My little sister Hannah is a great cook, but more than that, she is the go-to person in our family for fun activities. She always spices up our SFRA (Shatzen Family Reply-All) emails with creative ideas for get togethers like homemade pizza night or blindfolded wine tastings (perhaps as revenge for the years we spent making her play “blindfolded baseball,” a game in which she was the only one blindfolded. Yes this was as dangerous as it sounds but she was the little sister, after all).
Our love for cooking goes way back. When we were little, we spent hours on our “cooking show,” where we took literally everything out of the pantry, set it out on the island in our kitchen, donned my mother’s aprons and played “Cooking with Sandy and Mandy.” We even had our little opening song featuring our stage names: “Sandy and Mandyyyy/Mandy and Sandyyyy” before we cut in to introduce ourselves to the viewers at home:
Me: “Hi, I’m Sandy!”
Hannah: “And I’m Mandy!”
Together: “And you’re watching ‘Cooking with Sandy and Mandy!'”
It was a very creative and groundbreaking intro in its day.
I don’t think we made it past that line before collapsing in a fit of giggles. After that, we’d proceed with making our recipe of the day, which was usually something like Ritz with Kraft American cheese or Bagel Bites. Which you have to admit are both delicious.
When off the set of Sandy and Mandy, Hannah moonlighted as Beach Patrol.
These days, Hannah’s cooking is a bit more sophisticated, albeit heavy on the fish tacos. Hey, the woman knows what she likes. I caught up with Hannah to talk more about her cooking philosophy:
Name: Hannah Shatzen
City, State: Washington, DC
Age: 24
Occupation/Role: Channel Marketing Manager, NetApp, Entrepreneur and Sister
Who taught you how to cook? I think I kind of taught myself over the years by watching the ways that my mom and grandmas cooked, how they interpreted recipes, timing, the hotness of an oven, the way to mix the dry ingredients before the wet ingredients, etc. Of course my mother and both of my grandmothers taught me how to do certain things hands-on over the years too, which I can apply to recipes when I personally cook. But at my age now, I tend to throw together things based on taste and look; I hardly ever use a recipe (but I should definitely start!).
Do you have a favorite cooking memory? What is it? I remember playing sous chef for my mom when I was little and we lived in Miami. She would always give us small tasks we could do while she cooked a big meal and it always made me feel special and like I was adding value to the meal (even though I was probably making more work for her, ha!). I also used to have a cooking show with my sister, Jill. The SANDY and MANDY show. We would throw on aprons and big chef hats and pretend to be on camera and could “cook” for hours on end. We had an intro song and everything, “Sandy and Manddddddy, Mannndy and Sanndd…” I’ll spare you the rest 🙂 (EDITOR’S NOTE: Jinx.)
Do you prefer cooking or baking? Why? I think I prefer cooking. I enjoy salty things more than sweets, so I would say that is why. Queso over cookies any day!
How often do you shop for food per week? What is your approximate food bill for an average trip to the store? I probably go grocery shopping every two weeks. I have started to go to Trader Joe’s and I’ll spend around $50-90 every visit. I can get SO much more food there than Giant and definitely more than at Whole Foods, although Whole Foods has much better quality food, so if I want to splurge, I’ll go there.
What is your favorite type of food? I could never live without Mexican or Spanish-style food. I love fish tacos garnished with cabbage and chipotle sauces, guacamole, carne asada, chimichurri sauce, plantains, it is ALL so delicious and so flavorful.
Besides the obvious, how does your cooking differ when you are feeding just yourself versus your family or a crowd? I cook to get by when I cook for myself. When I cook for a crowd, I want it to be delicious, look amazing and just be perfect. When I am alone, if it is hot and resembles food, I’ll eat it!
What are the top five tools you use in the kitchen? I am always cooking out of a skillet, which means using a spatula, too. I have to have Tupperware for leftovers, some olive oil and always salt and a dash of hot pepper flakes!
What are some of your go-to recipes? The ones you reach for time and time again and may even know by heart? I always make a lemon and garlic sauteed spinach for a quick side dish. Whenever I have leftover veggies, I will put together a veggie salad that usually consists of tomatoes, avocado, chickpeas, cucumbers, salt and pepper. Really easy, quick and delicious, served cold. If you want it to be a little bit more hearty, add some protein. I like it with chicken!
It’s Tuesday night, your significant other or family is all out of town and you are alone in your home for the evening. What are you having for dinner? I am throwing a turkey burger on the grill, sweet potato and a side of spinach. But did you say I am home alone? Realistically, I would probably order Thai and watch Real Housewives!
What is your favorite cook book/website/show/personality/etc.? My favorite cookbook is the one my mom grew up using, it is black and white and I forget what it is called, but there are SO many great recipes in there that I grew up with: homemade bread, old fashioned soft sugar cookies and more. My favorite cooking show was actually the kid version of Hell’s Kitchen. It was so adorable watching the kids cook and they were so good, too. My favorite website is Capitol Cook, duh!!
Sandy and Mandy, present day.
Cheers,
The Capitol Cook
My little sister Hannah is a great cook, but more than that, she is the go-to person in our family for fun activities. She always spices up our SFRA (Shatzen Family Reply-All) emails with creative ideas for get togethers like homemade pizza night or blindfolded wine tastings (perhaps as revenge for the years we spent making her play “blindfolded baseball,” a game in which she was the only one blindfolded. Yes this was as dangerous as it sounds but she was the little sister, after all).
When off the set of Sandy and Mandy, Hannah moonlighted as Beach Patrol. 
The Capitol Cook 