Category: Culinary

Marshmallow Peep Coop: STEM Design Challenge

Recently, I saw a kit for a Peep Cookie Coop and it made think that this could be a great STEM challenge for students in the spring of the year, similar to the
gingerbread houses many do in the winter. The “Marshmallow Peep Coop: STEM Design Challenge” is a great opportunity to test your students’ creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills while they have fun designing and implementing STEM concepts. Continue reading to learn more!

Dessert Madness Championship

It’s March and that means spring, warmer temperatures and basketball playoff games!  Why not add some excitement to your class by adding a Dessert Madness Championship?  This can be around general or specific desserts such as muffin madness, cookie madness, pie madness, ice cream madness…you get the idea. This also makes for a great bulletin board display if you choose to enlarge everything!

Quinoa Mini-Lesson & Lab

When you teach about grains, do you include quinoa?  If not, you might want to consider exposing your students to this ancient grain. In this Quinoa Mini-Lesson & Lab, students get a quick overview followed by a tasty 43 minute lab and quick project! Take a look, give it a try and give your students a chance to try a potentially new food!

Make It Fancy Lesson & Lab

One of the best ways I’ve ever taught about plating and presentation to middle schoolers revolved around premade snack foods: aka Twinkies and Yodels!  This Make It Fancy Lesson & Lab is an instant hit with students and it’s really an easy low-prep lab for teachers to implement as well! Need something quick and easy, give this two day lesson and lab a try…you won’t regret it!

43 Minute Lab Series: Puppy Chow

After noticing continuous requests for lab suggestions that are doable in 43 minute class periods, I’ve decided to do a recurring series, featuring recipes that can
be completed from beginning to end in a 43 minute time frame. In some cases, longer recipes will broken into two day labs. In addition, I will include my pre-lab review questions that pertain specifically to the recipe. This helps to ensure that students are reading the recipe. It also allows me time to show any videos that may demonstrate the product or specific techniques. So, without further ado, I present the 43 Minute Lab Series: Puppy Chow!

Bacon Lesson & Labs

My students would always tell me that bacon makes everything better and I agree!  There’s just something about bacon that amps up the flavor of
whatever it is paired with! I created this Bacon Lesson & Labs to help students learn more about bacon; where it comes from, cooking techniques, seasonings and even some fun, tasty labs!

Garnishing: Student Led Demonstration

Garnishing is defined as embellishing something. In this project, it pertains to food!  In this project: Garnishing: Student Led Demonstration, students compile
the information on garnishing a specific food in a presentation and teach and/or demo the technique that can be used with the class!  This project can then be shared with students via Google Classroom, keeping entire presentations together. Since students orally share, they can be graded as presented, making life easier at the end of the day!

43 Minute Lab Series: Individual Fruit Pizzas

After noticing continuous requests for lab suggestions that are doable in 43 minute class periods, I’ve decided to do a recurring series, featuring recipes that can be completed from beginning to end in a 43 minute time frame. In some cases, longer recipes will broken into two day labs. In addition, I will include my pre-lab review questions that pertain specifically to the recipe. This helps to ensure that students are reading the recipe. It also allows me time to show any videos that may demonstrate the product or specific techniques. So, without further ado, I present the 43 Minute Lab Series: Individual Fruit Pizzas!

Plant-Based Rummy Card Game

In my opinion, two heads are always better than one!  When Arlene DeJoy-Meckes of Twins & Teaching reached out about collaborating on an activity for plant
based diets, I was excited to collaborate! The Plant-Based Rummy Card Game is a free resource reinforcement activity and assessment that can be used when teaching about plant-based diets. Read on to see what we developed!

Food Culture Fridays

Looking to add some culture into your school or program?  I see a lot of teachers requesting ideas on this very topic all over social media. Food Culture Fridays is a way to not only add some culture by way of different foods to your school and student body, but it’s a great way to connect your students to the cafeteria staff,  who often go unnoticed. Read on to learn more about how you can expose your students to some delicious and diverse foods every month!