Read Your Recipe!
So I’ve noticed a trend in any new recipes I implement in my classes; they are all things I want to eat. Depending on my tastes, this could present a problem. This is a new recipe and I was crossing my fingers it would go well. It went GREAT, so I’m super relieved. Wouldn’t change a thing. I had to steal fries for samples, and steal quickly, as there wasn’t a single fry leftover. There was a bit of dip left over and the kids wanted to save it so that they could bring in chips to eat with it later. Winning!
This is the totally cheating version of the classic dessert. This is the, assembly-shortened-schedule-Friday-before-spring-break version. Does it taste good? Um, yes. Am I mad that there is a good amount of leftover and that I will most certainly eat it all before I leave for the day? Sort of.
So obviously, when you announce to teenagers that they’re making something called “fruit pizza” you get a whole bunch of annoying “disgusted” faces looking back at you. When I tell them that their crust is sugar cookies, their sauce is cream cheese frosting (more or less), and their toppings are sliced, chilled fruit, the expressions most definitely soften!
It’s fun to do some baking in the grains unit, always using a whole grain flour. This recipe calls for whole wheat flour but only half. Reason is that whole wheat flour has less gluten, and gluten is the protein that gives structure to baked goods. Even big name processed stuff we buy is usually only half whole wheat. For instance:
Props to Pioneer woman for this one. A class a while back, due to scheduling, was only 25 minutes. We’d already had our notes day for the week and I wanted to make something quick but life changing that I KNEW they’d love and replicate. Pioneer Woman’s cheesy garlic bread! Using no fresh herbs or spices, this is simple to make from ingredients you’d likely have around. It’s VERY garlicky, so if you’re not a fan, then skip the fresh garlic clove and just use the garlic powder. This has become the only garlic bread I will make when I entertain…it’s flawless!
I really struggled to name this dish. It’s basically baked ziti. However, we add ground white meat, spinach, and use whole wheat penne instead of standard ziti. I still don’t like the name, but it’s stupid to waste any more time thinking about it.
I adapted this recipe from my fave granola recipe (which is, I think, listed on this site). The original recipe calls for more allspice than cinnamon (did you know that allspice comes from the ground berries of the evergreen tree?).
Biscotti is one of those things that is easy to make whilst impressive. Often times when I’ve made it, either for my class or for friends, it prompts a response akin to “you can MAKE biscotti?”.
On “buffet of grains” day I always have one kitchen whip up about 9 cups of white rice. Since buffet of grains is always on a block (Wednesday or Thursday), we ALWAYS make this fried rice on Friday of the week!