Fall Feast

The Southeast Steuben County Library Teen Cooking Club sessions returned in October after a two month hiatus.  Down time did nothing to the program participation, in fact, the quantity of students surged!  Luckily, we have the spacious USW 1000 Union Hall to cook up a storm and contain the 30 teens buzzing with excitement to create the concoctions I collected.

USW 1000 Union Hall houses the SSCL Teen Cooking Club

To start off the event, I set up tables with recipes on each station.  Each recipe was labeled with a number.  Attendees drew from a bucket to find out which recipe was their's to accomplish.  This method has been valuable in breaking up "besties" and siblings, while meeting new friends with similar interests.  

Station 1 created a Butternut Squash Broccoli Quinoa Casserole.  I just love the way quinao (pronounced "keen-wah") is read by the students.  Only the veteran students know the grain and it seems to be overlooked by many households.  I wanted veggies to be used and loved in this main dish.  CHEESE makes the difference.  The dish was warm, colorful, and filling.

So yummy, we doubled the recipe!

Station 2 was assigned Harvest Pumpkin Soup.  Pumkins and soup scream fall to my belly and everyone seemed to agree.  The recipe claims you should puree the mixture, but I allowed the team to choose to leave it chunky or smooth.  The "chunky" vote won.  Lots of kids loved this recipe, which was our appetizer as we waited for all recipes to finish in the ovens.

"This is so warm and makes me feel cozy."

Station 3 were given the favorite recipe that disappeared before it hit the counter, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Due to the pumpkin, these sweet treats are high in fiber and very moist.  They were the dessert before dinner, since the squash in the casserole took longer to soften than expected, but no one seemed disappointed by this fact.

Cookies before cooking...they vanished right out of the oven.

Station 4 was given a double dose of recipes to allow enough tasks for each student.  Old Fashioned Apple Crisp speaks to the season of harvest.  The Finger Lakes region is abundant with apple orchards and the cost of apples goes way low in autumn.  With a large crowd, we doubled the recipe.  This was another sweet treat with a knack for vanishing.

Gone too soon...

For the Harry Potter fans, like myself, who anticipate the upcoming film "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," (click here to borrow the book from our library!--books are always better than movies...)I felt it necessary to introduce a beverage from the much-loved book series. Butter Beer is a quick, 5 ingredient recipe that is sure to please, though it would taste much better served at the Three Broomsticks in Hog's Meade.

The bespectacled bud imbibed like he was in Hog's Meade.

So many great recipes and equally fun company.  These chefs-in-training worked hard and ate 'til their bellies burst.  As families arrived to retrieve their kin, it was irresistible for their noses to guide them to the serving counter.  What little food was leftover ended up being tasted by parents and siblings.  Everyone wanted recipes, and I promised this recap for the exact purpose of taking the lessons home.  Please enjoy!

Go worldwide with us next month with guest chef, Nithya Krishnan.  We will be experimenting with new ingredients and recipes foreign to my knowledge--I can't wait!

Fanciful Feast

We celebrated Valentine's Day a little early with Teen Cooking Club.  This event was held in the community rooms of the Southeast Steuben County Library.  The local Union Hall, our usual digs for Cooking Club was housing a Local Foods Festival hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension, which proved just how many faces you can pack into a union hall. 

Food and Friends at the Fest

Our recipes in the library started with No-Bake Valentine Granola Bites.  We tweaked the recipe to match our theme.  Yummy!

No-Bake Granola goodness

Sweetheart Buddies were also on plate at another table for creation...

Sweetheart Treats

Valentine's Day Marshmallows were also tested and tasted:

Put them on a stick and dip!

No recipe was really needed for this idea, just melt chocolate in a crock pot, stick marshmallows on a stick.  Dip the mallows in chocolate, drip off the excess, then dip them into festive sprinkles.  Let them cool, then enjoy!

Valentine Sweetheart Pretzels

These pretzels were so easy and shared the marshmallow station, because they had the chocolate pot.  The recipe can be followed here.

We also made delicious Cupid Floats, which I highly recommend, despite the high amounts of sugar you will likely consume.

Red Vines act as straws for this yummy drink

After all of the recipes were made and most of the cleanup was accomplished...I washed dishes as a Valentine's Day gift to my students, we played a few rounds of Minute to Win It games.  These were a FABULOUS HIT!!!  There is nothing like the giddiness of sugared-up teens and tweens giggling away the afternoon.

Marshmallow Toss

Conversation hearts were the focus of these games. 

You cannot refuse a good use for these.

Highest stack wins!

The winners of these games were surprised to receive a gorgeous 3-D printed treat.

3-D Printed Hearts

There was a flurry of activity and I nearly collapsed at the end of the day, but it was all worth the effort, as usual.  The excitement is contagious, but my body cannot handle all of these sweets! 

Sweets from the Heart.

Next month we celebrate Pi Day (3/14) with Pies!

If you are free after school on Pi Day, be sure to celebrate with us.

March 14, 2016 at 3:14pm.

See you again soon...

Happy eating!