During the first warm day of the year I decided to break out one of my favorite summertime recipes for a kids’ cooking class. We whipped up some Straw-Melon Soup and the kids devoured it! It tastes like Summer. Sip some summer for yourself. Also, I’m re-posting the Chicken & Dumplings recipe because I found a typo! Use this one instead.
Here’s a fun way to get your kids excited about fruit! Examine a little packet of Skittles candy and get the kids to help you find fruit to match the colors. The honey citrus dressing makes it extra special and yummy.
I made this dish during one of my kids’ cooking classes last week. I was surprised at how many of the adults liked it too! Apparently not everyone is a fan of the mayo in a Waldorf Salad. Try this one with your kids. They loved the sunflower seed kernels sprinkled on top. Easy peezy and healthy!
I have finally given up on scrounging through the cabinets looking for something to scoop up my pineapple salsa. Let’s face it, I’m really just looking for an excuse to eat it. I finally found the perfect dipper. A BIG SPOON! Now I shamelessly sit down with the whole bowl and the spoon and eat it like cereal. I can’t get enough of the sweet-salty freshness. Oh yeah…. it’s a great accompaniment to pork, chicken and salads. I like that you can get these fresh ingredients year-round. Here’s the stupid-easy recipe. TIP: To peel a pineapple, cut off the top and bottom first and then sit it on a cutting board on its flat bottom. With a sharp knife, peel the outside skin from top to bottom, following the curve of the pineapple. Be sure to cut just behind the dark “eyes” of the pineapple. You don’t want that in your salsa. Slice into quarters and remove the tough core pieces before dicing into bite-size pieces.
One of the most valuable things I’ve learned in culinary school is how to creatively use up leftover or extra food. It’s really cool to open the door of my fridge and behold all those little containers of miscellaneous food from a few days ago and AHA! I have an idea for something that will totally re-make the ingredients.
I bought a lot of fruit on sale last week and we have enjoyed having it as summer snacks and lunch add-ons. But… today I realized I had a pretty big bowl of watermelon balls and a container of organic strawberries that needed a quick rescue. Thinking back on some “use up” ideas from school, I decided to make a cold fruit soup. WOW was it good! Delicious and refreshing on this 90 degree day. It tastes like strawberries and watermelon in the same perfect moment. You could serve in a bowl with whipped cream, freeze into a popsicle or make a smoothie. We pretty much finished it off with a spoon before it could be transformed into anything else. You could change the ingredients in this soup to your taste or whatever leftover items are lurking in your fridge.
