Print out a clear copy of the recipe you are following and place it somewhere in plain site, so you can follow the steps easily. Tip: if you have a magnetic hood range or refrigerator, use a magnet to hold up your recipe; or simply use a piece of tape to tape it to a visible cupboard. Or, if you prefer recipes via a tablet, place it in a safe spot, away from sunlight, so you can see the recipe clearly. Tip: Change your settings to disable sleep mode, while you are cooking, so you don't have to constantly refresh or type in your password on your tablet.
6. Read the recipe from start to finish before you begin. If there are terms or methods that you don't understand, look them up before you start. There are zillions of youtube videos that demonstrate how to do things. Wikipedia is a great resource, for looking up terms. It helps me out a lot.
7. Always, always, always, make your recipes with LOVE and TENDER CARE. Seriously, home made food usually tastes better, because it is made by loving hands.

The truth is, as a three year old chef, I'm still getting the hang of this cooking and baking thing. One thing I have to admit is that I get frustrated when things don't turn out exactly the way I want them to. I make mistakes but then I move on. I learn the most from my mistakes. Sometimes, while cracking several eggs, I'll drop one. But, because I keep trying, I do actually crack and separate several eggs perfectly.

Here's an easy recipe that my mom and I wrote for "Meat Loaf Mini's". Go ahead, try it! I think you'll like it.

Seriously, empower yourself, and try to bake or cook something new for you and your loved ones. There are several great, free recipes on the internet. You probably have 5 or more cookbooks somewhere in your pantry or kitchen. Dust off a cookbook and try a new recipe today!

Thanks for following my blog. Your comments are always welcome.
Salute. Chef Izabella

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Picnic "En Papillote" (in paper)

Hello fellow foodie friends. Chef Izabella (aka Chef Izzy) here. I recently turned 3. I'm loving it so far! I'm learning new techniques in the kitchen. I'm having fun experimenting with fun food combinations: sweet and savory foods together and I also really like pairing sweet foods with a hint of spice (I know it sounds weird, since I'm only 3, but my taste buds want what my taste buds want).
I really love living in Southern California, as we have access to delicious, fresh, locally grown produce all year long. Seriously, this is an incredible blessing!

Lately, my mom and I have been making creative  dishes like mini frittatas, empanadas, risotto, quiches, soups (with fresh stocks), mini muffins, biscotti, tarts, slow braised meals with fun sauces and more. We cook together in the kitchen at least three times a week. I am always supervised by my mom or dad when I'm in the kitchen, and I always adhere to the safety rules and guidelines that my parents set for me while I'm in the kitchen (important reminder for all of my younger readers).

I highly recommend that you spend quality time in the kitchen with someone you love, at least two to three times a week! You can share the yummy stuff you make, with loved ones, friends and neighbors. Shared homemade food is like a big warm hug for the soul.

Well, back to this post. Sandwiches are great for picnics, but I recommend trying something creative, tasty and new for your next outdoor meal. As the title suggests, I'll be talking about cooking "in paper". In Italy, they cook in parchment paper and it's called "al cartoccio". In France, they cook in parchment paper and it's called "en papillote". This is a really cool technique in which you can bake veggies and meat or just veggies in parchment paper.  You place the food inside the paper and fold the edges of the paper so all the air stays inside the paper, creating a steaming effect. The flavors are bold, delicious and incredibly healthy. I recommend using chicken, pork or shrimp. Almost any vegetable would be fine. Keep in mind that you want your veggies to be cut in similar sizes, so that the cooking time is the same. For instance, if you are going to use carrots, potatoes and squash, I recommend that you julienne the pieces. You can throw some frozen peas on top if you want. I like to place a fresh sprig of some type of herb on top. Make sure that your meat is cut into thin, little strips and keep them all about the same size (if using shrimp, just clean, devein and place a few pieces of shrimp in a row; no need to slice the shrimp). Always wash your hands well and have your parent or caretaker clean the work surfaces really well after handling meat, seafood or eggs.

Dress It Up!!!

Hello my fellow foodie friends. Chef Izabella here. I'm also known as "Chef Izzy". I turned 3 recently. Oh, the sage that comes with age. I'm feeling more wise every day. With this newfound wisdom, I can safely say that my most sagacious advice that I can impart to you today, is that it is vitally important to have fun while cooking in the kitchen. One way I like to have fun in the kitchen is to "dress it up". First, dress it up - meaning wear your best gown, tiara and glass slippers, while you cook. Wear an apron of course! It's always more fun to impersonate a princess while baking or cooking with loved ones. Secondly, dress up your food with accessories, flare and fun as well. I recently helped my mom bake a jelly roll cake with a strawberry fruit and freshly whipped cream filling. We made a cream cheese frosting. We transformed the frosting into my three favorite colors, purple, pink and aqua (using food color gels). We also purchased fun candies in which to decorate my birthday cake. The one thing my mom said was "there are no rules when it comes to decorating". She let me put all three frosting colors on the cake.** She let me place the candies wherever I wanted. I had such an absolute blast helping my mom make my own birthday cake. We laughed the entire time. In fact, she asked me "what do you want to do for your birthday today?". We could have gone to the beach, to the zoo, to the movies... anything. My reply was, "let's bake my strawberry cake". We wore dresses, tiaras and jewelry with pizzazz and flare! We dressed up our cake with vibrant colors, candies and lots of love! So what are you waiting for? Grab a loved one,  pick out a fun recipe, put on a fun costume or gown, accessorize your outfit and your food*. Play some funky music. Have fun. Laugh a lot. And, as my mom always says, "Cook Out Loud".

*Note, you can accessorize your food dishes with fresh herbs, edible flowers, creative candies, pinches of ground spices or dried herbs, fun sauces with multiple colors, and more. Get creative!

** Note, We decorated the cake with frosting and candies with carefree abandon. We decorated on a preparation tray and then transferred the final cake to the pretty serving tray. You can also wedge pieces of wax paper under the sides of the cake. Frosting will fall onto the paper (not the serving tray). Once finished decorating, simply pull the wax paper away, leaving a beautiful cake and a clean serving tray underneath. Either method works great!

I'd love to hear your ideas and input on how you like to "dress it up" in the kitchen. Write a comment on my blog, www.CookingWithIzzy.com

Salute and Cheers, Chef Izabella

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Spice Up "Taco Tuesdays"

Hi, 2 year old Chef Izabella here, also known as Chef Izzy. As the title of this post suggests, I'm going to be talking about spice! In the obvious sense, one can spice up tacos by adding delicious spice to the sauces on one's taco platter. For instance, one can add some chile peppers, jalapeños, or cayenne pepper, to one's salsa or tomatillo sauce. One can slow braise the meat with hot spices as well.
In a more figurative sense, I am suggesting that you add spice, flare, fun, and color to your taco Tuesday dinner, with one creative, yet easy step.

Just add colored food gel to your homemade tortillas!

Make the tortilla dough and portion it into 16 pieces. Roll the small dough pieces into little balls. At this stage, add just a hint of colored food gel to each little dough ball and work the colored gel into the dough with your hands.
If you want more than one color in your tortillas, then add a unique color to each dough ball.
You can mix a couple of the dough balls together, but then divide them into smaller dough ball portions before you flatten them.

Using a plastic food storage bag (that is cut into two square pieces) place the plastic sheets over each hard plate of your tortilla press. Then press each tortilla ball into a flat tortilla shape. The plastic will do two things: 1) protect your tortilla press from staining from the food gels and 2) Keep the dough from sticking to the  tortilla press itself (great for easier clean up).
Then toss the tortillas back and forth in your hands to lighten the dough.
Place the tortillas on a hot griddle or comal for about 45 seconds on each side.
Place the cooked tortillas in a tortilla warmer between a towel.
Enjoy the colorful tortillas any day of the week but get especially creative and spicy on Taco Tuesdays.

Keep it creative, colorful and fun in the kitchen.
Salute - Chef Izabella (Chef Izzy)

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My Favorite Gadgets in the Kitchen

Hi, Chef Izabella here. I love cool gadgets. My dad is an engineer. My mom is a rocking culinary guru. Clearly, I have inherited a passion for using cool gadgets in the kitchen. I wanted to share a few of my favorite kitchen tools with you.
These 5 gadgets are absolute must-haves in my kitchen.

1) Citrus Reamer. This affordable and easy to use tool is great for getting the most juice out of citrus in a fast and efficient manner. My mom slices the citrus in half. I hold one half of the citrus in my right hand. I hold the reamer in my left hand and I squish the fruit flesh, releasing the juices into a bowl below. Sometimes we put a small strainer over the bowl, to catch the seeds. Note, if we were going to juice 40 oranges, we'd probably use a larger juicer. This tool is great when one needs to juice 1-3 pieces of citrus for a particular recipe.
Here is a link to a reamer: Citrus Reamer

2) Microplane Zester. My mom has been teaching me how

to cautiously and safely use a microplane zester. We use this for citrus zest, grating nutmeg, or shaving chocolate. I make sure to wrap my fingers up around the object that I'm grating, to avoid hurting my fingers. I gently move the food across the grater. We usually place the grater over a bowl, to catch the zest, grated nutmeg or tiny slivers of chocolate. If you are zesting citrus, flip the zester over, and push your finger along the bottom (non sharp) edge of the microplane, to get the extra zest that has built up. For my younger readers, this is an acquired skill. Please do not attempt to try the zester until your care taker allows you to. We like to rinse our microplane right after each use, and set it in the drying rack. If we wait to clean it, the food tends to stick to it. This is a key tool for adding fresh, delicious flavor to our dishes.
Here is a link to a zester: microplane zester

3) Digital Food Scale. Keep your recipe consistent each time you make it. Did you know the common "dip and sweep" way you use a measuring cup to measure your flour, can add up to 10% more than the recipe actually calls for. When we bake, we use very precise measurements. Having a digital food scale, is awesome at ensuring accuracy. Most scales will allow you to convert grams to ounces (if you need it). You can also zero out the weight of the plate or bowl that you want your food on and then slowly add the food ingredient to the scale (this is called the tare function). I couldn't imagine our kitchen without a digital scale.

4) Food Processor. My mom is the only one who handles the sharp blades in our kitchen. She'll help me set up the food processor. We measure out all of our ingredients. I am allowed to carefully add the ingredients into the top part of the food processor (so I don't get near the blade). Once the lid is safely on, mom lets me push the pulse or start buttons. I love pushing the off button too! I am allowed to safely scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula. My mom removes the blade and I get to transfer the yummy sauce or dough to a  serving bowl or preparation container. A food processor makes making sauces or doughs super quick and easy! For example, we make a pate brisee dough, pesto, hummus, dressings and more... in 5 minutes or less. Plus, for a pate brisee dough, a food processor is great, because you aren't handling the dough as much (over handling dough with hands, warms up the dough). You want all of your ingredients to stay as cold as possible. We use our mini food processor to quickly chop up nuts, chunks of chocolate or dried fruit (like banana chips).

5) 24 Mini Muffin Tin. I love to make mini treats. We use our 24 Mini muffin tins to make mini muffins, mini quiches, mini tarts, mini cupcakes and more. You can line them with adorable mini muffin foil or paper cups. Or, you can spray the tin itself with a non-stick spray, and simply put your food directly into the muffin tin itself. We have a lot of tea parties at my house. Our mini muffin tin gets used at least once a week.

Your input and thoughts are always appreciated. What are your favorite 5 gadgets in your kitchen?

Salute,
Chef Izabella (aka: Chef Izzy)

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