Until next year...

Semester 1 is finished.  These talented, interested, creative and innovative students have completed the Food and Nutrition course once again!

As their teacher, I am always quite impressed with what they learn to do - both in class and what they choose to post to the blog as well.  I hope their families and friends have been impressed too.

One of my goals for this course is that students learn that food is a gift from God that should be enjoyed.  Just like all things given to us on this earth, we should enjoy food responsibly and act as stewards of this gift.  We are called to appreciate it, know where it comes from, and consume to nourish our bodies for lives of service.

This blog won't be active until next school year, but it will remain up for you reading and re-reading pleasure.

Happy cooking and creating!

Ms M ("The Teacher") on behalf of the Food and Nuts class

Quinoa Tabbouleh

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4" pieces
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation

Bring quinoa, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread out quinoa on a large rimmed baking sheet; let cool. Transfer to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover remaining dressing and quinoa separately; chill.

Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Ready to be baked

I made this recipe on Christmas Eve with my 6 year old brother who loves cooking. It is just a simple sugar cookie recipe with a twist. I came upon this idea on a facebook post and I wondered how they did it so I looked it up. I thought these cookies tasted great and my siblings loved them. They are amazing for parties and Christmas desserts (I made a few more batches for a Christmas party I went too).

Ingredients:
-2 cups flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-2/3 cup powdered sugar
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (cut in small chunks)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp of food colouring of your choice (I used green)
-optional extract of your choice (I used peppermint)
-1/2 tsp of another food colouring (I used red)
-holiday sprinkles

Directions:

Final Result

Blend the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Slowly add butter and continue mixing. Add vanilla extract and mix well. Split your dough into 2 equal parts. Take the first part and blend in the green food colouring and peppermint extract. Mix until colour is spread out evenly. Do the same with the other part but with the red food colouring and no extra extract. Roll out both portions of dough separately between two sheets of wax paper until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Put both on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When firm, remove wax paper. Brush the red dough with water. Flip the green dough onto the vanilla dough so they are evenly stacked onto each other. Put the sprinkles on a large platter and set aside. Lightly press the edges together to seal. Begin rolling the long side of the dough into a swirl. Now lift your dough log onto the sprinkles and coat the log completely with them. Wrap the coated log with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or keep in freezer for up to 2 months, depending on when you are planning on using it). Slice the dough into 1/4 inch slices and bake on baking sheets for 350. When edges are golden (15-17 minutes) take out of the oven and let cool. Enjoy your Christmas Pinwheel cookies with a warm mug of hot chocolate.

Chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:

Chocolate brownies

Chocolate brownies 

1. cup margarine

2.1 cup baking cocoa

3.4 eggs lightly beaten

4. 2 cups sugar

5. 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

6. 1 1/3 cups flour 

7. 1 teaspoon baking powder

8. 1/2 tsp salt

In large sauce pan melt margarine, remove from heat stir in cocoa and eggs, beat well

Stir in flour and rest of ingredients, mix well 

Put in a 9 x 13 pan, greased   

Baked at 350 degrees for 35 mins. 

Chicken quesadilla

This is a faily simple way to make some chicken quesadillas. 

Ingredients:

Chicken

Diced tomatoes

Chopped green onion

Cheddar cheese

Mozzarella cheese

2 flour tortillas

A little bit of melted butter

Directions:

Get your chicken, if it's raw cook it first. 

Butter one side of each tortilla and place it in a heated skillet at 350C

Spread cheese (mix the cheddar and mozzarella) all over the tortilla.

Add green onions and tomatoes, how ever much you want.

Dice up your chicken into small pieces and place on just one half of the tortillas.

Fold it over, cook them till golden brown and enjoy!

Lemon syllubub

Lemon syllubub, light and easy desert I made for my family last night.

Ingredients:

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 white sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Put everything into a medium sized bowl and then whisk until thick.

Enjoy!

Quinoa

I didn't go all out on this recipe because I don't particularly like quinoa.

I made one cup of quinoa and spice it with:

1/2tsp cayanne pepper

1/2tsp thyme

1/2tsp chili pepper 

And topped it with 1/2 cup of Diana honey garlic barbecue sauce.

Eggnog

Always a festive treat!! Good ole' eggnog!!
This is made with uncooked eggs

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 Cups whole milk
1 Cup heavy cream
1 Tsp nutmeg
4 egg whites

Directions:
-Whisk egg yolks until lightened
-Gradually add 1/3 sugar to eggs and beat until dissolved
-Add milk, cream and nutmeg. Stir yo combine
-In a separate bowl whisk egg white to a soft peak
-Add 1 Tbsp of sugar and whisk to firm peaks
-Whisk into egg mixture

This was ok....I think next year i want to find one that is a little smoother than this one. Possibly try a cooked one as well!!

Ugali

One of my absolute favorite things ever!!! My dad used to eat it a lot when he grew up in Kenya, its 2 popular names are ugali or posho, same thing just called differently in different parts of Africa!

Ingredients:
-4 Cups water
-2 Tsp salt
-2 Cups white cornmeal

Directions:
-Bring water to a boil and add salt
-Sift cornmeal through fingers into water slowly
-Reduce heat to med-low and cook, smashing lumps until thick
-Let cool

Turned out well, great to use as a spoon with beans!!

Quinoa Pancakes

I really didnt know what i wanted to do with this!! I never had it before and it was really interesting to try and find what to do...one morning i wanted pancakes and i saw the bag of quinoa on my counter and....well ya!!

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup buttermilk
1 Cup flour
1 Cup cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp salt
1 Egg
2 Tbsp butter, melted


Directions:
-Combine dry ingredients (and quinoa)
-Combine wet
-Whisk until smooth
-Heat large skillet over med. heat
-Spray skillet and add 1/4 cup of batter at a time
-Cook until bubbles form than flip

tuuudummmm thats it!! Its simply pancakes with quinoa!! They were alright, preferably i would use less next time but it was pretty good for a first try!!

Parfait

Super cheap and easy!!! Also really quick to make and adding a spoonful of sugar can make it that much more awesome

Ingredients:
1 Cup plain (or flavored) yogurt
1/2 Cup blueberries
5-10 Strawberries
spoonful of sugar

Directions:
Its simple, really do it how you want

-wash your fruit, cut strawberries in 1/2
-layer yogurt then fruit....when you run out add sugar....thats it!

Its super super super simple and can taste really great when you find the perfect combination of fruit to yogurt!!

Creme Brulee

First off I have somehow lost all of my pictures!!! I have no clue what happened but for my next few blog posts i'll be posting pictures that look as close to what I made as I can find! But now onto the true post, i made creme brulee...one of my favorite desserts! I made it ages ago but its been a good five years or so!! They are easy to make but just take a good deal of time!

Ingredients:
4 cups heavy cream
Vanilla bean*
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
8 cups hot water

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325
-Bring cream and vanilla to a boil, take off heat and let sit (covered) for 15 min.
-In med. bowl whisk 1/2 sugar and egg yolks, whisk until lightened
-Add cream a little at a time
-Divide between 6 ramekins
-Place in roasting pan and fill with water till half way up.
-Back 40-45 min
-Refrigerate over night
-Remove from fridge for 30 min
-Divide 1/2 cup sugar over and torch until golden

There ya have it! Nice and tasty and simple!! PLEASE try it!!!!

Lemon Pops!

I did this a while ago but thought it posted so I deleted the picture and so I just used a picture off google. 

1/2c lemon juice 

1tbls sugar 

1c water 

1/3c milk 

Leave to freeze. Then enjoy!! 

So yummy! 

Chicken dinner

I didn't really find a recipe for this one I just used the thinnest layer of BBQ sauce. Sometimes the simple things are the most delicious!

Classic Lasagna

Here is a delicious recipe for lasagna. It was a great main dish to make because it was easy and everyone loved it. Plus you can decide how much cheese  you want to use depending on your preference. Here is the link to the recipe, Classic Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 9 uncooked lasagna noodles (about 8 ounces)
• PAM® Olive Oil No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1 pound ground beef (Italian pork sausage works too)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28 oz each) Hunt's® Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano, undrained
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups part skim ricotta cheese (optional) 
• 1 cup shredded Romano cheese, divided
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
• 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (3 cups = 12 oz)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop cooking. Meanwhile, spray large saucepan with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot; add sausage and ground chuck. Cook and stir 5 minutes to crumble meat.
Add onion and garlic to pan. Continue cooking 8 to 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender. Drain meat mixture well. Add crushed and undrained tomatoes, 1 tablespoon parsley, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt. Bring meat mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cook uncovered over medium-low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place ricotta, 3/4 cup of the Romano cheese, eggs, remaining parsley, basil and remaining pepper in medium bowl; blend well. Set aside.
Assemble Lasagna: Spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup meat sauce evenly over bottom of dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles over sauce, top with 2 cups meat sauce, half of ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers ending with a layer of noodles topped with sauce and the remaining mozzarella and Romano cheeses.
Spray underside of aluminum foil with cooking spray; cover dish tightly with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce is bubbling. Let stand 10 minutes before serving

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Here is a super easy and healthy recipe for a Strawberry Banana Smoothie. It tastes really good and can be made anytime of the day. You can decide how sweet you want it by adding more or less honey. Here the link to the recipe, Strawberry Banana Smoothie


Ingredients: 

• 1 cup (250 mL) milk
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) frozen strawberries
• Half banana
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) liquid honey

Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. 

Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls

This recipe for Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls is super easy to make. They taste so good
and were gone within days. These are a bit messy to make but its worth it. Here is a link to the recipe,Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 butter or margarine melted
• 4 cups Rice Krispies
• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine 
• 1/4 cup hot water

Directions:

Line one baking sheet with waxed paper . In large bowl, mix icing sugar, peanut butter, coconut and melted butter or margarine together until well blended. Gently fold in Rice Krispies cereal until well coated. Form into 1" balls. To make the rolling of balls easier, use lightly dampened hands. Refrigerate on baking sheet for 30 minutes. 
To makes chocolate dip; In medium saucepan, over low heat melt chocolate chips, remaining butter and water together. If mixture is a bit thick for dipping add 1 to 2 tablespoons more hot water. 
Using two forks, drop a couple of peanut butter balls in chocolate mixture. Roll balls around in chocolate mixture to coat in chocolate. Chill on waxed paper lined baking sheet until chocolate is set. 

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Dessert- Chocolate Layered Brownie Trifle

This is my step mom's famous Brownie layered trifle recipe! I made this over the Christmas Holidays for dessert for my extended family and it was a huge hit! The recipe calls for toffee bits but I just chopped up a couple skor bars and it was even better! Enjoy! ITS SO GOOD                

1

box (1 lb 2.3 oz) brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box

1

tablespoon instant coffee granules or crystals

1

box (4-serving size) chocolate fudge instant pudding and pie filling mix

2

cups cold milk

1

bag (8 oz) toffee bits

1

container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray.

Make brownie mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs and adding coffee granules. Spread batter in pan. Bake as directed on box. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Cut brownies into 1-inch squares. Place half of the squares in bottom of 3-quart glass bowl. Make pudding mix as directed on box for pudding, using milk. Pour half of the pudding over brownies in bowl. Top with half each of the toffee bits and whipped topping. Repeat with remaining brownies, pudding, toffee bits and whipped topping.

         

Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

P.S. I`m sorry Ms. Marcus I know its not healthy but I had to share it!

Homemade Christmas Turkey Stuffing

This is my Grandmas home-made stuffing recipe. I was able to learn how to make this during Christmas time. This is my favourite thing to eat over the holidays so I decided to make it for my food blog! sorry its late enjoy!

10 cups of dried bread pieces
1 medium onion
1 cup butter
Dried Sage
Poultry Seasoning
3 eggs
1 cup milk

Place dried bread pieces in a large bowl the night before you are going to cook you turkey.  Sprinkle generous amounts of sage and poultry seasoning on to bread and mix thoroughly.

Fry chopped onion and butter till onion is softened.  Pour over bread and stir to mix.  Cover bowl with a clean tea towel and let sit overnight.

Before stuffing in to turkey, whip eggs and milk together and pour 1/2 over bread mixture.  Add more seasoning if desired.   Add remaining milk and eggs as needed.  Stuffing should stick together but not be soggy.  Stuff the dressing in to the turkey.