Sweet & Savory Baked Treats

There are unfortunate times when one might think they produced and published an amazing blog post, only to realize a few months later just how totally incorrect their thought was and that the photographic evidence of an awesome teen program disappeared in the virtual trash can.  The Sweet & Savory Baked Treats session of Teen Cooking Club has fallen victim to this neglect.  
Since this program occurred WAY BACK IN APRIL, I will keep this short and (pun) SWEET.

For starters, we created a delicious home baked granola. 5-ingredient-peanut-butter-granola-bars are quick and fun to make.  I love to have filling snacks like these at home to curb my appetite.  I believe this recipe proved to be magic.  They disappeared before I got a photograph.

The Chef in Training provided a simple recipe for cookies-and-cream-popcorn.  If you have an air popper, this recipe is made so fast!  

If you have ever dined at the famous seafood restaurant, you know Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits are heavenly.  Check out the simple recipe here.  

Ranch Pretzels are another tasty treat..  If you like to buy flavored pretzels at the market, try this frugal alternative.  

The sweetest option for the event was Orange Cream Soda Pop Cupcakes.  These cavity creators were so cute!  We loved adding the straw for the perfect Soda Pop appeal.

Sweet & Savory Sea

June was Junk Food

June was the month for Junk Food.  We celebrated the end of school year with things that can rot your teeth.  It's amazing how fast that food disappeared!  

The buffet spread looked like this:

Butterfinger popcorn, Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes, Raspberry Aqua Fresca, Strawberry Shortcake, and Nachos filled the buffet bar and the young adult bellies!

As I fill the year with healthful bites, I decided it was time to break for the bad, and I'm sure there were some bad belly aches in the aftermath.  Perhaps not, some of these kids have iron stomachs.  The recipes were easy to find on Pinterest.  Simply search "junk food" and you are inundated with results.  Butterfinger Popcorn was a sweet and EASY treat.  The hardest part of the recipe was keeping the teens from eating the candy bars while they were instructed to smash them.  They claimed it was heartbreaking to destroy a perfectly good candy bar.  "What did this Butterfinger ever do to you?" joked one of my sugar freaks.

Oreo-and-Peanut-Butter-Brownie-Cakes were so good, I never even tasted them!  Luckily I forced those hands away from the food for one shot before the goodness vanished.

Notice those brownies are already GONE!

June is Raspberry Month, so we made a refreshing drink with one part pureed berries mixed with one part water.  The kids loved this drink so much, we made a lottery to be fair on dividing up the mixture. 

Nachos are my easy dinner favorite at home.  They can be as healthful or harmful as you choose, just about always a different concoction.  I found it funny how many questions were posed regarding the whole nacho making process.  Sometimes the simplest things can be over complicated in a young mind.

The final recipe to discuss was Strawberry Shortcake.

We had a great strawberry picking season in the Southern Finger Lakes region.  I could not resist celebrating the harvest with a summer time favorite.

The recipe was on the packaging of a Bisquick box.

I showed the teens how to make whipped cream from scratch, none of that scientifically engineered tub stuff.

It's always fun to hear "That was so easy! I want to show mom!"  It tells me my mission was successful.

It's always a fun-filled 2 hours at the Local 1000 Union Hall.  I somehow split into several of me to instruct the various tables and clarify instructions.  It's often chaotic for one person, but I love it!  And who could not L.O.V.E. these adorable (paper plate) faces?!?

Sometimes the waiting is the hardest part.  Ready?......1..2..3.....EAT!!