Week EIGHT: Recap!

Today was our last class of the session, and what a fantastic class it was! To celebrate our graduation, we made party food. We started off the class with mini veggie hotdogs. We then made a salad person out of vegetables for our side. Finally, we topped off class with some delicious trail mix.
This session, we learned so much and tried so many new foods. I am so proud of our Taste Buddies! I wish you many more kitchen adventures!

PIGS IN A BLANKET:
We used pre-made crescent rolls (from the biscuit section of the grocery store) to upgrade our regular veggie dogs to pigs in a blanket! By adding a just a bit of sprinkled cheese, you can make this healthy party food a major hit for kids.

KID'S SALAD:
The Taste Buddies were master chefs and master artists today, as we made salad people. We used soy butter to attach our salad people to the plates for help while we were building them. They turned out pretty cute!

POPCORN TRAIL MIX:
This is a great after-school snack that you can make ahead of time. We used dried mangos and apples and raisins, but any dried fruit works well. What makes this recipe extra special is the addition of popcorn to our trail mix. I noticed it was the most popular ingredient! Make this in bulk and save time during the week.

Week EIGHT: Pigs in a Blanket, Kid's Salad & Popcorn Trail Mix

PIGS IN A BLANKET
from AllRecipes.com
Ingredients:

• 8 veggie dogs
• 8 slices American processed cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Wrap cheese around each frankfurter then the biscuit around that. 
3. Put on cookie sheet with the overlap of biscuit faced down, so you don’t have to use tooth picks.
4. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.

KID'S SALAD
from BettyCrocker.com
Ingredients:

• Peaches
• Lettuce
• Celery
• Marshmallows
• Raisins
• Maraschino cherries
• Shredded cheese

Directions:

1. For each salad, place 1 peach half, cut side down, on 1 lettuce leaf on plate.
2. Add celery sticks for arms and legs; marshmallow for head; raisins for eyes, nose, buttons, hands and feet; a piece of maraschino cherry for mouth; and shredded cheese for hair.

TRAIL MIX POPCORN
Ingredients:

• Stove-top popcorn
• Graham crackers
• Dried fruits (apples, pineapple, raisins, apricots, bananas, etc.)

Directions:

1. Mash graham crackers in plastic baggies.
2. Prepare popcorn according to package directions.
3. Add popcorn and dried fruits to each baggie, shake to mix.

Book of the Week: "Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea" by Jan Peck

This summer, our Preschool Preparation classes have been studying the Ocean. I did a lot of research before the start of the session, including watching the entire Discovery Channel's Blue Planet series, raiding YouTube for fascinating octopus videos, and devouring books of all kinds about sea life. I've become a little ocean-obsessed. So, what better book for our first book of the week than Jan Peck's Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea!?! I LOVE THIS BOOK! 

It follows a little redheaded boy on an under-the-sea treasure hunt, "I'm looking for treasure for my Mama and me". As he travels under the ocean, he meets sea creatures of all kinds: a crab playing peek-a-boo, a dancing starfish and fencing swordfish. Once he finds his treasure, he high tails it to the surface, where Mama is waiting for him. Plus, there's a surprise ending (you'll have to read it to find out)!

Kiddos of all ages will enjoy saying, "Hello" with the little boy as he greets each new creature and then saying "See you later!" as you turn the page. It's a fast, fun read. Valeria Petrone's illustrations are absolutely lovely -- simple and engaging, definitely not busy or distracting. I could read this book over and over. It's a definite to add to your reading list before summer is officially over!

Join Miss Becca Drew on Thursday, August 25th at 3:00 for Open Play Story Time where she will read our Book-of-the-Week: Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck!  

"When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbing Along" by Doris Day

Week SEVEN: Recap!

Black bean burgers were the main course on the menu today. These are one of my favorite meals to throw together when I have nothing in the fridge and I'm low on time. We also made a delightful Mediterranean salad and a fruit dip for apples. It was a healthy, tasty adventure today in Taste Buddies!

BBQ VEGGIE BURGERS:
These are such a fun, easy way to put dinner together when you feel like you don't have a lot of time or are just plain tired! They taste great, and they are fun for kids to help you in the kitchen with because they can use their hands to mash and shape the burgers together. I definitely recommend trying these at home!

MEDITERRANEAN SALAD:
This is one of those salads that I never think to make, but I wish I did... because it tastes so good in the summertime! Cucumbers are great for kids to chop, and the feta cheese adds a nice punch of flavor to the salad. We pretended the feta was snow that we were sprinkling on our salad. So fun!

APPLES & FRUIT DIP:
I love anything with soy butter, and this fruit dip is a fun way to spruce up an apple or banana. I also think it would taste great with celery. Yummy!

Week SEVEN: BBQ Veggie Burgers, Mediterranean Salad & Apples with Fruit Dip

BBQ VEGGIE BURGERS
Ingredients:

• 1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If
   baking, preheat oven to 375°F, and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic; stir into mashed beans. 
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce. 
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side.
7. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

MEDITERRANEAN SALAD
Ingredients:

• 6 cups coarsely chopped English hothouse or Persian cucumbers (about 2 pounds total)
• 2 large tomatoes (about 1 pound total), coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 1 cup assorted pitted olives (such as Kalamata or Gaeta), halved
• 1 (7-ounce) package feta, crumbled, divided
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, olives, half of feta, and mint in a large bowl. 
2. Whisk oil and lemon juice in a small bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper.
3. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining half of feta over salad and serve.

APPLES & FRUIT DIP
Ingredients:

• 1 apple
• 1 tablespoon of cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of soy butter

Directions:

1. Chop apple into slices.
2. Combine remaining ingredients to create dip.
3. Serve apples with dip.

Week SIX: Recap!

Mmmmmm... mini breakfast pies! That's what we made in Taste Buddies class today along with delicious rosemary potatoes and s'mores. Quite the feast! Class began with gardening, as we "planted" baby carrots in hummus "dirt cups." We poked holes in the top of our baby carrots with forks and inserted some rosemary for the carrot leaf. They were the best smelling carrots I have ever tasted! We then moved on to our other items on the menu, and finished the class by sitting around the table and talking about our favorite parts of the class.

LITTLE EGG & BACON BREAKFAST PIES:
I absolutely love these. They look almost like mini breakfast quiches. We also learned how to crack an egg today, which was an exciting adventure!
We used a frozen puff pastry from Whole Foods and pre-baked the shell before cracking the eggs and putting them in our pastry shells. These taste yummy with some fresh OJ and breakfast potatoes. What a breakfast treat!

ROSEMARY POTATOES:
Rosemary potatoes taste good with any meal, and they are surprisingly easy to make. The Taste Buddies students made their potatoes in no time at all, and we all decided that we love the smell of rosemary!

SOYNUT BUTTER S'MORES:
Soy butter, Ghiradelli chocolate squares, and graham crackers. No need to say much more! :)