I started a fun, new adventure last week: I'm teaching cooking classes to young students between the grades of 2 and 6. It happened quickly. As I was leaving the city for the weekend, I received the call and the classes were beginning on Monday. Well, trailmix was a shoe in for the first day. The second day, I pulled out my very first cookbook to make a salad! Naturally the children were like,
yuck!
And when I told them they were going to make Raggedy Ann salads, I first had to explain who/what is Raggedy Ann. Of course the boys wanted to make Raggedy Andy but I didn't have the materials for making the boy. But what they made, are very cute. Take a look~ And there is a boy or two in the group!
I had the source, my cookbook out to show the children the picture. It came from a very old Betty Crocker cookbook called: Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls. It's pretty easy to see what ingredients were used. I also posted the recipe for Pigs in Ponchos.
My menu for the first week follows:
Nuts and Bolt ( similar to a trail mix)
Blushing Pink Sodas
1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
16 flour tortillas (8-inch), heated to soften slightly
1 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought salsa verde
Yellow mustard, jalapeno mustard or honey mustard
2 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
Preheat an oven to 350. Parboil the hot dogs for a few minutes to heat through and extract some of the salt. In a medium saucepan, heat the beans over medium heat (or cover and heat in the microwave on high for 3 minutes), adding a little water to thin slightly.
Make the ponchos: Top each of 4 tortillas with a thin layer of salsa verde, a swirl of mustard, and lots of cheese, some beans and set a dog at one end. Wrap and roll up the tortilla stack around the dog; repeat with the remaining ingredients. Spray the ponchos with cooking spray and grill for a few minutes to brown and crisp the tortillas.
The best part about being a teacher for this class is to encourage the children to try something different. The summer program is called Adventures in Learning so I enjoy encouraging them to be adventurous. I really can't wait till the next day.
