Lunette's Wee Cooking Class

Everyone's Favorite Cookie

2012-01-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

This project really tests a child's capacity for sharing. Will a child with four cookies to take home share them with her sister, or mother, or father? Some do and some don't.

Yes, I really did create a bit of a dilemma for my cooking students without meaning to. By allowing the children a free will to choose what they wanted to do with the cookies sent home with them this week, I also, created an agonizing choice for some. "I love my family but I also love these cookies. Should I share this limited treasure with them?" Moral choices start young.

I did make one demand as the sovereign cooking teacher. They could not eat them for lunch. They had to wait until they were pick up before they could eat them or share them with their family. This created a new dilemma by putting the law, governing when the cookies were eaten, in the hands of the parents. One mother, who was surprised to find her son was not willing to share his cookies with her or his sister, struck upon a lovely resolution. She plans on making a batch of these delicious American favorites at home with both her children. It is here, in one's home, where life lessons are best wrestled with, in the company of those who unconditionally love you.

If I have prompted more families baking together, then I am happy to have caused this temporary dilemma for my darling little cookers. So get to work moms and dads. Bake up a batch these irresistible treats with someone you love today. The recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies is in a previous post.

While I am on the subject of life lessons, let me recommend, "Cookies: Bite Size Life Lessons", by author, Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrator, Jane Dyer. This beautifully illustrated book, for young children, uses cookies to teach the meaning of such word as Trustworthy, Compassionate, Pessimistic, Optimistic and more. I didn't have this book available to read during the week we were baking cookies, so, when you make your batch of cookies you can have an even greater purpose than feeding your children's sweet tooth. You can read this book and talk about life lessons while enjoying a plate of great tasting cookies with your child.

It is important to have accurately measured ingredients for this recipe. The difference of a couple of Tablespoons will affect how the cookies bake in the oven. The children eagerly take the challenge and do their best to make accurate measurements.

The children usually are very focused on the measuring process. They are constantly evaluating if the other children are "doing it right."

Do you know why cooks are so mean? They beat the eggs and whip the cream. In this case they get to pound the butter.

Ice Cream made easy

2012-01-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

The weather forecast included the possibility of snow. I had hoped we would be eating ice cream while watching fluffy, white, flakes floating outside our window, but we got rain instead. All the more reason to enjoy creating our own frozen treat in the comfort of a warm classroom.

I have made ice cream before in my cooking classes but this year it was immeasurably easier and cleaner due to the new equipment we have for making ice cream. The school purchased two "Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker" this past summer. This unique, well designed tool actually helped make this project fun for all. The children truly enjoyed the work instead of whining about how tired they were and the end product was consistently better than when we use to make ice cream in a bag.

To see how ice used to be made visit "Vanilla Snow or Ice Cream in a Bag." By reading the instructions that came with the "Play and Freeze I learned that the higher the butter fat the quicker the ice cream will freeze. That explains why my previous attempts to make ice cream had inconsistent results and why it took longer for the ice cream to get firm enough to spoon out of the bag. When using the "Play and Freeze" we actually had ice cream after 15 minutes of rolling the ball around. We used:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons of flavoring

1/3 cup of sugar

The "Play and Freeze" is constructed in the shape of a ball with a pint size center compartment for the ice Cream ingredients.

Another compartment filled with ice and salt surrounds the center.

When the ball is rolled around, the ice and salt freeze the cream and milk while mixing it all together.

10 minutes after starting the ball rolling, the center compartment needs to be scraped to mix the frozen ingredients with the unfrozen ingredients, but then it only took another 5 minutes before it was all frozen enough to serve.

As is often the case, a mistake made on Tuesday turned out to be a good thing. I discovered of a new and delicious ice cream flavor. I was planning on making the old standard, vanilla. I thought I would add excitement with a dash of toffee bits mixed in, but while setting up the classroom materials I made a mistake.

One of the tips I give in helping children be successful in cooking is using a small, partially filled bottle when having them measure extracts. (See "Hot Chocolate and the Prepared Environment") On Tuesday I filled, what I thought was, the small bottle of vanilla with more vanilla extract, but when we were eating the ice cream I thought it tasted more like cherry. I took a closer look at the vanilla extract bottles.

Huh, I had added a small amount of imitation vanilla flavoring to a small amount of almond extract, so the flavoring we added to the ice cream was almond/vanilla. And let's not forget the tiny toffee bits we added just for fun. I absolutely loved the taste of my mistake and most of the children did, too. There were a few children who didn't finish their ice cream, but I didn't have any children who declined to try it. When asked, "Raise your hand if you liked the ice cream," one hand just wasn't enough.

When I see these happy children I can't help but recall the rhyme my father and I use to chant while driving to "Rich Maid Ice Cream Parlor" Sunday evenings after church.

"You scream,

I scream,

We all scream,

For ice cream."

Should I suggest a new flavor to "Ben and Jerry"?

Vanilla Almond Toffee, it's a big hit with the 3 to 5 year olds and one ancient preschool teacher.

More Vegetables Please

2012-01-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

If you would like to hear your children ask for more vegetables at the dinner table, then consider this simple way to prepare them. Of course, there are some die hard vegetable abstainers in every school but I managed to show a few self proclaimed vegetablephobics that carrots, potatoes, yams, and turnips can be delicious.

After I introduce the names of the four vegetables I use in this project, the children take turns scrubbing them and then cutting them into half inch cubes. We keep each vegetable separate in its own bowl. When all the children have taken their turn cutting vegetable, we drizzle vegetable oil over the cubes and toss to coat each piece. I then spread them out on a baking sheet. sprinkle with salt and roast them in a hot oven at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

While the children are eating the roasted carrots, potatoes, yams, and turnips, I ask them which is their favorite. This year I did not graph the results but the responses wavered between carrots, potatoes, and yams. It is not surprising that turnips are seldom chosen as favorite but you may be surprised to know that most of the children ate them never the less. While consuming the vegetables I also take an opportunity to review the names of these roots. One preschool girl had no trouble naming the carrot and the potato. She hesitated on the yam but then accurately remembered its name. When it came to the turnip she rolled her eyes to side thinking hard. You could see the concentration on her face as she said, "tur...., tur............, tarantula?"

I can't find the pictures I took of this project but if you would like to see pictures from previous years you can visit "Eating More Vegetables -Roasted Roots."
or "More Roasted Roots." I also have a book review about tur....., tur........, turnips.

Secrets to Stone Soup

2012-01-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

The first question I get when I pick up children for cooking class is, "What are we making today?" When I tell them, "We're going to make Stone Soup," the response is often amazement. "Are we really going to put rocks in the soup? "But we don't really have to eat the stones, do we?" "If we eat stones our teeth might break." And so the tradition of Stone Soup continues by whetting the appetite with curiosity.

Secret #1

The biggest challenge for me in making Stone Soup is how to get a confirmed vegetable hater to eat a soup chocked full of vegetables. I must have heard a dozen children tell me, "I don't like vegetables," after they saw what we were putting in the soup along with the stones. There is never a reluctance to scrub the vegetables or to chop the vegetables, only to eat the vegetables; and so, it gives me inward satisfaction when I can convert a skeptical preschooler into a happy vegetable consumer. This year I had the most staunch, no compromising resisters of any previous years. A few children never took a bite of the soup or the roasted vegetables; but, I am happy to report, there were also a few who took one tiny taste and ended up eating the whole serving of soup and asked for more. The secret to good soup is a delicious broth and since I have to keep our projects simple, I have to keep the broth easy to make but decidedly delicious. Here is my secret:

"Frontier Herbs Vegetarian Chicken Flavored Broth Powder.

This broth powder has given my soups, casseroles and anything requiring chicken broth an addicting quality for years, in spite of the fact there are no animal products in it. Even when I make broth from the carcass of a roasted chicken I add this powder until I have a rich, satisfying flavor that is not overly salty. The first sound I hear as children take their first sip of soup is, "mmmmm..." I order this broth powder by the pound from "Farmer's Market" in Phoenix, Oregon. A winter never goes by without ordering 3 or 4 pounds.

Secret #2

Children love to add their own salt and pepper to food. Allowing children to exercise this privilege gives they a feeling of control but can also result in overly salty or spicy food. Here is my simple solution:

Tiny salt and pepper shakers.

I purchased these adorable snowmen at an after Christmas Sale at our local "home store." There are three tiny holes for the salt and two tiny holes for the pepper. I had a few ambitious boys try to empty the shakers in their bowls but before their soup could be ruined I declared they had had "enough" and I put the shakers away. Most of the children, however, gave a few shakes and altered the flavor of the soup only in their minds. I suggest every family with children have a least one pair of tiny salt and pepper shakers to use with meals so children can feel some control over the food they are given to eat. I love having a collection of tiny salt and pepper shakers to use with every changing season.

Secret #3

Read a version of "Stone Soup" to your children when you make this soup. There are many versions of this classic folktale from different cultures. My current favorite is the one retold and illustrated by Jon J. Muth, titled "Stone Soup." His water color illustrations are beautiful and reflect Chinese culture and customs. Mr. Muth's version uses Buddhist monks as the traveler's looking for hospitality.

Reading this version in class prompted some interesting discussions when the children wanted to know, "What's a monk?" Try explaining that to children who have no concept of religion. One answer lead to another question. Finally, I explained that, "A Buddhist or a Christian monk is a person who studies religion. They try to understand spiritual things like: why we were created, what happens after we die, and what makes something right or wrong and they try to teach other people about these things." After my fumbling attempts to define a monk, the kindergarten girl who asked what religion was, said, "That's what I'm going to be when I grow up. I'm going to teach people about religion."

If Muth's version of "Stone Soup" is your first reading of my favorite old folktale about the joy of sharing, don't let it be your last. You never know what interesting discussions may come from such stories.

For directions on making Stone Soup visit an earlier post called,
"Stone Soup."
For a description of my book recommendation visit another earlier post called,
"Stone Soup, a lesson in hospitality."
And, finally, here are some pictures of the children making soup.

Using the wavy choppers to cut the vegetables.

Salting the soup.

Mmmmmmm....... Can I have some more?

Thumb Print Cookies

2012-01-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

We were scheduled to make cut out Christmas cookies for the last week of school in December but when I got to school I realized I didn't have the necessary ingredients, so.... I looked in the cupboards and the cookbooks and came up with this lovely holiday cookie which could still be called "Christmas Cookies." It turned out to be a lovely addition to my cooking projects.

In keeping with the Christmas theme I decided to use green food coloring in the dough. After several children commented that the cookie dough looked "just like play dough", I decided to leave the food coloring out on Wednesday. The results were far more appetizing, so for the rest of the week we made white cookies filled with strawberry jam. They still looked Christmasy with the red and white colors and no one was reminded of "Playdough" while eating them.

One of the great things about this recipe is it provides an opportunity for children to practice rolling dough between their hands to form balls. This seems like a simple task to an adult but it is not so simple for young children.

This girl was an expert but not everyone found making balls of dough easy. Some children even found it mildly frustrating. For some, the only shape that developed was a log. For those we used a knife to cut the log into four pieces and called it good.

After the balls are formed a thumb impression needs to be made it the dough. This will hold the jam. I knew from experience that a preschooler's thumb would not make much of an impression so I tried using a measuring spoon to make the indention. The rounded shape of the teaspoon proved the ideal tool for the job.

I let the first group of cookers fill the cookies with jam, but it turned into such a mess and took so much time that I quickly opted to add the jam myself after the children were finished forming the the cookies.

Each child ended up making four cookies to take home and share with their family. I liked them so much I made a batch at home to give to neighbors as a gift. One neighbor in response wanted the recipe to make for a family gathering. Here's the recipe so you can make these at home for your holiday gatherings.

Thumb Print Cookies

1/2 cup Butter

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract

1 cup Flour

Cream the butter, sugar, and salt together. Whisk in the egg and extract. Stir in the flour until dough forms. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place dough balls on ungreased baking pan and press the bottom of a measuring spoon into the dough to form a well. Fill the well with strawberry jam.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

The jam will be very hot, so be sure to allow the cookies to cool before giving them to the children.

Hot Cocoa with Peppermint Marshmallows

2011-12-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

Where were these yummy marshmallows when I was a kid? I managed to teach the Monday and Tuesday cooking classes without marshmallow, but every group of children asked, "Where's the marshmallows?" So, I went to the store Tuesday evening and found the perfect accompaniment to hot cocoa, peppermint marshmallows. I haven't told the Monday/Tuesday children about the peppermint marshmallow because I didn't want to spoil the happy memory of drinking hot cocoa plain, in its purest form. However, the truth is, the joy in drinking hot cocoa is doubled when you have peppermint marshmallows to add to its creamy goodness. So, if you get a chance, pick up a bag of these pink bits of sweetness to keep on hand for adding to your home made hot chocolate. Whether plain or deck out for the holidays, hot cocoa made with whole milk is the quintessential drink for winter. Follow the link for instructions on how to make Hot Chocolate from scratch and discover how good the real thing is.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

2011-11-22T18:45:00.001-08:00

This year, I decided to introduce the whole spices with the ground spices so that the children would know that cinnamon is from the bark of a tree, ginger is from a root, and nutmeg comes from a nut like seed. The kindergarten class had a nutmeg and cinnamon grating work in their classroom, so they recognized those two spices and a surprising number of children recognized the ginger root. Regardless of whether they recognized the spice or not they all enjoyed smelling them as we passed them around. The nutmeg, as always, got a few negative reactions to the smell, but it is one of the necessary spices that mixes with ginger and cinnamon to give pumpkin pie its distinct flavor.

The smell of the pumpkin, also, caused a few children to turn up their noses. Measuring the pumpkin was probably the most difficult part in making the mini pumpkin pies. I forgot to "paint the inside of the measuring cup with oil" on Monday. After struggling to dig the pumpkin out of the can and pack it into the measuring cup, the children then had to struggle to get it out of the measuring cup. By Tuesday I remembered to show the rest of the classes how to oil the measuring cup so the pumpkin would fall out easily after measuring it.

This is how we flatten the pie crust for our mini pies.

The finished product is beautifully fragrant from the three pumpkin pie spices. For more details about making mini pumpkin pies visit my previous post

"Wee Pumpkin Pies".

Pumpkin Waffles with home made syrup

2011-11-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, necessity is the mother of invention. In this case, it was Monday morning and things were kind of crazy in the first hour of opening the school. I didn't get much chance to inventory my supplies until it was time to set up for cooking class. As I was setting out all the ingredients for making Pumpkin Waffles I realized I had forgotten to buy syrup. I usually mix one part maple syrup with one part agave syrup and use this combination on pancakes and waffles. I didn't have either, but I did have brown sugar.

As a child I used to have sleep overs with my friend Michelle. I remembered her mother making syrup once from brown sugar to serve over pancakes. I loved that syrup but never had it again since my family always had a bottle of store bought syrup on hand. This week the need for syrup prompted me to look on line for brown sugar syrup. Sure enough, people have been making brown sugar syrup for ages. I added pumpkin pie spices to the recipe and discovered my old favorite all over again. Don't wait until you run out of syrup before making your own brown sugar syrup for your next batch of pancakes and be sure to try this spicy version if you make the Pumpkin Waffles.

Spicy Brown Sugar Syrup

1 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup Water

Pumpkin Pie Spice (to taste)

1 Tablespoon Butter

Bring the sugar, spices, and water to a boil. Add the butter and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Allow syrup to cool slightly before using. While hot, the syrup is very thin, but when the syrup cools completely it has the consistency of store bought pancake syrup with lumps of butter. I like to serve it while it is still warm. It will soak into the waffles.

Pumpkin Waffles

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Then mix the wet ingredients together in different bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until combined. The batter will be thick. Spoon batter onto a hot waffle iron and cook according to directions. This recipe will make eight 4" waffles.

The best muffin cup

2011-11-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

To be blunt, don't even think about using anything other than "If you Care" unbleached muffin cups. These paper liners will peel easily off your cupcakes and muffins without taking half the cake with it. They come in three sizes, mini, regular, and large. If your store doesn't carry them ask for them. I won't use anything else.

Moist Spicy Pumpkin Muffins

2011-11-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

There are red, orange, maroon, yellow, and bright green leaves falling against the background of a dark evergreen hillside. I can watch this kaleidoscope of color from the cooking class windows while the aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger surround me like a warm blanket. I have yet to find a child or adult doesn't enjoy the pumpkin pie spiciness of these moist, little morsels. Mmm..., fall is my favorite feast for the senses.

In my previous post for this project I didn't manage to capture a picture of the finished product, so I decided to post this one, two years later, with photos of what mini muffins looked like instead of referring you to "The Pioneer Woman's" blog. I, also, decided to include the recipe as we made them.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Use a pastry cutter and then your hands to thoroughly combine the butter with the flour mixture. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin, milk, egg and vanilla together with a whisk. Dump the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.

Using mini muffin tin, drop a heaping tablespoon into each muffin cup. If not using paper liner, grease the muffin tin with vegetable oil or butter. You can sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar. Half the time I sprinkled the tops and half the time I forgot. Either way, they turned out delicious. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. This recipe makes 32-36 mini muffins.

Here are some photos from the 2011 cookers.

Those are some happy kids. What a joy it is to be their cooking teacher.

This is a group effort. Everyone concentrates when measuring because they know this is their moment to shine.

The children are usually VERY careful with liquid measuring. For tips on how to make your children successful at this delicate task see "Hot Chocolate and the Prepared Environment."

The vanilla extract is measured over a votive candle holder. If any spills we can save it, but as you can see, the children rarely spill it. Again, see "Hot Chocolate and the Prepared Environment" for helpful tips.

Using the pastry cutter caused a lot of interest. Many children wanted to try using it.

The children are checking the recipe to see how much of the next ingredient we need. I ask them if the amount is a whole number or a fraction. Even this early in the year many children can recognize the difference in the recipe.

I am showing the children where 1/2 cup line is on the liquid measuring cup.

Everyone gets to stir the batter after measuring and adding an ingredient.

Each child was able to take 5 muffins home to share with their family.

Individual Apple Crisp

2011-11-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

This project couldn't be more easy or more fun and delicious. Since I created this recipe for one serving of apple crisp, baked in individual pans, it can be used with one child or a classroom of 30. The ingredients are set up consecutively around the table enabling the children to follow each step around the table in what I like to call "The Apple Crisp Factory." I use the same process when making apple pie. See "As Easy As Apple Pie."

We start by scrubbing the apples.

Each child gets to peel, core, and slice the apple with the hand cranked machine. I've never found a child who didn't love this part.

The next step is to sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cinnamon sugar over the apple slices. After all the apples are sliced and mixed in a large bowl, the children each take a small bowl and measure into it 1 tablespoon of whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon of unbleached flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of quick oats.

The dry ingredients are stirred together and then 1 tablespoon of butter is added. I have the butter precut into cubes of 1 tablespoon each.

Mixing the butter in is not easy. I let the children struggle with it for a brief moment before offering to help. Most children gladly let me finish mixing the butter while they spoon the cinnamon apples into the pie tin.

After the topping is sprinkled over the apples, I tuck a slip of paper with the child's name on it along the side of the pan and then have the children place their pan of apple crisp on a large baking sheet. When all the pans have been prepared, I put them all in to bake for 35 minutes. The children are then free to choose something else to do while the fragrant aroma escaping from the oven can cause some to burst forth in joyful dancing.

Apple crisp has a way of turning an ordinary day into a reason to celebrate. Now that I have a recipe for just one serving of apple crisp, I think I will find more occasions to make this lovely treat on ordinary days, because I know that I won't be facing the temptation of eating a whole 8 x8 pan full in one sitting.

Individual Apple Crisp

1 large Apple
1 tablespoon Cinnamon Sugar
1 tablespoon Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon Unbleached Flour
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Quick Oats
1 tablespoon Butter

Peel, core, and slice apple. Place apple slices in a 4 inch pie pan or casserole dish. Sprinkle apples with the cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. In a small bowl mix the rest of the dry ingredients together, then use a fork or your fingers to smash the butter into the dry ingredients until there are no more bits of butter and the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the apples. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow the crisp to cool slightly before eating. Optional toppings include Vanilla Yogurt, Ice Cream, and Whipped Cream

Fresh Apple Cake

2011-10-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

After talking with several parents, I learned that some children were not inclined to share any of their Apple Cake with family members. I guess they felt like the little Red Hen, "Since you didn't help me measure the flour, mix the ingredients, or chop the apples, I'll just have to eat this whole deliciously moist and fragrant cake myself." One preschooler reported he didn't get to eat any of his cake, "My dad ate the whole thing." I am sure there is a perfectly good explanation for this and most likely involves a finicky preschool eater.

The good news is - this is a fairly easy, from scratch recipe you can make at home where everyone can help in the preparation and everyone can enjoy the finished product.

This recipe was originally for twelve muffins but we adapted it for eight beautiful, mini 4" cakes.. The cooking time is the same for muffins or mini cakes.

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon or apple pie spice
3/4 cup apple juice
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped apples

Mix all the dry ingredients together with a whisk in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl whisk the apple juice, egg, and oil together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Stir in the chopped apples. Fill eight mini cake pans with about 3/4 cup batter. If not using non-stick pans be sure to oil the pans and place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of the pans or line 12 muffins tins with paper liners before filling. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes. I found 22 minutes to be perfect for the cakes. If making these for breakfast, reduce sugar by half. If making these for desert, you can dust the top with powdered sugar.

I intended to take photos of the children measuring, mixing and chopping apples while we made these cakes in cooking class, but discovered that I had neglected to take even one photo while I was up to my elbows in batter; so, I used this as an excuse to make an entire batch of cakes at home.

I really wanted to get a photo of the children chopping the apples. Every child gleefully wanted to try chopping apples with the chopping tool. They seemed delighted with a reason to pound their little hands against something as hard as they could.

The chopper is manually powered and usually does a wonderful job of chopping just about everything. Many children did not have the strength to hit the handle with enough force to start or finish the chopping, but I let them blissfully pound away as long as they wanted. If I saw that a preschooler's best efforts weren't getting the job done, I was able to assist by giving the chopper three good whacks in the beginning (just to get it started) and giving it three good whacks at the end (for good measure.)

Most of the kindergarten children had enough strength to do the chopping without any help from me. So, if you want to involve your children in food chopping I would recommend buying one of these tools. This one happens to be a "Norpro" brand but I purchased my first one through "Pampered Chef."

After making these cakes at home I brewed myself a pot of tea and enjoyed, what I consider, the perfect October snack for an Indian summer afternoon.

Pan Fried Potatoes

2011-04-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

Cold boiled Potatoes cooked with the skins on

Vegetable oil

salt and pepper

dried parsley flakes

I boil the unpeeled potatoes the night before and allow them to cool in the refrigerator overnight. Cook one potato for each two children. In the morning cut them in half lengthwise and place face down on a plate. Cutting boiled potatoes is very different from cutting raw potatoes as the children did the week before, therefore, I demonstrate peeling the skin off with my fingers and then cutting the potato half with my wavy chopper.

I ask the children, "What does it mean to boil something?"

"You put it in the oven?"

"You put it in a pot?"

"You cook it?"

"Well, yes, you put it in a pot and cook it with water. You make the water so hot it forms bubbles of steam. When you boil food you cook it in boiling water."
"Your job will be to peel the skin off these boiled potatoes and then dice them."
"Do you know what it means to dice something."
? ?
"It just means to cut something into the shape of dice. What shape are dice?
Square?
Yes, the square shape of a cube. Of course, all your pieces won't be perfect cubes, but you get the idea.

As I demonstrate dicing the boiled potatoes I use my hand to hold the potato and I tell the children they can use their hands to hold the potatoes on this project because the potatoes are so easy to cut they won't need to push hard or use great force to cut these vegetables into cubes.

The children put all of the cut potatoes into a common bowl and then I dump them into the frying pan when all are finished. I takes about 12 to 15 minutes to brown the potatoes. Use high heat and plenty of oil to accomplish this. Sprinkle some parsley flakes for color. Children love to season their own food so don't add any salt or pepper. Let the children do that. Serve this golden brown comfort food while reading a favorite story.

Alphabet Vegetable Soup

2011-04-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you right now. Making soup is not going to be everyone's favorite project. I did hear back from several parents, however, that their child was impressed with how easy it was to make great tasting soup. So, even though a handful of children would not even take the tiniest of tastes, and others didn't finish their bowl, some children loved it and wanted more. Here's how to make it.

Bring 1 can or 2 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth to a boil. Add diced potato, diced carrot, and fresh peas out of the pod. Cook vegetable for 10 minutes. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of alphabet pasta. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Remove pot from stove and add 2 or 3 ice cubes before serving. This will make enough for very small servings (one ladle full) of soup for 7 children. Season with salt and pepper. (The children love to season their food. I use shakers with small holes.)

Instead of using a traditional cutting board as I have been doing for 4 years, I used these plastic baskets. It worked pretty good. Cutting the vegetables inside the baskets prevented pieces from flying off the cutting board unto the floor which happens all the time with children because I encourage them to use both hands on top of the chopper instead of holding the vegetables with one hand and the chopper with the other. I prefer flying vegetables to cut fingers. So, I may have discovered, yet another, ingenious adaptation for cooking with children, "The Cutting Board Basket." You learned of it first, right here, in "Lunette's Wee Cooking Class."

Not all the children may have wanted to eat the soup, but all wanted to chop vegetables.

Finding words in the soup was another fun part of eating the soup. One preschool class really got excited about finding words in the soup.

"I found a Z," reported Zoe.

"I found a D," exclaimed Daniel.

I dug in my soup, held up a spoon and declared, "I found R-U-G in my soup."

"What does that spell? asked a preschooler.

"Rug, I found a rug in my soup," I laughed.

The children smiled

"Wait a minute. Here is B-U-G. I sound out the letters.

"Now I have a bug in my soup."

"Ewww," the children all exclaim.

Then one child asks, "What does T-O-P spell?"

"Top," I reply.

"What does G-R-A spell?" asks another.

"Nothing, but if you switch the letters around you can spell rag, R-A-G."

"What does R-T-Z-D Spell?" asks one 3 year old.

"Nothing, there are lots of ways to spell nothing," I smile.

The children smile at my little joke and continue to find new ways to spell nothing with the alphabet noodles.

To view all the photos of this project visit the Alphabet Vegetable Soup web album.

Caterpillar Cupcakes for the first of April

2011-03-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

This is my idea of an April Fools joke. This is the children's idea of a great cooking project. The recipe is from my mother's recipe file. The original name was "Crazy Cake" because you measured and mixed the ingredients in the same 9x13 pan you baked in. There are no eggs or milk. I reduced the ingredients to half, just enough for 12 cupcakes. I also use half the original sugar making these cupcakes more appealing to teacher's who have to stay with preschoolers all afternoon after they have eaten their cupcakes. I tried to make them without frosting but found the gummy caterpillars did not stay put without the frosting. If the caterpillars are put on immediately after coming out of the oven they will partly melt making a bond to the cupcake, but a little frosting makes them much more festive to the preschool mind.

Caterpillar Cupcakes

1/2 cup sugar (brown or white)

1 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup water

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Measure ingredients into a mixing bowl in the order given, whisking after each addition. Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter into paper lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool on rack and then frost and place 1 or 2 caterpillars on top. Serve for April Fools desert. Yield: 10 to 12 cupcakes depending on how full you fill the muffin cups.

Hawaiian Pancakes

2011-03-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 Tablespoons Oil

1/4 cup crushed pineapple (drained)

1/4 cup shredded coconut

Mix all ingredients in the order listed. Spoon batter onto hot griddle and cook both sides until golden brown. Serve with pineapple syrup. Make pineapple syrup by draining the pineapple juice from the crushed pineapple. Add orange juice or other juice to make desired amount. Whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch per cup of juice. Heat over med high heat until boiling. Stir for one minute and then set aside until ready to use.

Most of the children liked these pancakes, but a few of the least adventuresome refused to try even one bite.

Animal Bread

2011-03-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

The first time I was presented with the idea of forming bread dough into objects of art was as a high school junior working at a summer camp as a dish washer. One day, when the cook had some extra bread dough, he told the kitchen staff they could create their own personal bread by shaping it into something that represented what they did at camp. The man in charge of the rifle range made a rifle. The woman who gave horse rides made a horse. The man who worked at the marina made a canoe. The life guard make a life saver. I made a flower. You don't think I was going to make a pile of dirty dishes, do you? Even though I was 16 years old, I found it difficult to transform the stretchy dough into a shape that resembled anything recognizable. Most of your students will find it difficult, also, if you do not show them how.

I know teachers want children to express their own personality through their art, nevertheless, I found it is necessary to demonstrate how to create a creature or flower or other object for the students before they attempt to make it on their own. I usually ask them for suggestions. Going around the circle each child gives a suggestion. I choose one of the ideas and show the children how to make it by cutting, rolling, flattening, and shaping the dough. Then I give each child their own lump of dough and a butter knife to begin their own process of creating bread dough art. I offer assistance as needed. The children used currants and slivered almonds for eyes, mouths, horns, claws, spikes, spots and buttons.

The last time we make animal bread ("Art You Can Eat") I used "Rhodes Frozen Whole Wheat Bread Dough." This time I made the whole wheat bread dough in my bread machine before coming to school. Either way, it is a fun project to do with the children. They all enjoyed it. I only had one grumpy child who didn't want to try making something out of the dough, but after a little encouragement and help the dough was transformed into a very prickly monster and the preschooler was proud to acknowledge it as her own.

We had lots of lovely examples of sea slugs, spiky snakes, spiders, ladybugs, and flowers. We had a buffalo, gingerbread girl, crabs, and a variety of other creatures. I witnessed children happily munching their animal bread in its simple baked form.

Since there is nothing for the children to measure and mix with this project, I used the introduction time for a math lessons. I start with one lump of dough.

"Now I am going to cut this one lump of dough into fractions. A fraction is a piece of one whole thing. A fraction is always smaller than one. How many pieces do we need for this project?"

We count how many people there are.

"There are seven children and one adult. That makes eight. I am going to cut this one lump of dough into eight equal pieces."

"If I cut this dough in half, I have two halves. If I cut each of these pieces in half how many pieces will I have?"

"Yes, you're right, there will be four. Each piece is one forth of the whole lump of dough."

"How many pieces will I have if I cut each of these pieces in half?"

As I start cutting children start guessing how many there will be. I hear 5...6...7....8.....9. When I stop cutting I invite the children to count the pieces with me.

"There are eight equal pieces. Each piece is one eighth of the one whole piece of dough. Each child will get one eighth of the dough to knead and then make it into something."

The children sprinkle a little bit of flour on the table. I give each child a butter knife to cut the dough with. They create their animal and then we transfer it to the baking sheet. Sometimes adjustments need to be made after the transfer because an arm of leg or head may fall off.

Due to time constraints, I only gave the dough 20 minutes to rise and then baked the animal bread for 20 minutes. If you are doing this at home you could allow the dough to rise longer.
Eating your spider or snake is a whole study in human nature.
When you were little, did you bite the head of your gingerbread man? I never, never did. I always started at the legs, then ate the arms, the body and finally the head. Every child eats the creature they made out of bread dough differently. Where would you start eating a giant ant?

Pink or Green Noodles

2011-02-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

I found my camera and then broke it, therefore, I continue to not have pictures of the cooking projects. It is actually easier to post something without the work of downloading and transferring pictures but it is not nearly as enjoyable. The children are just so "dog gone" adorable.

They were especially cute in this project. Not only were the children excited about eating noodles, they were most excited about making them. Everyone was eager to have a turn at turning the handle on the pasta machine. There is something magical about watching a lump of dough being squeezed between two roller and coming out flat as a tortilla, watching it grow from a small flat piece into an enormous flat piece of dough. As if that wasn't exciting enough, watching the dough come out as thin ribbons of dough in the final stage is like watching a chick hatching. One is tempted to consider it a miracle, if you happen to be three or four years old.

Since is was still February when we made the noodles, I decided to make them pink. In the past I used beet powder but this year I decided to use canned beets blended into a puree and used this beet puree to replace some or all of the water. If I had 6 or less children in class I used only beet puree. If I had my typical 7 children then I used half water and half beet puree. That way, I had 7 different ingredients, one for each child to measure. It is challenging trying to make each preschooler feel equally active in the measuring process. One way I do this is by trying to have one ingredient for each child. Often I accomplish this by dividing the flour into 1/2 whole wheat flour or semolina flour, and 1/2 unbleached flour or by some other clever combining of ingredients. By using all beet puree the color of the noodles is more vibrant and I would suggest this for those making these noodles at home.

The good thing about this project is, no matter how involved the children are in the measuring and mixing process, they can all be involved in the transformation of dough to noodles, therefore, this is a good project for larger classes. The dough can be made with the children observing and then each child can process a small portion of the dough.

This recipe is enough for 6 small portions of noodles. I doubled the recipe with my class of 7 and had enough noodles for myself to enjoy as well.

Pink Noodles

1 Egg

1 Tablespoon water

2 Tablespoons beet puree

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semolina flour

1/2 cup unbleached flour

Blend the first 5 ingredients together with a whisk. Stir in the flour and mix until a ball of dough is formed. Add more water or puree if needed to mix in all the flour but do not make the dough wet. Kneed the dough on a flour covered surface until smooth. Cut the dough into 5 or 6 pieces. Flatten the dough with your hand and coat generously with flour. Feed the dough through the rollers of a pasta machine at the thickest setting while a child turns the handle. Fold the dough over twice and press together, coating again with flour, then feed through the roller again. If the dough is too wet you will have to do this several time until the dough is smooth when it come out of the rollers, but if it is smooth you can proceed to the next setting. I go from setting 1 (the thickest) to setting 3 and then to 5. Settings thinner than 5 are not suitable when working with children. By the time the dough comes out of the last setting the piece is too long so I cut it into 2 or 3 pieces and then you take the handle out and put it in the noodle cutting rollers. I found the wide cut is better than the thin noodles when children are handling them. I found the children enjoy working in teams. One child turns the handle while the other child catches the noodles. Then they switch places. When all the noodles are cut, I drop them into a pot of salted boiling water for a few minutes. When they float to the top I taste test them for being done. When done, I immediately drain them in a colander. When drained I transfer them back to the pot, add tablespoons of butter and season with salt. If the children want pepper they can have it on their individual serving. I found many children do not like pepper.

For Green Noodles substitute parsley puree for the beet puree. I made the green noodles in March and I must say, they were prettier than the pink noodles and I think the children liked them better, also, even though they thought the parsley puree looked like pond slime and moaned at the sight of it.

While eating the noodles I read a story or tell stories about when I was a child. For one class I told the children:

"When I was a child I loved noodles. I only wanted to eat noodles with butter, salt and pepper but my mother thought I needed more substance with my meals than just noodles because I was a very skinny child, just skin and bones really. She would not let me eat only noodles with butter. I had to have sauce on the noodles. So, when I grew up I decided I could eat noodles the way I like them. Now I can to eat noodles with only butter, salt and pepper."

Well, you have to be careful what you tell children. You never know exactly how things get translated. Apparently, one child who is very dear to me, went home and told this story to his mother. I am not sure what point he was trying to make but the jest of the story went something like this. "All Lunette ate when she was a child was noodles with butter, salt and pepper." The mother was glad to learn I did have more food options than noodles as a child. But as a 5 year old child, a buttered noodles diet sounds pretty close to perfect in my memory. Of course that only covers the main course, dessert is another category all together.

For pictures of children making noodles, visit my earlier posts "Noodles for a long a happy life." and "Pink Egg Noodles."

Fried Rice and Table Manners

2011-02-18T22:07:00.000-08:00

When making fried rice with the children I remembered the "Grace and Courtesy" lessons I taught when in a regular classroom. I realized cooking was the perfect setting for presenting these lessons as a natural part of the cooking process. Instead of dishing up the food and passing it out to the children as I have been doing, I starting allowing the children to set the table.

When the children came to the table to eat, we then were able to practice good table manners and common courtesy, such as:

"Would you like some fried rice?"

"Yes, please."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Please pass the soy sauce."

"May I have some more rice, please."

I discovered that reminders of these basic courteous phrases are still profitable in helping children develop a habit of gracious manners.

Valentine Biscuits

2011-02-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

If you want a project that is sure to please, try this one. I like to imagine this preschooler is preparing for the day it is his turn to cook at the fire station. I don't remember a single child who turned their nose up at eating one of these delicious and beautiful biscuits. They also enjoyed making them. I have explained the process in detail in my earlier post called "Special Occasion Biscuits." The recipe can be found in another earlier post called "Valentine Tea Biscuits."

In precious years I let the children make two biscuits, one to eat and one to take home to their family, but with seven children in the first class I decided I only had time for each child to make one biscuit. Some of the biscuits made it home because they didn't all get finished baking before the children went back to class. The smaller classes, with only five children, were able to eat their biscuit before going back to class while I read "Oh My Baby, Little One." I don't think any biscuits from this group made it home. You know what that means, folks, you are just going to have to try these out yourself, at home. They will probably become a family tradition. I hope so.

A word about the book "Oh My Baby Little One." It is too sweet for words. Every family should have a copy. Not only is the text sweet and affirming of parent/child love, the illustrator, Jane Dyer, incorporated hearts into the illustrations in clever ways. The children love to find the hearts over and over again. Kathi Appelt's text gives the clues to where to find the hearts. Here is an example of the art.

Old Fashioned Cooked pudding

2011-02-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

There are no photos for this project because I have lost my camera. I am just going to post the recipe so those families whose children loved the pudding can make it at home. For a full detailed post on making cooked pudding with children, visit my earlier post "Using Our Five Senses with Old fashioned Cooked Pudding". Let me just tell you, the dark, black cherries I used with this project were loved by a few children, very few, and mostly rejected by the masses. I allowed the children to sample a canned cherry first to see if they liked them. About half of the children wouldn't even try one. Half the children who did try the cherries didn't like them. Half of the children who put the cherries in their vanilla pudding didn't eat them. I have concluded that I should try a different flavor next time. Of course, chocolate is always a big hit. If you want a recipe that will make 95% or more of the children delighted, use the Rocky Road recipe.

Here is the recipe we used:

Vanilla Pudding with Cherries

2 cups Milk

1/3 cup sugar

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat 2 cups of milk until steaming. Meanwhile, stir the other ingredients together and stir into the hot milk. Cook over medium high heat until mixture thickens and begins to form bubbles, stirring constantly. Remove from burner before it boils. Put pan into bowl of ice and water to cool. Continue to stir until desired temperature. Serve in desert bowls. Add cherries on top. If you want this to be a cold desert, you may refrigerate it but do not eliminate the step of cooling it in a bowl of ice. By cooling it in this manner, the thick skin that usually forms on the surface of cooked pudding is eliminated.

Man can not learn on cooking alone.

2011-01-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

This post is entirely devoted to the other activities children participate in while in my cooking class. The actual hands on part of cooking class amounts to a small percentage of the 55 minutes children are in my classroom. After the group instruction of approximately 10 minutes, there is the individual instruction where children work 1 on 1 or 2 on 1 with the teacher in preparing the featured recipe. Sometimes, the preparation involves the whole group, but regardless of the individual or group involvement, there is usually 15 to 30 minutes of cooking time when the children need other activities to occupy their time. Included in this post are pictures of materials and children engaged with the materials as part of the other learning opportunities children enjoy in cooking class.

In Montessori education, the prepared environment is the foundation of the teacher's role in education.

Here are a few pictures of children engaged with the works and materials of a prepared environment.

Green knobless cylinders

Sorting with tongs

Velcro food cutting

Magnetic rods and balls

Marble maze and floor puzzle

Play kitchen

Fair maidens on watch for superheros

Trinomial Cube

As you can see I don't limit my materials to traditional Montessori works. The children are free to engage in imaginative play as well as explore the fascinating order of a trinomial cube. Whatever the children choose during the free choice period in cooking class, I like to end our class by gathering everyone together for a group conclusion. After returning the materials to their proper place in the class room we gather for a story while sampling the recipe we made. Sometimes, the finished product goes home with the child to share with the family in which case we simply end with a story as time allows. The tricky part is to accomplish all of this without appearing to be schedule driven.

Roots Never Tasted So Good

2011-01-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

This is one project I do every year, because the feed back I get from parents is so positive. I have had several parents tell me how much their children talked about the "Roasted Roots." One kindergarten boy asked his mother if he could make dinner. He wanted to make the roasted vegetables we had in class this week. His mother had already purchased the wavy chopper from Montessori Services, so she let him have a try. He proudly announced to his father that he had made dinner all by himself (except for mom's help putting the pan in and out of the oven.) Using the vegetables he had on hand, his family dined on roasted potatoes, carrots, and yams. His mom has already promised to get the turnips so he can make dinner again next week using all the roots.

Of course not all children gobble down roasted vegetables like they were candy. I have a handful of unwavering vegetable haters. Oh, excuse me, I've been rebuked more than once by a preschooler, not to use the word "hate." "It's a very strong word", they tell me, so let me just say, there are some children in my cooking classes who think eating vegetables is a cruel form of torture. Even when I told them they needed to eat just one little bite of each vegetable so they could vote on their favorite one. They merely snickered at my lame attempt to trick them into eating a confirmed poisonous substance. In the end I relented and let them vote on their favorite vegetable using whatever standard they could to think of to determine "favorite."
Take a guess at what vegetable got the most votes this year. We used yams, carrots, potatoes, and turnips. I'll tell you the results at the end of this post.

As for root nomenclature, once again, the names for potato and carrot were known by all the children. About 70% of the time at least one child knew the name for the yam or "ham" as one girl called it. About 30% of the children guessed that the turnip was a radish. A couple children knew its real name was turnip.

After we identify the vegetables in their uncut condition I showed them the pieces I had prepared for them to chop. The potato and yams had been peeled and we discover that two of the vegetables are white and two are orange on the inside even though they look very different on the outside. Different on the outside but similar on the inside.

The children then take turns chopping each type of root and putting the pieces into a communal bowl. After all the vegetables are diced or sliced someone drizzles oil over them, tosses them to coat evenly with oil, and then I spread them on a pan to roast.

On Monday and Tuesday I tried roasting the vegetables at 425 degrees F. for only 15 minutes because I ran out of time. I found out that the vegetables need no less than 20 minutes to roast. Longer is better, but I simply could not take longer so we ate them after 20 minutes of roasting and were late getting back to class several times. I also turned the temperature up to 450 degrees from 425 to help speed the cooking. I finally settled on 440 degrees after some of the vegetable were blackened where they touched the pan. If time is not a factor, I recommend roasting root vegetables for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F.

After sampling the roasted roots, each child voted for their favorite by coloring a paper vegetable. Due to lack of time, I cut out the paper vegetables and added them to the graph showing the results. The results this year showed a clear winner. 18 students out of 48 children liked carrots best. Second place was a tie with potato and yams each having 12 children who like them best. I only found 6 children who voted turnip as their favorite. I am not so sure the choice for turnip was entirely due to taste. I suspect the color purple influenced some to choose this under appreciated root. To compare this years results with the 2009 project visit my earlier post "Eating More Vegetables - Roasted Roots."

To view photos of the children scrubbing, chopping and eating these vegetables visit the Roasted Roots 2011 web album.

Potato Soup and the Montessori Method

2011-01-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have observed children making soup many times in the the sand box, along a creek bank, or on top of toy stoves using tidbits of tiny objects. What could be better than to give actual experience to these young chefs by making real soup.

I confess a slight disappointment that the enthusiasm for eating the soup did not match their enthusiasm for making the soup in all the children. However, once again, many of the children agreed with a previous cooking student's evaluation of its taste, "This soup is better than candy!" Out of the 50+ children who made soup this week a few refused even a little taste. One three year old reincarnation of John Wayne turned up his nose at the parsley saying, "I don't eat green stuff."
One kindergarten boy, who judged the soup as "yucky" from the moment he heard the name, did relent and taste it after the other children remarked how delicious it was. He ended up eating a whole bowl full and asking for more. So, if you can get a child to venture just one taste, it is likely you will gain a soup eater.

Since I explain the soup making process in detail in my 2009 post, "Potato Soup," I want to emphasize the other learning that takes place in a Montessori cooking class.

Nomenclature:
I had never encountered the word "nomenclature" before my Montessori education. Maria Montessori's work is filled with "a system of names" and uses systematic naming of things extensively in educating young children. Whenever possible I use cooking as an opportunity to introduce children to new words and the names of foods and cooking methods. I found that all the children knew the name for potatoes and carrots. About one third of the children knew the name for celery. None of the children could name the leeks or parsley. The majority of the children guessed that the leek was corn, one child thought it was an onion. The common guess for the parsley was lettuce.

Besides learning the names of the vegetables, the children experience the vegetables through their five senses. In cooking class they touch, see, smell, and taste what a leek is.

I also introduce cooking terms whenever possible. While making soup the children are introduced to chop, dice, sauté, boil, mash, and simmer. In the Monday class I gave the children the opportunity to scrub the vegetables but had to modify my plan when I ran out of extra vegetables. If, however, a scrubbing component can be utilized, I highly recommend it. The children love it. They scrub a vegetable over and over without the need to finish the task when the dirt has been removed.

The practical life and sensorial aspects of Montessori education is obviously met in cooking class. One can see how science, math and language naturally lend themselves to learning about measuring, recipes, and cooking methods. Normally, cooking class plays out a little like a chemistry class with precise measuring and combining of ingredients and then changing their nature with heat, but when making soup I emphasize the art of cooking. We use no precise measuring. One batch of soup is slightly different than the next batch of soup and we use our sense of taste to adjust the final result with each child determining whether their soup needs more salt or pepper.

In addition to the project providing a rich experience for learning, every cooking class should offer other opportunities to explore learning. In my next post, I will feature the other choices children have for learning while in cooking class.

For a description of how to present this cooking project, visit my earlier post called "Potato Soup." Other helpful instruction pertaining to this project is found in "Chopping Vegetables Safely."

There are many lovely photos of the children making soup in the "Potato Soup Web Album."

Run, run as fast as you can.

2011-01-17T19:52:00.000-08:00

The words of the gingerbread man have stuck with me for over fifty years. When ever I see children racing around I am apt to quote his little rhyme as they go whizzing by.

"Run, run as fast as you can,

You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man."

Gingerbread can be eaten anytime of year but I especially crave it during the winter months. This January was no exception.

When making these with the children, I tried timing the baking of the gingerbread to coincide with the last 15 minutes of class. After I cleared the table, the children gathered round as I read a version of the classic Gingerbread Man folktale. In this year's version, the little old woman tells the little boy to wait in the kitchen until he can smell the gingerbread and then come get her. "But do NOT open the door." By this time the children can smell the spicy aroma of gingerbread in our own kitchen and they can fully empathize with the little boy who ignores the warning and opens the door to see if the gingerbread man looks as good as it smells. If I time it right, the timer on the oven goes off about now and I fetch the gingerbread people out of the oven and distribute them to the eager children. While I finish reading the story, they finish eating the gingerbread. I don't recall any children returning to class unhappy.

The recipe and instructions for this project can be found at my first post on this blog. Gingerbread People, January 2009. I am now at the point of having established a two year program for cooking with Preschool and Kindergarten children, I will be repeating the projects I have already posted. To get an idea of what is coming next week, look at the January 2009 posts.

Fruit Turnovers from bread

2011-01-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

The recipe for this project comes from a 1974 cookbook by Nikki and David Goldbeck called "The Good Breakfast Cookbook." At least that is what I remember the title to be. The cover and back and index have been missing for many years. It really is in pretty bad shape, but it contains a wealth of recipes for

good, whole food breakfasts.

These turnovers have so many possibilities and are so delicious, I wish I had thought to use them with the children earlier. During winter break I had time for perusing through cookbooks looking for fresh ideas. I found this turnover recipe I had used with my own children many years ago. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I wanted a simple cooking project that would appeal to children without being too sweet. These turnovers are made with whole wheat sandwich bread and are filled with whatever you want. I offered the following fillings:

cream cheese

raisins

cinnamon applesauce

blackberry jam

strawberry jam

diced banana

almond butter

To make these you cut the crust off soft, sandwich type bread. You flatten the trimmed bread with a rolling pin and then add filling to the middle before folding the bread over and sealing the edges. Brush the turnover with melted butter and honey, then bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

When I planned this project I intended on letting the children cut the crust off by themselves with a blunt serrated knife, but I found out that most children haven't had a lot of practice doing this, therefore the process took too long to complete within my time restraints. This is a step you can do with children if you are working one on one at home or have no time limit. If the bread was of a firmer texture I think the children could cut the crust off and they do get an opportunity to do this in the croûton project, but for this project I demonstrated cutting the crust off in case they wanted to do it at home. I also found the children were cutting too much of the crust off and there wasn't enough bread left for the turnover. So, after cutting the crust off and reviewing the fillings with the children they begin by rolling the bread flat.

Then they add the filling. When I demonstrated making one I emphasized that the filling goes in the middle and not on the edges of the bread. When the children added their filling I reminded them verbally and visually that we don't want any filling on the edges of the bread.

Good luck with the filling staying in the middle. Some children wanted to put in some of all the fillings. I finally had to limit the fillings to three. Saying, "Choose 1, 2, or 3 fillings to put in your turnover." Oh wait, some three year olds don't have a clear concept of 3. As the fourth and fifth filling was being reached for I just had to say, "Your turnover can't hold any more fillings. That's enough," or if the child had only put a tiny bit of three fillings and they reached for a forth and fifth, I just smiled and pretended I didn't have a clue what 3 means.

This cooking project also became a lesson in folding. The classic turnover shape is a triangle. To make this I demonstrated and instructed the child to bring one corner over to the opposite corner and push it together. Then press the edges together but not the middle. If you push the middle, all the filling squeezes out. I began the Monday class using a fork to press the edges together (like the recipe said), but soon abandoned that idea and starting letting the children use their fingers.

Occasionally, the triangle fold was rejected for the more common rectangle fold.

These turnovers taste delicious no matter what shape they end up.

The final step is to brush them with melted butter and honey. This adds a tiny bit of sweetness to the outside and a golden crispness to the finished product.

I didn't have time for all the children to eat them in class. The filling is hot after it comes out of the oven and the turnovers should cool before eating, but a few of the smaller classes did get to eat their turnovers while I read a story. I tried to judge the reactions of the children who put a combination of almond butter, cinnamon apple, cream cheese, strawberry jam, banana and raisins in their turnover. These weren't just the preschool children who are still learning what three means. Most of the kindergarten children also wanted to use a combination of all their favorite foods. When the turnovers disappeared without so much as a raised eyebrow, I confirmed the fact that children will eat just about anything if they are the ones making it.

Now for the fun part. Buy a loaf of soft sandwich bread and make these at home with whatever you can find at hand. So far, my favorite has been orange marmalade and banana.

One final tip for doing this with children. Keep the bread slices in a zip lock bag before and after trimming the crust. The secret in pressing the edges together and making a good seal is keeping the bread moist enough to stick together. I made the mistake, on Monday, of allowing the bread to set out while working with the children. By the time the last two or three children made their turnovers, the bread had dried out enough that the edges weren't staying together. I realized my mistake and used the zip lock bags there after.

To view all the photos from this project visit the Fruit Turnovers web album.

Lunette's Cheesy Biscuits

2010-12-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

If you like cheese and if you like biscuits you will love these tender morsels.

Lunette's Cheesy Biscuits

1 cup unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cube butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup buttermilk

Whisk the dry ingredients together. Cut the butter in with a pastry cutter. Stir in the grated cheese. Add the buttermilk and gently stir until all the flour has been mixed in. Dump the dough unto a flour covered surface and gently pat the dough into a ball. With floured hands continue to pat the dough to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 425 degrees.

If using this recipe with a children's cooking class you can divide the dough into eighth and allow each child one eighth to pat down and form into biscuits. See my earlier post (Cheese Biscuits and Fractions) for details.

Cheese Biscuits and Fractions

2010-12-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

After recovering my confidence from Monday's cooking disappointment I decided to redeem the cheese biscuit project by teaching the concept of fractions. I have already introduced the term of "fractions" to the students in my cooking classes but haven't really explained what a fraction is in tangible examples. I also realized that the recipe I was using conveyed a conflicting image of a fraction. The recipe uses whole numbers for all the ingredients except the butter, which is given as 1/2 cup butter. Experienced cooks know that 1/2 cup of butter is 1 whole cube. No dividing of a whole into equal parts involved with that. Therefore, I have determined to change the way I give butter amounts to the children in future recipes. I will list 1/2 cup butter as 1 cube, 1/4 cup as 1/2 cube so that I am consistent in representing a fraction as part of a whole. I'm not sure what to do about 1/3 cup butter. I guess list it as 5/8 of a cup. If anyone has a suggestion I am open to hearing them.

Here is how I demonstrate what fractions are with the cheese biscuit dough. After the children have measured and mixed all the ingredients, I gather all the dough into one big lump. As I smooth the lump into a round, flat disc and I say,
"This is one whole recipe for cheese biscuit dough. One is a whole number. It means all of one thing, but now I am going to divide this dough into fractions. A fraction is always smaller than one."

I take a knife and cut the dough in half.

"I have just cut this one piece of dough into two equal pieces. Each piece is smaller than the one whole lump. I have two equal pieces. I have made a fraction, one half and one half. Now I will make a smaller fraction."

I turn the two pieces and cut them in half again.

"Now how many pieces do I have? I have made even smaller fractions. I have four pieces and each piece is one forth."

"But I have to divide this dough into even smaller fractions because there are more than 4 people here."
We count how many people there are in the class.
"I must keep dividing this dough until I have enough pieces for everyone to get a piece of dough the same size."

When I start cutting the dough into eight pieces the children in each class have said, "That's just like a pizza."

"Yes," I say, "A pizza is cut into fractions. Now this dough has been cut into fractions. How many pieces do we have now?"

The children count as I point to the pieces.

"We have eight pieces. Each piece is a fraction. One piece is one eighth of the whole lump of dough. Everyone gets a fraction. Everyone gets one eighth of the dough."

I sprinkle a little flour on the table in front of each child and put one of the pieces on the flour. I take one piece and demonstrate for the children how to gently pat the dough into a smooth round disc and cut it in half and then in half again. You are going to make your one piece of dough into four equal pieces. I then, and only then, give them a butter knife.

"When making a fraction it is important to try to cut it right down the middle so you will have equal sized pieces."

I only have the children cut the dough into fourths. As you can see from the picture below, not all pieces are exactly equal, and not always in fourths; but we are getting an introductory, concrete, idea of what a fraction is. Some children are just thrilled to be given a knife and permission to cut with it. They might make a dozen tiny biscuits in the process.

In the end, whether they remember that a fraction is always smaller than one or not, we get to make something yummy to eat.

Some of the biscuits never made it out of my classroom and very few ever made it home. If your child cooks on Monday and you did taste one the "Monday Disaster Biscuits" I apologize. Read my earlier post "When at first you don't succeed"
and you can have a glimpse into the real world of a preschool cooking teacher.

When at first you don't succeed

2010-12-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

With the first class Monday morning we made these biscuits and I was expecting delightful sighs to escape the contented children as they devoured these flaky bits of winter comfort food. But No,

A kindergarten girl asked me, "Is the cheese going to be melted?"

I smile and assure the kindergarten girls, "Oh yes, the biscuits will be filled with tiny bits of melted cheese."

"I don't like melted cheese. I am not going to eat a bite of these biscuits," the girl emphatically declared.

"Well, that's alright, you can take them home to your family," I offered.

"I don't like cheese biscuits either," states the other kindergarten child.

"Me either," echoes the preschoolers.

Discouraged I looked at the last little preschool child. She likes everything. I take comfort knowing she will relish these tender bits of heaven.
She gingerly takes a nibble and then hands me the rest of the biscuits,
"I don't want the rest," she sighs.

I was ready to throw out the whole project. My mind was imagining disgruntled preschoolers dragging their feet as they walked down to cooking class knowing that this week they would have to made "cheese biscuits," but then, I offered the leftovers to the school directors. They declared them delicious, so I made cheese biscuits with the second group.

While the second batch of biscuits were half way through baking I realized we had left out the butter in the recipe. What should I do? If the first group didn't like the buttery ones, this group might undeniably confirm that I was a "bad cooking teacher." Monday was turning out to be a "cooking disaster."
I dished out the biscuits and said nothing. The children ate one and then had another. They didn't seem to think they were so bad. In fact, they liked them!

I can happily report that all the subsequent classes have love the biscuits, even the ones I cooked while the oven was preheating. Warning: Don't bake biscuits while the oven is preheating. The bottoms come out burnt.

What can I say?
Here is what I have learned from this humbling experience.

What first seems to be a disaster may turn out to be just a little difference of opinion.

Never let the first class on Monday morning determine your course for the week.

Don't let a few mistakes or a few rejections undermine your confidence in your abilities and plans.

Not everyone is going to like "tiny bits of melted cheese" but there are going to be a whole lot of people who will.

I can't be wonderful all the time.

Some mistakes just might go un-noticed if I don't advertise it. Oops, I guess I didn't learn that lesson very well.

Star Cookies, perfect for December Holy Days

2010-12-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

I first used this project when Hanukkah and Christmas fell in the same week. This year the two holidays were separated by nearly three weeks so I chose to make star cookies the first week of December during Hanukkah; but most of the children in our school were already thinking about Christmas so we included stars other than the traditional six pointed blue stars of Hanukkah.

I was able to find four different star cookie cutters to use with this project. I found two five pointed stars, one with scalloped sides and one with straight sides. I found a six pointed star and an eight pointed star. If you can find others, use them also.

I begin this project by noticing the difference in the stars. We do this by counting the points. I now wish I had begun by asking, "How many points are on a star?" and then I would have known if children even considered how many points there were on a star before this lesson. As it is, the children do now consider the points on a star and know of at least three types of stars shapes.

With my smaller sized classes I made the dough with the children and allowed them to roll out the dough, cut the dough, and decorate the cookies; but with my larger sized classes, I made the dough before hand and divided the dough into balls for the children to roll, cut, and decorate.

The procedure for making cut out cookies is explained in detail on my earlier post called "Leaf Cookies." I recommend following the process of having the children set out all the cookie cutters on top of the dough before pressing down.

If you are only making one type of star for a particular holiday, such as Hanukkah, then you will need to have more than one six pointed star. They can be different sizes to add variety, but determine how many cookies each child will make and have that number of cutters with a sufficient amount of dough to make exactly that amount in one roll of the dough.

The other advice I can offer came through experimenting with various brands of colored sugar sprinkles. I found some containers of sprinkles to have such large holes that the children could not control the amount coming out and they ended up with a cookie buried in a mountain of sugar.

This lead me to save the containers with holes that required the children to tap the bottom of the container in order to dispense the sprinkles. I found "Cake Mate Decors" in the 2 oz. size to work well for this purpose. I found that mixing the larger grained "Wilton Sprinkles" with the smaller grained "Cake Mate" sprinkles provided a decoration that was easy for preschool children to use without over doing it. I particularly like the effect of mixing white "Wilton" sugar with the colored "Cake Mate" sugar. The white sugar gives a glittering glow to the colors.

The recipe I used for this project was a an old favorite using more honey than sugar, but any sugar cookie recipe can be used..

Merry Christmas Cookies

(This recipe is from the cookbook my mom gave me in 1964 for Christmas. Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book)

1/3 cup shortening or butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup sugar 2 cups flour

1 egg 1 tsp. soda

2/3 cup honey 1 tsp. salt

Mix shortening, sugar, egg, honey, and flavoring thoroughly. Stir together flour, soda, salt, and add to shortening. (The dough I made seemed a little dry so I added a few tablespoons of water until the dough came together.)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough out ¼” thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Paint tops with an egg wash and sprinkle with decorating sugar. Bake 7 to 8 minutes.

I tried an easier method of identifying each child's cookies than my standard slip of paper tucked under the corners. I drew sections on the parchment paper and wrote the child's name in the section with their cookies. For the next class I crossed out the previous name and wrote a new name. That way I used the same piece of parchment all week and didn't get the cookies mixed up. It worked well.

There are many darling photos of the children rolling, cutting, and decorating the cookie dough. To view these photos visit the "Star Cookies" web album.

Hand made Corn Tortillas

2010-11-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

I have made corn tortillas with preschool children for many years, but this year I added a small bit of baking soda, a tad bit of oil and used hot water instead of cold water. Que rico! We also spread butter on the hot tortillas before eating. The first sound coming from the children after taking a bite was Mmmmmm....!

Pictures are not available for this project because I injured my back and was unable to teach for most of the week, however, I think you can manage this one without pictures. This project is very similar to the Hand Made Corn Chips and Bunuelos projects. If you look at the pictures from these two posts you will get a good idea of the process.

The essential piece of equipment is a tortilla press. If you don't have one you can make one. For instructions visit this link. How to make a tortilla press

This cooking project is perfect for allowing the children to make their own individual batch of tortilla dough. Each child has a cereal bowl and spoon. They measure:
1/2 cup of corn masa*
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

and stir these together. (*Before class I mixed in 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for every 2 cups of masa. Corn masa flour can be found in the Mexican section of most grocery stores.) The teacher or adult pours in 1/3 cup hot water. The children stir all together to form a ball of dough. They cut the dough in half and form each half into a ball. Each ball of dough is flatten into a tortilla using the tortilla press. The children love using this simple machine. Most instructions for making tortillas instruct you to use plastic bags or plastic wrap in the tortilla press to keep the dough from sticking to the press. I found parchment paper to be easier to use and I prefer it over plastic. It is easier for the children to manipulate themselves.

The children can drop the tortillas onto a hot griddle. I cook the tortillas until lightly browned on each side and then call the children over to eat them. They rub the hot tortillas with a stick of butter. That's all you need for a delicious treat. Hot buttery tortillas. Couple that with some chili pepper egg scramble and you have the perfect breakfast.

For a post on making flour tortillas visit "Bunuelos".

Pumpkin Waffles

2010-11-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

I don't have any pictures for this post because I was planning on taking pictures of the Wednesday classes before Thanksgiving Holiday, but alas, school was canceled due to extreme icy conditions leftover from the snow we got the day before.

This recipe is worth posting, however, even without photos of the darling children who gobbled these spicy waffles up in record time. There were two kindergarten children who refused to try them on the grounds that they did not like pumpkin. Well, I convince one of the boycotters to take just one little bite. After sampling the waffle dressed in agave/maple syrup he declared, "These are the best waffles I've ever had," and proceeded to finish the first one and half of a second waffle. The other kindergarten girl could not be convinced to venture a taste. I am happy to say that the rest of the children all enjoyed these seasonal treats and most had two.

Pumpkin Waffles

Mix the ingredients together with a whisk as you go in the order listed.

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup regular milk

3 eggs

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Cook in a waffle iron. Serve with butter and syrup made with 1 part agave syrup and 1 part maple syrup.

Miniature Leaf Cookies

2010-11-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

As soon as the first Fall leaves begin to flutter down to the ground, I begin to collect the most beautiful from the collected piles of jeweled colors I pass in the streets. I am enamored with the variety of leaf colors and shapes God has created in this world. Couple my love for leaves with my love for the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and you are left with the spicy miniature cookies in this cooking project.

Unless you have a very small number of children you are working with, there will not be enough time to make the dough and cut out the dough all in the same hour, therefore, I suggest you make the dough up ahead of time and simply use this as a cutting out cookie dough lesson and learning about different spices lesson. I start with introducing the spices.

This is a wonderful opportunity for teaching the names and aromas of common baking spices. I included the vanilla extract from this recipe with the three ground spices cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Unfortunately, I did not have a vanilla bean to show but I did have a cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and a whole nutmeg. I start by passing the whole spice around and asking the children if they know the name. Then I pass the jar of ground spice around and allow the children to use their sense of smell to identify the spice. Many children recognized the cinnamon and vanilla. Most were not able to name the nutmeg or cloves. These spices will show up again in future cooking projects.

If you have ever tried rolling out cookie dough with a child, you know that it is difficult to achieve a uniform thickness by conventional methods. That is why I always use rolling guides when working with children. I even have started using them when making cookies myself because the results are so consistent.

To roll out cookies 1/4 inch thick use two paint sticks bought from a local hardware store. You can use the free ones offered by many hardware store but they are thinner, 1/8 inch thick, and shorter. For this project use the more heavy duty stick at 1/4 inch thick. I hack-saw the rounded end off leaving a blunt straight edge on both ends.

Sprinkle some flour on the table. Place a ball of dough on the flour between the two rolling guides and flatten it lightly with hands.

Getting the feel for rolling out dough can take some practice. Many children want to push the dough with the rolling pin. I tell the children to place the pin on top of the dough and gently roll is back and forth and then to gently push down as they roll. This prevents the dough from breaking apart. When the rolling pin is finally resting on the rolling guides the children can push down as hard as they like. The dough is ready for cutting.

If left to their own methods, children will invariably take the first cookie cutter and push it down smack dab in the middle of the rolled out dough. This will lead to fewer cookies from the first roll and usually they will need to roll out the dough many times before cutting out all the cookies. This will result in tough cookies. I tell the children to not push the cutters down at first. Try to fit all the cookie cutters gently on top of the dough before pushing down. The balls of dough I make are just the right size to allow them to fit all seven miniature leaf cookie cutters on the dough with very little space left over. This way, they get all the cookies on the first roll and I save the scraps to roll out after all the children are done. Fitting the cutters into the created space is a lesson in spacial understanding.

To further give practice in spacial orientation I give the children a section of the baking sheet and ask them to fit the cookies into that space without letting them touch. Sometimes I have to rearrange the cookies but only after giving them a go at it first.

These cookies finish baking in a very short time, even so, we did not have time to sample any before they had to return to class. I was told a few made it home and some parents were presented with one cookie to try. That is a loving and generous child with good self control. Not all parents were so lucky, so here is the recipe to make your own batch at home.

Little Spicy Cookies

1 cup Butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup honey

4 Tablespoons sugar (brown or white)

2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

Cream these ingredients together in a mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl mix the following ingredients together and then add them to the butter mixture.

2 cups unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on floured work surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes at 375 degrees F.

By making the above amount of dough I was able to give enough dough to 12 children for them to have a large enough piece of dough to roll out and fit all seven miniature cookie cutters onto it. I began by dividing the dough into eight equal parts and then forming additional balls of dough from the scraps left from the first bakers. I had enough left over dough to cook a batch of cookies for the teachers. The teachers were grateful.

There are lots of great pictures of the children practicing rolling out cookie dough. To view them all visit the "Leaf Cookies 2010" web album.

This Year's Apple Winner

2010-11-03T22:36:00.000-07:00

Since I do my apple cooking projects in October and I conclude with a graph of the children's favorite apple, voting for ones' favorite apple comes just before Election's Day. How timely. We get a mini lesson about voting. You might like all the candidates but you still can only vote for one to be your favorite.

For this year's apple taste test I chose the same four apple varieties as I did in the last taste test, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji.
The results might have changed if all the students had been able to cast their vote, but field trips and Halloween Parties and my own absence one day narrowed the voting to only 32 children.

The results were:

Red Delicious got 15 votes

Granny Smith got 7 votes

Fuji got 6 votes

Golden Delicious got 4 votes

Red Delicious remains a consistent winner among preschool and kindergarten children. The margin of win this year, however, was considerably greater than in previous years. Second place went to Granny Smith which is consistent with previous years.
To see how this year's results compare with past results visit my previous post October Apple Taste Test.

Handmade Corn Chips

2010-11-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up in the 1960s I remember eating Fritos Corn Chips and wondering how they were made and whether or not I could made them myself. I loved Fritos Corn Chips but my mother only bought them occasionally. They were considered a luxury. Many long years later, in a children's magazine, I learned that I could indeed make this addictingly delicious and crunchy snack food at home. Not only can I make them but children can make them with a little help from an adult.

Since there are only three ingredients for the children to measure, I choose to let each child make their own little bowl of corn chip batter.

The following recipe is for the individual child version which will make an average of 12 corn chips.
1/4 cup corn meal*
          1/8 teaspoon salt
          1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
          1/6 cup boiling water

*For cornmeal I mixed 2 parts organic polenta with 1 part stoneground cornmeal. The polenta alone was too coarse and the stoneground cornmeal was too fine. On Friday I used the traditional gritty cornmeal which I describe in the note at the end of this post.

Children measure the corn meal and salt into a small cereal bowl. Stir the two together.

Measure the oil and drizzle it over the corn meal. Stir in the oil until the corn meal looks like wet sand.

(Note: I use a squeeze bottle with a very tiny tip for measuring oil. The children can measure even tablespoons of oil this way without over doing it. They also hold the tablespoon over a bowl in case there is spillage.)

An adult then measures 1/6 cup of boiling water (fill a 1/3 cup half full) and pours it over the corn meal. The water must be boiling. I have taken the kettle of water off the burner and it was allowed to sit temporarily while explaining the recipe, just long enough for it to cool slightly. If this happens you end up with wet cornmeal that doesn't stick together very well. The boiling water partly cooks the cornmeal causing it to stick together and form a chip when baked.

The children gently stir the ingredients together and then let it set while the pans are prepared.

Some of the kindergarten children are able to spoon the batter, a teaspoon at a time onto a well oiled cooking sheet, but I found doing this step myself for the preschool child helps conserve space on the baking sheets and assures a more uniform product.

Each child can then dip their fingers in a bowl of water and pat the teaspoon of corn meal batter flat. I encourage each child to do the best they can with this task. Some children have a great deal of patience for patting out the batter.

Others are hard pressed to complete all twelve lumps of batter. When they are done, they are done. I usually touch up any batter that is too thick. A thick chip will not bake up crisp and crunchy. It will be soft and after the first bite the child will probably not want to eat it, so that is why I try to insure a little quality control by giving the chips a check before putting them in the oven. Yes, I do a lot of pat, pat, patting.

The first picture shows the chips after the children have patted the batter out. Some look a little like mounds of cookie dough. You don't want mounds.

This second picture show the chips after I have applied a little quality control. The batter is flatter and more uniform.

Bake the chips at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. The time will vary according to the thickness, color, and type of metal of the baking sheet you use. Check the chips after 8 minutes to see if they are beginning to brown around the edges. If they haven't started to brown after 10 minutes, leave them in one or two minutes longer. You want a chip that is golden brown around the edge without getting brown all over.

I serve these chips to the children without any dips or sauces, just plain crunchy corn goodness. As with all savory cooking projects, foods without sugar, some children will not be inclined to eat them; but, they usually like taking them home to their family. If they turn out the way they are supposed to, crisp, crunchy, and slightly salty, then you won't have a hard time finding someone who will be glad to accept the cast aways. Most of the children, however, are eager to munch every last crumb of this handmade snack.

To view all the photos from this project visit the Corn Chips 2010 web album.

One last closing note: On the last day of this project I used a different brand and type of cornmeal. Instead of the organic polenta mixed with Red Bob's stone ground cornmeal, I used Alber's yellow cornmeal. This is the cornmeal I grew up with. It is of a finer grit than polenta and a courser grit than the stone ground. Consequently, I had to adjust the water and baking time. So be advised to try your recipe out before hand and adjust any amounts I have given to suit the type of cornmeal you are using and you may have to adjust the oven temperature and baking time to get the corn chips crisp. My number one rule when cooking with children is: always test the recipe and methods before using them with the children.

Apple Cider - A cup of Autumn Cheer

2010-11-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

My final apple project for October is to make Apple Cider. There are a couple of advantages to ending a month of apple cooking projects with this project.
1. You get to use up all the leftover apples without a need for specific types of apples, any type will do.
2. If your apple cooking projects are offered in October you will be providing a healthy, raw food immune boost for the children to consume just prior to or during the Halloween festivities.

I begin the cider project with a tub filled with water, three different types of apples, and scrub brushes. The children's first job is to scrub an apple of their choice and dry it before bringing it to the work table. If there is time, they can go back for another apple after they have cut the first one up.

At the work table I help them use the apple cutter to cut their apple into 8 pieces and remove the seeds. This is not easy for any of the children to do. I usually apply pressure with my thumbs while they press down holding the handles.

They can then pull the pieces off or I will pop the cut apple out of the cutter and then let them pull the pieces apart.

The children add all the pieces to a common bowl of lightly salted water. When we have enough apples to make cider, the children take turns feeding the apples pieces into the juicer and pushing them down with the tamper.

The secret to a rich tasting apple cider is to use a variety of fresh crisp apples. Red Delicious apples may not be a good choice for applesauce or apple pie, but I always include a good portion for apple cider. Red Delicious apples give the cider a rich brown color. I also include a sour variety like Granny Smith. All those mellow Golden Delicious apples, that were to soft by the third week to go through the apple peeler, were cut up and used for the cider. We also included some Fuji and Gala apples. Each batch we made was different and all were delicious.

After all the apples have been used, I strain the juice because I haven't made a batch of juice with the children without apple mush falling into the bowl of juice. Straining it also helps remove the foam that forms on top.

We end the project by drinking to our good health. I tried having the children toasting each other but we ended up spilling the cider when we clinked cups together, so we just raised our cups and wished each other good health.

For more information on making apple cider with children see my previous post, Apple Cider.

Applesauce, one of Autumn's simple pleasures.

2010-10-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

I have to start this post with a disclaimer. In my last post I recommended using Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples with the apple peeler and suggested that most other types of apples were not suited for this device. Well.... let me tell you, a difference of one week can affect the suitability of apples as we found out in this project. The Golden Delicious apples we use for the apple crisp and pies were too mellow and weakened by worm holes to be used in the hank cranked apple peeler by the time we started making applesauce. On the other hand, some Gala and Fuji apples we bought fresh held up well for this purpose. So, it all depends on how fresh and firm the apples are as to whether they will be able to hold up to the apple peeler.

The children start by washing and drying the apples to be used for applesauce. The children really do enjoy this part of the process. There is something appealing about choosing an bobbing apple out of the water, scrubbing it, and drying it off. Some children finish this task in a matter of seconds while others find great satisfaction in meticulously scrubbing every microscopic inch of the apple's surface. I use a moveable tub for this purpose, leaving the extra apples in the water for a free choice scrubbing activity.

The children take turns putting their apple through the hank cranked apple peeler and then using the wavy chopper to reduce their apple to tiny bits.

The children put the bits into a bowl which is then dumped into a pan with a little water. The pan of apple bits is cooked over medium heat until they start to steam and bubble and then the heat is reduced to low and the pan is covered.

The apples simmer until soft. I then mash the apples and, depending on time, either serve the applesauce as a chunky applesauce or let the children grind it through a mill to make smooth puree applesauce. Children who tried both said they were both good. One kindergarten child was asked by her teacher how she liked the applesauce. She said, "It was good, but a little bumpy."

. Since I only have 55 minutes, the apples are slightly undercooked and didn't go through the mill as easy as they should have. If time were not a restraint the apples would be cooked for 30 or more minutes allowing them to become thoroughly soft for a proper applesauce consistency. As it was, the apples were cooked for 20 minutes resulting in an applesauce with texture, "bumpy applesauce", my personal preference.

Here, the children have gathered from their various occupations around the classroom to take turns stirring the apples as they cook. We have a housewife, Spider man, Iron man and a royal princess waiting for a turn. You can just see the white ruffle of the princess' dress behind the red masked Iron man.

Since all children do not like cinnamon, I allow cinnamon to be added when it is served. The children who choose cinnamon get to stir it into the bowl of cooling sauce before eating it. In any case, the applesauce is served warm right from the pot. What could be better on a cold, wet, blustery October morning?

To view all the photos of this cooking project, visit the Applesauce 2010 web album.

As Easy as Apple Pie a.k.a Apple Pie for Preschool Children

2010-10-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

From the first time I tried making pies with our preschool and kindergarten children until now, I can honestly say, making a pie is easy if you have the right tools. In the case of apple pie you also need the right apples. This post will give you the secrets to making a crumb topping style apple pie with children as young as 3 years old. Older children love it, too.

The prepared environment.
Here is a picture of our apple pie factory. This is the table where we usually gather for our cooking project. I have removed the chairs so the children can easily walk around the table making their pies. The two indispensable pieces of equipment needed for creating a pre/k apple pie factory are

the apple peeler/slicer/corer hand cranked device and a tortilla press.

Pie assembly begins with the peeling, slicing, and coring of the apples. I have found the best apples to use for pie are a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. These are also the best type of apple to use in the peeler. Don't even think of using Red Delicious or any other soft apple in the peeler. Fuji, Gala, Rome Beauty, also gave unsatisfactory results. These apples will not hold up in the peeler, usually breaking up half way through the process. All apples will be difficult to use with the peeler after they have been sitting a while. It is best to do this project in October during apple harvest when the apples are freshly picked and very firm.

This is the children's favorite part of making apple pie.

The apple peeler peels, slices, and cores the apple creating an apple slinky. I make 3 or 4 cuts through the slinky and add the pieces to the community bowl of apples. The children sprinkle one tablespoon of cinnamon sugar over the apples and then move on to the next step.

Each child has a cereal bowl they take with them around the table for measuring and mixing the three ingredients needed for the crumb topping, sugar, flour, and butter.

The flour and sugar are set out in wide mixing bowls so the children can easily scoop and level these ingredients. 1 Tablespoon sugar, two Tablespoons flour.

I pre-measure the butter by cutting it into 1 Tablespoon squares and arranging them on a plate. The children add one butter square with the fork and mix as best they can. I usually finish mixing these ingredients while the child is pressing the pie crust in the tortilla press.

I make the pie crust ahead of time and use 1/4 cup per ball of dough. One ball of dough per child. The child centers the dough on piece of parchment paper after opening the press. Another piece of parchment paper is placed on top of the dough and then the lid is lowered down and the handle is pressed down causing the dough to flatten out in a flat circle, just the right size for a mini pie. I have tried plastic wrap and waxed paper with miserable results. If you don't have parchment paper, don't try flattening the pie crust with the tortilla press, just roll it out with a rolling pin and the paint stick guides. See "How to Roll Out Cookie Dough" for tips.

This super hero liked using his really strong muscles to flatten the pie crust. You can see from this picture that the children who are not making a pie at the pie factory have a variety of other activities to do in the classroom.

The final step in making a pie is to line the pan with the pie crust, fill it with cinnamon coated apples and then sprinkle the topping over the apples. I lend a hand if needed. I then bake the pies for 30-45 minutes. I think the pies turn out best when bakes for 45 minutes, but due to time restrains (needing to send the pies home with the children leaving at noon) most of the pies are slightly under baked at 30 minutes, but they are still delicious. Haven't had any complaints.

There is no way to get around the fact that this project requires a good amount of pre-planning, set up, monitoring, and clean up on the part of the teacher, but the comment I heard from one of the kindergarten children today makes it all worth the effort. When parents came to pick up children today, one kindergarten joyfully lead his mom out to the hall and exclaimed, "Look! I made an apple pie in cooking class today and I did it ALL BY MYSELF." He also went on to explain, in detail, how HE made it.
Tips and Links:
One little tip for getting each child home with the pie they made, slip a regular slip of white paper with the child's name on it under one edge of the pie crust. Bake the pie and leave the slip on it for parents to see which pie belongs to their child.
If you are doing this at home, Montessori Services has mini pie pans for sale, but if you are doing it at school you can use the pot pie foil pans sold in grocery stores.

For a book to go with this project see my review of "The Apple Pie Tree."

To see a slide show of the Apple Pie project photos visit
the Web Album "Apple Pie 2010."

Fried Zucchini and Corn a.k.a. How to Use Sharp Tools

2010-10-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Since you can't make cupcakes every week, the other way to create enthusiasm for cooking class is to introduce something that has previously been "off limits", things like sharp objects. So for the second week of the school year I introduced cutting tools. When I asked the children if they have ever used these tools before, most of the new students told me" "no". A few even refused to use them with my help, having the dangers of such tools firmly established in their minds. Therefore, I always begin this lesson confirming the dangers of using such tools without adult help or using them in the wrong way, but also assuring them that they can be used safely with adult supervision. So far, I have only had one injury in four years and that was no more than a scratch.

The children are given an opportunity to use all three of these cutting tools in making "Fried Zucchini and Corn", the blunt serrated knife, the wavy chopper, and the fine grater. I really like this knife when working with children because I don't have to worry about someone accidentally stabbing them self or someone else with a sharp tip but it is still sharp enough to easily cut through vegetables or slice a tomato. Both the blunt serrated knife and the wavy chopper can be ordered through Montessori Services.

Cutting corn of the cob is difficult. I didn't tire the children by having them work on the whole ear of corn. They took turns cutting the corn off one ear of corn. Though some would have been happy to finish the whole thing, others were glad to let someone else try.

The next step in preparing this dish is cutting the zucchini. Since discovery the "Wavy Chopper" I believe no kitchen should be without one. They are the perfect tool for letting children cut up vegetables. I always prepare the vegetables to be cut by pre-cutting them into manageable sizes complete with a flat side that won't roll about.

The final step involving cutting tools is grating the Parmesan cheese. If I had to depend on the children to grate enough of this firm savory cheese to finish the job, we would still be waiting, but they were successful enough to get the feel for turning a hard brick into soft flakes.

Of course, I wouldn't consider letting a child help fry these vegetables if it weren't for my West Bend Cool Touch Electric Skillet. By the time the children had cut the corn, chopped the zucchini and grated the cheese, they were ready to do something else besides "cooking", but a few wanted to fry the veggies. A long handled wooden spoon allowed them to safely stir the vegetables while they gently cooked in margarine. It only takes a few minutes.

After stirring the vegetable for a minute or so, I cover them and let them cook for about 5 minutes. The zucchini should be tender but not soft. I then sprinkle the grated cheese over all, turn off the skillet and return the cover until the cheese is melted. Add salt to taste and then serve. Most preschoolers do not like pepper, so I leave pepper as an option to add to individual servings.

I'd say about 50% of the children liked the taste of the vegetables and asked for more. The other 50%, even though most said they like it didn't finish the small serving they received. In the latter group a small percentage wouldn't even taste it, but these boys loved the taste so much they offered to eat everyone else's.

Zucchini Cupcakes

2010-09-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

I suppose the correct term for these delicious baked morsels would be "muffins", but there is something intrinsically more appealing about a cupcake in the mind of a 4 year old. So, I call these yummy treats "Zucchini Cupcakes" and the name created the desired affect. Nearly everyone of the 55 preschool and kindergarten children were excited to come to cooking class. For some, this was their first time to leave their new classroom with a never before seen teacher. I admit they are a bit sweeter than my standard muffin but not too sweet to be a cupcake. The only thing lacking to make it a true cupcake is the icing.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Unbleached Flour

1/2 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1 cup Brown Sugar (loosely packed)

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Egg

1 cup (heaping) Grated Zucchini

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

1/4 cup Water

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Add the wet to the dry and stir together with a whisk until blended. Fill 12 paper lined muffin tins 1/2 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 23 minutes or until toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Let cool slightly before removing cakes from pan.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-06-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

This was the first time I have used this recipe with the preschool children. It proved to be a favorite with the children, the parents and myself. The children and parents enjoyed the treats and I was pleased with the practical life skills the children were all able to practice. I have found rolling clay into balls to be a challenge for some preschool children, but the fact that we were using cookie dough motivated the children to try and I am happy to say all succeeded. The criss crossing with the fork was also a challenge, but fortunately the dough is easily reformed into a ball and one can try pressing the fork down more gently the second time, or third, until you feel good about the results. Spooning the dough out into uniform sized clumps of dough for rolling proved more of a challenge than I cared to deal with so I decided to quickly dispense the clumps of dough onto a floured table surface for each of the children and then let them do the rolling.

This recipe is half of the original. It makes enough for seven children to make four cookies each and some left over, probably 40 cookies all together. The dough does spread out and rises during baking so make sure to leave a good two inches in between. This was something I had to explain to the children. In the beginning, nearly all the children lined the dough balls next to each other along the side of the pan. I had to show them a baked cookie and explain how to space the dough balls to allow room for expansion during baking.

1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 cup flour plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter, sugars, and peanut butter. Mix in the egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, soda, and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together completely.

Roll dough into balls and place on a ungreased baking sheet about two inches apart. Use a fork to lightly flatten dough making a criss cross pattern on top. If fork sticks, dip it in ice water before using. Bake cookies for 8 or 9 minutes.

I don't know what happened to the photo of the finished product. It probably got eaten, know the cookies did and there are none left to take a picture of now. We make one batch with gluten free flour and no one even noticed a difference. We, also, made one batch with soynut butter with equally tasty results.
To view all the photos from this project visit "Peanut Butter Cookies Web Album."

The First Strawberries

2010-05-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have decided that good books for children do not necessarily have to be their favorites. This is one of those books. This story held the preschool and kindergarten children's attention from the first sentence to the last. It is not exciting or funny, but it does have a sweet message. A message of reconciliation with strawberries showing the way.

"The First Strawberries" is a Cherokee story in the native tradition of telling how things came to be as they are. Strawberries are a gift from The Sun to a repentant husband after his wife leaves him for speaking hard words to her. Strawberries will always be a reminder to me, from now on, of the exhortation: "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another," the heart of this story.

Strawberry Tarts

2010-05-26T01:18:00.000-07:00

I did finally manage to adapt this recipe for using with preschool and kindergarten children, but I do not recommend it. I especially don't recommend it if half the children in your class want to do nothing but crawl around on their hands and knees hissing and meowing like wild cats and the other half wants to throw things off the loft or sweep the plastic food onto the floor while calling the scratching cats unkind names.

A well prepared cooking teacher would never try to thicken the sauce for these tarts over an old hot plate that takes 30 minutes to heat up, but that is exactly what I did Monday while wild cats were hissing and scratching and plastic food was flying around the room. To make matters worse, I could only use one hand, the other hand was holding tissues under my faucet of a nose due to the Black Walnut Trees being in bloom. Allergies, crying cats, and flying food is enough to make me want to forget about making Strawberry Tarts with preschoolers for the rest of my life. I thank God for school directors who know when cooking teachers need a helping hand and I've needed help more than once this month.

Here is the recipe for you to enjoy at home, but try this with "Spring Fever" infected children at your own risk of insanity.

Ingredients:
2 pints of strawberries
3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch (or more)
1 baked pie crust

Wash and remove leave from strawberries. Cut one pint of the strawberries into halves or quarters, depending on the size. Blend the other pint of strawberries in a blender with the water. Pour blended strawberries in a saucepan and stir in the sugar and cornstarch. While stirring constantly, bring the blended strawberries to a boil over medium high heat. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the cut up strawberries. Pour strawberries into the baked pie crust and refrigerate until cool and set. Top with whipped cream or serve plain. This does not keep well for long. It is best eaten shortly after it has cooled.

No Bake Cookies

2010-05-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

I remember the first time I ate one of these "No Bake Cookies." I was probably nine years old, 1964, and my mom had made this new recipe that we had never heard of before. I thought they were too good to be true. And Easy, they were so fast and easy, it was unbelievable. This is not the kind of cookie you store in the cookie jar. This is the kind of cookie you make on a warm spring day when your friends come over to play. You eat them all then play baseball and stay as long as you can.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups coconut
2 1/2 cup quick oats

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cocoa powder, sugar, and milk. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in the vanilla, then stir in the coconut and finally the oats. Stir until all oats are coated and set aside to cool. Use a spoon, a meatball clamp, or your hands to form this mixture into cookies. The cookies featured in this post were made with a meatball clamp. Refrigerate cookies until they are refreshingly cold.

Spring Rolls

2010-05-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so you can't please all the children all the time, but 11 out of 11 children who don't like a project is not a good way to start the week. I seriously considered dropping this project after the first day. Six of the eleven children wouldn't even take a teeny, weeny bite. The other five children threw their spring rolls in the garbage after trying to chew their way through the wet, messy, mass of textures and color. I definitely did not want to post this on my blog, but a few changes in ingredients and method helped redeem this project from failure. My friend and director of the school encouraged me to try again and suggested adding rice noodles. So I did, and the results were more favorable. One mom even told me how her son raved about the spring rolls and wanted the recipe so they could make them at home.   So, here is the recipe as we made them on Tuesday and the rest of the week.

Ingredients:
   Spring Rolls Skin
     Thin rice noodles
      Diced Cucumber
      Diced Bell Pepper
      Grated Carrots
      Mashed Avocado
      Chopped Spinach
    Peanut Sauce

Prepare all vegetables and arrange in separate bowls or arrange on a large platter. Prepare rice noodles by placing them in a bowl and covering them with boiling water until soft. Drain the noodles and cut them into manageable lengths. Fill a pie pan with warm water (cool enough for children' fingers to touch) and cover with a dinner plate. The environment is now prepared for the children to begin assembling their spring rolls.

First we identify all the vegetables, then, without telling the children what it is, I pass one of the rice skins around for the children to feel. I ask them what they think it is made out of. 59 out of 60 children guess that it is plastic.

"It feels like plastic but it isn't plastic. Watch what happens when I put this in water."

I push the rice skin under the water and it seems to disappears. After covering the pie pan with a plate, we count to 15, slowly, tap the plate 3 times and then I reach in to pull the rice skin out. Just like MAGIC. What was hard, brittle and plastic-like is now, 15 seconds later, as limp as a dishrag. I then tell the children that what we have is made from rice.

"We call it a rice skin because we use it to wrap around the outside of these vegetable like a skin to make a new type of sandwich called a spring roll."

I demonstrate making a spring roll and then dismiss the children to pursue other interests in the classroom while I work with one child at a time making their "Spring Roll."

The children select the ingredients they want and arrange them in the middle of their spring roll. I add soy sauce or peanut sauce for them. Children fold up the the two side flaps of the skin and then fold the bottom flap up encasing vegetables like a pocket. Finally they roll the bottom up sealing the vegetable in a neat little capsule. I pat them with a paper towel to absorb excess water before setting them aside for about 15 minutes. This allows them to dry out a bit and for us all to eat them together. The first day I did not allow them the dry out and so the texture was a little on the slippery, slimy side. I think this alone made the spring rolls undesirable and resulted in them being tossed out.

Another way I changed the project was how the vegetables were cut. The first day, the cucumber, carrot, and peppers were all cut in thin long strips and the spinach was used whole. This was how my first spring roll was presented to me, but I found diced vegetables and chopped spinach to be better suited for children.

This is one of those projects that tests the child's willingness to try new foods. I found some who tasted these spring rolls for the first time loved them and others thought they "were disgusting." I would love to hear from anyone who has tried this with children. I can always make improvements. I found Spring Rolls to be refreshingly delicious and the various vegetable combinations endless.

How to make Peanut Sauce:
Throw some peanut butter in a bowl, add some soy sauce, drizzle in some agave syrup or maple syrup, sprinkle in some ground ginger, and then stir in enough water to make it thin enough to pour over vegetables like a dressing. Taste your sauce and adjust ingredients to your liking. That's it. The Peanut Sauce and the rice noodles is what makes these cooking project so addictively delicious for me.

Buñuelos

2010-05-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

This project started out as quesadillas but ended up as buñuelos. The Monday morning class made the flour tortillas, but only one girl wanted cheese on her tortillas. She also put salsa on it and quickly declared it to be TOO HOT. I was facing a big fat flop for the cooking project. When none of the children in the second group wanted cheese on their tortillas, I decided it was time to think fast. I checked the refrigerator and cupboards. There was butter. There was sugar and cinnamon. There would be happy children.

So, now I offered cheese and salsa or butter and cinnamon. Would you like to guess how many children chose cheese over cinnamon? Zero! By Wednesday, I didn't even bother to offer cheese. I just told the children we were making Buñuelos. Buñuelos is the name given, in the Pacific Coast region of Mexico, to flour tortillas after frying them and adding butter and cinnamon sugar. Delicious!

I have made flour tortillas before using a rolling pin, but this is not recommended for children. Use a genuine tortilla press. They are not expensive and provide an easy, fun way for children to flatten a piece of dough. We use the tortilla press in making pies also.

To make the dough for 12 tortillas you need:

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup Unbleached Flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 to 6 tablespoons Shortening

1 to 1 1/2 cups water

Whisk the dry ingredients together. Cut the shortening in with a pastry cutter. Add the water and stir until it forms a ball. Knead the dough until it is smooth and pliable but not sticky. Cut the dough into 12 pieces. Squeeze each piece into a ball. Open the tortilla press and place the ball between two pieces of parchment paper . Lower the lid on the press and use the levered handle to flatten the dough. Peel the paper off the tortilla. Cook tortillas on a lightly oiled and hot griddle. Turn tortilla when lightly browned.

To make Buñuelos, rub a stick of butter over the hot tortilla, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over melted butter. Use a pizza cutter to cut the tortilla into triangles. Eat while still warm. Comer con gusto!

Volcano Biscuits

2010-04-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

This project produces so much excitement with the children I have to do it every year. I already have a post involving making these edible volcanoes from the previous year; so I will just offer a tip for making it even easier.

The first improvement I made on this project was to buy large glass cereal bowls to use as individual mixing bowls for the children. They are large enough to allow for easy mixing but small enough to be child size. I also bought small mixing spoons to use instead of using tea spoons as we have done in the past.

The second improvement I made was to draw a blue line with a permanent marker on the inside of the 1/4 cup measuring cup to show how much 3 tablespoons was. This saved the table from being a pool of milk from over measuring. It was much easier for the children to pour the milk into the cup and stop on the blue line than it was to pour the milk into the tablespoon and stop before it ran over. If I reminded the children to pour slowing, they were able to feel more successful at this difficult task. I demonstrated how I achieved the line by measuring 3 tablespoons of water into the cup and showing them the water was even with the blue line.

The third tip I can offer is about the type of jam you use. I found that strawberry preserves worked best. One brand of strawberry jam tasted good but it was too firm, not runny enough for making good lava flows. Find a jam or preserve that is a little on the runny side. It will run down the sides of the biscuit and create the effect of hot lava. Be careful though, the jam will be hot when it comes out of the oven. Children need to let it cool some before eating.

You should definitely try this at home or in class, it is easy, delicious and the children get a charge out of it. If you have an oven with a window in it, let the children peek in on the volcanoes during the last few minutes of baking. The jam will be bubbling up just like hot lava. For the previous post and recipe visit "Volcano Scones A.K.A Eating Hot Lava."

I have lots of pictures from this year's project. To view them visit the "Volcanoes Web Album."

Rain Forest Muffins

2010-04-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

I started calling these muffins, "Rain Forest Muffins" when we were studying the South American rain forest. These are yummy, quick, and not too sweet. The children loved them.

One preschool boy asked his mother if they could make these muffins at home by explaining, "They only have 10 ingredients in them." I was amazed that he remembered, because, even though we count the ingredients before measuring, I couldn't recall how many ingredients this recipe had off the top of my head. He was right and it just goes to show how absorbent the mind of the child is.

The other thing we do before measuring the ingredients is identify which ones come from the rain forest, chocolate, bananas, and sugar. Okay, I am not sure about sugar, but I include it because it comes from some tropical climate far away from me. I would be glad to have someone set the record straight for me.

This is a baking project so the project is like many I have already posted. The children take turns measuring the ingredients, stirring the ingredients, and then waiting for the food to bake. We wrap up the class by eating the muffins hot out of the oven while I read a story. A good story for this is "If You Give a Moose a Muffin."

1 to 2 bananas

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup oil

1 cup ww flour

1 cup unbleached flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup chocolate chips

If making this with children, let them use a potato masher to mash the bananas in a large bowl. We used 1 1/2 bananas. Whisk is the egg, milk, and oil in with the banana. In a smaller bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together. Dump the dry ingredients into the large bowl of wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until all the dry ingredients are mixed in. Stir in the chocolate chips. Use a pastry brush to coat the inside and outside of the 1/4 cup measure with oil. Use this to scoop the muffin batter into a paper lined muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes.

To view pictures of this cooking project visit "The Rain Forest Web Album."

Vegetable Soup

2010-04-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

One kindergarten girl was so impressed with this soup, she went shopping with her mom to get all the ingredients and then went home that night and made it for dinner. With just five ingredients, it is easy enough for even a 5 year old to make. The key to making this soup tasty is to start with a rich broth.

One of the real beauties of this cooking project is each child gets to measure and add all the ingredients. You could have 4 or 20 children and the procedure would still be the same. The amounts in this recipe are for one serving, one child size serving.

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 stick carrot, diced
2 sticks potato, diced
1 heaping tablespoon frozen peas
2 heaping tablespoons pasta
salt and pepper to taste

All the ingredients are put into a pot over high heat and after bringing the broth to a boil, you simmer everything for 10 minutes with the lid on. It is that simple. There were a few children who didn't like the soup but for the most part, the children liked the soup.

We started the class with everyone measuring the broth into the soup pot. I taped a piece of green masking tape to the measuring cup to make it easier for the children to see where 1/2 cup was.

The children were dismissed to find other work in the classroom while I worked with two children at a time to chop the potatoes and carrot and measure the peas and pasta into a bowl.

Before class, I precut the potatoes and carrots into four to five inch sticks. These were kept in bowls of salted water until time to chop them. The children use a wavy chopper. I encourage them to cut the vegetables into small pieces so they will cook quickly enough for us to eat the soup before going back to the main classroom.

To view all the pictures from this project visit the "Vegetable Soup" web album.

Pretzels

2010-04-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

You might think rolling dough into long ropes is something easy, any preschoolers can do, but it can be a challenge. With the first group I gave them a large piece of dough thinking we would make large, soft pretzels. They didn't turn out so good. I didn't discover the best way to do this project until after the last class had finished making their pretzels. Use very small amounts of dough to make the pretzels. The small amounts are easier to form into "ropes" and they bake up crispier than large pieces of dough.

Since this recipe is made from yeast dough, I make the dough in my bread machine before coming to school. There are no milk or eggs in the recipe so you can actually put the ingredients in the bread machine the night before, set the timer and wake up to perfectly raised dough in the morning. Since the children will not be measuring ingredients, this is a good project to use with a large group of children. You can divide the dough according to how many children you have with enough dough to make 48 pretzels four to five inches long. I started out trying to make letter shaped pretzels and traditional shaped pretzels, but it ended up causing too much anxiety for the preschoolers.

I suggest sticking with the basic stick shape unless the children themselves come up with the idea of making the dough into letters. I let the children make the dough into other shapes at the first of the week, but after baking, the thick massed shapes didn't turn out as well. They were heavy, dense and more difficult to eat.

The first step is to dust their work surface with flour using a sifter.

After I brush some oil on their hands,

the children chose a piece of dough and put it on the flour dusted table.

They get to knead it and then cut it into pieces.

Each piece is rolled between their hands into ropes or snakes or

whatever you like to call them.

The children use a pastry brush to paint the pretzels with an egg wash

before sprinkling coarse salt over the tops.

The pretzels only take 12 minutes to bake at 450 degrees.

The children are happy to be able to eat them before going back to class.

Who is that masked pretzel eater?

Stuffed Eggs even a Finicky Eater might like

2010-04-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

7 hard boiled eggs
1/4 teaspoon dill weed plus extra for decorating the tops
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black peper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise

After removing the shells from the eggs, cut them in two lengthwise. Remove the yolks and force the yolks through a strainer into a small bowl. Stir the rest of the ingredients together before add them to the yolks, mix well. Stuff the yolk mixture into the hollows of the egg white using a butter knife of pastry tube. Sprinkle the tops with extra dill weed. Eat immediately or refrigerate until time to serve.

Stuffed Eggs

2010-04-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

     I admit it. I was a finicky eater when I was a child. There were many things I didn't like to eat, things like "Deviled Eggs." The name alone made me suspicious. Mostly, I liked to eat jelly beans, candy orange slices, licorice, BBQ potato chips and hot dogs. I didn't get these things very often, only on special occasions or when I visited a friend's house. I remember eating dinner at my friend Mary's house and commenting on how excited I was to be eating hot dogs. "We never get to have hot dogs," I complained, "all we ever have is steak."

     My family lived on 10 acres and we raised our own cows, chickens, and pigs. Therefore, we always had lots of fresh eggs, milk, beef, and pork in the house to eat, which I never appreciated until I was grown. I'm confessing all this to say, I understand the 5% of the children who didn't like or wouldn't try the stuffed eggs we made in cooking class. As a child, I wouldn't have tried them either. I never could eat a hard or soft boiled egg. I am happy to say, however, that the first sound coming out of the mouths of most of the children who made these eggs in cooking class was, "Mmmmmmm." This is in spite of all the smelly things we put in the stuffing.

     I found out many years later, that the reason I couldn't get the shells off of hard boiled eggs as a kid (the egg looked half chewed by the time the shell came off) was because they were fresh. They hadn't had time to develop a nice little air space beneath the shell which makes peeling them easier. You can understand how a farm kid could grow up thinking store bought was better. So, my first bit of advice for those trying stuffed eggs with children is: Don't use really fresh farm eggs. Tasha Tudor in "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook" suggest, "Eggs that were laid 3 or 4 days before peel the best. Really fresh eggs are difficult to peel." If you buy eggs in the store, you can be reasonably sure they won't be "too fresh" for hard boiled eggs.

Making Stuffed Eggs with the children is fun because we get to use ingredients we normally don't use in cooking class. I introduce the ingredients, letting the children smell everything that is new and "exotic", the dill, the Worcestershire Sauce, and the vinegar. I tell them they can't smell the black pepper because one little fleck in the nose will make you sneeze, sneeze, sneeze. We had one near disaster while smelling the dill weed. One girl blew out air from her nose and the dill weed flew up and into her face. Fortunately, none got in her eyes and it was easily brushed away.

After counting and investigating the ingredients we take a closer look at the amounts. One kindergarten girl asked, "Can we count the whole numbers and fractions?" This is a great project to follow up the math lesson in "Irish Soda Bread" because this recipe has more fractions than whole numbers. Again I explain that a proper fraction is smaller than one and bigger than zero.

After measuring the ingredients in a small glass bowl, each child gets to crack and peel the shell of a hard boiled egg. After all the eggs are peeled I dismiss the children to play while I work with one child at a time cutting their egg in half and grinding the yolk through a strainer.

At the first of the week, we tried using a spoon to push the yolk through the strainer, but found it difficult for the children to do, so I pondered the situation and came up with a pestle for the job. The pestle was perfect for allowing the children to complete the task of grinding all the yolk through the strainer. When I turned the stainer over, the children scraped the beautiful yellow fluff off of the strainer making what looked like a pile of flower pollen.

I made another change in the project mid week. I started the week letting the children use a pastry tube to squeeze the stuffing into the white of the egg but this proved to be difficult for the children to do; so, after the yolks were all ground, I simply whisked all the ingredients for the stuffing together and stuffed the eggs whites myself. The children then were able to come eat the eggs while I read "The Golden Egg Book."

To view all the pictures from this project visit the "Stuffed Eggs Web Album."

Irish Soda Bread

2010-03-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

I made a loaf of this bread for my husband and me to enjoy on the first day of Spring Vacation. I substituted cinnamon and ginger for the coriander and added dried cranberries. I also used a large bread pan to bake it in instead of a traditional round loaf.

From "Sunset Cook Book of Bread" 1966

This recipe, with its variations, comes from Dublin. Gill and pound measurements have been changed to cups, heaping spoons to standard measurement.

This is a versatile bread; you can sweeten it with sugar and fruit, or vary its flavor with different grains and spices.

4 cups Flour (We used 2 Cups WW Flour and 2 cups AP Flour)

1/4 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 cup butter

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1 egg

Mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk. Cut in the butter until crumbly. The children like to use their hands to mix it. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Pour buttermilk into dry ingredients. Stir until all the flour is stirred in. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead gently to form loaves. Large loaves bake 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Small loaves bake for 25 minutes.

Irish Soda Bread, Whole Numbers, and Fractions

2010-03-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite bread recipe to use with the children in my cooking class because it can be made, start to finish, in the 55 minutes I have for class. It is not a yeast bread; therefore,it doesn't require the long rising period, nor extensive kneading. It does allow some kneading, however, just enough for the children to have fun with it. This is also a great recipe for introducing fractions.

I start the class by showing the children the recipe. I tell them, "This is a list of the ingredients we need to make 'Irish Soda Bread.' Let's count how many ingredients are listed in this recipe." As I point to each written ingredients, the children count out loud. They count ten. I then ask them to count the ingredients on the table to see if I have all the ingredients we need. As I point to each ingredient, they count. They count ten. "Good, we have everything we need." Then I ask them to name each ingredient as I point to it. The children name each item but they do not know what the coriander is. I let them smell it and feel it between their fingers. I tell them, This is coriander. It is a spice we have not used before. It has a delicate flowery smell to it."

I then show them the list of numbers before the ingredients. "Here is the list of numbers before the the ingredients. The numbers tell us how much of each ingredient to put in the recipe. There are two kinds of numbers in our recipe today, whole numbers and fractions. Whole numbers are counting numbers. Fractions are numbers smaller than one but bigger than zero. When you divide something in half you have a fraction. I show them the numbers 1, 2. and 3. "These are whole numbers." I show them the numbers 1/2, 1/4, and 3/4. These are fractions. They have a line through them. "Lets count how many whole numbers are in this recipe. 7 Now, let's count how many fractions are in this recipe. 4

If you are teaching older children and their interest holds, you can explain about mixed numbers, but at this point I leave the math lesson and start to measure the ingredients and mix up the dough.

These children are making bread on "Crazy Hair Day."

Preschoolers like to help each other with the cooking projects.

Sometimes, the butter is mixed in best with your hands.

If it happens to be St. Patrick's Day, everyone is wearing green.

When the dough is ready to form into loaves I tell the children that everyone will make their own loaf of bread from this one piece of dough. How many loaves of bread will we make? We count the number of children, 6. "I will have to divide this one piece of dough into smaller pieces. I will divide this dough into 6 equal pieces. Each child will have a fraction of the dough. Each child will have one sixth of the dough."

At this point, the children sprinkle flour on the table in front of them and knead the dough gently. They form it into a single loaf, round, oval, cylinder, or blob. They can cut some lines in the top if they want. I usually show them the round loaf with a cross in the top and tell them this is the traditional shape for Irish Soda Bread.

The loaves are placed on a lightly oiled pan with a little slip of paper tuck under with each child's name on it.

Occasionally, the loaves finish baking before going back to class but usually the children have to wait until lunch time to see the finished product.

To view all the photos from this project, visit the "Irish Soda Bread Web Album."

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2010-03-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

I intended to let the children pour and flip their own pancakes when I chose this project, but, I can only do so much in 55 minutes with 10 minutes to clean up before the next class. So, after a couple of attempts the first day, I took back the spatula and cooked the pancakes for the children after they made the batter. I even had fun making butterfly, hearts, stars, and bear pancakes, hoping this would compensate for not letting the children do the whole process. It seemed to work. The children were happy to butter their pancakes, add syrup and then use a plastic knife to cut the pancake into bite sized pieces. Really, using the knives was enough of a challenge for many of the children without the added challenge of keeping a half cooked pancake on the cooking surface and not on top of another pancake while flipping it. With that intro, here are the pictures.

I did allow the children to put their own syrup on. I used a bottle with a very small squeeze nozzle. This worked in keeping the pancakes from floating in syrup. The children really did have to use effort to get the syrup to come out. We used a mixture of half maple syrup and half agave nectar. The children declared it, "Delicious." After eating two pancakes, the children scraped their plate, if they hadn't already licked them clean, and deposited them, along with the fork and knife, into the sink. The book selection for todays cooking project was a natural choice, Laura Numeroff's "If You Give a Pig a Pancake."

To view all the pictures from this project, visit the "Whole Wheat Pancakes" web album.

Green Eggs and Toast

2010-03-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

I will begin this post with a few words about equipment. I have found the "Cool Touch Electric Skillet" to be a safe and dependable way to cook a variety of foods with children. It is stable, has a thermostat control, and is surrounded by a "cool to the touch" border. Occasionally, a child has brushed their hand or finger along the very edge of the skillet, but I have never had any child get burned when using this appliance in cooking class. Anyone who desires to help children learn to cook should invest in one of these skillets. I found mine at a garage sale for $3.00.

I have found, a long handled spoon is easier than a spatula for a preschooler to use when stirring the eggs during cooking and a pair of long handled plastic tongs work for getting out the toast from the toaster without getting burned. A kindergarten child and some preschoolers can remove the scrambled eggs from the skillet using the spatula and the spoon together.

How do you like green eggs and toast?

We like to eat them with friends the most.

Most of the children were very excited to cook green eggs,

but I would say, only about 50% of the children

actually ate the glow in the dark green scrambled eggs.

I have to admit, it was hard for me to get past the color.

I much prefer the good old standard yellow version, therefore, I suggest using the green egg option only during the first week in March when Dr. Seuss' birthday is celebrated. Without the green food coloring you could do this cooking project any time of the year.

The wonderful thing about this project is the fact that every child gets to crack their own egg. There are usually several children begging to be the one who cracks the egg when the recipe calls for one. There are also some children who never want to crack an egg. Some are very squeamish about getting gooey. I have plenty of paper towels ready so each child can wipe their hands immediately after cracking the egg. I didn't get any pictures of children cracking eggs during this project, but you can see the process in "How to let a preschooler crack an egg."

When introducing this project I ask the children how many eggs are in a carton of eggs. Some kindergarten children know there are twelve, but most think there are ten. We count the number of eggs. I ask if they know another name for twelve. Most do not know. I tell them "One dozen." One dozen eggs is twelve eggs. If you buy twelve pieces of candy, you are buying one dozen pieces of candy. This may be the first time of understanding the word "dozen" for many preschoolers.

We used a measuring cup and a spring beater to scramble the egg and mix in the green food coloring. One drop is enough and I add the drop.

The children also add salt at this stage.

By the second day of making green scrambled eggs and toast, we had a pretty good system for getting the toast and eggs to be done at the same time.

1. The child puts a slice of toast in the toaster and pushes down the handle.

2. Child breaks an egg into a bowl and then pours it into the mixing cup.

3. Child shakes in some salt.

4. Teacher adds a one drop of green food coloring.

5. Child beats up the egg.

6. Child paints the hot skillet (250 degrees) with melted butter.

7. Toast pops up, child brushes toast with melted butter.

8. Child pours beaten egg into skillet.

9. Teacher puts lid on skillet and asks child to count to twelve. Before opening the lid I ask the child, "How many eggs are in a dozen?" If they do not remember, I tell them twelve.

10. The child stirs the eggs with a long handled spoon.

11. Teacher puts the lid on again and asks child to count to twelve. Before lifting the lid, I ask the child, "What is another word for twelve?" Most all the children remember the word "dozen."

12. If child is able to spoon eggs onto plate, they do, otherwise, I help them.

Time to eat what they have cooked.

Pink Egg Noodles

2010-02-23T21:23:00.000-08:00

The reactions I observe from the children, when they see the noodle dough come out of the rollers as thin strips, is so pronounced, so full of joy and wonder, I can't help but do this project every year.

I have already posted the recipe for Egg Noodles and a description of the project under "Noodles for a long and happy life," so I will just share a few tips from this year and describe how to make Pink Noodles.

The difference between a successful cooking project and a less than successful cooking project depends on whether I have prepared the environment for success. I have learned to never try a recipe with children until, first, I have made it successfully myself. (Yes, I have tried out a recipe, first thing Monday morning, without making it at home the day before; but I will save the disaster stories for a later time.)

When the children walk into the classroom

I try to have everything we need set out on the table,

as shown below.

When introducing a cooking project, I, usually, start by talking about the ingredients with the children.

Starting with the egg, and going clockwise, I will describe the ingredients.

The egg is in a bowl, on a plate.

The child who cracks the egg will hit the egg in the middle of the plate while I hold the bowl.

After the shell is broken, I put the bowl under the egg and the child pushes their thumbs through the crack and opens the egg into the bowl.

That is how it is supposed to happen.

This week two children hit the egg too hard and the egg ended up on the plate.

No problem, they removed the shell and dumped the egg into the mixing bowl from the plate.

This method of cracking eggs avoids many anxious situations.

The next ingredient is a dark, purplish red, liquid.

I ask the children what they think it is.

They guess it is jam.

"It looks like jam, but it isn't jam."

They guess it is cranberry juice.

"It looks like cranberry juice, but it isn't cranberry juice."

Another child says, "Is it tomato sauce?"

"It may look like tomato sauce, but it isn't tomato sauce."

This is a great way to get the children thinking about what we are doing.

I now start giving clues.

"This is made from a vegetable."

"Is it made from radishes?"

"Good thinking!

It's not a radish but it has the same shape as a radish,

only bigger, and it has this dark red color."

"Is it a beet?"

"Yes, yes, your are so smart!

This is beet puree. It is blended up beets! We are going

to put this in the dough to make it pink."

The water is in this darling little pitcher.

You can get one from Montessori Services.

I use it whenever I have some small amounts of liquid to be measured.

The children can measure a tablespoon of water without fear of flooding the tables.

I don't know where we got this plastic container,

but it is perfect for storing the salt in.

The lid can easily be unscrewed by a preschooler

and the opening is large enough for easy scooping by a measuring spoon.

Any wide mouth, shallow jar will work.

It is labeled with the word "Salt."

5. & 6.

"We have two kinds of flour we will be using in our cooking project today.

One is the regular unbleached wheat flour we use to make cookies, cakes, and bread.

The other is a special flour used in making pasta.

I am going to let you look at these two kinds of flour.

Which one do you think is used to make pasta?"

"Yes, what made you think this flour is used in making pasta?"

"It's yellow."

"Good thinking! It is yellow.

Now, with your finger and thumb,

I want you to feel these two flours."

"Which one feels softer?"

I then tell them the pasta flour is called "semolina flour."

It is made from a special type of wheat and almost all pasta is made from semolina flour. The preschoolers have just been introduced to a word I didn't know until I was an adult.

Preschoolers love learning new, big words.

When all the ingredients have been introduced, we go around the table and each child measures something. They each stir in the ingredient they measure. I then work with two children at a time. One child turns the crank on the pasta machine and the other catches the noodles when they come through the cutters. Then they switch places. Each child gets to turn the crank and catch the noodles.

Our school does not own a pasta machine.

Each year I ask the parents if anyone has a pasta machine.

Each year some parent is happy to let us borrow their equipment for one week, but, if I ever find one for $5.00 at a garage sale, I going to snatch it up faster than you can say "Macaroni."

The noodle dough looks about the same shade of pink as this girls shirt, but after the noodles are cooked, the color fades. The noodles end up being a pastel rosy hue. Varying amounts of beet puree can be used to obtain the desired color in the finished product. Just remember, the puree acts as part of the liquid, so reduce the water is you add more puree or omit the egg and adjust the water accordingly.

To make the puree, I used beet powder,

adding water until it was the consistency of applesauce.

To view all the photos of this project, visit the "Pink Noodles" web album.

Edible Mosaic Artwork a.k.a. Pizza

2010-02-21T22:52:00.000-08:00

When I was preparing the ingredients for this project, I realized that assembling a pizza was a little bit like making a mosaic work of art. I have never make a mosaic art piece but the kindergarten class at our school have, so I decide to show one of the mosaic pieces to the cooking class and suggest they think about creating a beautiful work of edible art. Each pizza was unique and beautiful. Since the children were given free range in what ingredients to add to their pizza, and the children were able to sample the ingredients first before deciding to use it our not, each pizza was predestined to be "delicious" by its maker.

Here are the basic ingredients for the pizzas we made. Of course, other ingredients could be added to suit different taste.

Pizza dough

pizza sauce

grated Mozzarella cheese

black olives

green bell pepper

red bell pepper

vegetable oil

I made the pizza dough in my bread machine by adding the ingredients the night before and using the timer on the dough setting. The dough was raised and waiting when I woke up. I then added a second set of ingredients, started the dough cycle, and the second batch was ready by the time I left for work. Two batches of pizza dough were enough to make 14 mini pizzas. You could adjust the amount of dough used per pizza, depending on the number of students you teach.

Steps for assembling pizzas.

Step 1

Oil the foil.

It never failed to bring a smile or chuckle from the children when I told them to "oil the foil." One of the children would say, "Hey, that rhymes," and then they would all say, "oil the foil," "oil the foil." Lots of giggling followed,

Step 2

Pat out the dough

This step is easiest if the child just takes the ball of dough, plops it down and starts patting it flat and pressing it out. If they pick it up and knead it, squeeze it and play with it, the dough will be more difficult to shape, but nevertheless, they will eventually get it flattened out and in the basic shape of a pizza. We had circles, ovals, rectangles, hearts, and blobs.

Step 3

Add the sauce

There were a few children who choose not to add sauce, but most wanted it. Several children would spread and spread the sauce until it all ended up on the foil. I helped them scoop it up and put it back on the dough.

Step 4

Add Cheese

Step 5

Add vegetables

Using the wavy choppers from Montessori Services, the children were able to cut the olives and pepper slices into small small pieces. By this time in the school year, all the children feel comfortable using the wavy choppers. The vegetable are soft enough that cutting them is easy and safe.

Step 6

Add name tags and bake.

I slip a thin strip of paper with the child's name under one edge of the pizza. This poses no problem in baking and assures that each child gets the pizza they made. Bake the pizzas at 425 - 450 degrees for 11 - 12 minutes.

Step 7

Eat your beautiful work of art.

For more pictures of this project, visit the Personal Pizzas web album.

Ruby Red Valentine Biscuits

2010-02-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Since I described this projects already in "Special Occasion Biscuits" February 2009, I will just give a few pictures from this year's project and encourage all my readers to try these biscuits at home. They are delicious and beautiful and full of butter.

The biscuits pictured in this post were made with a square biscuit cutter and small heart cutter. The children were given the choice of using a round biscuit cutter or a square one. I especially like using the square cutter because they end up looking like a valentine. This is a fancy, sweet treat that isn't too sugary, only 2 Tablespoons sugar in 12 biscuits, not counting the jam. The amount of butter, though, is enough to stop your heart and delight your taste buds.

This year I had a couple of super heroes drop in on cooking class. Even super heroes like to make tasty treats.

I think the muscular fellow in red called himself, "Red Flying Eagle Man."

The green super hero is a "Ninja Turtle."

Don't let this sweet face fool you.

Beneath the mild manners and chubby cheeks

of this darling preschooler is the heart of a mighty

super hero who has a will of iron.

To read about this project follow this link "Special Occasion Biscuits."

The recipe can be found at Valentine Tea Biscuits.

The rest of the pictures taken of the 2010 cooking class

are in the web album

"Ruby Red Valentine Biscuits."

Rocky Road Pudding

2010-02-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

Did someone say chocolate, and marshmallows, and chocolate chips? Oh My! Those who missed cooking class for what ever reason, last week, were crying the blues. How could anyone not love warm, velvety smooth chocolate pudding, with gooey bits of chocolate chips, and marshmallows thrown in for added decadence? If your child missed this project, you really should try this at home. I have fond memories of my mother making this Sunday evenings when I lived at home. We broke graham crackers into a bowl and layered sliced banana over the crackers, then my mother spooned the pudding hot from the stove over the crackers and banana. Oooh yah, that was good stuff, but, as good as that pudding was, I have discovered a way to make it even better.

Here is the whole process start to finish with step by step photo documentation, thanks to a parent's volunteer assistance.

The first step is to let the children use their senses to explore the ingredients. Here the children are tasting cocoa powder in its unsweetened state. The first time I tried this I used a bowl of cocoa powder. The children would dig in thinking they were in for a treat. The results were disappointing and messy. Now I put a very small amount of cocoa powder on a plate. The amount they get on one finger is just enough to let them taste the cocoa without thinking I am trying to kill them. It also allows for better damage control (think no cocoa powder dust in face, on table, on floor, on clothes, etc.)

Next, we use our sense of touch to feel the difference between wheat flour and corn starch. I ask them to describe the two ingredients. This is the language part of cooking. Children used adjectives such as: softer, smoother, bouncy, squishy.

I then give the children an opportunity to listen to the sound of cornstarch. I squeeze the cornstarch between my fingers, close to their ear. Every child looks up and nods their head. What did you hear? I ask. Snaps, crackles, pops, squeaks, they reply.

Now we begin to measure the ingredients.

Cornstarch

Sugar

Cocoa Powder

Milk

(In this case, oat milk. It turned out delicious.)

Also, a little salt and vanilla. Now they can smell the ingredients.

Stir all that together real well and then I add the hot milk.

The pan goes on the burner, the children work on other self serving projects within the classroom, and I stir the pudding until it is thick.

Yes, I stir constantly, for about 10 minutes, on medium high to high heat. When the pudding starts to bubble, it is ready to cool in a bowl of ice water.

This is the step I discovered that makes cooked pudding better than the cooked pudding my mother served me as a child. By cooling the pudding in this way, no skin forms on top. I never liked the thick skin that formed as a result of the pudding cooling from the top down. By cooling it quickly from the bottom up, one achieves creamy consistency and warm pudding, just right for eating. You do have to continue to stir the pudding as it is cooling or you will get a skin on top.

At this point I call the children to the table.

They get to count out 10 marshmallows and 10 chocolate chips, another math opportunity.

I serve up the pudding and they stir in the treats.

Happy children. Happy teacher.

While the children enjoy this unbelievable treat, (Does my mom know I'm having this before lunch?) I read a story about a naughty little girl who just walks into somebody's house one day and finds three bowls of Rocky Road Pudding sitting on the table. She tastes the biggest bowl. It is much too hot. She tastes the middle size bowl. It is much to cold. Finally, she tastes the littlest bowl. It is just right and she gobbles it all up.

Someone's been eating my pudding!

There are many varieties of pudding one can make from this old fashioned recipe. Visit the links below for the recipe with a few variations and last year's project.

Using Our Senses with Old-fashioned Pudding

Vanilla Cherry Pudding

More pictures from this project can be seen by visiting the Rocky Road Pudding web photo album.

"Stone Soup" a lesson in hospitality

2010-01-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

There are many versions of "Stone Soup" but I like this one by Jon Muth best. The setting is China and the strangers who come to town looking for a warm welcome are monks. The villagers no longer practice hospitality with strangers or even themselves. The monks remind them of the joy in sharing life with others by making stone soup. The illustrations are beautiful and the new setting to an old familiar folktale is refreshing. It is like hearing the story again, for the first time.