Day 65 - Cucumber Yogurt

Recipe from Jamie's Food Revolution

Hello! I was at a birthday party yesterday and so I didn't get to make anything. My little brother, Caleb did, so that was good for him. Thanks, Cabe!!

I missed cooking for the last two days. I think cooking is a way to let your feelings out. If you like to cook, it's something you want to do everyday. I think my brother feels that way, also. I think my Grammy and Mama think so, too, sometimes.

What it does for me is that I get involved with the cooking and I don't think about what happened about earlier at school, say, or if a girl pinches me. FYI, someone did and I was super angry at that one person. I was crying. I was upset. I wanted to go back and tell her, "You know what? You are a mean, rude girl."

Instead of yelling at that girl, I made Cucumber Yogurt sauce, which is also called Tzaziki. It's one of my favorite sauces and I was super happy to see that Jamie Oliver has a recipe for it in his Food Revolution cookbook.

The things you need in it are cucumber, plain yogurt, lemon juice, and we added garlic. Now, my grandpa emailed me and suggested I tell more about skills I'm using. I think that's a good idea because if kids are reading this (we actually got an email from a kid!), they could learn some of what I've learned. And Jared, too.

First I cut the cucumber in half

Today I used my chopping skills, but I did a thing called mincing. Mincing is very, very finely chopping.

I got to use the sharp knives today. When I was chopping the cucumber, I curled my fingers so that way I didn't chop off my finger.

That would not be a wonderful thing.

Oh! I also learned that garlic can be very, very strong. It made the sauce a little bit spicy, but I like it that way. I used a garlic press which is very cool.

Cucumber yogurt is so yummy in my tummy. We had it with grilled chicken and brown rice and green beans. It was a super healthy, yummy meal!

A Bazillion, or 2, THUMBS UP

Day 42 - Mexican Bean Wrap

Recipe from Jamie Online

My mother and father had a staff party 'cause my dad works at a school. He wanted to thank the teachers by throwing a party. So my mom had already made beans, the cilantro rice, and some chicken. There were about 40 people coming, so we had to make a lot of food.

Jared helped a little

We still had to make our recipe for the day. We had no idea what to make but we wanted it to be Mexican food. My brother Jared was playing a game. He's addicted to it, says my brother, AJ. And so I had to make the recipe.

My mother found the recipe on Jamie Online. I was able to use beans, corn tortillas, our chicken, and cheese.

Mashing Beans

It was kind of like a fancy quesadilla, in a way, because you sprinkle the cheese on, add your mashed up beans, chicken. You do this on one side of the tortilla and fold it in half.

Then you flip it over with a spatula and let that cook for a few minutes.

It was good. 2 THUMBS UP! But it could have used a little more cheese.

This was another day from Sophie, the Cooking Girl, seen on Fox 4, channel 9!!!

Oh! Jamie Oliver is having a news letter, and we're going to be in it! We'll post it, but tell people! Take the challenge!!!

Day 32 - Crunchy Garlic Chicken

Cookbook - Jamie's Food Revolution

I would like to say that this was probably one of the best things I've made so far during this cooking challenge. It was so good. I would eat it every day for the rest of my life, it was that good. I really don't know what made it so good. The flavor. The breading. All of it.

All you do is get some crackers--I, of course, used gluten free Glutino Brand which we purchased at Sprouts--garlic, parsley (fresh, but we used dried because we did not buy fresh), and the zest of a lemon, but we used a lime. And then you put it in a food processor and blend it until it's blended.

You get your chicken and score the bottom, a new word and technique I learned today, cover in plastic wrap, and then whack it with a frying pan! Which I enjoyed SO much. It was like expressing your anger by whacking chicken. My mom had a writing camp today and I asked her what kind of pan I should use to whack the chicken and boy did that get everyone's attention.

And then you coat the chicken in flour, then egg, then in the mixture you made in the beginning and you can bake or fry it. I baked it at 900 degrees, or aka 475 degrees. Bake it until it's golden brown or about 15 minutes.

It was crunchy and garlicy, hence the name.

I made this for lunch because it's my older brother's birthday and he wanted breakfast for dinner, so I made the chicken for lunch which my brother's ate greedily. So I'll definitely do this again, but for dinner.

I give this, possibly, 4 Billion THUMBS UP, or 2

Day 20 -- Roasted Chicken Breast with Lemony Potatoes

Recipe -- Jamie Oliver Online

Hello my fellow foodies! Today is day 20 and we made a good chicken meal. It was Roasted Chicken Breasts with Lemony Potatoes. Today's recipe was a last minuto decision. The choices were fish, flounder to be exact, but we weren't in the mood for fish, shrimp, but we didn't have enough, or chicken kebobs but it called for a lot of avocado and we didn't have any.

So we (Jared and me together) used chicken recipe that we found at Jamie Oliver's website and that didn't call for avocados, which, phew, then we were able to make.

What we did to prepare it was to cut potatoes, red bell pepper, coriander (which we used powder and we threw in some cilantro), powdered cumin, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sliced ginger. We tossed that with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

We put into a baking dish then get your chicken and season it with the extra salt and pepper. Lay that on top of the potatoes and stuff and bake it for about 30 minutes.

We flipped the chicken at 20 minute mark because it wasn't ready.

I didn't like this potatoes all that much because I don't like cumin. So next time I would leave that out. You don't have to if you're cumin lovers. But I'm not a big a fan, so next time I will take it out.

I thought the chicken was really good. It didn't have cumin on it so it didn't have that strong flavor. Most of this dish was pretty good.

My parents, on the other hand, loved it (2 THUMBS UP FROM THEM).

I give this 1 THUMB UP (1 1/2 from Jared)

This was another day from the GF Kids Cooking Challenge!

~ Sophie

BTW: We just saw that Jamie Oliver commented on yesterday's blog! He was here and checked out our blog! Very, very cool.

Day 12 - Chicken Fajitas

Cookbook - Food Revolution

Here ye, here ye! On this magnificent day, I have made a truly spiffy meal. This particular meal was from Jamie Oliver's food revolution cook book!! And it was already gluten free.

Holy cow!! Isn't that crazy!!

So anyway I, me, as in Jared not Sofia (she is at our dear grandparent's house), made some yummy (did you notices that I use that term a lot?) chicken fajitas.

Before I get into that I need to tell you something: I got some new cooking materials. I got a pepper grinder, a hand mixer (really it's my mom's 'cause hers broke--only $20 at Walmart), a olive oil dripper type-o thing, and some other stuff.

Now back to cooking, the meal was under the twenty minute area in the book.

BUT IT WAS A LIE!!!

Just the twenty minute part. But then I am an inexperienced cutter. And not a good speed demon chopper. So if you're a good cutter then it's 19 minutes (or so says the recipe).

I HATE cutting raw chicken!

All you do is cut some onion and bell pepper (I don't like the onion, but I used it) and season it with paprika and cumin. Drizzle the olive oil (with my new drizzle bottle) over them, and let it all sit for five minutes.

Now cut your chicken to about the length of the bell pepper. Then put it all on a hot grill pan and move it around so it doesn't burn.

And voila! some fajita chicken!!!

Notice my mom's homemade Spanish rice, made from scratch, that is very delicious...

best in the world!

____________________

2 THUMBS UP!

Even my oldest brother and his girl friend gave it two thumbs up (hey AJ and Claire), and it was fun to make.

So, until next time....................