Christmas Cake Batter Truffles

Cake Batter Truffles Week #3

Make them in Holiday colors and share them with family and friends. They will all love these and want the recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup of yellow cake mix

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened 

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/8 teaspoon of salt

3-4 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons sprinkles

Truffle Coating:

16 ounces (8 squares) almond bark or vanilla flavored coating- We are using Wilton Candy melts- due to possible allergies.

4 Tablespoons yellow cake mix

Sprinkles

Instructions 

For the truffles: Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand.

Roll dough into one inch balls and place of a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet (we are using the silpat). Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up or even better freeze in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

For the truffle coating: While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark/dipping chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely.

Using a fork, dip truffles into melted candy and shake off excess candy by tapping the bottom of the form on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished.

Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles. Perfect bite size dessert for the holidays.

Lesson #2

We were busy cooking, melting and baking this week.

The kids learned several new techniques this week. They learned to separate egg whites, the importance of keeping the yolk out of the egg whites, and how to "fold" ingredients into recipes. Folding is a technique that means to 'blend'. You don't stir, mix or beat, that will deflate the egg whites for example. To fold means you take part of the mixture and bring up and over.....thus folding. You continue this until mixed well. You will not deflate the egg whites this way. We used this same process when we made the Peppermint White Chocolate Chex. We folded the chocolate into the cereal and did not crush the cereal by using this technique.

We had so much fun crushing candy canes :)

Christmas Peppermint & Chocolate Mergingues

Christmas Peppermint & Chocolate Meringues

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1/8 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar 

2 cups of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 Tbs crushed peppermint candies

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer st high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt, beating well after each edition until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoons 1-1/2 inches apart on to a greased baking sheet (we will use our silpat). 

Bake at 250 degrees for 40 minutes or until dry. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container. Makes 3 dozen.

Reindeer Food: Christmas Peppermint Chex

Christmas Peppermint Chex

Reindeer Feed

6 cups Rice Chex or Chocolate Chex

1 bag white vanilla baking melting chocolate (Wilton or your favorite brand)

1/3 cup coarsely crushed peppermint candy canes (14 miniature unwrapped) 

Directions:

Line cookie sheet with foil or waxed paper (we will use our silpat). Place cereal in a large bowl. 

In a microwaveable bowl, microwave white vanilla baking chips uncovered on high about 1munute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips can be stirred smooth. Stir in half the crushed peppermint candy.

Pour over cereal; toss to evenly coat. Spread mixture in a single layer on cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle with remaining candy. Let stand until set, about 20 minutes. Gently break up coated cereal. Store in airtight container or share with friends. 

Lesson #1

We had an amazing first week of cooking/baking class. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better. 

We enjoyed making the cranberry orange scones. I had some kids that stated they "do not like cranberries", after they tasted the scone we made they had a change of heart ;). 

During the making of this recipe, the kids were introduced to a microplane grater/zester. They were taught that when zesting any type of fruit, they should only zest the skin, they should avoid zesting the white part of the fruit. They were taught to tuck and curl their fingers to avoid zesting a nail or finger.

The kids were introduced to a pastry cutter as well as taught how to properly use it and hold it. The kids had the opportunity to use a citrus press. We juiced oranges with this handy kitchen gadget.

The kiddos learned the difference between a silpat and roulpat. The Roulpat was used to knead our sticky dough. We used the silpat to bake our scones. Using a silpat does not require you to grease a cookie sheet etc. it makes baking healthier by avoiding a few extra calories.

Glazed Orange Scones with Cranberry Swirl

Glazed Orange Scones with a Cranberry Swirl

Ingredients:

For the Scones

1/3 cup sugar
zest of two medium oranges
2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 large egg

For the Glaze

3 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. We are using a baking jelly roll pan with a Silpat.

2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and orange zest; mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.

3. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and egg until smooth.

5. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture and cranberry sauce into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. The dough will be sticky first, but as you press, the dough will come together.

6. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. We used a Roulpat for rolling. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.

7. In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my scones twice.

Lego Cake

My lastest creation...Customer requested a Lego cake for her 7 yr. old daughter who is having a Lego party. 

*Customer provided Lego Characters 

Lesson Plan #9

Our cooking/baking class has come to an end. It was so much fun getting to know your kids. I hope they had fun and learned a couple of things during the trimester. 

I tried to offer and give the kids examples of alternative methods and items they could use for most of the recipes we made. For example, always bake instead of frying. It is a healthier choice and less calories as well as unhealthy fats.

Orangesicle Creme Cupcakes-Let them EAT CaKe

This is our last week of cooking class. Please make sure if you haven't made a payment that you do so this week, I have to advise our elective coordinator who hasn't paid this week. Checks or cash are accepted. Please make checks payable to Esmeralda Williams. Please let me know if you are going through a financial hardship and can not make the payment. I do offer scholarships and want to make sure every student has an opportunity to participate in my elective. All information is kept confidential.

The kids have been asking and asking and asking, if we can make cake! So, I thought about it and decided it would be fun to make their dreams come true and make cupcakes this week...after all it is our last week together. Farewell, so long...

Orangesicle Crème Cupcakes

1 Box of white cake mix
1 can of orange soda-We are using orange crème soda
Cupcake liners

Combine the above ingredients together, mix until incorporated. Bake according to the cake box directions. DO NOT add any other ingredients like eggs, oil etc.

Orange Buttercream Frosting

1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3 1/2 cups of sifted powdered sugar
pinch of sea salt
1 tbl Crème Bouquet (May be found in specialty stores)
1-2 tsp of fresh orange juice (if your icing is to thick, add more juice)

Lesson Plan #8

Caramel Popcorn

One word for the last recipe...AMAZING!!!

We made our own caramel sauce, we popped popcorn kernels in a pot on the stove-top. We combined all of our yummy ingredients and baked our caramel popcorn. We stirred every 15 minutes making sure we coated the remaining pieces of popcorn. It smelled like Disneyland's kitchen in OUR kitchen.

Cooks Tip: I found that for my liking the caramel recipe should be doubled. This ensures every piece of popcorn is completely coated in yummy goodness. Whether you choose to double the caramel sauce or not, it is still a delicious fall treat, that should only be consumed during special occasions. ;)

Lesson Plan #7

What a fun week!! I enjoyed teaching the kids how to make taquitos all week long. The kids loved them! Yes, we used green onions, fresh garlic, cilantro, salsa etc. No complaints!!! Everyone couldn't stop saying how good they were. 

We also BAKED them instead of FRYING!  Less calories/Less Fat!

The kids had a chance to use a garlic  press, food/salad kitchen shear choppers and a hand press onion and cilantro chopper from pampered chef. They loved using all of the kitchen utensils. 

The kids were taught how to properly handle chicken, how to dispose of anything that has touched chicken as well as washing everything chicken comes in contact with. We used disposable gloves to handle the raw chicken. They were also told to rinse the cilantro before using and pick out any dirt filled or brown cilantro. Lastly, cut the stems and simply use the leaves. We used organic cilantro that is rinsed and ready to use.

The kids were taught that the chicken goes on the end of the tortilla and they should start rolling from there and roll it tight as they go. Place the end side/opening of the tortilla facing down on a pre-sprayed cookie sheet to avoid taquito from unrolling. No toothpicks are needed.

Cooking Tip: Make sure that you check a tortilla after microwaving them. If it cracks in the center, you will need to heat them longer in the microwave. Otherwise, they will not be pliable to roll. 

I told the kids to use small mini taco tortillas for appetizer size taquitos. You can use either flour or corn tortillas :)

Happy Taquito making!

Lesson Plan #6

Week 6 of our Elective has come and gone.

The Pazookie or Pizookie style Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies were a big hit. We had fun making these little tasty bites.

This week the kids learned the importance of reading the recipe first. We used two separate bowls for our ingredients. The kids were taught to use the bigger bowl for the wet ingredients since we would be combining the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl. They learned how easy it is to create a chocolate lava. Melt chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag in the microwave, snip the corner of the baggie and use it like a piping bag. Everyone had the opportunity to help make the cookies, spoon them into the mini muffin tins, create a well, pipe in the melted chocolate and flatten out an additional piece of dough to cover the top of the cookie.

I explained to the kids that they can make these in any size muffin tin. The baking time would need to be adjusted accordingly. Get creative and add some pumpkin spices to the cookie dough. Instead of adding chocolate chips, add white chocolate chips and melt Hershey's pumpkin candy kisses in a Ziploc baggie and pipe that into the center, this will give it a nice Fall(ish) taste. :)

Lesson Plan #5

Boy was this week a hit! The kids loved every bite. These special little treats were simple and simply Devine.

I introduced the kids to a pastry cutter. I told them if they don't have this gadget at home, they could use two knives. I explained the importance of using cold butter. Butter melts fast and we wanted to "cut" the butter into the flour and not "mash" the butter into the flour. Using our pastry cutter, we cut the butter until the flour resembled coarse crumbs. We created mini bites and created a well in the center for our whipped fruit dip.

The dip is an amazing dip that compliments your favorite fruit. I told the kids they could add pineapple and coconut to the dip and add an almond flavoring to the crust. These are a perfect dessert for the upcoming Holiday parties. We placed the filling in a pastry bag and piped it onto the mini shortbread bite. We topped it with a sliced strawberry. I taught the kids a simple trick, we used an egg slicer to cut our whole berries. Everyone had a turn making their mini bites, piping the filling, slicing a strawberry and garnishing it.

Bakers Tip: I told the kids if they don't have a mini cupcake pan at home, they can use a pizza stone and create a round shortbread cookie resembling a round pizza. I let them know they could make it into a dessert pizza. I also told them a regular baking sheet works just fine.

Mini Shortbread Bites filled with a Whipped Cream Topping and Garnished with Fresh Fruit

Shortbread Crust

2 cups of all purpose flour

4-6 Tbsp granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

Directions: 

Combine flour, sugar and salt and mix together. Add butter and incorporate into dry ingredients with a food processor or with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles crumbs.

Whipped Fruit Dip

7oz. Marshmallow Fluff or Whip

8oz. Whipped Cream Cheese (if you are using a regular block, make sure it is softened).

Directions: Combine the ingredients above and whip until combined and you have perfection. 

Lesson Plan #4

Homemade Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

We had an amazing week of pasta making! Flour everywhere along with smiling faces. I had one child comment, "at home my mom never let's us use flour because it's messy!". It truly made me laugh! I get it. I don't like my kids making messes for me at home either. What would a cooking class be without a mess? Not a fun and exciting class ;)

The kids learned how to make a simple pasta dough. They were taught that they need to allow the pasta to rest 30 mins. after mixing and before kneading to allow the gluten to relax so that the dough will roll out easily. If you do not let the gluten relax, you will find that the dough is springy and elastic, causing it to bounce back when you roll it. If this happens, wrap or cover the dough with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out, and let it rest 10-30 mins. We did not have time to allow our pasta to rest. 

I allowed the kids to choose the size of their noodles and away we went, everyone had a turn kneading their peace of dough and flattening it in the pasta machine and then cranking the handle and feeding the pasta dough into the machine and voila, created their own noodles.  

The kids learned how to infuse olive oil using whole garlic cloves, fresh rosemary and pepper flakes. Oh the smell was heavenly!!! 

We created a pumpkin sauce that was simply devine. Every child including the non pumpkin eaters liked it! We garnish it with raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) that we roasted in a pan without adding any oil to it. 

I recommended that the kids who create this recipe at home, use coconut milk in the sauce or add veggies and chicken to the sauce or try it the way we made it and have it for a Meatless Monday! 

Overall, the pasta dish was a success! I'm getting to know all the kids better. All the different personalities are such a blessing and bring so much to the class.

Homemade Pasta with a Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

My Mother's homemade pasta recipe:

3 cups of all purpose wheat flour or 2 cups of all purpose and 1 cup of semolina flour
3 eggs
3 Tbsp cold water or milk (my mom always used the egg shell to measure the water, so do I)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tsp of salt

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add remaining ingredients to the center and mix with a food processor or a stand mixer. We are doing it the good ol' way...with our hands! Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Form a round ball and cover it with plastic wrap for a minimum of 30 minutes(This is a good time to make your sauce). If you are using a pasta maker, select the type of pasta and get started. Otherwise, flour your work area and using a rolling pin, roll it as thin as possible. Cut into thin strips and drop pasta into boiling water add 2-3 Tbsp. of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil and *optional-feel free to add a pinch of salt to water). Toss pasta in a little corn or regular flour to keep it from sticking. Pasta is done when it is al dente (firm to the bite) or if you like it "well done", cook it a little longer.

Canned pumpkin puree isn't only good for pie; here, it becomes a creamy sauce for your favorite pasta, topped with deliciously crunchy fried rosemary and roasted pumpkin seeds. Add your favorite herb and make it for a Meatless Monday or add chopped chicken breast, chicken spinach sausage, the possibilities are endless. Add veggies and make it filling and a satisfying dinner :) Cooking Tip: Frying rosemary in olive oil not only turns the herb into a crispy garnish -- it also infuses the oil to create a tasty base for the pumpkin sauce.

Pumpkin Cream Sauce Recipe:

12 ounces pasta
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for garnish (optional)

Directions:


Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.

In pasta pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add rosemary and fry, stirring, until starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rosemary to a paper towel, leaving oil in pot.

Carefully (oil is hot and will spatter) add pumpkin puree, garlic, half-and-half, Parmesan, vinegar, red-pepper flakes (we are mixing all of this together in a bowl first, add 1 cup reserved pasta water to the sauce/pot. Stir sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add pasta to sauce, and toss to coat. If sauce is too thick, add some more of the reserved pasta water. Season generously with salt. Serve pasta sprinkled with fried rosemary and, if desired, more red-pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.

Cook's Tip: You can make this using coconut milk instead of half & half and use gluten free noodles. You can add a clove of garlic to the oil while frying the rosemary for extra flavor. Add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg to the top of the pasta or in the sauce.

Lesson Plan Week #3

I personally had a short week with cooking class this past week due to teacher meetings and extended day. My Tuesday/Thursday classes, will need to make last weeks recipe at home, you won't be sorry if you do. The kids loved them and were so excited to have these pumpkin pie bites, even the NON-pumpkin eaters were fans of this dessert. I told them to be creative and top them off with vanilla ice cream, caramel and whipped cream. They could also add nuts to them. A great dish to share for the upcoming Holiday's :)

We had a great successful week. I taught the kids how to make their own pumpkin pie spice, especially since they are likely to already have all of the ingredients needed at home vs. a pre-made pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice. The kids learned that allspice, ground cloves and nutmeg are strong spices. A little goes a long way.

They were all involved mixing the cream cheese and pumpkin puree, along with putting the spoonful's of pumpkin mix on the dough, rolling the bites and coating them in our spiced sugar.

Cook's Tip: We added additional cinnamon and spices. Don't be afraid to add additional spice. Start with a little bit of the spice of your choice and mix it together. Taste it, add more if you need to. :)

Tuesday and Thursday Cooking/Baking Class

Attention Parents with kids in the Tuesday and Thursday Elective Cooking/Baking Class: Please remember to let your kids know that we do NOT have class this Tuesday, September 24th and Thursday, September 26th. Thank you and please let the kids know I will have an exciting recipe ready for them to make.  

Lesson Plan Week #2

Homemade Pretzels

I hope the kids are enjoying their cooking/baking elective. I'm having a lot of fun teaching them. This past week we learned to work with yeast. I explained the difference between yeasts and how finicky yeast can be if you don't use lukewarm water. It has to be the perfect temperature to activate it. If the water is to cold, it will not activate the yeast. If it's to warm it will kill the yeast. The kids were taught how to knead dough instead of using a KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook. Every child rolled and shaped their pretzel. We BAKED our pretzels and saved calories and fat by using a simple cooking spray instead of dipping our pretzels in butter. I like this recipe because you can make the dough and use it immediately versus having to allow time for the dough to rise.

What is the difference between active dry yeast and instant yeast (also known as bread machine yeast)?

Instant yeast is a little more potent than active dry yeast and can be mixed in with your dry ingredients directly. I generally find it easier to work with. Active dry yeast works just as well as instant yeast, but requires being activated in a little bit of warm water before being added to the rest of the ingredients. Failure to properly activate it will result in your loaf not rising adequately.

Can I substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast in my recipe (or vice versa)?

Yes. If you are substituting active dry yeast for instant yeast in a recipe, read the instructions on the package to figure out how to activate the yeast before adding it to the recipe and reduce the amount of water you add later in the recipe by the amount of water you proof the yeast in (i.e., if you activate the yeast in a half a cup of water, add a half a cup of water or milk less later so that you end up with the same total amount of liquid in the recipe). You may also want to add about 20 percent more yeast to the recipe than what is called for, although using less yeast and letting it rise more slowly will result in a more flavorful loaf. If you are substituting instant yeast for active dry yeast, you can reduce the amount of yeast you use in your recipe by approximately 20 percent. Be sure not to forget to increase the amount of water you add to the dry ingredients by the amount that you would proof the active dry yeast in, so that you end up with the same total amount of liquid in the recipe.

What about fresh yeast?

Professional bakers often use fresh yeast. If you encounter a recipe that uses fresh yeast, divide the weight by 3 to calculate the proper amount of instant yeast to use. Many recipes in my baking books call for using a starter. I don't have the time/energy/patience to sustain a starter. Can I substitute yeast instead?

Absolutely. And vice-versa: you can turn a yeasted bread into a naturally leavened bread by omitting the yeast and including a starter. The flavor will be different, obviously, but in my experience it still can turn out quite good. You may even find you prefer your modified version to the original recipe. I don't know of an exact formula to calculate how much to substitute. I just assume that I'm going to need to add a little more flour and water (how much of each depends on whether it was a wet or dry leaven I am replacing) and enough yeast for a comparable size batch of yeasted bread. I usually figure around 1 or 2 teaspoons per loaf. Also be aware that yeast tends to move quicker than starters do, so expect to cut the rise time down by something like one half (or else reduce the yeast even more).

Week#2 Homemade Soft Pretzels 101

Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels 101
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 16 pretzels

Ingredients

For Pretzels:
1 1/2 cups warm water, 110-120 Degrees
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons honey OR 1 tablespoon cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 - 4 cups white whole wheat flour

For toppings:
For salty pretzels: kosher salt
OR
For cinnamon sugar pretzels: 2 Tablespoons cane sugar combine with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast and let sit for 3 minutes.

Stir in sugar and salt. Slowly stir in the white whole wheat flour until the dough comes together and is not too sticky. Knead the dough (either by hand or with the mixer's dough hook) in the bowl until the dough is smooth but not overworked, about 3-5 minutes.

Turn the dough ball onto a lightly floured surface. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into four equal parts. Cut each part into four more equal parts, for a total of 16 balls of dough.

To form the pretzels, roll one of the balls of dough into a long thin rope. Put the two ends of the rope next to each other to form a tight U shape. Twist the ends together once so the twist is about half way down the U. Bring the two loose ends down to the loop at the bottom below the twist. Tuck the two ends under the loop and press so the dough adheres to itself. Gently pull on the pretzel so the dough becomes thinner and the pretzel becomes larger to form a nicely sized pretzel.

As for other shapes, you can bake the ropes for pretzels sticks, knot the ropes for pretzel knots, cut the ropes into little equal sized pieces for pretzel bites, or roll the dough into balls and scour the top for pretzel rolls.

Lay the pretzels on the prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray (this helps the toppings stick). Dip the sprayed pretzels in a shallow bowl filled with your topping of choice (salt or cinnamon sugar) and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 425°F for 10 minutes, then broil for 30 seconds or until golden. Devour.

Lesson Plan Week #1

Hello!

Let me start by saying that I adore your kiddos! I have such great classes all week long!! I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better as we continue the trimester.

This week we learned the importance of making sure that when a recipe calls for rapid boiling water, that we allow it to really boil. We created dough from water, flour, salt and egg mixture. I explained to the kids to use cold water on their fingertips when creating the puffs. This helps with the sticky dough. Also, if they want perfect cream puffs, I told them to pipe the dough using a pastry bag.

We learned how to separate an egg. We learned the importance of adding one egg at a time and incorporating it well. The lemon curd we made is so simple because you add all of the ingredients before cooking it. We enjoyed the science part of cooking while making the curd. Once we added our fresh squeezed lemon juice, the curd mixture coagulated. As soon as we put it in the stovetop and started heating it, it became smooth and silky. I explained to the kids that the curd is ready once it coats the back of the spoon. We placed Saran Wrap on top of it to prevent a "skin from forming" on the curd.

The kids got to measure liquids and dry ingredients. I explained to them that they must always use a measuring cup for liquids to get an accurate measurement and a regular cup for dry ingredients. I also explained that they must look at the liquid measurement cup at eye level, while it is on a flat surface for accuracy. We cracked eggs into a separate container instead of directly into the bowl, this helps control egg shells versus ruining our recipe in the bowl. ;) The kids got to use a citrus press for juicing lemons. We used a pastry bag for the lemon cream and piped it inside our cream puffs.

Overall, it was a great week! We had a lot of fun! The kids enjoyed their lemon cream puffs. If you were lucky enough to get a bite from your kiddo, I hope you enjoyed it too :)

Have a GREAT week!

Week #1 Lemon Curd Cream Puffs Recipe

Cream puffs


1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs


Heat the butter and water to a boil. Add the flour all at once stirring vigorously until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat. Add eggs one at a time beating vigorously until completely mixed together after each egg. Drop by tablespoon onto a greased baking sheet (we will be using a Silpat for baking). Bake 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Makes about 20 puffs. Cool. Cut tops remove the insides. Fill with Lemon Curd.


Never Fail Lemon Curd

•6 tablespoons soft butter
•1 cup sugar
•2 large eggs + 2 egg yolks
•2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cream together butter and sugar in stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time while mixing on low speed, then add yolks. Continue to beat on low for another minute or two. Mixture should be smooth and creamy light yellow. Next, add the lemon juice and continue to beat on low speed until incorporated. Things turn pretty ugly at this point, the mixture will be lumpy and look curdled, fear not, forge ahead.


Transfer the lemon curd to a medium sized saucepan and place over low heat. Stir until the mixture is heated through and no longer has a curdled appearance. Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly for the next 12 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool with cling wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the curd. This will prevent it forming a skin on top. Once cool add one cup of cool whip to 1 cup of lemon curd. Whip together and fill cream puffs and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place remaining curd in a storage container of your choice. This keeps about a week in the fridge, it also freezes well.

Say Goodbye to Summer and Hello FALL 2013

Say Goodbye to Summer and Hello FALL 2013

Hello Parents & Students,

Welcome to Cooking and Baking Class for Kids! I hope you are looking forward to a fun experience for your child as much as I am. The students will be using the stove and oven but I will be instructing, supervising and involved in every step of the preparation of the recipes.

Please let me know if your child has ANY food allergies or sensitivities. Email me at ilcscookingelective@gmail.com.

For my class to be successful it is very important that all students are good listeners and careful in class. Please review the kitchen safety rules with your child (I will also be going over the rules with them). If a student is misbehaving inappropriately he or she will not be permitted to participate with our cooking/baking class for that day. I will provide coloring books and crayons for those individuals who are misbehaving. If the behavior continues I will drop the student from the Cooking and Baking Elective Class. It is a privilege to be in any elective class and inappropriate behavior only takes away time from the other kids who want to learn. I want to make sure everyone has fun, but I must keep the safety of all the children in mind.

***PLEASE NOTE***The cost of the class differs by day. Monday & Wednesday is $65 for 9 weeks of cooking class, Tuesday and Thursday is $52 for 7 weeks of cooking class. I will NOT be teaching on the last day of the month on Tuesday, September 24th and Thursday, September 26th and on Tuesday, October 29th and Thursday, October 31st. ILCS Teachers have monthly meetings the last Tuesday of every month and the meetings are held in the Lion’s Den. Extended days are held on the last Thursday of every month at CSC. *If you attend BSC and are in my class you will not have an elective on Thursdays the last day of the month when extended day takes place at CSC. Please make your check payable to Esmeralda Williams, cash is also accepted.

I don’t foresee having to cancel any classes but in the event that we do, we will notify you via a phone call. I am provided with the phone number you have on file. If there is a different number where you would like to be contacted, please email it to me at ilcscookingelective@gmail.com
I have lots of fun recipes planned. I hope your child enjoys our cooking and baking class. Most of all, I hope your child surprises you and makes a few of the recipes he/she learned to prepare in our class! :)

**Kids only with your parents’ consent, please visit our cooking/baking blog for all recipes and class lessons. www.ilcscookingelective.blogspot.com

If you have any questions, please contact Esmeralda Williams at 805-201-5865 or email ilcscookingelective@gmail.com

Thank you,

Esmeralda Williams

Kitchen Rules-2013

Kitchen Rules-Please Review with your child

I will also go over the rules.

# 1 Always listen to your teacher.
# 2 Before you begin, roll your long sleeves up. Tie long hair back.
# 3 WASH your hands before handling food. Wet hands can be slippery.
# 4 No running, No yelling! No teasing other students.
# 5 Keep the work area clean.
# 6 Use inside voice and raise your hand.
# 7 Do NOT go past the blue lines in the kitchen.
# 8 Work together as a team.
# 9 Wipe up spills as soon as they happen. Wet spots can be slippery.
# 10 Always use oven mitts to handle food on the stove, in the oven or microwave.
# 11 Always hold a pots handle to prevent the pot from slipping off the burner.

Make-up class for my Thursday Cooking Class

Hello, Just a reminder that we have a make-up cooking class on Monday, June 3rd for my Thursday Cooking/Baking Class. This Elective will be let out at the usual time of 2:45pm. Thank you!

Mini Nutella Cookie Cups

Mini Nutella Cookie Cups

Ingredients

(Makes enough for 2-3 dozen)

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Jar of Nutella (12 tablespoons per batch)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your mini muffin tin (unless it is nonstick like mine).
Cream butter and both sugar in bowl until light, smooth and fluffy! Beat in eggs and vanilla until fully incorporated. Gradually add dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) until all the flour is mixed in!

Roll dough into balls 1.5 inches thick.
Pop them in the mini muffin tin and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown but not too dark around the edges.

When done, remove from oven and let sit for about 2 minutes. Then make wells for the nutella with a shot glass, a similar object or a spoon. Add 1 tbsp Nutella to each cup – it will start to melt quickly so you can swirl it around and make it nice and smooth. Let cool 15-20 minutes in tin. Remove and enjoy!!!

Lesson Plan #8

Salty and Sweet...What's not to like? Salted Caramel anything is the latest and greatest!

The kids learned the difference between a caramel sauce and a butterscotch sauce. A caramel sauce is generally made with a cream base like heavy cream, where as a butterscotch is made with butter and sugar.

The kids where taught the difference between table salt and sea salt. Sea salt is produced through evaporation of ocean water or water from saltwater lakes, usually with little processing. Depending on the water source, this leaves behind certain trace minerals and elements. The minerals add flavor and color to sea salt, which also comes in a variety of coarseness levels. The kids were all given sea salt to taste. They all agreed it tasted like ocean water.

Table salt is typically mined from underground salt deposits. Table salt is more heavily processed to eliminate minerals and usually contains an additive to prevent clumping. Most table salt also has added iodine, an essential nutrient that helps maintain a healthy thyroid.

How to Set a Table

Place the main dinner plate so that it is centered with each chair.

Fold a napkin and place it to the left of the dinner plate.

Place the forks to the left of the plate, on top of the napkin. Place the forks from left to right in the order that they will be used. Smallest fork should be the furthest away from the plate on the outside. Align the forks with the bottom of the napkin.

Place the knife to the right of the plate, with the serrated side toward the plate. If using multiple knives, place them beside one another, with the first knife to be used on the outside.

Place the soup spoon to the right of the knife or knives.

Place the desert fork above the plate, perpendicular to the direction of the other utensils. The handle of the fork must be on the left side.

Place the desert spoon between the plate and desert fork, with the handle on the right side.

Place the glasses above the knives, in the order in which they will be used, from left to right.

Place your bread plate on the left side above the plate and to the left.


***To remember the proper sides to place the knife, fork and spoon, we told the kids to remember this easy reference and refer to the number of letters in each word. Knife and spoon both have five letters, as does the word "right." Fork has four letters, just like the word "left."***

Voila, the kids are ready to set the dinner table :)

Food Plate-We discussed food groups and healthy alternatives. We also went over what type of healthy substitutions can be used for butter and sugar.

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

Recipe-Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

1/2 bag of mini pretzel twists
2 sticks of butter (1 cup total)
1 cup of brown sugar
1 3/4 cups dark chocolate chips
Coarse Sea Salt

Preheat your oven to 350, and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Throw down a single layer of pretzels. In a saucepan (medium works best), melt the butter and brown sugar together until it is bubbly and thick. Remove it from the heat and pour it over the pretzels. It will not cover all of the pretzels! (I was really concerned at this point, but I threw it in the oven anyway for 5 minutes). After the caramel-oven phase, top the whole thing with chocolate chips and use a spatula to spread the chips out a little. I put the pan back in the oven for another 5 minutes to ensure optimal melting. Take the pan out, using the spatula spread the melted chocolate throughout the pan. After five minutes, I gave the chocolate layer a sprinkle of course kosher salt, then put the whole thing in the freezer for 2 hours before breaking it up into bark. Enjoy!

I wonder what this would taste like if I used a can of sweetened condensed milk and boiled the can to make a caramel sauce, instead of using butter and brown sugar? Anyone?...

Lesson Plan #7

Let me just say...I love mini anything! Not only are mini cupcakes the "IT" thing to have but the idea of bite size anything makes everything taste better. From bite size appetizers to bite size desserts. There's just no limit :)

The kids were introduced to a hand held immersion blender. We used it to make refried beans for our pizza. We used a round cookie cutter to cut the tortillas and make circle shaped crusts for our pizzas.

Jalapenos...most of the kids were not fans of anything spicy. I taught them what makes salsa spicy, the seeds and veins of the pepper. They were properly taught how to cut a jalapeno and removed the veins and seeds (I used gloves and told them never to rub their eyes after working with peppers. Especially, if gloves were not used).

I told the kids they could make bigger pizzas, make a salad and have this dish for dinner.

Lesson Plan #6

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I got some great feedback from the kids this past week. The kids were taught how making a "perfect cheesecake" is like "perfect science".

They were given several tips when making a cheesecake. 

1. Do not over mix.

2. Use hand mixer at the lowest mixing setting. This will insure that you are not mixing in additional air into the batter.

3. Ingredients must be at room temperature.  This includes eggs and cream cheese. 

4. When you incorporate the chocolate and strawberry sauce, make sure you simply swirl it in with a knife. Do not mix it or beat it.

5. Always place cheesecake in a water bath. (We placed our cheesecake mini pans inside a regular baking pan surrounded by water. The steam created from the water will insure that the cheesecake will cook evenly.

6. Always allow your cheesecake to cool slowly. You may even want to open the door to the oven once you have turned it down. Let cool before removing and cooling it more on the counter.

7. Always make sure your cheesecake is cooled completely before placing it in the refrigerator.

8. If your cheesecake is cracked on too, you over baked it. 

9. If your cheesecake flattens like a pancake when you take it out if the oven, the cheesecake batter was over mixed and too much air was incorporated into it.

White Chocolate Strawberry Swirled Mini Cheesecake Cups

Mother's Day Dessert~White Chocolate Strawberry Swirled Mini Cheesecake Cups


Ingredients:

Makes 24

1/2 (12 ounce box) package vanilla wafers

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar and 1/2 TBS of all purpose flour (mix sugar and flour together before adding it to the cream cheese).

1 egg (room temperature)

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup of white chocolate (melted)

2 TBS of Strawberry Coulis

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line miniature muffin tins with miniature paper liners. Place a vanilla wafer into each paper cup. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Measure 1/4 cup of cheesecake batter and mix it with the melted white chocolate. Then add the two Tablespoons of Strawberry Coulis to your white chocolate mixture. Using a knife, swirl this mixture into the cheesecake batter. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool. Top with a teaspoonful of the Strawberry Coulis filling.

Strawberry Coulis

1 pint fresh strawberries or frozen work fine too.

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon of cornstarch (dissolved completely in a TBS of cold water)

Directions:

Wash strawberries and remove stems; cut large berries in half or roughly chop them. Set 1/3 cup aside and cook the other 2/3 cup. Combine strawberries, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Add cornstarch mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. The mixture will bubble for a bit, but then juice will begin to form. Cook until sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat. In a blender or using a hand held immersion blender, puree the strawberry coulis. Add your remaining 1/3 cup of berries you set aside mix back into the topping. Keep in refrigerator. Top your cheesecake.


Tips:

Frozen strawberries work great too! Try using your favorite fruit like raspberries or blueberries. You can add red food coloring to give the sauce a vibrant look. If sauce isn't at your desired consistency, add teaspoon of cornstarch.

Lesson Plan #5

This week the kids were introduced to Crepes. I let the kids know that Crepes can be stuffed with anything and are not just made for dessert, regular Crepes can be stuffed with chicken and veggies.

The kids got to use a sifter this week. They had fun using it. They were introduced to a crepe pan. They learned that making a crepe is in the movement of the wrist, pouring the batter very slow and always tart pouring your crepe batter in the middle of your pan. Each child had, hands on experience in making their crepe. They were also taught how to fold them.

I gave them a tip and told them to place an uncooked tortilla in the pan and practice flipping it. Flipping a crepe is done by simply moving the wrist not your arm.

Mother's Day Breakfast Crepes

Chocolate Crepes Filled with Strawberry Yogurt or Chocolate Crepes filled with Sliced Bananas and Nutella

Homemade with LOVE


Please Note-Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

Melted butter, for brushing the pan

2 (6 oz) containers Greek strawberry yogurt or yogurt of your choice
2 (1 oz) semi-sweet baking chocolate squares, melted
Powdered sugar, fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries, for garnish

OR

Nutella and Sliced Bananas


Directions:

In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together milk, eggs, flour, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and salt on medium speed until smooth. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and let sit 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush lightly with melted butter, then ladle slightly less than 1/4-cupful of the batter into the pan. Lift and swirl the pan to coat the entire bottom with a thin layer of batter. Cook until top is set and bottom is golden, about 1 minute; flip carefully with a spatula and your fingers and cook on the other side for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from pan and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing on more butter as needed. Let crepes cool slightly.

Spoon yogurt onto crepes, then roll up or fold on serving plates. Melt chocolate and drizzle on top, then garnish with powdered sugar, fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries to serve.

Lesson Plan #4

We had another successful week. I can't believe will be entering the month of May!!!

This past week we learned to work with others and developed new friendships through the love of baking. The kids created some delicious chocolate chip cookie brownies. I reminded the kids how to level dry ingredients, they learned what to do when a recipe calls for "packed brown sugar". They learned to get creative and not be afraid to experiment with foods. We changed up our recipe and added additional chocolate chips into the brownies. YUP, simple and easy dessert everyone will love.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bars or Cupcakes

Two LOVED recipes for Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies or you can use your favorite mix.


Brownie Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare an 8x8 baking pan by lightly spraying with cooking spray or greasing with butter. Line with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and whisk in granulated and brown sugars. Lower heat and stir in buttermilk and 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Remove from heat and whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into the butter mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into prepared brownie pan and spread evenly.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until it begins to pull from the edges of the pan. Remove from oven, cool completely (or at least until it is just lukewarm). Slice into 16 squares and serve.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Absolute best chocolate chip cookie you'll ever eat!

Ingredients

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli chocolate chips )
Sea salt
Instructions

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.


In a muffin tin spray with nonstick spray, add brownie mix and then roll a round ball of chocolate chip cookie dough and place it in the middle. While cooking, the brownie and cookie will combine for the most delicious dessert.

Lesson Plan #3

Hope the kids enjoyed their homemade tortillas!!!


I introduced the kids to a pastry cutter. It was used when we combined our flour mix and shortening together. I let the kids know if they don't have a pastry cutter at home, they could use two knives to cut the ingredients together until they resemble course crumbs.

I taught the kids what kneading means and how to knead. From top to bottom, side to side and repeat.

This past week the kids learned how to use a rolling pin. They had a lot of fun rolling their tortillas out. The kids were able to use the Roulpat, which is a Silicon sheet used to roll doughs out etc. when they rolled their tortilla out. I let the kids know that their tortilla did not have to be a perfect circle, odd shapes gives them personality :)

I told the kids that they can make tortillas a bit healthier by using whole wheat flour and olive oil. I asked the kids to let the dough rest from 30-60 minutes.

Homemade Flour Tortilla Tips

Do not use bread flour. You want flour with a low gluten content. Do not overwork the tortilla dough. You don't want to over-flour your work surface, but you don't want your rolled-out tortilla sticking to it either.
A flat dough scraper, known in baking parlance as a bench knife, is very efficient in removing the rolled-out tortilla from the work surface. When rolling out tortillas, dust your rolling pin with flour, and don't be afraid to apply pressure. Flour tortilla dough is pretty sturdy; but not to the point of rerolling. You don't want tough tortillas.

Rolling out tortillas in perfect circles is harder than it sounds; the dough wants to draw up. So if perfectly circular shapes are important, you can trim away the excess with a sharp knife.

Once again, I believe a cast iron skillet or griddle is practically indispensable for making any kind of tortilla. A dry cast-iron utensil, unlike most other materials, can take high temperatures over a sustained period of time without being adversely affected, although you may have to do a reseasoning afterwards. I have a very well seasoned "comal" (which is a Cast Iron Skillet)that I love to use.

The kids agreed that its actually very easy to make flour tortillas, the hard part is rolling them out. :)

The kids were able to choose their ingredients of their choice for their quesadilla.

Week 3- Homemade Flour Tortillas and Santa Fe Chicken Quesadillas

Homemade Flour Tortillas


This recipe makes about 12 tortillas.


4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

5 Tbsp shortening or Olive Oil

1 1/2 cups of water or more


Fit your mixer with paddle attachment. In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt, stir. Add the shortening/oil and process until the mixture is uniformly crumbly.With the mixer on, slowly stream in the water, just until the dry ingredients form a ball and starts traveling around the bowl. Let the dough knead for about 30 seconds. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl, be soft and not overly sticky. Turn out onto a flour-dusted surface and divide dough into 2 ounces balls. Place on non stick surface. I use plastic wrap, and then cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.Heat a large skillet to medium heat. I use cast iron, but you can use a heavy bottomed skillet too. With a rolling pin, roll the dough balls into thin rounds, dusting the top with just enough flour to keep the tortilla from sticking to the rolling pin. Lay tortilla flat in the heated pan and cook on each side for about 10 to 20 seconds, until the bubbled areas are brown. DON'T OVERCOOK! Keep covered with a kitchen towel to keep warm and pliable.Serve warm. Store extras in an airtight container for one week or freeze.

***PLEASE NOTE: In class we will be mixing our ingredients by hand. We will be using a pastry cutter and kneading the dough.


Santa Fe Quesadillas


Ingredients

•2 oz. cream cheese softened
•1/2 tsp. chili powder
•1/4 cup cooked and diced chicken
•1/4 cup black beans
•1/4 cup corn
•2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro finely chopped
•1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese
•1/4 cup diced avocado

Instructions

1.Lightly butter one side of each tortilla.

2.In a small bowl, stir cream cheese and chili powder together until evenly mixed.

3.Spread 1 Tablespoon on each of the remaining sides of the tortillas.

4.Evenly sprinkle chicken, black beans, corn, avocado, cilantro and mexican cheese onto on top of the cream cheese mixture of one of the tortillas.

5.Place remaining tortilla, cream cheese side in, on top.

6. We are using a quesadilla maker but if you don't have one, Cook on low heat until lightly browned then flip over to other side of quesadilla. To get cheese to melt, place the lid over the pan to trap in the steam and heat while both sides brown.

7.Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or whatever you would like.

Lesson Plan- Week#2

Belgium Chocolate Waffles

Hope everyone had a great week!

We had a lot of fun making chocolate waffles this week. All week long we make the same recipe and I never had a waffle (which is a good thing). According to the kids...They were very yummy, even kids from other elective classes were asking for some. :)

We used cocoa powder in the recipe but for Thursday's class we used Bakers semi-sweet unsweetened chocolate. We melted it and added it to our wet ingredients instead of our dry ingredients. You can use whatever you have on hand, they both worked fabulous! We also
sliced strawberries with an egg slicer. The kids learned how easy it is to slice safely and get uniform berries.

I started class by reiterating that we must always read our recipe first. Mise en place (pronounced [miz on plas]) is a French phrase which means "putting in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (For example: cuts of meat, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other ingredients) a cook will require for the menu items that he or she expects to prepare. The practice is also effective in home kitchens.

Recipes are reviewed to check for necessary ingredients and equipment. Ingredients are measured out, washed, chopped, and placed in individual bowls.

Equipment, such as spatulas and blenders, are prepared for use, and ovens are preheated. Preparing the mise en place ahead of time allows the chef to cook without having to stop and assemble items, which is desirable in recipes with time constraints.

Belgium Chocolate Waffles Recipe

Week 2- Belgium Chocolate Waffles Recipe

Ingredients:
1½ cups (7 oz.) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1¾ oz.) sugar
½ cup (1½ oz.) cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
3 large eggs, beaten
4 tbsp. butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
¾ cup mini chocolate chips
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat the waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Preheat the oven to 200˚ F.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Whisk to blend. In another bowl combine the eggs, butter, vanilla and buttermilk. Whisk to blend well. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.

Fill the waffle iron with batter and cook until the waffle is crisp and completely cooked. Transfer finished waffles to the preheated oven and repeat until all the batter has been used. Serve immediately with fresh berries and whipped cream.

Week 1 - Lesson 1

I hope everyone had a chance to glance through the blog.

We had an exciting first week. I am still getting to know everyone and still learning everyone's name. :) I am excited to see so many little ones from BSC!! If you are bringing your child from BSC, please go through the office on California St. The kids have lunch out by the playground. The bell rings at 1:45pm. The kids are picked up from the blacktop area (where the basketball courts are) and are walked straight over to the kitchen cafeteria. They are dismissed at 2:45pm in front of the office on California St.

This first week the kids were introduced to our kitchen rules. Please note: *If your child has long hair, please make sure they tie it back. I do provide aprons for every child but if your child has a favorite apron at home he/she may bring that in to use.

We made Orange Cookies with a Sweet Orange Glaze. The kids learned what a microplane zester looks like and what it is used for. When zesting, you must be careful because a zester is a sharp gadget and can cut you. They learned that the zest from an orange contains natural oils and when it is combined with sugar and incorporated, the zest releases all of its natural oils and not only is it very fragrant but also flavorful.

They were taught how to use a citrus juicer and squeeze out the juice from an orange. Many kids were amused at how easy it was to make fresh orange juice :) I told them when measuring salt, to always do it over the sink, a bowl or a measuring cup that is not being used. When cracking an egg, always crack into a separate bowl prior to adding it to your mixing bowl. This will ensure no egg shells go directly into the dough.

The kids learned that the oven in the school's kitchen is a industrial commercial size oven and cooks VERY fast!

Looking forward to another fun week.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.


Esmeralda Williams
805 201 5865

ilcscookingelective@gmail.com

Here is a picture of our cookie :)

Orange Cookies with Orange Glaze

Orange Cookies with Sweet Orange Glaze


Ingredients:


For the Cookies:
2½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 egg

For the Sweet Orange Glaze:
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
Fresh orange juice

Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet like a Silpat; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the the sugar and orange zest, rubbing them together with your fingers until the zest is completely incorporated into the sugar.

4. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and the orange zest-infused sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and orange and mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. If the dough seems a little on the soft side, refrigerate it for up to 30 minutes. Using a medium cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoonfuls), scoop out the dough and roll them into balls, placing them 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges, but still pale in the middle. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

5. To make the sweet orange glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, orange zest, and enough orange juice to achieve the desired consistency (less juice for a thicker glaze, more for a thinner one). Spread glaze over top of the cooled cookies, and allow to set at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Store at room temperature in an airtight container (divide layers with wax paper so the cookies don't stick together).

ILCS Cooking/Baking Blog

Our Blog is public and is available for all students and parents. With your parents consent and permission you may take a look at our recipes and check and see what we will be making and learning. I try to update this blog weekly and will try and post the recipe for the upcoming week prior to Monday.

www.ilcscookingelective.blogspot.com

Welcome to our Spring Cooking Class-2013

Hello Parents & Students,

Welcome to Cooking and Baking Class for Kids! I hope you are looking forward to a fun experience for your child as much as I am. The students will be using the stove and oven, but I will be instructing, supervising and involved in every step of the preparation of the recipes.

For my class to be successful it is very important that all students are good listeners and careful in class. Please review the kitchen safety rules with your child (I will also be going over the rules with them). If a student is misbehaving inappropriately he or she will not be permitted to participate with our cooking/baking class for that day. I will provide coloring books and crayons for those individuals who are misbehaving. If the behavior continues I will drop the student from our Elective. It is a privilege to be in any elective class. I want to make sure everyone has fun, but I must keep the safety of all the children in mind.

Please let me know if your child has ANY food allergies or sensitivities. Email me at ilcscookingelective@gmail.com.

The cost of the class differs by day. Monday is $55-due to a Holiday, Tuesday and Wednesday is $60 and Thursday is $50 due to extended days. Please make your check payable to Esmeralda Williams, cash is also accepted.

I don’t foresee having to cancel any classes but in the event that we do, we will notify you via a phone call. We are provided with the phone number you have on file. If there is a different number from what you have on file in the office, please email me at ilcscookingelective@gmail.com

I have lots of fun recipes planned. I hope your child enjoys our cooking and baking class. Most of all, I hope your child surprises you and makes a few of the recipes he or she learned to prepare in our class! :) With your parents permission, please vist our cooking/baking blog for recipes and class lessons. www.ilcscookingelective.blogspot.com

If you have any questions, please contact Esmeralda Williams at 805-201-5865 or email ilcscookingelective@gmail.com.



Thank you,

Esmeralda Williams

Kitchen Rules-Please Review with your child

 # 1         Listen to your teacher.
 # 2         Tie long hair back.
 # 3         WASH your hands before touching food.
 # 4          No running, No yelling! No teasing other students.
 # 5          Keep the work area clean.
 # 6          Use inside voice and raise your hand.
 # 7          Do NOT go past the blue lines in the kitchen.

 

Lesson Plan #8 Feb.25th-Feb.28th

Lesson Plan #8 Feb.25th-Feb.28th

Parents & Guardians,

Our Winter Cooking Elective Session has come to an end. We had a great time teaching your kiddos. Hope they enjoyed it as much as we did! Feel free to come back and visit our blog, as we will have new recipes for the next trimester. Hopefully your child will have the opportunity to be in our class again.

This week we incorporated a few new things into our cooking lesson. New spices were introduced to the kids lesson like, ground cumin. This is a spice used in many countries. The history of cumin goes back over 5000 years. The ancient Egyptians used it as a spice in foods as well as in the mummification process. The Greeks and Romans used cumin as a spice and also applied it for medicinal purposes. Interestingly, it was used to make the complexion more pale. It is a major ingredient in chili powder as well as curry powder. It is associated mostly with Indian, Mexican, and Vietnamese foods, but the ancient Greeks kept a dish of it on the dinner table, a practice which continues today in Morocco.

We added ground cumin to our chicken to give it a smokey flavor. It compliments the chicken and makes for a perfect filling for taquitos. Again, we reiterated how stoneware retains heat and cooks evenly throughout. We placed our chicken in the stoneware and microwaved it for 5 minutes, then we shredded it. You can cook your chicken by boiling it, baking it, or placing it in the crockpot. Leftover roasted chicken also makes great taquitos.

We taught the kids how to infuse oil by adding garlic and onions and sautéing it in hot oil. Making infused oils is a process of transferring flavor and scent into the oil of your choice. This process can also be used to add flavor to cooking oils.

It is a simple process of infusing flowers, herbs or spices into an oil by heating or letting it sit in a sunny spot so that the volatile oils can transfer into the carrier oil. We did this process and used our garlic and onion infused oil for our rice. Bake instead of frying. We used olive oil spray on our baking sheet as well as spraying the taquitos on top.

Cooking Tip* Microwave your corn tortillas to prevent cracking when rolling your taquitos. Microwave them just until pliable. Roll your taquitos and place it with the edge down. Corn tortillas also have natural lines, roll the taquitos the same way as the lines. This makes it easier to roll and prevents cracking.


How to set a table

Place the main dinner plate so that it is centered with each chair.

Fold a napkin and place it to the left of the dinner plate.

Place the forks to the left of the plate, on top of the napkin. Place the forks from left to right in the order that they will be used. Smallest fork should be the furthest away from the plate on the outside. Align the forks with the bottom of the napkin.

Place the knife to the right of the plate, with the serrated side toward the plate. If using multiple knives, place them beside one another, with the first knife to be used on the outside.

Place the soup spoon to the right of the knife or knives.

Place the desert fork above the plate, perpendicular to the direction of the other utensils. The handle of the fork must be on the left side.

Place the desert spoon between the plate and desert fork, with the handle on the right side.

Place the glasses above the knives, in the order in which they will be used, from left to right.

Place your bread plate on the left side above the plate and to the left.


***To remember the proper sides to place the knife, fork and spoon, we told the kids to remember this easy reference and refer to the number of letters in each word. Knife and spoon both have five letters, as does the word "right." Fork has four letters, just like the word "left."***

Voila, the kids are ready to set the dinner table for Easter :)

Have a great Spring Break!!!

Baked Chicken Taquitos and Spanish Rice

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:


3 cups shredded roasted chicken
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (or cheddar)
12-24 corn tortillas
cooking spray
Sour cream or salsa

Directions:


1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray. We simply sprayed our pan and didn't use foil.

2. Combine the shredded chicken in a bowl with the cumin, salt and garlic & onion powder- mix in the cheese.

3. Place 2 corn tortillas at a time in between two damp paper towels and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds to soften them (helps to prevent cracking when rolling). You can also microwave 6 tortillas placed on a microwave safe plate for 1 minute. Make sure you fan the tortillas around the plate in a circle and place a microwave safe lid over the plate. We used a microwave splatter guard.

4. With 1 tortilla in front of you, place about 1-2 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture in the center of the tortilla and roll it up tightly. If you want meatier taquitos, simply add more chicken, just make sure you can roll it. Place the taquito seam-side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and filling.

5. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray (we used olive oil spray), and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until crisp. Serve with guacamole, sour cream or salsa.


Spainsh Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups of Rice (Your choice of rice-we used Jasmine, you could use long grain rice,but not minute rice.)
2 garlic cloves-cut in half
1 small onion- chopped in large pieces
2 Tablespoons of Knorr Tomato Bouillon Powder
4 cups of water
1-2 TBS Olive Oil or oil of your choice.

Directions:

Heat pan, add oil (enough to coat the bottom), garlic and onion. Infuse oil with the garlic and onion and remove from pan. Add 2 cups of rice. Stir Fry rice until oil has coated the rice (Approx 2-3 minutes). Add 4 cups of water and your Knorr seasoning.

*There are many ways to make Spanish rice. This is one of the simpler methods. You could also make it by using a Spanish seasoning called Sofrito made of red and green bell peppers, onions, garlic, spices, cilantro and tomatoes.

Lesson Plan #7 Feb.18th-22nd

Lesson Plan #7 Feb.18th-22nd

Angel Food Strawberry Shortcake

Due to extended day next week on Thursday, Feb. 28th. Our Thursday class had their last cooking and baking lesson for the trimester.

I must say, this weeks recipe was ridiculously delish! Fresh Strawberries, Homemade Angel Food Cake and Freshly made whipped cream! Can you say YUMMO?!

We started our lesson by slicing strawberries using an egg slicer which makes our sliced strawberries uniform and is a kid friendly kitchen gadget ;) We added sugar to our fresh strawberries (reiterated that fresh fruit is delicious without adding anything to it). We taught the kids that when you add sugar to fresh fruit, it will extract moisture in the strawberries and turn the sugar into a syrup by using the juice in the berries (or the fresh fruit of your choice). This is a process called Macerate. In food preparation, maceration is the softening or the breaking up into pieces using a liquid. In the case of fresh fruit, particularly soft fruit such as strawberries and raspberries, they are often just sprinkled with sugar, (which is what we did) then left to sit and release their own juices which becomes a red liquid syrup. This process makes the food/fruit more flavorful.

Every child got to separate the yolk from the egg by using an egg separator. This was a fun process. We explained the importance of not getting any yolk into the egg whites. Why? Well...it matters a lot. When you are separating egg whites, it is for whipping them into a foam. This foam is a protein-based foam, relying on protein ends hooking onto each other. Even small traces of fat will prevent the foam from forming. Egg yolks contain high amounts of fat. Once an egg yolk breaks in your whites, you have to start the separation over because it can prevent your foam from forming. Also, don't use plastic bowls for whipping egg whites (their surface retains some fat molecules even after washing, giving you a less stable foam) and only whip with a clean washed whisk or mixer attachment (not one you have just used for something else, not even if you wiped it clean).

We explained to the kiddos to use a metal bowl when making homemade whipped cream. Cream whips best when it is cold. Keep your cream as cold as possible, and use a chilled bowl (refrigerate for at least 15 minutes; metal bowls get colder than glass). It helps to chill your whisk or beaters as well. Please keep in mind that warm metal will transfer its heat to the cream. If it's warm in your kitchen, you may want to keep the bowl in a larger bowl of ice-water during and after the whipping process. We placed ours in the fridge and used all of it. We taught and showed the kids the difference between medium peaks that formed with the egg whites and firm peaks that formed with the whipped cream.

The kids were taught the difference between regular all-purpose flour and cake flour. Cake flour is 27 times finer then all-purpose flour. They were introduced to a sifter and the purpose of sifting our cake flour, salt and cream of tartar together. Let me say, they all had fun sifting!

*Cook's Tip*
This recipe calls for you to place the sugar in a food processor for about two minutes until the granulated sugar turns into fine sugar. You can use a blender or they sell Castor sugar which is super fine. Also, you can use egg whites that are sold in cartons. Not Eggbeaters but egg whites. You would need 1 cup of egg whites to equal 12 egg whites that this recipe calls for.

Hope your kids enjoyed another great week of our cooking and baking elective.

Angel Food Cake Recipe for Strawberry Shortcake

Angel Food Cake for Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cake flour, sifted
12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
1/3 cup warm water 1 teaspoon orange extract, or extract of your choice (We used Creme Bouquet)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.In a food processor spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Then take half of the sifted sugar, add your salt and the cake flour together and sift. Remember to set the remaining sugar aside.In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract(any extract of your choice), and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).

Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan.

PLEASE NOTE: Since eggs are easier to separate when they are fresh, use the freshest eggs possible. You can also use eggbeaters egg whites.

Sliced Strawberries

1 32oz container of Strawberries
3 TBS of sugar (*Optional)Wash and clean strawberries. Remove green stems. Using an egg slicer, place strawberry in the middle and press slicer down. Place sliced Strawberries in bowl, add sugar and mix. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Fresh Whipped Cream

1 cup of whipping cream1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar
1 tsp of vanilla

Mix the whipping cream just until peaks start to form. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to mix until solid peaks form.

Lesson Plan #6 Feb.11th-15th

Lesson Plan #6

Let me start by saying... I love coffee cake better then chocolate. I just don't love chocolate. BLASPHEMY I KNOW! It just doesn’t do it for me, so what can I say? I do, however; love cinnamon and coffee cake crumbles. Can I get a what what? Is anyone else with me? Probably NOT!

I don’t always feel like making a giant coffee cake and eating it for three days straight until it’s gone. No, wait, that’s a lie. I do want to do that, but it’s really for the best if I can just make a single-serve coffee cake. Reduces temptation, right?

We adjusted the recipe all week long. Sara and many of the kids liked the applesauce recipe but I liked the second recipe that has sour cream and egg. I think it's because it didn't have an applesauce taste and it had more of a cake type texture. This week the kids got to use a kitchen gadget we used on our first day of cooking class, a pastry cutter. It was a lot of fun making the crumb topping for our coffee cake. The more the kids cut the butter into our ingredients, the more it started to resemble streusel topping aka crumb topping!!!

We demonstrated how to make an individual serving of coffee cake and then every student had the opportunity to make their very own coffee cake in a mug. They measured every ingredient on their own, mixed and poured. They were very busy. The kids got to use the microwave and were also introduced to a cake tester. We taught them the proper way to check if their baked goodie was done, using the cake tester. A cake tester is a kitchen tool which is designed specifically for use in baking. It is meant to be used to test the doneness of cakes, a crucial step in the baking process which can make or break a cake success. If the cake tester comes out clean, the cake is done and it should be pulled out to cool. If crumbs are left behind on the cake tester, the cake is not quite finished, and it should be allowed to bake a little longer. There are some exceptions to this rule; banana bread, for example, tastes best when there is still some residue on the cake tester. Hope the kids are ready to surprise you at home with breakfast in bed.