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!

Animal Appetizers

August 2015 was dedicated to dogs with the theme Animal Appetizers.  These images were M.I.A. for  a few months, but recently found on the iPad we used for the event!  Miracles at the end of the year are wonderful.
This event supported the efforts of Tanners P.A.W.S., an animal rescue and education organization in the Corning region of New York.  I have worked with the organization in the past, having stray dogs in my backyard and wanted to help give back to their good deeds.

Today's snacks go to the dogs...literally

All of our recipes were sourced from a book in our collection, In the Dog Kitchen.  If you follow the link and have a library card in our STLS district, I urge you to borrow this book.  It provides 35 healthful dog treat recipes.  You know what goes into the treats for your fur-baby, and they are so wholesome, you can even eat them (if you dare)!

In the Dog Kitchen

Teens split up into 3 teams to bust a move in the kitchen and get their good deed on.  Using an array of cookie cutters, we had adorable collections to celebrate these shelter/ foster pups.

Pause for P.A.W.S.

Bones are always a hit...

Doggies even hit the parade...

Lucky Dogs

Of course, the moment I mention that these treats are good enough to eat, there were dares all around.  Taste testing seemed to be a right of passage to the program, but we still had a great time for a good cause.

My colleague connected with Tanners on her own and fell in love with everything they do to rescue and save the lives of needy animals.  For the full month of August, we offered "Make a Dog Toy" kits to anyone interested in taking time to make and donate a tug-toy.  Old t-shirts were employed and we had a giant bag to offer the shelter and pet-foster families.     

Braid, braid, twist, tie, knot...viola!

Water bottles also make great toys for dogs. Slipping one into an old t-shirt sleeve and tying off the ends makes a fun crinkle sound machine that will last for hours.  We are grateful for organizations like Tanners P.A.W.S. and all of their foster families who make a safe home for pets who have run away, gotten lost, been abused, or whose original owners can no longer afford to keep them.

If you have love in your heart and space in your home to foster or adopt a shelter pet, I strongly encourage this move!  As a pet owner, rescue is the most rewarding experience to provide an animal and yourself. A rule of thumb I love:  you can't buy love, but you can rescue it.