Here is a delish recipe you can make that will give you the opportunity to:

• practice chopping
• hand crush tomatoes
• use fresh herbs
• play a math game
• cook for yourself

Introducing: Baked Ziti!

Below is the recipe and a fun printable math game about logic that uses pasta. Print it out and play while you eat your homecooked food.

First things first.

1. Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add some penne pasta or your favorite shape and cook for about 9 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Chop up an onion.  Please go slow and be careful.  Thank you.

Next, pour a can of whole peeled tomatoes into a large mixing bowl.  Using your bare hands, squeeze and smoosh each tomato until you have a bowl of hand crushed tomatoes.  You don’t want any chunks of tomato that are larger than the pasta.

When we made this in class, the boys loved doing this.  Not sure if it was because of the squirting noises or what, but there was lots of laughing go on.  Cooking is fun!

You can use scissors if using your hands gives you the weebie jeebies.  It shouldn’t because you need to touch your food.  It’s a good, healthy way to connect with what you eat.

Next, heat a little cooking oil in a pot on medium heat.  Add the chopped onions and cook a few minutes until they are softened and clear.

Remove the Italian sausage from the casing and add to the onions.  Cook until meat is browned, slowly stirring everything around.

Add some minced garlic

Then your beautiful hand crushed tomatoes.

Add some salt and crushed red pepper and then stir it around a few times.

Next, add some ricotta cheese.

and some shredded Parmesan.  Mix well.

Add a few torn pieces of fresh basil to the pot.

Then add your cooked pasta and stir everything together.

Pour the ziti into a baking dish and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Download a Free “Use Your Noodle” Pasta Game Here

Pasta Entree

Baked Ziti

Ingredients

Print Recipe

• 1 small onion
• cooked penne pasta
• 4-5 links Italian sausage, removed from casing
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1, 32-ounce canned peeled whole tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon salt (add more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup, plus more for topping shredded Parmesan cheese
• 5-6 leaves fresh basil, torn into pieces

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta in boiling water; set aside.
• Chop the onion and set aside.
• Hand crush the tomatoes
• Remove sausage from casing.
• Heat 1-2 Tablespoons cooking oil in a pot on medium high heat. Add chopped onion and cook until softened and clear, about 3-4 minutes. Stir slowly while cooking.
• Add sausage to onions and cook until meat is browned.
• Add garlic, tomatoes, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir together and cook for 1 minute.
• Add ricotta and Parmesan cheese. Mix everthing well and cook for another minutes.
• Add torn basil and cooked pasta. Stir well and pour mixture into a baking dish. Place in oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Servings: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Total Time: 45 Minutes

Cooking for someone you love is a great way to love them back.

Love is an action word, you know.  Get it in action with this recipe you can make for your mom for Mother’s Day!  Great way to “love” her for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner!

Tomato Basil Quiche.

It is super easy, delicious and gluten free, if you need it to be.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crack some eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk well.

Add cream and milk,

salt, pepper and a little shredded parmesan cheese.

Next, slice a few cherry tomatoes in half and add to the egg mixture.

Then, stack a few leaves of basil together, roll up tightly and slice into ribbons.  This is a technique called, chiffonade (shif-uh-nod).  Say that outloud three times. Congratulations, now you speak French.

Add the basil to the egg mixture and mix well.  Pour mixture into a baking dish.

Whisk mixture around to make sure tomatoes and basil are evenly distributed.

This is mozzarella cheese.  Fresh mozzarella cheese.  You can use shredded but try to find fresh.  Fresh mozz is sold in containers with water.  It is creamer and tastier than shredded.  If your local grocery store doesn’t have it, have your mom ask the manager to try and get it.  I have found that most grocery stores, especially small town grocery stores like Hill’s Grocery-Anahauc, TX, are happy to try a product.

Whether you use fresh or shredded, add some to the quiche.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and set (which means the egg mixture doesn’t jiggle when you gently shake the dish).

Cut into squares and serve to your mom.  Give her a hug and tell her thank you for all she does for you.  You are loved!

Breakfast

Mother's Day Quiche

Ingredients

Print Recipe

• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 6-7 leaves basil, cut into strips
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crack eggs into a mixing bowl.
• Add milk, cream, and parmesan cheese. Whisk together well.
• Add cherry tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Whisk together well and pour into 9x 13 baking dish.
• Place pieces of mozzarella cheese throughout egg mixure.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown and set.

Servings: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour

If you can, buy your fresh strawberries at a farmer’s market.  They are so much sweeter than store bought.  And the smaller ones are usually tastier than the gianormous ones. Either way, now is THE BEST time to eat nature’s candy!

These were at the downtown farmer’s market two weeks ago.  I could smell them from several booths away through the crowd!

I so wish you could smell this picture!

When I finally had time to make something with these lovely berries, I was in the mood to create a seasonal refreshing drink.  So here is what I made:

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, I muddled, or crushed a few mint leaves.

Next, I mashed the strawberries.

mashing, mashing, mashing

then I added some ice,

and some water,

after stirring it around, I poured some through a strainer into a glass of ice.

and enjoyed a refreshing glass of strawberry-mint water.

No chemicals, no preservatives, no junk.  Just simple and delightful flavored water.  You can also make this with other berries or fruit.

Thank you, God, for strawberries, mint and water.  So good!

I will be back at the farmer’s market this coming weekend.  If I find more strawberries, I will share another recipe with you.  Bread, eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla, strawberries, and cream cheese may be involved.  For now, it’s a mystery.  Stay tuned…

Happy Cooking!

Beverage

Strawberry Mint Water

Ingredients

Print Recipe

• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 6-8 leaves fresh mint

• ice cubes
• water

Directions

• In a pitcher, crush or muddle mint leaves with back of a wooden spoon
• Add strawberries and mash with a masher
• Add ice cubes and fill with water. Stir well and then pour over a strainer into a glass of ice cubes. Enjoy!

Servings:

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 10 Minutes

It’s that time again.  Strawberry season! Today is a good day to show you how to make a galette using fresh berries.  Hailing from France, a galette is a round flat pastry stuffed with berries, fruit or other yummilicious things.

Our students made galettes this semester and they turned out great!

Here we go:

Mix flour, sugar and salt together.

Add cold butter cubes and cold vegetable shortening.

Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour by squeezing and rubbing it together until it looks kind of like bread crumbs.

Like this.

Drizzle in a little ice cold water (minus the ice cubes) and mix together unitl it forms a dough.

Like this.

Wrap it up like a little package and stick in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  It needs to chill so you can roll it out.

Preheat oven to 425.

While the pastry dough is chilling, chop up some beautiful strawberries.

Add other berries if you wish, I added blueberries.  Then, sprinkle a little cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice all over, stir and set aside.

While the berries and sugar are hanging out, decide if you want to make one large galette or several small, individual ones.  Then get out your dough, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a circle.  Your circle should be a little thicker than a tortilla.

Sprinkle a little more flour if the rolling pin starts sticking to the dough.  Carefully roll the pastry back onto the rolling pin and transfer to a baking sheet.  If your making small, individual ones like I did, you can also transfer them after you’ve added the fruit, just be careful so the fruit doesn’t fall out. I used a square spatula to transfer mine.

Pile on some of your beautiful berries in the center.

Then fold the sides up and over the berries, pinching the seams together.

Moisten the edges of the dough to help the seams stick together if you need to.

Leave the middle open so you can see the berries and any steam can escape while cooking.

Brush the edges with a little egg wash (egg + a little water= egg wash).  This helps give a nice golden color.

Then sprinkle a little sugar on the egg wash.  (sugar+egg wash=sparkly bling).  Who doesn’t love a little food bling?

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 375 and continue baking until golden brown and fruit is bubbly, about 20 minutes longer.

Tah-dah…Berrilicious Galette!

The End.

Love,
Chef Lori

Dessert

Berrilicious Galette

Ingredients

Print Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups, plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, unbleached
• 6 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 8 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 2 Tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup ice water
• 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water beaten for egg wash
• 3 cups fresh berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)
• 1/2 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and shortening. Using your fingers or pastry cutter, work the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture looks like bread crumbs.
• Drizzle in 1 Tablespoon at a time of the ice wate, working it just until the pastry comes together. Form the dough into a round disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 425.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine berries, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice and toss gently. Set aside.
• Remove pastry dough from refrigerator and let it warm up slightly for a few minutes so you can roll it out.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Roll pastry iinto a circle about 1/8" thickness, sprinkling a little more flour as needed.
• Carefully roll the pastry back onto the rolling pin and transfer to a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.
• Place the fruit in the center of crust, leaving a 4" border. Gently fold the edges of the crust up and over the fruit so that the pastry forms sort of a round envelope. Brush the top edges with a little egg wash and sprinkle remaining sugar.
• Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is set and lightly golden around the edges. Reduce heat to 375 and continue baking until golden brown and fruit is bubbly, about 20 minutes longer.

Servings: 8-10 servings

Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 - 45 Minutes

Total Time: 02 - 15 Minutes

April 1 is the super fun International Edible Book Festival!  Every year people from all over the world participate.  Our students here at Cook, Learn, Grow,  have decided to join the fun with an Online Edible Book Parade.  Would you like to do it with us?  Great!

Here’s how it works:

1. Choose your favorite book and create a scene, character or theme from it using food.
2. Email your very best picture of your edible art to cooklearngrow@gmail.com by March 29.

That’s it!  Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Clifford the Big Red Dog by Allison (Cook, Learn, Grow student)

Where the Wild Things Are (from Dublin Library)

Another cute version of Where the Wild Things Are (from beachcakes.blogspot.com)

If you more ideas, just google “edible book festival ideas for kids”

What book are you going to choose?

Looking forward to you being in our parade!

Eggs are a symbol for Spring renewal, life and new beginnings.  So making this is perfect for Easter or Passover.

First, cover eggs with about an inch of cold water.  Next, boil for 3 minutes.  Then, remove them from the heat, cover and let sit for 6 minutes.

I found a fun little story in a Deborah Madison cookbook about  ”The Egg Timin’ Song”.  The story goes…”Back in the days when cooks sang in the kitchen while they worked, our Thurz always sang ‘Amazing Grace.’  She called it her ‘egg timin’ song’, and she explained, ‘Folks say they want a 3-minute egg, I sing all 4 verses.  They order an egg doner, I sing all four and repeat the first verse.  The don’t want the egg so done, I leaves off the last verse.  Singing is more pleasantsome than watching a clock.”

So, sing while you cook.  Sing, kids, sing!

Plunge the boiled eggs into a bowl of ice water. That stops the cooking process and cools them so you can peel them which is the next step.  Peel the eggs.

Carefully cut each egg in half.  Gently squeeze the yolk into a small mixing bowl.

Using a fork, mash the yolks.

Next add creaminess and flavor.  That means, a little mayo, squirt of mustard, sprinkle of parmesan cheese, and dash of salt and paprika.  Yum!

Mix it all up really good until smooth and creamy.

Then fold down the top of a ziploc baggie.  This helps keep everything clean with less mess

Fill the baggie with the yolk mixture and zip it up.  Snip off one corner of the baggie.

Place the empty eggs close together.  That makes filling them easier and quick.  Then twist the baggie so that the mixture won’t ooze out of the top.  Fill each egg by squeezing the mixture into the center.

Sprinkle a little paprika on top for more flavor and color.

Now it’s time to garnish.  Garnish is like decorating your food.  It means you add a little something to the very top.  Garnishing is the last thing you do before you serve your food. It’s kind of like a period at the end of a sentence.

I used a small piece of fresh parsley for my garnish.  You can use whatever you think looks nice, just make sure it is edible.

Here are two of my Heavenly Eggs on a plate with a Heavenly message.  I love these plates, they were given to me by my dear friend, PD Hankamer who lives in Heaven.

I really hope you make these.

Wishing you many Blessings as you Cook, Learn, and Grow!

Happy Cooking

Love,
Chef Lori

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways…

1. heavy whipping cream
2. pure vanilla
3. chocolate
4. powdered sugar

Corny, I knooowww!  But oh so good when put together to make this easy, light and kid-friendly whipped chocolate mousse!  This version of chocolate mousse is perfect for kids to make because it doesn’t involve tempering eggs which can be a little tricky for you young chefs.

Making this recipe, you’ll heat cream, whip cream, and fold chocolate into cream creating a heavenly-chocolately-perfect-for-Valentine’s dream!

Here we go!The lovely stars of the show; vanilla, heavy whipping cream, bittersweet chocolate chips and a little powdered sugar.

Heat cream to a boil and pour over chocolate

Let it sit for a couple of minutes.

Whisk until smooth and creamy, then set aside.

Pour chilled cream into a mixing bowl and add vanilla.

Whisk until cream begins to thicken.  You can memorize your spelling words or your multiplication facts while you whisk.

Add powdered sugar and continue whisking.

Stop when cream is thick and stiff, like this!

Add a big spoonful of the whipped cream to the chocolate ganache.

Fold whipped cream into chocolate by going down in the middle with the spatula and turning it up and over from the sides back into the middle.

Down, up and over

Folding is a technique used to gently combine ingredients that are puffy with air like whipped cream.  Would you be my Valentine?

Add chocolate mixture to the remaining whipped cream and say…I LOVE YOU to the nearest person.

Fold all together.  Good job!

Keep gently folding until well combined.

Dish some of this deliciousness up for someone you love.  Give it to them with a smile and hug making sure to tell them how very much you love them.

Happy Valentines Day; I Love You!

Chef Lori

Dessert

Whipped Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

Print Recipe

• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1 teaspoon real vanilla
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

• Bring 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 1-2 minutes.
• Stir hot cream and chocolate together until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
• Pour 1 cup heavy whipping cream and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Using electric mixer, whisk until foamy and begins to thicken.
• Add powdered sugar. Continue whisking until thick and stiff.
• Add a large spoonful of whipped cream to chocolate ganache. Gently fold until well combined.
• Fold chocolate ganache mixture into remaining whipped cream. Mix until well combined.
• Serve as is or with fresh fruit and with much love!

Servings: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 25 Minutes

Cook Time: 5 Minutes

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Forgive me if we cross paths and all I want to do is hold my phone up to your face to show you my video and picture collection of them.  Life is short, I only have one chance to be the annoying aunt who can prove her nephew and nieces are the cutest.

When I visit the kiddos, we usually do a cooking project.  This time we conducted a citrus tasting.  Citrus fruits are best eaten in the winter because that’s their season to grow. Seasonal eating is a smart thing to do.

We started with the largest orange citrus down to the smallest green citrus.

1. grapefruit
2. navel orange
3. blood orange
4. tangelo
5. tangerine
6. lemon
7. standard lime
8. key lime

The nephew wanted to include his friends, Lenny, Tuck-Tuck, and Ming.  Sweet boy he is, to include his friends. 

First, I cut each one open to show the beautiful colors of each.  Bright, vibrant and lovely colors.

Then they tasted the orange fruits.

Thumbs up…they liked the orange colored citrus!

Next, they tasted the yellow lemon and green limes.

No thumbs needed.  Pucker up!

After the pucker up, we built a sunny citrus salad.  The nephew informed me that he did not like lettuce but he liked to help with the salad.  Sweet boy, always wants to help.

Out of my three nieces, this niece is the all inclusive package.  She wants to help make it, eat it, be first, be the best, be the cutest.  She is the sweetest spice in my life.

Remind me to show you the video of her singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

The next American Idol.  You heard about it here, first.  

Then they practiced their knife skills

chop, chop, chop

Cutest lemon squeezer, ever!

Sweetest and smartest lemon squeezer, ever!

Shaking the vinaigrette…check out his intense facial expression.  He takes his shaking serious.

They added a few pecans and blueberries and then tossed the salad.

Then the real test came…taste time.  We have a couple of rules about eating.

1. No yuk, gross, or ewwww talk
2. You have to be willing to taste everything.  If you don’t like it, you can spit it out.

After he tasted everything including the fruit, he said, “I don’t like it because the lettuce touched it and that means the lettuce is inside it.”

Miss Sweet-Spice loved it.  That’s my girl

The lesson learned:

• You win some, you lose some but learning happened here and we made a memory together with beautiful food.

This little angel was having her afternoon nap during all of the citrus learning.

Soon, she too will be cookin’ with Lala.

Happy Cooking!

salad

Sunny Citrus Salad

Ingredients

Print Recipe

• Grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, cut into bite size pieces
• Lettuce; bibb, red leaf or butter are my favorite
• Fresh mint, torn into small pieces
• Pecans, chopped
• Vinaigrette: juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 Tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Directions

• Chop fruit into bite size pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
• Wash and dry lettuce. Tear into large pieces and add to bowl.
• Add mint and pecans
• Make vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients together. Taste and adjust to your taste preference. If it's too lemony, add a bit more honey or vice versa.
• Drizzle over salad and toss.

Servings:

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Total Time: 15 Minutes

Ready, set, hut.  (do they really say that?…someone please clue me in)

Mise en place (meez ahn place) –  everything in it’s place.

a little of this,

a little of that,

and a little of this & that,

You could use gloves if the idea of touching raw meat sends chills down your spine.
Just a suggestion.

Just like this.  Try covering the baking sheet with foil.  Super easy clean up!

Same thickness means the edges won’t burn.  That’s a good thing

Just like a Superbowl play…technique is everything.

Make sure you hear a sizzle.  If you don’t, your pan is not hot enough just yet.

Go kind of slow and be careful.  Thanks!

Cheese means extra points.

Touchdown!  Superbowl Slider!

Here’s the whole team.  Make these, do an end zone dance and eat up.

Happy Cooking

appetizer

Superbowl Sliders

Ingredients

Print Recipe

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1-2 Tablespoons worchestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• 1-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

• Mix all ingredients together. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Form into small patties, a little larger than a golfball size.
• Heat vegetable oil in a skillet on medium high heat.
• Place slider patties in preheated skillet and cook until brown (1-2 minutes) Turn and cook until other side is brown. Remove from skilet and place on baking sheet.
• Place baking sheet in preheated oven and cook 3 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of each patty. Place back in oven and cook 3-5 more minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
• Place slider patty between a small biscuit, add desired condiments and eat up. Touchdown!

Servings:

This easy peasy cheesy potato soup is perfect to warm your tummy.  Make a big pot and you will be famous!  Trust me on this.

Let’s get cooking!

For the cheese, I used Vermont White Cheddar from HEB.  You can use any brand, just make sure it is real! OK?

Good opportunity to practice your knife skills.  Go slow and focus.  The slower you go, the more control you have.  Chop, chop, chop.

I like to place a piece of wax paper underneath to catch the peels.  Makes for a snappy quick clean up!

After you peel, then you chop.

Don’t fill the pot all the way to the top, that will take longer to cook.  Put enough water to cover just about an inch above the potatoes.

Grating is fun to do but be careful, please.  One hand tightly holding the grater and the other hand holding the food.  Make sure your knuckles aren’t too close to the grater. It is a sharp object and you really don’t want any grated fingers in your soup.

Ahhh, the power of cheese!

Knife went in easy…potatoes are done.

Be sure to use potholders to carry the pot to the sink or have an adult help you.

Use about 2-3 Tablespoons of oil for 1 cup of onion.

Don’t walk away because your onions will burn.  You don’t want them too brown.  Why? Because it will make your soup brown.  Brown Potato Soup is not cool.

looking good

Cook it just for a few minutes so the broth flavor can soak into the potatoes.  That will give your soup fabulous flavor.

The electric hand blender is also called an emersion blender.  If you don’t have one, it’s a great thing to put on your birthday or Christmas wish list.  They are fun to use!

These are fun too

keep blending

Mine was a little too thick so I added a splash more of chicken broth.

Cheese, it’s a superfood.

Oh my goodness, this is looking really good!

But does it taste good?  This is where you taste it and add a little salt if you think it needs it.  Looks aren’t everything.  You can also add a little white pepper if you want to. I didn’t, but you can.

Behold: Creamy, Dreamy Hot Potato Soup.  Mmmmmm, mmmmmm, good!

Happy Cooking!

soup

Creamy Dreamy Hot Potato Soup

Ingredients

Print Recipe

• 3-4 large russet potatoes
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup real cheese, grated

• 4-6 cups chicken broth
• salt to taste
• 2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

• Gather all the ingredients. Peel and cut potatoes into large chunks and place in a large pot. Cover with cold water and cook until tender, about 15-18 minutes. Drain and set aside
• While potatoes are cooking, chop the onion. Set onion aside
• Grate the cheese and set aside.
• Heat 2-3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil in a clean soup pot. Add onions and cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Make sure to stir so they don't get too brown.
• Add cooked potatoes and broth. Cook for 10-12 minutes on medium heat.
• Using either a potato masher or an electric hand blender, mash the soup together until smooth. Add the cheese and blend well.
• Add 1-2 large pinches of salt and blend well. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Ladle into a soup bowl and eat up! Happy Cooking :)

Servings: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: 40 Minutes