Cooking Up 2014

Tonight we count down the last seconds to a fresh start of a New Year.  I wanted to recap all the recipes we cooked up these past twelve months.  Grab a snack, 'cause this is bound to stir your appetite.

January was a Tailgate Party.  We "celebrated" the Super Bowl with foods meant for munching.  Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip sounds like an oxymoron, but it delish!

We also created Rolo Pretzel Delights (top left), Sweet and Spicy Pretzel Mix (bottom left), and Crescent Pizza Pockets.

February was No Cook Cuisine.  We tested Apple Snicker Salad, Baldwins, Easy Turkey Wrap Sandwiches, Strawberry Mice, Crock Pot Spiced Apple Cider, and Microwave Potato Chips.  We needed a cooking device to crisp the potatoes, but it was so simple, it didn't seem like cooking.

March was Something on a Stick.  

We tested a Meatball Sub on a Stick, Mini Corndogs (we shortcut on this recipe with refrigerated rolls), Rainbow Fruit Sticks (top middle), S'more Sticks (top right), Pancake and Sausage Minis, and Stuffed Celery Sticks, which looked like adorable butterflies.

April was Sweet and Savory Baked Treats.  Check the archive for the details.

May was Fudge and Flan, another archived event.

June was Junk Food.  Get the recipes on the archive.

July was our annual BBQ with a little lesson from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier with the game Hunger 101. 

We tested Campfire Cones (what a sweet mess!--left middle and lower pictures), Raspberry Aqua Fresca, because June is Raspberry Month (top middle), Watermelon Slices, and Unbreakable Bubbles.  Too much fun in the sun!

August was Sparkling Snacks  Check out the results in the archive.

September was canceled.  I took a much needed mini-vacation and expected the kids to get studying.  School was BACK IN SESSION!!!

October was a Creepy Cupcake Challenge.  Prepare to be scared on the archive.

November was my annual Birthday Bash.  I L.O.V.E. to celebrate my birthday and choose to honor my special holiday with my teens.  This year we switched gears a bit with the recipes and created our own Thanksgiving Feast.  We tested Mini Turkey Pot Pies, Green Bean Fries, Apple cider, and ran out of time to make Cone-a-copias> ice cream cones full of sweet treats.  We were all well fed by the end of the afternoon.

Finally, December was a combined effort for First Friday Art Club and Teen Cooking Club.  We made gifts and edible treats in our annual Make and Bake event.  Click the link for the archived event and get a taste of the happenings of First Friday Art Club.

Hope you test out some or all of these yummies.  They come to you "teen-approved."

2015 sessions begin on January 12.

Spread the good word.  We love to cook at the library.  Sign up today!

Until next time..

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

sPArKLinG SnaCkS

This post goes back to August, when it was still Summer Reading Club with the teen theme of "Spark a Reaction."  Teen Cooking Club was busy making a bunch of reactive treats.

The sweetest of our treats was edible DNA.  Our models utilized Twizzlers and Dots. 

 My teacher friends remarked upon a fantastic rocket project using alka seltzer and film canisters.---I know!--What's film?  How can you get a film canister?  Luckily, we still have many mom and pop shops.  Our own local B & C Photo in Elmira, NY was happy to help with this conundrum.  With paper, glue, tape and markers, each student personalized their "ships" and prepared them for take-off.

The stuff you see flowing from bottles below is Elephant Toothpaste.  This stuff was so fun and very reactive!  Good idea for an outdoor summer project.

                                                 

We also cooked some quesadillas and had juice mixed with ginger ale- very sparkly- because these kids HAVE TO EAT!-  but we were a-buzz with activity, so no pics of the food frenzy.

The most interesting project for us all was the Alka Seltzer Rocket.  The instructions are so simple.  Sourcing the canisters was really the most difficult part.  Everyone got a canister to take home and further experiment.  There were some that seemed to be duds, they just would not work, but given time, they truly Sparked a Reaction.  Hopefully this video is a sign of the fun we had.