Fruit Pizza = SO MUCH FUN!

This is a simple, very fun recipe. Check out the student's creativity with their creations!

Fruit Pizza

Cookie Crust:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/3 cup plus 1 T. shortening
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp almond flavoring

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. sift together: sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt
3. Cut in shortening
4. Add milk, egg and almond flavoring and mix well with flat beater on mixer.
5. If needed, knead in enough flour for rolling consistency
6. Grease pan and press dough onto it evenly. Be sure there are no thin spots.
7. Bake for about 10 minutes or until it starts to brown around the edges
8. Cool before topping

Filling:

Make instant vanilla pudding. Mix 1/2 cups pudding with 1/2 cup cool whip. Spread evenly on crust. Top with fruit.

Good fruit choices: strawberries, grapes, blueberries, kiwi, raspberries, pineapple, bananas, mandarin oranges, apples with skin on.

Cowboy Salsa... Giddy Up!

This recipe was a personal favorite. I thought it was a good idea to get the 9th graders out of their comfort zone when it came to salsa. They needed a little CHUNKY salsa in their lives. Honestly, this stuff is tasty, so try it out! I'm sure you will want to be a cowboy just so you can have it all the time :)

Cowboy Salsa

• 1/2 can pinto beans, drained
• 1/2 can black-eyed peas, drained
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/4 medium onion, chopped
• 1/8 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Combine everything in a large bowl and mix. Enjoy with tortilla chips!

German Pancakes

The 8th graders have been talking a lot about protein, and lately more specifically about eggs. They learned all the parts of an egg, and we decided it was about time to cook with them. SO, we made German Pancakes. Some couldn't stomach the eggy taste, while others loved it! Maybe it is an acquired taste :)

Enjoy the recipe below! For a 9x13 pan, double the recipe.

German Pancakes

1. Heat oven to 450 Degrees
2. Place 3 tbsp butter in glass pan and let it melt in the oven

Blend in a blender:

* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1 tbsp sugar
* 3 eggs

Blend well and pour batter into hot buttered pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until desired doneness.

Top with desired toppings. (strawberries and whipped cream are fabulous!)

Protein! Chicken Pillows and Ice Cream :)

The 9th grade cooking classes have been talking all about protein. We learned about how protein is found in many foods including meats, eggs, milk and other products from the meat and beans group. We enjoyed these recipes, so I hope you do too!

Students tossing their ice cream in a bag to make it nice and thick!

Ice Cream in a Bag

2 T sugar
2 Cups milk or half and half
1 tsp vanilla
About 6 T rock salt
1 pint sized ziploc bag
1 gallon sized ziploc bag
Ice cubes

• Fill the large bag half full of ice and add rock salt
• Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag and seal it
• Place the small bag inside the large one and seal again carefully
• Shake until mixture is ice cream - about 5-10 minutes
• Wipe off the top of small bag before carefully opening. Make sure you don't get any salt water in your ice cream!
  
• Enjoy! (I like to add carmel or chocolate to make it a little better)

Chicken Pillows

1 chicken breast, trimmed

1 can crescent rolls

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 c. crushed bread crumbs

1/4 c. melted margarine

1/2 can cream of chicken soup

1/4 c. water

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried chives

1. Preheat the oven to 325°.

2. With kitchen shears, trim and cut chicken into small, bite-sized pieces.

3. In a heavily sprayed skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken breast until brown and cooked throughout. Set aside.

4. With your electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until soft and creamy in a medium sized bowl. Add dried chives, salt, pepper and onion powder and blend until combined.

5. Remove electric mixer and with a wooden spoon, stir in cooked chicken. Set aside.

6. Open crescent rolls and separate into individual triangles. Press out the triangles so that they double in size.

7. Take a spoonful of the cream cheese/chicken mixture and place in the middle of each crescent roll until the entire mixture is evenly distributed.

8. Starting at the wide end, roll the crescent triangle toward the narrow end, pinching the dough together as you go, until all of the mixture is covered by the dough. (Make sure that all of the cracks are pressed together so that the mixture does not melt out as it bakes.)

9. Now, roll the entire chicken pillow in the melted butter and again in the crushed croutons.

10. Place on a greased cookie sheet, evenly spaced. Bake at 325° for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are golden brown.

11. While the chicken pillows are cooking, in a small saucepan, combine the cream of chicken soup and water and whisk over medium heat until completely combined. It should be smooth, with no lumps.

12. When chicken pillows are done, remove from oven, place on individual plates and cover with cream sauce. Eat and enjoy!

Strawberry Blender Drink

While talking about fruits with my 8th grade classes, we made a strawberry blender drink. It was well loved and appreciated by all :) I've never seen so many "pink" mustaches in my life!

Strawberry Blender Drink

1 Cup Strawberries
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups milk

Blend all the above in a blender. Then add about 2 cups of ice. Mix until the drink is nice and thick. Enjoy!

Fettuccini Alfredo Goodness

We used this recipe during our fats and oils unit. The students loved this recipe, so I hope you have fun making it at home! Look out, it has a ton of FAT in it :)

Fettuccini Alfredo

3/4 c. butter

1/2 pkg. (4 oz.) cream cheese

2 1/2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

1 1/4 c. whole milk

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. salt (to season noodles)

fettuccini noodles (enough for group)

To Cook Pasta:

1. Fill a large pot with water, about 3/4 full. Add salt to the water, place pan on high heat and bring to a boil.

2. When water is boiling, slowly add pasta and cook until it reaches the al dente stage-(soft, but not soggy).

3. Turn off heat and allow noodles to sit in water until they are ready to be served.

To Cook Alfredo Sauce:

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Watch this carefully! Do not let the butter burn.

2. Soften your cream cheese in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds so that it will melt in the saucepan more easily.

3. Add the cream cheese to the butter and mix until smooth. Then, add flour all at once. Mix with a wire whisk until a paste forms. Allow flour paste to cook for about one minute.

4. Add 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream and whisk until smooth. Then add ONLY 3/4 c. of the milk. Save 1/2 c. of the milk to use later. Stir until smooth and allow to cook for 1 minutes, or until mixture thickens slightly.

5. Add grated parmesan cheese to sauce and stir until melted. Then, add the final 1/2 c. of whole milk. Add Italian seasoning. Stir until everything is smooth and combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over warm pasta and eat. (You may also drain the noodles, place the noodles back in the pot and then pour the Alfredo sauce over all of the noodles at once.)

Halloween Cupcakes

This year for Halloween we had a cupcake decorating competition. It was so fun to see the creativity of all of my students! Here are just a few examples of their creations...