Fans of the CW’s “Supernatural” will recognize Misha Collins as the angel Castiel, but his newest role is cookbook author. In “The Adventurous Eaters Club”, Collins and his wife, journalist and historian Vicki Collins, help families become mealtime explorers, with the aim to foster lifelong positive relationships between children and cooking and eating real food.
Encouraging Picky Eaters to Become Adventurous
Amazon
Misha says the inspiration for the book came from their kids starting as somewhat picky eaters, and their own increasing frustration with kid’s menus and convenience food offerings. They knew that if they didn’t act on the issue, they were setting their children up for a lifetime with a limited palate and a reliance on foods void of nutrition.
Luckily, Misha loves cooking (he’s even been known to bring jars of jam and preserves to the set to share with cast and crew), so he decided with Vicki to encourage the kids to be adventurous in the kitchen too. This led the whole family to explore and experiment with ingredients, recipes, and games.
In “The Adventurous Eaters Club,” Misha and Vicki share how they created a home where mealtime doesn’t involve bribery or trickery, and where salad, veggies, fresh soups, and fruit have become the main course. Misha shared with me when we were shooting that Brussels sprouts have become one of his kid’s favorites, to the point that they have even eaten them raw (which he does not personally recommended).
The experiments sometimes work and yield surprising discoveries, and other times it’s just a playful mess in the kitchen, as Misha describes it. But no matter what the results of these kitchen adventures are, the children are learning and trying new things, having fun and simultaneously expanding their diets beyond the limited horizon of chicken nuggets and fries.
Related Reading: The Best Gifts for Food-Loving Families
Paying It Forward
It’s a step forward in revolutionizing the problem of malnutrition and a market saturated with processed foods. That is the reason why Misha and Vicki want to share what they’ve learned with other families, and start a movement toward improving kids’ palates and relationships with food. To make things even better, they are donating all proceeds from the book to non-profit programs that help underserved children gain access to healthy food.
Inventors’ Pizza Party: “Supernatural” Edition
Chowhound
Taking a literal page from his book, I decided to try The Inventors’ Pizza Party on page 149 of “The Adventurous Eaters Club.” Along with my partner in crime for this experiment, Keisha Hatchett (associate editor for TV Guide), we asked Misha if he would be game to make some “Supernatural”-themed pizzas. He excitedly replied “Yes!”, so Keisha and I set out to shop for a cornucopia of on-theme ingredients.
For those who aren’t familiar with the show, the principal characters are the Winchester brothers, Dean and Sam (played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), who, with Castiel’s help, hunt supernatural beings.
Our toppings included an apple-fennel pickle, which I concocted in homage to Dean’s obsession with apple pie. Sam almost exclusively eats salads, so I prepped some bowls with baby greens, sliced onions, tomatoes, and a small assortment of cheeses which included a really good goat brie.
Since diner foods are another common thread throughout the series, I set out some dill pickles, grilled some hamburger patties, baked potato tots, and cooked bacon in the oven.
Related Reading: The Best Way to Cook Bacon Is Also the Easiest
And in honor of Castiel, I also added peanut butter and raspberry jam to my mise-en-place (sorry, there was no jelly). As we got everything set to shoot at ICC (the International Culinary Center, who graciously let me borrow one of their kitchens for our pizza party), I brought out the last missing ingredients: pre-made pizza dough, simple tomato sauce, and shredded mozzarella.
Life Lessons: “Maybe Everything Is Good on Pizza”
For our “Supernatural” Inventors’ Pizza Party, Misha made a pie inspired by his character, while Keisha and I each made one inspired by a Winchester brother.
Unsurprisingly, making mini pizzas with a TV star was a blast. What was unexpected was that the craziest topping combos were actually the best.
See how it all unfolded and then try our recipes for yourself:
Check out “The Adventurous Eaters Club” for more fun, family-friendly ideas and to support access to healthy food.
And if you’re in NYC or planning a visit, you can learn to make delicious dough from scratch with the International Culinary Center’s one-day Homemade Pizza class.
“Supernatural” Pizza Recipes
Try these for yourself, or experiment with your own creative pizza toppings. And if you have kids, get them involved too!
Chowhound
Castiel Pizza (as made by Misha Collins)
Makes four 5-inch mini pizzas
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour for dusting
- 1 pound pre-made pizza dough (I recommend House of Pasta Pizza Dough)
- ½ cup mild tomato sauce
- About ½ cup of shredded mozzarella
- Crumbled cooked hamburger
- Kale chips
- Dill pickles
- Raspberry jam
- Smooth peanut butter
- Goat brie (I recommend Woolwich Triple Crème)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Divide dough into 5 balls (each approximately the size of a gerbil).
3. On parchment paper dusted with flour, work each dough ball into a flat disk about ½ inch thick; flour your hands to keep dough from sticking.
4. Work the disk into a “halo” shape.
5. Top with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella, then the burger crumbles, kale chips, dill pickles, jam, and peanut butter.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutess (depending on your oven, you may want to lower the temperature to 350º- 375ºF).
7. Let the pizzas cool slightly before cutting.
Enjoy!
Dean Winchester Pizza (as made by Keisha Hatchett)
Makes four 5-inch mini pizzas
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour for dusting
- 1 pound pre-made pizza dough (I recommend House of Pasta Pizza Dough)
- ½ cup mild tomato sauce
- About ½ cup of shredded mozzarella
- Crumbled cooked hamburger
- Cooked, crumbled bacon
- Cooked potato tots
- Apple-Fennel Pickle (see recipe below)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Divide dough into 5 balls (each approximately the size of a gerbil).
3. On parchment paper dusted with flour, work each dough ball into a flat disk about ½ inch thick; flour your hands to keep dough from sticking.
4. Top the dough with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella, then the burger pieces, bacon crumbles, tots, and apple-fennel pickles.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutess (depending on your oven, you may want to lower the temperature to 350º- 375ºF).
6. Let the pizzas cool slightly before cutting.
Enjoy!
Sam Winchester Pizza (as made by Guillermo Riveros)
Makes four 5-inch mini pizzas
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour for dusting
- 1 pound pre-made pizza dough (I recommend House of Pasta Pizza Dough)
- ½ cup mild tomato sauce
- About ½ cup of shredded mozzarella
- Baby greens (arugula, spinach, kale)
- Bacon (cook and break into pieces)
- Sliced cherry tomatoes
- Goat brie
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Divide dough into 5 balls (each approximately the size of a gerbil).
3. On parchment paper dusted with flour, work each dough ball into a flat disk about ½ inch thick; flour your hands to keep dough from sticking.
4. Top the dough with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella, then greens, bacon, tomatoes, and goat brie.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutess (depending on your oven, you may want to lower the temperature to 350º- 375ºF).
6. Let the pizzas cool slightly before cutting.
Enjoy!
Apple-Fennel Pickle
Ingredients:
- 1-2 tart apples (depending on size; use yellow or Granny Smith), cored and thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced into slivers
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 1 clove
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf (crumbled)
Instructions:
1. Pack apple matchsticks, fennel slivers, and some of the green fronds from the fennel in a 1-quart glass jar (canning mason jar).
2. Combine 1½ cups of water, the vinegars, sugar, salt, and spices in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Pour the liquid into the jar.
4. Seal and let cool completely.
5. For best results, refrigerate overnight before serving (on a pizza or otherwise).
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