Welcome to Cooking/Baking Class

Welcome to Cooking/Baking Elective Class WINTER 2014

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 process and preparation of every recipe. I have an assistant in every cooking class (my assistants are composed of ILCS students who have a passion for cooking/baking, have taken my class previously and exhibit leadership). My assistant helps me with the more advanced techniques and methods of cooking as well as assists some of the younger kids in class. Please let me know if your child has ANY food allergies or sensitivities to certain foods as soon as possible. You may email me at ilcscookingelective@gmail.com

For my class to be successful it is very important that every student is a good listener; as well as careful during class. Please review the kitchen safety rules with your child (I will also be going over the rules with them on the first day of class). 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 begin with a warning and then will ask the student to take a seat. If the behavior continues I will drop the student from Cooking/Baking Elective Class. If your child is dropped from this elective, a full payment for the cost of the trimester will be required. It is a privilege to be in ANY Elective Class, inappropriate behavior takes away time from the other kids who want to learn and it also makes it an unsafe atmosphere. 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 cooking class differs by day. The reason some classes differ in pricing is due to Holidays and extended days, etc. Monday is $65, Tuesday and Wednesday is $75. The cost on Thursday is $65. Extended days are held on the last Thursday of every month at CSC. Therefore; no electives are offered on this day. All payments are due the week of December 15th. Please make your check payable directly to: Esmeralda Williams. Cash is also accepted, if payment is made via currency I will provide a receipt for those payments. I understand that some individuals may be going through a hardship, are paid on a monthly basis, etc. If so, please do not hesitate to email me at ilcscookingelective@gmail.com let me know if you need a scholarship or if you need additional time to make your payment. All information is kept confidential.

I don’t foresee having to cancel any classes but in the event that I do, I will notify you via a phone call/email. ILCS provides me with the phone number you have on file with the office. Please make sure your number is current.

Our blog website with our recipes is www.ilcscookingelective.blogspot.com

Thank you, Esmeralda Williams

Thanksgiving Cupcakes Week #9

These are Turkey cupcakes one of my 5 year old students made.

Great job Sierra!

Here is a generic photo of Lil Turkey's

Apple Pie in a Bag and Apple Crisp Week#8

The kids all had a chance to use the apple corer,slicer and peeler. This handy gadget is great for anyone who plans on making homemade Apple Pie, Apple crisp, Applesauce etc. 

Our Apple Crisp turned out amazing! The kids all enjoyed it.

Here's a generic picture of what apple pie in a bag looks like. What a great idea if you have apples that need to be used.

Apple Crisp & Apple Pie in a Bag

Apple Season! Love The Fall Weather!

Apple Crisp Recipe

For the crumb topping

1. 1/2 cup flour
2. 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3. 1/2 cup brown sugar
4. 1/2 tsp baking powder
5. 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
6. dash of salt
7. 1/3 cup unsalted butter, diced into small chunks

For the Apple filling

1. 3-4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
2. 3 Tbsp butter, melted
3. 2 Tbsp flour
4. 1 Tbsp lemon juice
5. 3 Tbsp milk
6. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
7. 1/4 cup brown sugar
8. 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
9. dash of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium size bowl combine the crumb topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate while you prepare the apple filling.

For the Apple Filling

1. In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour until well blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla and stir well. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour butter mixture over apples and toss to coat. Pour apple mixture into an 8x8-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and top is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Freezer Apple Pie Filling-Apple Pie in a Bag

*This recipe is for one bag of filling which will make one pie.

5-6 apples peeled and sliced thin

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/4 C flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp butter cut into chunks

 

1. Place butter in freezer.

2. Mix all ingredients except apples, butter and lemon juice in a gallon freezer bag and shake until combined. 

3. Peel and slice apples.

4. Coat apples in lemon juice.

5. Add apples and butter to sugar mixture and shake until combined.

6. Remove air from bag, label and freeze flat.

When ready to use; thaw and pour into a pre 
-made pie shell and bake until top is browned.

Homemade Amish Pretzels Week 7

The pretzels were a BIG hit! I let the kids know that if they choose to make this recipe at home to make sure they have plenty of helpers to help roll out dough ropes to shape like pretzels. Some of the kids had salted pretzels and others chose cinnamon sugar. 

BOO! Bites Week 6

These little mini gems were a huge hit! We used Creme Bouquet instead of vanilla or almond extract. Our cookies had a hint of lemon flavor. Happy Halloween...

BOO! Bites

Halloween Cookies-BOO! Bites

These tiny Halloween shortbread cookies come together very quickly for festive little munchies everybody will love!

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus more to butter the pan)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons halloween colored nonpareils

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch pan, then line with parchment paper, pressing the sides and corners to stick.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and extract at medium speed until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed until a dough forms. It will be crumbly at first, but keep beating. Stir in the nonpareils until evenly distributed.

Transfer the dough to the lined pan and press evenly into the bottom. Use the parchment paper to lift the dough from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch square pieces (a pizza cutter works well). Place the squares 1/2-inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet; discard parchment paper. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until bottoms just begin to brown.