Category: Cooking Classes

The Kids cooking program at Stepney Elementary will begin today, October 11th as part of the Arts & Imagination program.

Our six week session will be based on “Nutritious and Delicious” menu items, from starters to meals to sweet treats! Everything made with whole grain, nutritious ingredients that taste great too! We will use as much seasonal, local and organic produce as available. The kids will learn some basic cooking skills, measurements, health benefits of eating everything that grows in our local gardens, composting and most of all, how to be adventurous in their eating habits.

At the end of the session, all the kids will receive a mini-cookbook with all of the recipes cooked during our program so they can enjoy these recipes at home with their family.

 

The FOOD JULES cooking classes continue this Fall at the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library here in Monroe, after such a successful summer.

Yesterday, was our first class for the Fall semester and it was great. The kids (students) are just amazing. It is truly an honor to teach these kids. We have so much fun in these classes, working together in teams, cooking up different recipes. The kids have been learning all about nutrition, local farming, measurements, the environment and of course, how to cook. The kids were so excited to see we were using locally produced, ORGANIC MAPLE SYRUP from Connecticut. It is great for them to learn to support our local farmers and businesses. It is an honor to teach them about the benefits of creating your own garden, cooking fresh vegetables and fruits and eating healthy snacks and foods that are not only good for you, but that taste great!

Yesterday, we had BRUNCH and made homemade granola, ate it as a parfait with Organic Yogurt and Berries, we cooked two different kind of quiches – Quiche Lorraine and Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche and we made Organic Banana, Chocolate Chip Pancakes. I also brought some of our homemade Banana Nut Bread. They had quite a lunch!

Quiche Lorraine

To all of the kids (and their parents) who are trying to make the Pasteis de Nata from our class on Monday, I forgot to list the amount of heavy cream on the recipe. My apologies. You will need 1 cup of organic heavy cream. Also, the amount of sugar should be 1/2 cup of sugar.

I was very sick on Sunday evening when I was doing these recipe cards so I apologize for the typing errors.

Here is the official recipe.

Kids are simple. Kids are honest. Kids are real.  Kids are truly amazing and I am lucky enough to have my own kids at home with me and being blessed with their sincerity, compassion and never-ending love.

Today, I was honored to be surrounded by many other wonderful children at our first Food Jules kids cooking class. All the kids were great and I enjoyed teaching them about something that I truly enjoy, cooking.

Today, the kids learned some fun facts about Spain. They learned a little about Spanish culture, language and cuisine. First, we ate crackers with Membrillo (Quince Jam) and Manchego Cheese, all from Spain. Then, the kids worked together in teams to make Chicken Empanadas. That’s right, these little kids, ages 5-11, made empanadas from scratch and they did a great job! Honestly, I didn’t help them all that much. Then, after all of their hard work, they got to eat their own delicious empanadas, followed by a special treat… they ate some homemade, Arroz con Leche (rice pudding). The kids devoured everything! There isn’t a better compliment to a chef, then to hear kids asking for seconds, thirds and more and having them finish all of the food that we brought to the class. It was truly an amazing experience.

Now that they all have the official recipe, maybe they’ll make them for their parents!

I just want to send a sincere THANK YOU to all the kids for all of their hard work at today’s class, a Thank you to the Children’s Librarians for making this all happen and a very special thanks to my sweet Lilliana and sweet niece, Mia, for being my special helpers.

We’re all looking forward to next week’s class, where we’ll be learning about India.

 

This year’s summer reading theme at our town library is “One World, Many Stories”.

As part of the kids summer program, Food Jules will be teaching a kids weekly cooking class at the Monroe Town Library. “Cooking Around the World” will feature a dish from a different country each week, from Italy and Portugal to Spain, India and Britain. This class is open for registration for kids in Grades 1-4. Participants will work in teams to create global dishes, learn about nutrition and foster a love of wholesome food and cooking. This is very exciting as I LOVE to cook and LOVE to teach children. I am really looking forward to these classes. Cooking classes start on July 11th.

The library’s International Kick-off Festival, to launch this summer’s reading program, will be on Saturday 6/25 from 10am-4pm. The day is filled with activities for the kids as well as entertainment. Food Jules will make an appearance from 2-4pm with food activities as well as free fruit smoothies and muffins. Town residents, stop over on Friday to visit us and sign up for your kids summer reading.

It’s going to be a VERY BUSY weekend!