It’s a given that Valentine’s Day and chocolate are inseparable, making this a fun time of year to enjoy, learn, and taste everything chocolate.   The smooth, luscious taste and decadence of chocolate is irresistible.  Try this fun recipe with the kids and share with them a chocolate recipe that’s not only easy to make but also incorporates fresh fruits.  No need to have a fondue pot in the house to enjoy this Chocolate Fondue recipe.  In a small sauce pan, combine 3 squares semi-sweeten baking chocolate that has been chopped into small pieces, ½ cup half-n-half, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Heat these simple ingredients on low for several minutes until smooth, velvety and thickened, then transfer to a small bowl.  Surround the bowl with fresh, canned, and dried fruits that you know your kids love.  Try strawberries, pears, mandarin oranges, raspberries, apricots, and apples.  Be creative and introduce some unusual fruits like Asian pears and baby bananas.  Delish!  A definite fun way to celebrate love and family togetherness.

Happy Valentine’sDay!

Can’t wait for the weekend?

Yes it’s Super Bowl Sunday and to me, that means not only football, but food,
friends, and feisty rivalries. Even if you’re just enjoying the afternoon with
immediate family, it’s a great opportunity to prepare some super healthy Super
Bowl snacks. Have the kids help come up with their very own menu for the game
and then have family members vote on their favorites. Only one more day to get
to the supermarket! We’re making mini-sliders layered with fresh veggie
toppings, garnished veggies with dill dip, homemade snack mix, and strawberries
dipped in dark chocolate. While I’m sad my 49ers didn’t make it (next year
guys!), I’m still going to enjoy the game, the friendly competition, my family
and the super healthy Superbowl fixin’s. Oh, and the commercials – can’t forget
them. Make sure to share your favorite part of the Super Bowl with us by
posting on our Facebook or sending us a Tweet. So excited that the big game is
finally here!

Happy New Year to all our chefs (big and small), across America!  We are so excited about a ton of new changes to our upcoming season of Hey Kids, Let’s Cook!   Every episode will bring more exciting changes and updates.  You’ll be thrilled to meet our rapping “myplate”, who cleverly buzzes his nutrition info to kids in a way that will captivate them.   And only Farrah can maneuver her way back into every home with her adorable charm and expression teaching those essential manners that parents and grandparents usually instill.  I can’t wait for you to meet our newest cast members from different corners of California.  And you’ll definitely want to pick out some of the ingredients at the supermarket  for a family cooking night and try one of the latest recipes.  Keep your eyes posted on the web for numerous updates, shared healthy eating ideas, contests, and more!  2012 is going to be a great year!

Guess what fans?  Hey Kids! Let’s Cook is now airing nationally!  I am so thrilled to start cooking in your kitchen and kitchens across the United States.  Our cast is ready to share recipes that not only gets kids excited to eat, but will also teach them life- long skills to stir up fresh  and healthy foods in the kitchen.  And, we want to hear what kids are eating in their homes too.  You will meet fun new friends like Farrah, who will keep you laughing and giggling with her tips on manners.  You’ll also meet Emma, who will take you on fun trips and answer all your questions about how food is grown, picked, packaged and travels to the supermarket where you shop.  Keep an eye out for our newest character, the rapping “myplate,” who will teach everyone how to fill a healthy and wholesome plate for any meal.  We can’t wait to hear from you!

We are so excited to welcome PBS Stations across America!  Check out the preview here of one of the episodes our newest season of Hey Kids, Let’s Cook!  After four  previous seasons, and airing throughout California and Nevada, we’re offering you this fun, innovative series.  A cooking show based on nutrition, this dynamic children’s television production touches the lives of thousands of children from ages 6 – 14 each week.  Kids love the animation, music integration and fun characters Emma and Farrah on Manners.  Parents and educators realize the current focus on food, and healthy eating habits is not going away, and recognize the valuable nutrition education, integrated with core curriculum:  math, literacy, vocabulary development, reading comprehension, science, geography, history, and career exploration, and life skills are explord in each episode.  Don’t miss the fun in your state!

Today’s the big day!   Auditions for the 6^th Season of Hey Kids, Let’s Cook!  Are you bringing in your little foodie to join in the fun?  Here’s what Ilianna says about the show, “I love being a cast member on Hey Kids, Let’s Cook! because it’s so much fun!  I’ve learned so many new foods and recipes, and made so many wonderful friends.  One thing I’ve learned is how to level foods when it’s in the measuring cup.  I absolutely love to cook because it’s so much fun to learn, make, and eat our new recipes.”

Do your kids love to cook, love to talk about cooking, and know the names of basic kitchen ingredients and kitchen tools?  This is exciting news about our upcoming auditions for Hey Kids, Let’s Cook!  Currently our cast members are from all over the state of California including Visalia, Napa, and Sacramento.   The award-winning series is now beginning filming its sixth season with 16 brand new episodes.   The show airs throughout California and Nevada, and will be expanding to other states throughout the nation this year.  Foodies can find all the audition information on heykidsletscook.com,   Facebook, and Twitter.  Only two weeks away; its so exciting!  Are you sending

Ilianna and I had so much fun Saturday at the Sequoia Foodie Fest.  Located in the beautiful town of Exeter, California, this event raised money for the local Boys & Girls Club. Known as “‘California’s Most Delicious Adventure”, the Foodie Fest showcases national and local celebrity chefs, with cooking demonstrations, contests, and food sampling.  Have you ever had pizza served in a bowl?  Well, Ilianna demonstrated this unusual but tasty treat, a kid favorite known as Pizza Salad.   Kids in the audience, Tony, Mollie, and Vanessa, helped out too!  Ilianna then served up a fresh Fruit Salsa not with tortilla chips, but with cinnamon sugar pita chips.  Delish! Now there’s a recipe to be sure your kids get the servings of fresh fruit into their daily diet.  You’ll find the Fruit Salsa recipe in Cookbook #5 and the Pizza Salad recipe in Cookbook #4.

Wow!  Robert and I went to the most amazing gourmet group last night.  The theme was Alice in Wonderland.  We had to climb through a Rabbit Hole, literally, to get to the party.  All recipes served were foods that Alice would have loved:  from cheese cubes that looked like Dice, to Lady Bug Appetizers, Fairy Tale Mushrooms, Cheshire Cat’s Cheese Whiskers, and Hedge Hog Sausage Rolls.  Lamb, (not rabbit) was served with Dill Fingerling Potatoes, Fresh Cucumber Salad and sparkling drinks with the words “Drink Me” printed on the labels.  For dessert Queen Alice, served up freshly baked Shortbread Crowns, Tea-Party Mice cookies, Jam Tarts, and Edible Teacups.  Of course dessert could not be served until the trial was complete –  three blasts from the trumpet sounded and the unrolled parchment-scroll was read aloud.  No wonder Alice had so much fun!   Loved it!

I’m so excited for our new website launched in the fall.  Check out the  Child Chef’s page as the kids share some of their favorite things about being a cast member on Hey Kids, Let’s Cook!  Laugh and chuckle at Farrah as she shows us all the important manners that our parents and grandparents have taught us from day one.  Meet PyRAMMID as he raps his most important nutrition information for each episode.  You’ll never look at the Food Guide Pyramid the same way.  Follow all the exciting moments behind the scenes, and take a look at the series as it continues to grow and reach a national audience.  Can’t wait to meet and talk with you along the way to fun foods and good times.