Livia was a very dedicated cooking student at In the Kitchen Kids Camp 3 years ago! Now she is a ravenous budding chef who has taken on a culinary challenge similar to that of Julie, in the movie about Julia Child, Julie and Julia!

Her family has a CSA with Riverhill Farm, each week of the season they offer recipes to accompany their boxes of food…….Livia is going to cook all of the recipes for the summer season! Check out what she has done so far below!

Way to go Livia!!

This is from the Riverhill newsletter this week:

One of our subscribers, Nicole Keene, told us last week that her daughter, Livia, has decided to make all the recipes posted to our weekly blog. Nicole explained that Livia is a great cook and enthusiastic participant in a Julie and Julia-type adventure with the family’s CSA share. We were impressed by this, and I’m sure you will be, too. By way of encouragement, we asked if Livia would like to be a guest writer for this week’s CSA box blog, and Livia’s response is reproduced below. It means a great deal to Jo and I that Livia and her family have so wholeheartedly adopted “eating out of the box.”

Before we get to that, however, let me mention that fennel, although reminiscent of licorice, is really quite subtle a flavor when cooked. It can be eaten fresh, shaved into thin slivers, and provides a refreshing addition to a salad on a hot day. You can also shave the fennel very thin with a mandolin or a sharp knife, then drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Serve with artichoke hearts and parmesan cheese. But if you’ve got the courage to stand over your stove for awhile, or turn on the oven, open the windows and leave the house for a few hours, a pork roast with fennel is succulent and delicious. Our friends at Fowler Family Farm (www.fowlerfamilyfarm.com, 477-6878 ) sell natural, local (Penn Valley) raised USDA certified pork at the Nevada City Farmers’ Market on Saturday in downtown Nevada City, and you can call them ahead to request a certain cut or quantity for pick up at the market. Carmelized fennel on home made pizza, or as an addition to a pasta sauce, is sublime. The fronds also are great wrapped around fish roasted in foil on the grill. So, take advantage of the cooler weather this week and do some good cookin’!

Here’s what Livia has to say:

Hi Everyone. My name is Livia Keene and I’m 11 ½ years old. I love food. One of my dreams is to travel around the world eating exotic cuisine. I watched the movie Julie and Julia and am currently reading Julia Child’s My Life in France. They have inspired me to cook Julia Child’s recipes.

When my mom told me we were going to start getting our fruits and vegetables from Riverhill Farm I was excited! My mom suggested that I cook Riverhill Farm’s weekly recipes instead of Julia Child’s very difficult ones. I agreed. When my mom told Alan and Jo, they suggested that I cook their recipes and review them on a blog. (This blog) My goal is to cook all of Riverhill Farm’s recipes for one season and report some of my experiences back to you.

This evening I began my culinary expedition. The name of this recipe doesn’t sound as cool as the ones in Julia Child’s book, but it was absolutely delicious!

Pasta with Cauliflower, Broccoli and Kale

(Or if Julia Child made it…)

Pates au Chou Fleur, Broccoli et Chou Fries!

I used all of the same ingredients that the recipe called for. I added more capers (yum!). My mom and I thought that if we steamed the vegetables they wouldn’t have much flavor, so after cutting the broccoli and cauliflower into florets I tossed them in olive oil and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I followed the rest of the recipe as it was published. I served the pasta with parmesan cheese which was a nice addition to the dish.

My family and I loved this recipe. Even my nine year old brother, who hates anything to do with kale, ate it with gusto! I will definitely make this recipe for my family again.

Beets with Goat Cheese and Chives

Or…

Betteraves au fromage de chèvre et ciboulette

Again, I used all of the same ingredients the recipe called for. Again, I decided to roast the beets instead of steaming them. The beets were delicious ! The roasting concentrated the sugar in the beets and made them especially sweet and yummy. However, my nine year old brother hated them. He hates beets no matter how they are cooked. My parents and I LOVED them. So did my neighbor Yolanda. We will make these beets again, and serve my brother boxed mac and cheese !

Bon Apetit and good cooking!

Livia Keene

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