Yellow stripe and meatballs.....

Earning your yellow stripe means you can follow and read a recipe.
It means you know the difference between Tbsp. and tsp. and other measurements.
It means you know the basics of cooking and have taken at least one cooking session.

Several of these girls are almost ready for their red stripe!

And, I just have to say that I'm so proud of these girls! They have come such a long way and have learned so much already! They are on their way to becoming little chefs and I'm so happy I have the good fortune of being a part of it. I hope their love for cooking and their curiosity of food and all the many flavors to explore continues to grow!

During our next class, Friday Feb. 27th, we will be making italian meatballs and the best spaghetti sauce ever!
I love making these meatballs because they are so versatile. You can make a large batch and freeze some for multiple meals.
Some suggestions for meals with meatballs are:
spaghetti & meatballs, of course!
meatball hoagies with provolone cheese...yum-o!
put some in the crock pot or saucepan with terriyaki sauce and serve over rice
slice as topping for pizza

make the meatballs larger and they make a great hamburger patty

Comfort Food

Nothing beats homemade comfort food like homemade soup and homemade mac and cheese, especially when it contains secret good for you ingredients like squash! I made some ahead of time for the girls to try and they gobbled it right up. They couldn't believe it had squash in it!

Notice the yellow stripe on Emily's hat? Yea for Emily and Sydney who both earned their yellow cooking stripes!!

Chicken Cordon Blue Pockets with gravy

We made Chicken Cordon Blue wrapped in little individual sized pockets. The new kitchen appliance we used today was an electric cheese grader (food processor or attachment for the bosch). The girls used three different methods to grade the cheese but quickly decided this one was the favorite!

As a side dish, we made salad on a stick with dip. "How, the girls asked, do you put salad on a stick!?"

A new thing we added this session are the chef hats...they finally came in!! Aren't they so cute!
The girls will earn their cooking "stripes" as they advance in their skills. Stay tuned to see some of our first girls to earn their stripes.....
Oh, and I added the menu finally, check it out below!

Dinner Menu for Session II

Chicken Cordon Blue Pockets with gravy - Preheat to 350 - Bake for 20 minutes

Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup with Homemade Mac-n-cheese - Preheat to 375 - bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 3.

Italian Meatballs Galore! - Preheat to 350 - Bake for 25 minutes.
Chicken Stuffed Shells - Preheat to 350 - Bake for 45 minutes.

The sides aren't listed because they generally don't need cooking or will bake at the same temp as the main dish.