Emily and her husband/producer Mike chat about the recent live video episode on cooking with grands (replay here on YouTube). Also, a listener provides a guest essay for "The Stretch It Takes" on a grand camp that included cooking, with cool ideas on what you can do for your own.

The recipes for our cooking live video show are here.

John and Patty, Two Chefs In The Kitchen, do a twice-monthly live cooking show on the streaming video service Beamz--you can sign up for their free series here.

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Our first live video podcast episode, "Cooking With Your Grands," was live on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 12 noon ET. The replay is available on YouTube.

Here are the recipes for the live episode, compliments of our Two Chefs:

EASY MARINARA 

2 - 28 oz. cans Tomato Sauce

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 tbsp. Onion, minced

Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste

¼ tsp. dried basil

1/8 tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. dried parsley

¼ tsp. Garlic powder

Parmesan rind

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes. 

Add sauce, spices, parmesan rind and ½ cup water.  

Raise heat, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

2 Eggs

1 1/3 cups Instant Potatoes

1 cups Water, hot tap water

3 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour 

Salt

½ lb. Ricotta Cheese

In a mixing bowl combine the potato flakes and hot water and set aside for 3-5-minutes. 

When the potatoes have absorbed the water add in the ricotta cheese and eggs. Next slowly add the flour and a dash of salt until it forms a dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. 

NOTE: you may not use all the flour.

When dough has rested – on a floured board, roll out into rope shapes then cut into 1-inch pieces. Using two fingers, make an indent on each piece of gnocchi then let rest on the board while you bring a pot of water to a boil. 

When the water is at a rolling boil, add a palmful of salt and stir. Add the gnocchi and gently stir. When the gnocchi rise to the top, cook 1 minute long then remove to a bowl…add sauce and sprinkle with cheese and serve.

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Emily and Mike discuss, em, guest digestive privacy after the last episode on food allergies... and the upcoming live video episode on Feb. 5 with Two Chefs in The Kitchen stars John and Patty. Plus, "The Stretch It Takes" is about the sudden transition from losing a family elder to being the eldest in the family. 

The Grand Life's live video podcast episode, "Cooking With Your Grands," is open to you and your friends on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 12 noon ET. While "seating" is limited, there's no charge and no need to register in advance! Just join at this link when it's time.

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Emily gets the full story plus some good advice from Kelli, an experienced young mom whose son has an assortment of food allergies. Grands can learn from their adult kids when cooking and caring for grands with this special challenge. Also, Emily's essay The Stretch It Takes thinks back to when her oldest child was dealing with this, unbeknownst to everyone: "Why Didn't Somebody Tell Us?"

Kelli talks up two resources for grandparents: a downloadable emergency care plan to print and have handy if needed, and suggested food allergy mobile device apps that can help you keep your food-allergic grands safe.

Kelli's kids are reading and loving...

• books by Mo Willems, including those featuring The Knuffle Bunny and Elephant and Piggy
• the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan;
• and the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.

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Emily's guest is the host of Adventures With Grammy, podcaster Carolyn Berry, who's a lover of genealogy, travel, children's books, and sharing her own memories with her grands.

Carolyn and Emily talked about these children's books and authors:
--Pat the Bunny 
--Where The Wild Things Are 
--Dr. Seuss 
--P.D. Eastman  
--The Nancy Drew series 

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Emily and Mike chat through Episode 11 and explore some alternatives to New Year's Resolutions...because what if, after you've resolved, you still don't get it right?

Mike quotes from The Atlantic and "New Year's Resolutions Are Not the Vibe for 2022" by Faith Hill.

The Stretch It Takes mentions the book Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old. You might also check out A Beginners Guide to the End and Being Mortal.

Wanting more on this topic? The excellent podcast and public radio show Freakonomics recently dropped "Does Death Have to be a Death Sentence?" featuring the author to the Beginners Guide book above.

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Emily has been alongside as her father nears the end of his life, inspiring a new resolution.

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Emily reconvenes with two FOPs (friends of the podcast!), DeeDee of More Than Grand and Dr. Kerry Byrne of The Long Distance Grandparent, to share and compare their resolutions for the new year.

Consider this free online resource, GRAND, "the lifestyle magazine for living the ageless life."

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Emily and Mike talk about ways you can help each of your grandchildren feel special, and feel like a team. In The Stretch It Takes, Emily's essay looks at gifts from her grandmother that are leaving a legacy. Lots of ideas and advice in this episode!

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Don't feel bad if you occasionally forget a grandchild's name. You probably don't have 24 of them, like Mike and Tina will soon have! They are Emily's guests in this episode, exploring a life when grands are counted by the dozen.

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