Cookies, Cakes & Pies, Oh My! is a subscription box template project. The original cookie subscription box idea came from Anna Hall, an Ohio FACS teacher. Upon receiving it, my brain immediately thought this project could extend to other desserts or foods and Anna graciously gave me permission to expand the project. So, if you’re looking for an extension project when teaching about desserts or other foods, this may be just what you’re looking for!
Recently, I read a newsletter about pie crusts made with olive oil. This was intriguing because my family has always sworn by pie crusts made with shortening. Because of this curiosity and the holidays being right around the corner, I decided to add a lab titled, Pie Crust: Experimenting with Fats so students could see and experience the similarities and differences first hand. Note: The pie crusts can be taste tested with or without a filling. If using a filling, I recommend a simple chocolate pudding with some whipped topping and sprinkles!
This Soul, Creole & Cajun Foods lesson, activities and lab is a collaboration of ideas from me and Arlene DeJoy-Meckes (from Teachers Pay Teachers). We teamed up to create this cross-curricular resource as a way to add ethnic diversity to your food classes. There are many teaching possibilities for this as it could be taught as a stand alone lesson, connected to a regional foods unit, when exploring the South, or even as an example of a cultural influence when teaching about food choices.
Had I asked students years ago if they cooked much with cast iron, I would have gotten a lot of positive responses. Today, not so much! Because many students don’t have this experience, I decided to teach them about “Cast Iron Cooking” so they could see the similarities and differences to regular cookware as well as the variety of foods that could be prepared with it.
Looking to add a little cultural diversity into your classes? The Día de Muertos Activities will help you plan for November 1st. The activities presented represent a variety of different ways to introduce and teach about this special day using both technology and hands-on methods. Choose what will work best for your students and your courses!
Do your students ever appear to be unorganized in the kitchen? Do they lack time management skills because they are uncertain as to what to do? Do they ever act as though they’ve never read a recipe or set foot in a kitchen? If any or all of the above sound familiar, then this Mise en Place Lesson may be helpful in getting students more organized so they can manage time more effectively and become more confident in the kitchen!
When teaching basic kitchen skills, one of the first lessons I teach is kitchen safety. To me, kitchen safety is primarily about common sense so I don’t spend a ton of time on it, but emphasize it frequently throughout the course and labs. The “Kitchen Safety Categories & Activities” is one that can be used in both a digital drag & drop style or hand’s on cut & paste style depending on your situation.
A cake or cupcake decorator I am NOT! Because my talent as well as the talent of many of my students is limited, alot of practice is necessary to help perfect our decorating techniques! Since I don’t want to waste money on actual cupcake and icing ingredients, but I do want my students to practice, this is the perfect solution. The Mock Cupcake & Icing Practice allows students to learn and apply various techniques and it doesn’t cost a fortune in the process!
I’m trying to put more of the initial investigative work on my students instead of me lecturing. As many of you know, lecturing just doesn’t cut it for very long anymore as you can see the interest level wane right before your eyes! So, instead of me going through a slide deck and having them take notes on quick bread info, I changed things up by creating some new quick bread activities! Read on to see how.
The pizza lesson and lab is a favorite among my students because, for most of them, this is a staple meal in their diet! This lesson has a variety of interactive activities as well as some lab options. It’s also…
