Cooking Class

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:

Summer  June 17, 2013

Monday morning snack

Nuts and Bolt ( similar to a trail mix)

Tuesday dessert

Strawberry puffs

Wednesday lunch time

Pigs in Ponchos

Thursday salad time

Raggedy Ann Salad

Friday beverage

Blushing Pink Sodas

PIGS IN PONCHOS

8 SERVINGS

Ingredients

8 good-quality hot dogs

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

Cooking spray

Directions

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.

Murphy's Pickled Peach Salad

Ingredients

⅛ c. champagne vinegar
1 sm. Fresno chile, diced
⅛ c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into eighths
½ c. pecan halves
¼ c. ground black pepper
½ c. powdered sugar
Arugula leaves
2 oz. Point Reyes Farmstead blue cheese

1. In a bowl, whisk vinegar, chile, and olive oil. Add peaches and marinate overnight.

2. To make the spiced pecans, preheat oven to 450°. Blanch pecans in boiling water. In a bowl, mix pepper and sugar, then roll pecans in mixture. Transfer pecans to a baking sheet and bake until dark brown (20-25 minutes).

3. Toss arugula in olive oil.

4. Arrange pickled peaches in a straight line on a serving dish. Top with dressed arugula and spiced pecans. Crumble cheese over the top and serve.

Murphy’s, 997 Virginia Avenue, Virginia Highland (404-872-0904 or murphys-atlanta-restaurant.com).

Israeli Couscous and Tomato Salad with Arugula

2 cups Israeli couscous
4 tomatoes, cut into wedges
a handful or Baby Arugula, coarsely chopped
1/2 c extra virgin o.o.
1/4 c pine nuts, toasted
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 c Parmesan - Regianno cheese
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Directions;
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a oil. Add the couscous and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain, and spread out onto a  large baking sheet. Drizzle with oil to prevent sticking. When it has cooled, place the couscous, pine nuts, arugula and tomatoes in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and chill till ready to serve.