Monthly Archives: August 2009

Aug 31Getting Creative with School Lunches - Gotta Sta...

I am the first person to admit that I suck when it comes to making food pretty. It's sort of ironic, given that I teach kids how to play with their food (ie. cook). It probably stems from the fact that I jump from one activity to the next, and can't sit still long enough. Plus, I do everything crooked, and would be hard pressed to decorate foods in any recognizable fashion. Even though I haven't been blessed with any artistic genes, I am blown away by the talent of others. Yesterday, someone...

Aug 24Scream Sorbet Brings Produce Full Circle

Today I took the students from my cooking summer camp on a field trip to the farmer's market. The kids were fascinated by the concept that organic produce is better for our bodies and the planet. So, they asked every vendor they met if their produce was organic. Of course, when they met the sorbet guy from Scream, they asked him a few questions and then proceeded to be a bunch of free-loaders and taste all of his flavors. Here, the Scream guy explains how his products are local, organic and...

Aug 21Kitchen Science: Making Ice Cream In A Bag with...

Why am I not surprised that my What's Cooking summer camp kids loved making ice cream more than any other recipe? It was real life science in action, and a perfect way to beat the summer heat. Why don't YOU give it a try? Here's the recipe and a description of how it works: How does it work? Ice keeps things cold because it absorbs heat energy from its surroundings. Adding salt to the ice lowers the freezing point, so the ice begins to melt. The melting ice absorbs...

Aug 20Good Karma – Cast Your Vote

Oy Vey! I have been nominated as a Jewish Community Hero! It is an honor to be up against such an amazing group of nominees. Unless we can harness the power of social networking, and gather me about 4,000 votes, I don't have much of a chance of winning. Even so, I would be super grateful if you could take just a moment to vote for me. As most parents and teachers will tell you, positive reinforcement doesn't come very often... It sure feels good to hear about the positive impact that my work...

Aug 19Hungry for Simple and Healthy School Lunch Ideas...

There is something about the nature of the school year that makes me feel pressured and rushed. I am sure many other parents feel the same way. Not only do we have our regular work, household and parenting responsibilities, but we also have additional chauffeur and homework proctoring duties. Oh yeah - and we have to squeeze in family mealtimes somewhere in there, too. I am totally a Type A person - being organized helps me to relax and gives me the perception of having things under control. ...

Aug 17Placemat Mitzvah Project

It's probably not a surprise that one of the things that floats my boat is getting kids excited about community service. Last year, I came up with the idea to decorate placemats with children, and then send them to children in the hospital. Everyone I spoke to, including the hospital, told me that this was a fantastic idea. So, I got even more excited and followed up with another blog post on how to make the project even more successful. Then, I was crushed to discover that the hospital had...

Aug 14The Juice on my Tropicana Weekend

Before I left for my Chicago trip with Tropicana, I inundated you with blog posts about my upcoming experience. I was worried that I was spending too much time away my regular posts about cooking with children. I hope my recent posts about my summer cooking camps for kids reminded you that I am back in action. But before I write more about some fun food science and cooking with kids activities, I felt compelled to tell you a bit about what I learned in Chicago. I have to say that I was...

Aug 11I am Having a Love Affair with my Electric Skill...

Put yourself in my shoes for a couple of moments. You are getting ready to teach three weeks of cooking camp this summer, and you find out that you will be teaching in a classroom, not a kitchen. The good news is that you will have a refrigerator, some cabinet space for tools and ingredients, and a microwave. The bad news is that the oven (in an adjacent building) is off limits for 2 days/week. What's a teacher to do? Time to get creative. You will have to bring a few tools from home...a...

Aug 7Summer Fun: Farmer's Market Scavenger Hunt

All of the kids in my cooking camp love visiting our local Farmer's Market. Dressed in matching yellow camp shirts, we brave the 1/2 mile walk to the Civic Center, where we shop for ingredients and nibble our way through the market. Once we arrive, our groups scatter - each armed with a shopping list, reusable bags and a list of scavenger hunt questions that get them talking to the farmers and seeking out new and interesting ingredients. Before school starts, gather your kids and take them to...

Aug 4Making Refrigerator Pickles with Kids

I must be one of the luckiest (some say "craziest") people on earth. I get to spend several weeks of the summer teaching cooking classes to kids at summer camp. Not only do I get to encourage kids to play with their food, I also get to inspire them to try new flavors and learn about how their food choices affect their bodies and the planet. Their enthusiasm is contagious and I have to practically body block them as they clamor for additional helpings of the foods that we prepare. Today, our...