Author: Carma Spence

Carma Spence has been experimenting in the kitchen since she was four years old and loves trying out new recipe ideas. She is the author of Bonkers for Bundt Cakes and Your Perfect Pie, as well as author and contributor to several more non-food-related books. With Carma's Cookery, she is taking her passion for empowering people and blending it with her passion for cooking, gift-giving and entertaining.

Product Reviews

What Cooking Games Taught Me About Creativity in the Kitchen (Even If I’m Not a Gamer)

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date March 30, 2025
No Comments on What Cooking Games Taught Me About Creativity in the Kitchen (Even If I’m Not a Gamer)

I’ll be the first to say it: Online games have never been my jam (or jelly or even preserves). If given the choice between chopping carrots or chasing virtual coins, I’ll usually opt for the carrots. But when I came across CulinarySchools.org’s collection of food-themed games, I couldn’t resist exploring. After all, I’m all about finding joy and confidence in the kitchen. Why not see if play could unexpectedly spark that same spirit?

So I dove in.

I might not be the target audience since I got stuck on several levels. Still, I learned some surprising insights. I think they’re worth sharing, especially for creative cooks, playful parents, and food lovers seeking something new.

1. Play Can Shake Up Routine

Let’s be real: Cooking the same meals week after week can get stale. That’s why I tried Pop the Balloons and Bubble Fruit. These are simple games that test reflexes and coordination with bright, juicy visuals. While they’re clearly kid-friendly, they offered a light-hearted reset from a busy day. Just like swapping basil for mint in a favorite recipe, these little detours brought a bit of whimsy to my usual rhythm.

2. Challenges = Creativity in Disguise

Watermelon Brick Breaker was oddly satisfying. Think paddle, bouncing fruit, and a splash of chaos. And Food Grinder? Let’s just say it’s a great metaphor for what dinner prep feels like after a long day. Both games required problem-solving and persistence. They reminded me that creativity often hides behind challenges. Whether you’re leveling up in a game or experimenting with a new spice, there’s value in pushing through the mess.

3. Nostalgia Meets New Perspective

Remember Frogger? Chicken Road is its poultry-inspired cousin. I may have sacrificed a few digital chickens in the name of research (sorry, birds), but the experience was strangely meditative. It was like a puzzle in motion. Meanwhile, Drift Boss had me navigating curves like I was trying to time flipping pancakes without burning them. Spoiler: I crashed. Repeatedly.

4. Games for Grown-Ups (Sort Of)

While many of the games are geared toward kids, some like Cosmic Bee and Idle Lawnmower Advanced require strategy and offer satisfying progression loops. Ideal if you like low-stress distractions that keep your brain buzzing. I wouldn’t call them culinary exactly, but they fall under the broader brain and arcade game categories and are definitely worth exploring.

5. Quirky Fun for the Whole Family

My favorite quirky pick? Apple & Onion: Messin’ Round. It’s weird. It’s colorful. And it had me grinning more than I expected. If you’ve got kids or grandkids, this one’s a good laugh. And might just open up a fun conversation about food personalities. Yes, I just said “food personalities.”

Games Are Weirdly Insightful

Did I become a gamer? Nope. But I did walk away with a fresh appreciation for the way play and curiosity go hand-in-hand…whether you’re wielding a spatula or dodging digital hazards.

So if you’re a home cook looking to break out of a rut, or a parent hoping to get your kids more curious about what goes on in the kitchen, CulinarySchools.org’s games might offer a surprising spark.

Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself unexpectedly rooting for a bee in space.

P.S. They’ve also got a really handy ingredient conversion tool that I bookmarked immediately. Because who remembers how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon after a long day?

Tags cooking games, culinary games for kids, online food games

Creative Cookery

Spice Up Your Family’s Meals: Simple Ways to Enhance Culinary Experiences

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date October 17, 2024

The food you eat plays such an important role in your health and well-being. It enhances your experiences in the process, too. This is something that you need to try to make the most of when you are looking to improve your life moving forward. Being able to boost the family’s culinary experiences is so important. This is something that you should consider moving forward.

It is important to come up with some of the techniques that you can use to improve your family’s food experience. This will help them get more enjoyment from what they eat. When you focus on this aspect of meal preparation, there are a lot of factors to consider. These are some of the big ones.

Experiment With Food from Different Cultures

Experimenting with foods from different cultures is a great way to transform your family’s culinary experience. This is something that you can make the most of. There are so many different cultures you could choose from! Try to have themed food nights based on different cultures. Make the most of the dishes and delicacies that these cultures have. Have fun exploring new cultures. This ensures everyone has a variety of experiences.

Stock up on Some Essentials

Stocking up on essentials is one of the best ways of being able to do this, and it is important to think about how well you can find the right ingredients or dishes as a base for experimenting further. For instance, you could stock up on a Broth Master’s combo pack, so that you have some delicious broth to introduce your family too, but you can also look to combine this with other things as well.

Get Your Kids More Excited About Things

Getting your kids excited about trying new foods and dishes is one of the best things that you can do that is going to help you improve your success as much as possible. There are a lot of elements that you need to try to make the most of here, and experimenting with new things could be a good place to start. You also need to think about how you can slowly integrate new dishes into their diets. Encouraging your child to try new foods is one of the best ways of being able to transform their culinary experiences.

These are just a few of the key ways that you can help to improve your family’s culinary experiences, and this is something that you need to try to get right. There are so many factors to think about here, and these are some of the best ways of being able to transform the way you enjoy food as a family. Try to use these ideas to come up with some of the best ideas that are going to help you focus on this moving forward.

Tags culinary experiences, cultural foods, family meals, food exploration, improve family dining

Healthy Living

Simple Ways to Create a Healthy and Fulfilling Breakfast Routine

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date October 17, 2024

We all know what a healthy breakfast looks like. Simple foods that provide a good hit of protein and/or natural sugars that are easy to digest just after waking up. A breakfast like this is more likely to make you feel energized for the day ahead, and it’s certainly preferable to heating up leftover pizza for the third time this week!

But have you thought about making your breakfast routine healthy AND fulfilling? Thinking about breakfast as a routine, rather than just the first meal of the day, can change your whole mindset around healthy living. Indeed, it can even make the lifestyle more fun!

If you’re interested in a routine like this, our list below contains three simple ideas for adding a touch of wholesome healthiness to your mornings.

Breakfast Shouldn’t Take Long to Make

Simple breakfasts are always best. That means your morning meals shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to get ready. This often means making breakfasts ahead of time that only require warming up or plating up with a glass of orange juice.

However, you can also keep breakfasts simple by keeping your cupboards stocked with a range of different foods that are easy to reach for. Yogurt plus a sprinkle of your favourite cereal and some chopped raspberries? Doesn’t require making ahead and won’t take longer than 5 minutes to get your bowl ready.

And remember, breakfast doesn’t have to mean eating ‘breakfast foods’. If you want a sandwich as your first meal of the day, go ahead. Just try to make sure you use wholemeal bread!

If You Like Coffee, Don’t Just Pour and Go

If you’re a coffee drinker who can’t get going in the mornings without your dark roast, turn the creation of a good cuppa into a relaxing multistep process. Don’t just pour and go any longer!

Coffee has a lot of health benefits, and when it’s made right and with care, you’ll get a dose of all of them. Not only that, but if drinking coffee wakes you up, lengthening the process will make you feel ten times sharper!

Start by filling your coffee machine with granules you actually like the flavor and depth of. When coffee tastes good, you won’t see it as just a quick energy hit. Stick around as it pours into the pot to breathe in the smell, which can be very comforting first thing in the morning.

Once that’s done, make a habit of actually sitting down to drink the coffee. Take your time here – yes, even if you need to get ready for work! Coffee with a bit of calm reflection time can make mornings feel a lot more wholesome, especially during the winter when you’re waking up in darkness.

You’re then going to need to buy some coffee tools to clean the grinder and dust off what’s left of the roast when the machine is finished. Don’t skip this step. It’s a quick yet detail oriented task that’ll really wake you up AND you’ll save yourself a job tomorrow morning!

Grab Something for the Road

If you find eating a healthy breakfast leaves you still feeling hungry, grab something for the road while you’ve still got the chance. A banana for the bus to work, a slice of toast for the walk with the kids to school, or a yogurt pot for rounding off that bowl of muesli before heading to your WFH desk.

It’s OK to need an extra little bite to feel satisfied. After all, healthy eating isn’t just about controlling your portions and nothing else – it’s about listening to your body and giving it what it needs. And if your body needs a bit more fuel before the day gets into full swing, make sure you pay attention!

You may also want to spend time preparing breakfast type snacks you can eat on the go. Something you can just grab, as we say, and dig in whether you’re inside or out. If you’d like some ideas for these, we recommend chopped veg that’s nice raw, a cereal bar that isn’t too dry, or trail mix with a few extra dried fruits mixed in.

So, do you want to make your breakfast routine both a healthy and fulfilling venture? Keep it simple and make it more enjoyable! Even if you don’t like eating breakfast, you can still follow a routine like this and have it make a difference to your life. Just listen to your body!

Tags breakfast, fulfilling morning routine, Healthy breakfast routine, quick and easy breakfast, simple breakfast ideas

Healthy Living

Easily Available Nourishing and Healthy Food Extracts

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date August 23, 2022

What you consume has a direct impact on your well-being. Your health depends on what you eat and drink. But what you prepare in the kitchen, can also be used in other ways to improve skin and hair. Here are some nourishing and healthy food extracts you can use, both inside and outside your body.

Unsaturated Fats and Oils

Most people assume that fat is bad. But you might be unaware that there are good and bad fats. Saturated fats provide little health benefits and cause issues such as blocked arteries. You can spot these fats easily since they are solid at room temperature. Examples include lard, butter, and suet. These are fats you should consume in moderation. However, unsaturated fats are often bursting with health benefits. Examples include fresh olive oil, peanut, and sunflower oil. These are good for brain health, inflammation, and cell production and help absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Fruits, Vegetables, and Honey for Your Skin

Extraction is a complex process that takes time and money. Therefore, it isn’t feasible to do it at home, and you usually have to buy products. However, the good news is there are many fruits and vegetables you can apply directly to your skin. Using fresh ingredients for your skin helps nourish and hydrate. Orange, papaya, and cucumber are excellent for boosting vitamins A, B, C, and K. You can also make pastes using the best honey you can afford, such as Manuka honey. Honey is a natural moisturizer that will clean your pores, help alleviate acne, and exfoliate.

Healthy Food Extracts for Your Hair

In addition to consuming healthy food or applying specific food to your skin, your hair can also benefit from fresh and healthy food extracts. Hair can sometimes be unmanageable, and you may not want to apply certain chemicals. Some extracts that help, include:

Aloe Vera: Applies more moisture that helps with regeneration and repairing cells.
Henna: Provides protection enzymes similar to high-quality hair conditioner.
Coconut oil: Penetrates deep below the hair surface to provide everyday protection.

Moisture and protection are essential for healthy hair. Every day, you bombard your hair with potentially damaging things. These include applying heat when drying, brushing harshly, and even wind and rain. Natural ingredients help form barriers, moisturize, and strengthen your hair.

Alternative Water and Milk

Alternative water and milk are very popular and trendy these days. Unfortunately, some are consumed out of necessity. For example, you might have lactose intolerance and prefer soy or almond milk over cow’s milk. While you might consider consuming alternatives purely as a way to keep calories and fat intake to a minimum. Fortunately, it seems like there’s no end to the alternatives available. Popular ones include coconut water, almond milk, and celery juice. While water and milk are essential, alt-drinks provide benefits like extra vitamins and minerals.

Holistic Ingredient Supplements

Sometimes your diet alone isn’t enough to get what you need. Changing your diet can be challenging, and you may not enjoy some of the most beneficial foods. Additionally, you may have a vitamin and mineral absorption issue. This means your body doesn’t absorb enough of a specific compound that it needs, causing a vitamin deficiency. A popular way of getting more vitamins and minerals is supplemental tablets. These shouldn’t be used as a healthy diet replacement. But when used correctly can help with energy production and mood stabilization.

Summary

Healthy food extracts are widely available for better health, skin, and hair. The most common include unsaturated fats, protective blends like aloe vera, and vitamin supplements.

Cooking Techniques

3 Tips to Help You to Make Great Meals from Scratch

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date July 15, 2022

If you want to start making fantastic meals from scratch, you are not alone. So many people want to start cooking from home but if you are not an experienced cook, then you may have no idea where to start. This is completely normal but if you follow these three tips, you will start being able to make some really positive changes.

Make Great Meals by Making a Plan from the Get-go

It’s important that you make sure you have a plan if you want to start cooking from scratch. At the end of the day, convenience foods are just so easy to access.

If you want to create a meal plan, then there are many ways for you to do this. You can easily plan for a week, or you can even plan for a month if you want. At the end of the day if you end up going back and forth when it comes to your plan, then this will work against you, and you may even find that you end up not being able to stick to a solid routine. If you have a plan, then you will be able to get your meat out of the freezer in advance, and after a long day, you won’t have to worry about what you’re going to cook. It’s already laid out for you.

Start Out Easy and Don’t Push Yourself Too Hard

If you have not cooked from scratch a lot, then it is important for you to start out easy. At the end of the day, there is absolutely no point in you trying to create gourmet meals if you have no experience. You also don’t have to make every meal from scratch either.

Make simple small goals and then work to achieve them. It may be that you want to make four dinners from scratch, or that you are going to start by making your breakfasts from scratch. Either way, you have to remember that you are the boss, and if you write down a goal, it is within your power to achieve it. If you struggle with meal planning remember that you can go through a grocery pick-up service to make things easier.

Use Good Recipes

Do your bit to try and write down a big list of meals that your family love. You then need to hang it on your fridge. Look out for meals that can be done in a hurry and that do not require a lot of ingredients. You also need to prepare yourself for any adjustments that may have to be made too. You have to remember that real food tastes far different from its store-bought, pre-made counterpart and that you may need to use spices or salt to make it taste more interesting. If you do this though, you will be able to broaden your understanding of food, and this can work in your favor overall.

Update Tried-and-True Recipes

Some of the best and most compelling recipes you might know probably come from your childhood: Your mother’s and grandmother’s recipes. However, while these comfort recipes are filled with delicious memories, they may not be suitable for today’s diet anymore. They are too fattening, too sweet, too calorie-heavy. They may not be allergy-friendly or suitable for people with food intolerances.

But, you can still make them work and adapt them to today’s diet with the tips of someone like Tamme McCauley if you are unsure on how to get started. There’s no need to look far to find good recipes. Most people already have those in their family! Alternatively, you can find plenty of inspiration on cooking blogs and shows.

Unleash Your Creativity with Experimentation

Feel free to experiment with the recipes I post on this blog!

Why not see if you could make a difference in your life today by following these tips?

Creative Cookery Healthy Living

Encourage Your Child To Try New Foods

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date June 28, 2022

It’s hard to get kids to try new foods, and even harder to get them to eat healthy most of the time. Parents are always looking for new and innovative ways to get their children to eat a balanced diet. Help encourage your child to try new foods with these fun and easy tips. With a little creativity, you can make mealtime an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

Set a Good Example

Whether you realize it or not, you are probably going to be your child’s hero. They will mimic your speech, facial emotions, and even the food you consume. A Little Foodie is far more likely to develop if they see you enjoying your cuisine every day and don’t forget the odd foodie treat like taking them to their favorite pizza restaurants and having something a little naughty.

Provide Opportunities to Play with Food

It may sound messy, but introducing children to food through play is a great way to increase their familiarity and acceptance of it. There are so many entertaining methods to engage kids with food, such as making edible paint, food stamps, or conducting food taste tests or quizzes.

A rather awful evening meal can be the result of exhaustion at the end of the day and getting tired of cooking. Consider making mealtimes more enjoyable for the two of you by playing games, asking each other about their days, setting the table with elegant china, or hosting a picnic, buffet, or meze night. Why not hold kid-friendly food sampling sessions or have a theme night once a week? There are numerous methods to make the most of mealtimes and include the whole family.

Don’t Force It

Trying to force kids to eat can backfire. (It certainly did for my parents!) Our experiences dealing with parents have shown us that it does happen, and science confirms this. Take the pressure off, let them experiment with different foods, and continue to serve as an example for them. They’ll arrive.

It goes beyond simply getting someone to eat food to cultivate their love of it. Try to involve kids in the cooking process, whether that means letting them watch Jamie Oliver on TV for some TV-inspired ideas, asking them to help you plan the menu for this week, or getting them to help you chop, peel, and mix ingredients. When it comes to food, there is a lot of enjoyment to be experienced.

Let Them Decide to Try New Foods

Allowing your kids to make food decisions helps them gain independence and can also make them appreciate the food they are given more. Instead of just telling kids “no, you can’t have that,” it’s crucial to teach them how to make healthier decisions. Encourage them to consider what their bodies are truly telling them about what and why they want to eat — whether it be hunger, boredom, desires, or enjoyment – by asking them what they feel like eating.

Liven Up the Lunchbox

Put a little care in their lunchboxes. There are so many enjoyable ways to add some excitement to lunchboxes. A regular sandwich can be found in many lunch boxes. Try blending it. Quiche, pasta, toasties, vegetable kebabs, wraps, pita bread and dips, whole grain crackers, and rice salads can all use a little extra heat. You can also include a surprise element, such as a letter, amusing image, little toys, some ribbon, or a joke. This can give the lunch box a little extra flair and is a great way to get your kids excited about eating.

Tags children, kids

Healthy Living

How To Get Your Child To Eat Healthily

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date March 31, 2022

It can seem like a bit of a chore to get your little ones to adopt healthy eating practices, but it doesn’t need to be that way. So if you are struggling with ways to encourage your child to eat healthily, then look no further.

Start When They Are Young

It is a lot more difficult to try and implement changes for older children if they are already stuck in their ways. (I know this from experience because my family switched to healthy food when I was 5, and I couldn’t wait to go to Grandma’s house so I could eat salami and cookies!) So the best way to encourage your children to adopt good eating habits is to start when they are young. Their taste buds will soon adapt to more healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables and will not see them as something unappealing. So the sooner you can introduce these foods the better.

Interact With Them While They Are Eating

Children like to interact with their food, especially when they are young, so you could talk and pick up the food with them to make it seem more interesting. They also like to play around with the texture of their food and see how it feels before they eat it. So definitely encourage this if you find it is useful for them to be able to try out different flavors and textures.

Let Them Get Messy

If they end up getting a bit messy it doesn’t matter — if they end up eating their food in the end. So try not to be too discouraged if they want to pick up their food and see how the texture feels before they eat it. The main priority — ultimately — is that you get your child to eat healthily. It will also provide you with a funny photo opportunity too if they get a little messy.

Make Fruit More Appealing

It doesn’t need to be seen as a scary ingredient to your children, so if you try to be a little more creative in how you present it, such as making smoothies or getting them involved in preparing it then they might be more inclined to try a new fruit.

Start With Small Portions

Instead of presenting them with an entire fruit, you could encourage them to try different ones by cutting them up into smaller portions. Choosing an array of fruits such as bite-sized apple slices or a handful of grapes will enable them to try different fruits and hopefully come across one that they like. You will then know which fruit they prefer best which you can then implement into their diet.

Get Them Involved In The Kitchen

Encouraging them to participate in the kitchen will get them interested in food and cooking. Allow them to help you make a particular dish that is full of healthy ingredients. Cooking can be a fun and interactive activity, so if your child is able to help out in the kitchen, they may show more of an interest in food and how to prepare tasty meals.

Try Different Cuisines

You want to try and expand your child’s taste buds as much as possible so that they are less likely to become fussy eaters. Exploring different cuisines at home and cooking a variety of dishes is a good way for your child to be able to try out different food flavors and combinations.

Present The Food Nicely

If you make their plate of food seem appealing then they are going to be more likely to eat it. When they are young this could involve turning the food on the plate into a specific shape such as an animal or a smiley face. If it encourages them to interact with their food and makes it more appealing then they are much more likely to try it, compared to just piling it on a plate. My father used to do this with pancakes, and I loved it!

Persistant Patience Will Help Get Your Child To Eat Healthily

Overall you want to try and encourage good eating habits when your child is young so that they are more likely to want to eat healthy foods. It doesn’t need to be difficult to get your child to eat healthily. If you can be patient and persist with your methods then there is no reason why your child cannot enjoy an array of healthy foods.

Tags children, cooking with kids, kids