Squash Your Hunger

What food lasts forever in your pantry and can fill an army of friends on the cheap?  SQUASH!!!  That's right, squash is part of the cucurbita family and boast many health benefits for low cost, long shelf-life produce.

Squash Your Hunger

January is a cold month amidst the dark hours of winter.  To brighten our spirits and palettes, we cooked with gourd-geous organge hues to squash our hunger.  The first recipe involved curry, apples, onions and pumpkin.  We made Autumn Squash Soup, which was a great decision for a frigid afternoon.  The bomb cyclone was headed our way, so we needed to warm up quickly.

Soup Prep

Preparation was a snap with a responsive team.  Ingredients were sauteeing before I had relayed all the steps in the process.  The kitchen filled with savory scents, calling to our bellies.

Bubble and Boil

Once the soup was complete, it needed to be blended to a smooth consistency.  I brought my trusty immersion blender to class just for this step.  Students were fascinated by the speed and precision of the immersion blender.  "We need more recipes using that tool!"

Blended Squash Soup

 I learned some fun facts preparing for this class.Cucumbers are part of the squash family.  Look at the species name- cucurbita.  Cucumbers fit in the name!  An adult student who likes to participate so she learns new life skills took ownership of a Creamy Cucumber Salad.

Whipped up in Minutes

This salad was mighty popular and a great way to cool off tongues after eating a hot soup.  Dill and cucumber are cool ingredients versus a hot curry or spicy onion.

A Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta plate was tackled by a third team.  This seemed to be the most unusual of our recipes.  The girls made a cheesy sauce with blended squash and tons of cheese.  This sauce was mixed to cooked pasta and voila!  Cheesy goodness that disappeared in moments.

So good, it was Gone!

Now that the savory plates are covered, we can step into Sweetsville.

Muffin Mania

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins were the first stop in Sweetsville.  This is not an actual town, but the place we all like to be when making meals.  Desserts are often coveted, despite knowing we need savory foods, too.  The library is undergoing construction, so some important tools are trapped from usage.  It turned out that the hand mixer is one of the hostages.  Therefore, team mates took turns flexing their muscles and working the cream cheese to a fluffy consistency.

Mmmm...muffins

This was a winner recipe!  I took this photo before the pan emptied with few crumbs remaining.  Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies were the last recipe to tackle in our plan.  I wanted to test the theory that gluten free (GF) all purpose flour acts equivalently to regular all purpose (AP) flour.

Cookie Experiment

In theory, GF flour should equate to AP flour.  The recipe mixed up just fine, but we noticed a major difference in cooking.  These cookies were only supposed to take 12-15 minutes to bake, but the GF flour seemed to cause a delay.  This recipe took upwards of 20-25 minutes per batch to firm up.

Yummy in my Tummy!

Regardless of the extra bake time, students still called these cookies, "Yummy in my tummy!"  My favorite joke for this recipe was a teen consistently calling them Goatmeal Cookies.  I finally understood his reference to the Gluten-free part.  This student often expresses his opinion that Gluten Free recipes result in cardboard quality products.  "Only goats eat cardboard."  I found that hungry teens and tweens devour Goatmeal Cookies, too. 

Time to Eat!

Many thanks to Wegmans Food Markets for sponsoring this teen cooking club.  The community of Corning, New York is supportive of these learning lessons and we are grateful.  The Local Steelworkers Union Hall provides our giant kitchen, the students provide the fun.

Let's Go Shopping

This wraps up another delicious cooking club event.  Join us in February as we go shopping at Wegmans Food Market.  We will meet and shop just like a large family preparing to stock up their pantry for the month.  Their chefs will also engage us with a cooking demonstration!  That will be fun to see how the professionals get the task complete.

Until then, thanks for visiting!

~Erica

Freaky Eats

This October appropriately became a spooky month with life and family circumstances shaking up plans and postponing the Freaky Eats theme from Friday the 13th to October 30.

Mind Control:  Fact or Fiction

A spine tingling program was in full swing in the adjacent community room as I prepared my ghoulish program.  While Chris Johnson's traveling library show, Mind Control: Fact or Fiction was toying with the powers of the brain and freaking out the audience, I was preparing to freak out the senses of some hungry teens.

Monstrous Meal

The Freaky plan started simply with Monster Donuts.  I purchased a glazed dozen donuts, a package of multi-colored vampire teeth, and a bunch of bloodshot sugar eyes. A Time for Seasons summed up this project quite simply.  Shove the teeth into the donut hole, push the eyes into the dough and Voila!  Adding more than 2 eyes makes them freakier.

Three Eyed Purple People Eater

We needed something to wash down the monsters and found Zombie Juice might do the trick.  This recipe comes from Ebay, which is weird!  Teens wondered if we could auction off the concoction for profit after we made it.  Turns out it was too toxic for their tastes!

"Like Toxic Root Beer Floats!"

This recipe included three main ingredients, orange sherbet, vanilla ice cream and orange soda.  I made the mistake of buying DIET SODA and everyone lost interest!  I admit I can't get behind diet soda and actually detest most soda, but teens usually don't care.  This was a shock to find they hated this recipe.  "It looks like toxic root beer floats" exclaimed a freaked out chef who seriously tried to appreciate this drink.

Too toxic to taste

It turns out this drink was way too sweet for teen taste buds.  They appreciated the gummies, but disliked the sugary eye balls.  

Overall, this was a flop recipe destined for the graveyard.

How do you boil water?

The last recipe in this Tate of Teen Cooking Club experience was Toxic Waste Mac and Cheese.  We began the program attempting to boil water and get this recipe done first, but the electric coil burner we used was slower than molasses.  As we waited for the water to boil, I asked what seemed like a simple question--How do you boil water?  I recently borrowed The Useful Book:  201 Life Skills They Used to Teach in Home Ec and Shop, which covers all of these simple life tricks that we take for granted.  The answers flew fast, but it was funny to hear how many steps were missing from this process when each student tried to relay the order to me.  

Add the Mac

Luckily we had other projects to keep us busy and not watch a pot boil water.  Once the bubbles were rolling, we added a box of small shell pasta.  Then we set the timer for 10 minutes to cook the pasta al dente.

Minty Toxicity

When the pasta was done, we drained the water and started the roux sauce.  I talked about the base of most sauces starting with a roux, which uses an oil mixed with flour to a paste or play dough consistency, depending upon preference. Milk is then added to the roux slowly to make a white sauce or bechamel.  Bechamel is the mother many sauces in culinary arts.

After making the white sauce, we added a package of shredded cheese, Italian herbs and several drops of green food coloring.  The spinach was forgotten in the aisles of Wegmans, but no one missed that scary vegetable anyway!

Speaking of vegetables.....stop by in November to see what we make for Vegan Ventures, the cooking class where we skip all of the animal products!

Thanks for visiting this Freaky Eats Teen Cooking Club.

Happy Halloween!
xo,
The Jersey Devil

Summer BBQ

SSC Library's Teen Cooking Club returned in July for the Summer BBQ.  When you think BBQ, warm weather, outdoor games, and good times with friends may come to mind.  We had most of that...minus the weather!  For a second year, our summer barbecue was destined for indoor fun.

Fire Success, not so much with weather

We struggled with the weather forecast, which has a fickle personality in general.  I got the fire stoked on the grill and the coals were just ready for our first sandwiches when the skies opened up and FORCED US INSIDE!  Some folks were given unexpected showers while playing bag-toss.

Note those WET BRICKS!

Grilled Cheese with(out!!) Bacon was the first and ONLY recipe we had a chance to actually grill.  To accommodate for quantity, an electric skillet was used indoors.  That appliance saved our BBQ!!!

Displaced BBQ'ers Seek Refuge from the Storm

Luckily we had refreshments and games to keep the fun going inside.  A patriotic punch using the principles of science took center stage and maintained a high energy of excitement.  The layers of this Patriotic Punch work because of the sugar density.  The highest sugar content drink is poured into the pitcher first, followed by a drink with less sugar.  The top layer has little to no sugar.  This variety used cherry juice, light Gatorade, and seltzer water.  This was a WINNER!

Layered Punch for the Win

Another winner at any barbecue is the S'more.  Since we lacked a real fire, some kids claimed we could use the microwave.  The fire-lover in me died a bit.  I can't cook with a microwave, actually detest that device!  Our Union Hall has a wonderful 400 burner (ok, I'm exaggerating) gas stove top.  What do you do when your fire has been washed out?  Turn on the burners to roast those marshmallows!!!

Direct Supervision REQUIRED

Cooking sugar over an open flame as pictured is not ideal for most home settings, but providing a barbecue feel on a rainy afternoon proved this technique effective.

Deluxe S'mores

Using Keebler Deluxe Grahams, which are covered in chocolate made this snack a cinch.  After roasting the marshmallow, use two cookies to peel the goo off of your roasting stick.  Repeat as necessary until you've achieved sugar overload.

Wegmans O's Cookie-wich

Wegmans O's cookies give the same result with less of a chocolaty mess.  We pulled apart the cookie sandwich and applied the roasted marshmallow goo.  No one admitted which snack was their favorite, they just wanted S'more!

Musical-Must-Have

To finish off our festivities, we pulled out the old boom box and played Musical Chairs.  It's refreshing to watch a mixture of ages play this timeless game.

This wraps another Teen Cooking Club.  Special thanks to Wegmans Food Markets for providing the food funding for this program.  Join us in August for Cake Boss, a cooking competition.  The summer reading theme is Build a Better World, so I ask who can Build a Better Cake?

See you in August.  Thanks for visiting.

World Cuisine with Nithya Krishnan

We "traveled the world" in the kitchen with guest instructor, Nithya Krishnan for Teen Cooking Club this November.  Despite having a day off of school, students arrived with an eagerness to learn and play with their food.  We dubbed the class World Cuisine, but there was certainly more of an Asian/ Indian flair to the flavors.

The start of Mango Coconut Cake

Mango Coconut Cake was the major interest to this group.  Desserts and sweets always entice these teens.  Luckily this treat is not the type to rot your teeth.  This crew put this recipe together quickly, BUT there was a very important ingredient missing---the BAKING POWDER! Luckily this error was discovered before the food went to the oven.  We had enough time to scrape the tins and return the mixture to the mixing bowl, add the missing ingredient and move on with success.  Phew...disaster averted!!

Mango Coconut Cakes..with baking powder!

To top the cakes, a Cardamom Cream was created..so tasty...I'm drooling over the memory..

I would eat ALL THE CARDAMOM CREAM!

Another recipe the group tackled was bigger than I've ever been willing to try--Potstickers!  The dough was made from scratch, the filling had LOTS OF VEGETABLES and there was flour flying in many directions, but the final product was beautiful and scrumptious!

  

Chicken Tikka Bites were another group favorite.  Simple ingredients and quick cooking times make this a terrific recipe for a week night dinner.  A mint yogurt sauce was made for dipping the tenders, which truly complimented the flavors of the chicken.

Mint Yogurt Sauce for Dipping

Chicken Tikka Bites are better than chicken nuggets

Beyond these recipes, there was Basmati Rice steamed in a rice cooker, which paired with Vegetable Ishtew.  Nithya was kind enough to share her recipes and those of fellow food bloggers. The find more delicious recipes, read Nithya's food blog.  She is a terrific teacher and seasoned cuisinista!

The food line always gains unexpected visitors, siblings and parents just need a taste.

This wraps up another year of Teen Cooking Club.  We have one more event to bake treats for the holiday season called Make and Bake Gifts.  Sign up to join the fun!

Thanks for visiting; we'll see you again in 2017!

xoxo,

erica

   

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!

Stellar Sammies

Stellar Sammies are outta this world!  That was my intention when planning September's Teen Cooking Club.  I missed last month's installment of "Animal Appetizers" for August.  The picture are M.I.A. at the moment, but I hope to share that event.  We made treats for stray and foster dogs of Tanner's P.A.W.S.  It was one of the most rewarding Teen Cooking Clubs ever held at SSC Library.--I promise to find the evidence and recipes.

Back to September's Stellar Sammies.  Sammies are sandwiches in the foodie community.  Anything between two pieces of bread can be a sammie with the right imagination.  I was originally letting my preconceived notion of a "sandwich" (two pieces of bread with something in the center) define my expectations.  Luckily, Pinterest steered me in a stellar direction.

"We need more cheese!"

First up for team 1 was Chicken Cordon Bleu Bundles.  These sammies were so simple and fun to make; I think the crew liked them best in their bellies!

"Rolls are sanwiches?!"

 The second teams' recipe was Cucumber Sandwiches.

"Mmm...this cheese spread is delish!"

The sliced bread in the recipe was replaced with a baguette, which we sliced in coins to match the shape of the cucumber slices.  I'm surprised how fast these gems disappeared.  I mean, they are vegetables!

The third recipe was Meatball Poppers.  I replaced the meat with vegetarian meatballs in this version to introduce another food option.  Some kids run the other way when I say something is "meatless" as though it is a disease.  I actually prefer these little nuggets.  They are easier to work with out of the bag, rather than mixing meat and making meatballs from scratch.  I'm sure the kids would agree that skipping that step was a fantastic idea!

Uncanning the crescent rolls.

Pretty tasty, minus all those caraway seeds.

The groups worked very well together, as usual.  There seemed to be a little bit of hazy-daze going on with the group, but I remembered that it was the effects of the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.  They were like zombies of a too-long-summer.  One thing is for certain, they are never too far when I "ring the dinner bell."

NOM, NOM, NOM!

Check back next month when we make Creepy Creatures in preparation for Halloween.

We will have a ghoulish good time!