I came across this blog that is written on school lunch by an anonymous teacher that goes by Mrs. Q. She has made a project out of eating school lunch every day and documents the progress. She is an advocate for improving the national school lunch program. Interesting read if you have time.
“The Chocolate show is the largest international show exclusively dedicated to the chocolate industry. Celebrating all that is special about chocolate, it provides chocolate professionals with a unique communication platform. All those working in the industry and chocolate lovers of every kind can get together to express their views, share experiences and enjoy their passion for chocolate.”
Food Inc. (DVD): If you haven’t watched this documentary I would highly recommend it!
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults
Encouraging people to learn where their food comes from is becoming a popular trend these days and rightfully so as all the packaged, processed food we consume tends to cause some people to forget where their food actually comes from. Depending on your students background, some may have never been to a farm or have ever grown their own gardens. What better way to discover the origin of food then take a field trip to the orchard? Picking apples, peaches, and pears is a lot of fun. So you’re going to pick a whole lot of fruit for what? To bake with of course! Here are a few of my favorite orchard recipes.
My students were aghast that the new Five Guy’s Burgers and Fries that opened up in town were selling 800 calorie hamburgers! Apparently one of them had done their research. I wanted to confirm this information for myself hoping it was only an exaggeration so I went to their website. Quite frankly I was surprised at what I found and thought surely not all restaurants were the same. My hunch was correct, not all restaurants and fast food places are the same some were much worse than an 800 calorie burger! Thus a new lesson was born.
Measuring flour and other ingredients can make all the difference in a baked good’s success. Baking is a science and the slightest amount over or under what the recipe calls for can mean an inferior product or inconsistent results. Teach your students with confidence after learning the difference between these two methods.
Since there are already a lot of lessons on yeast and yeast breads, this is a compilation of my favorite yeast recipes, lessons, videos and scientific explanations.
I learned so much at the Johnson & Wales Baking & Pastry Summer Educator’s Program. I described briefly what we did each day of the class. I also have included some products that were discussed and used during the class…
The most common problem in public school culinary classes is finding unique ways to proof & bake yeast doughs given a series of different challenges such as: 50 minute classes, alternating block scheduling, not having the right equipment like a proofing cabinet or steam injection oven, etc.
Save money and boost nutrition through a school yard garden, part of national trend to focus on eating local, whole foods. “Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.”
