Let me begin by explaining that part of my 10 year old grand daughter’s birthday gift was a group of cooking classes. She was given gift certificates for classes on making a special dessert, an entire meal, and bread.
She has salivated since her birthday thinking about the dinner. She wanted to make a special meal just for the other 3 members of her family. She wanted to make it special.
The first dilemma was selecting a date. It needed to be an evening when the ‘Ole Buckeye and I could help and that all three of her family were available. The final decision was July 5th and since Tuesday is the normal “Family Meal Day”, it was an easy decision. It was decided to do a holiday, red, white and blue theme, since decorations still abounded. The invitations were delivered.
After considerable thought and discussion, she came up with the menu. It would include a new presentation for the appetizer, and 3 new recipes for the salad, side, and of course the dessert.
Our Tuesdays are quite busy as well. The 12 year old has soccer practice from 9-10:30 and I am the driver. While the 12 year old was at practice the 10 year old and I did all of the grocery shopping for the evening.
When we returned home the cooking class began (although the 10 year old wanted to take a break). We had a lesson on washing all of the fruits and vegetables, and cleaning the mushrooms. She was not a fan of the mushroom cleaning. She was certain that the recipe did not call for a full pound and she wanted me to clean them after only a few….nope. A chef needs to learn the good, the bad and the ugly, right?
After the cleaning, the prep began. I have learned that making the dessert must be held to last in order to complete the less glamorous tasks. She persisted. The vegetable tray and dip were completed, covered and refrigerated.
The vegetables for roasting were put in a large bowl and dressed with the olive oil and spices ready to pour onto a baking sheet later in the day.
The watermelon was cubed and “starred” and combined with the blueberries, feta, and mint. It was refrigerated as well. (Finding space in the refrigerator, yet another lesson learned.) The dressing whisked and set aside.
Now for the pièce de résistance, The All American Pie. Her excitement grew. Into the oven it went and the rest of the evening prepared. She set the table, made the menus and changed for dinner.
She was over the top excited.
The dinner was a complete success. Although the ‘Ole Buckeye grilled the steaks, the 10 year old did all of the rest.
The 5th of July Dinner was a triumph for the 10 year old.
The menu:
Stars and Stripes was a Festive vegetable tray served with Grey Oaks Lily Cocktails.
The cocktail came from our Derby Party.
Grey Goose Oaks Lily (Serves 1)
1 oz. Grey Goose vodka
1 oz. Sweet and sour mix
3 oz. Cranberry juice
Splash of triple sec
The cocktail was paired with a simple vegetable tray created in the likeness of a flag with a row of sliced cucumber, a row of grape tomatoes, a row of radish halves, a row of cauliflower, and a row of red pepper strips. The dip was a blend of sour cream, a portion of a packet of Knorr dried vegetable soup mix and dried dill. The dip was colored with blue food coloring and topped with cut out stars. (The were only a few vegi’s left after the cocktail hour).
Salad, Red, White and Blue Delight
Blueberry Watermelon Feta Mint Salad Recipe
Blueberry Watermelon Feta Mint Salad Recipe Salads with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, ground black pepper, diced red onions, watermelon, fresh blueberries, fresh mint, feta cheese crumbles
She cut the watermelon into stars to finish her dish for a more festive look.
Grilled Ribeye Steaks were seasoned well before the ‘Ole Buckeye took them to the grill.
Colorful Roasted Vegetables
Italian Roasted Mushrooms and Veggies – Jo Cooks
Italian Roasted Mushrooms and Veggies – absolutely the easiest way to roast mushrooms, cauliflower, tomatoes and garlic Italian style. Simple and delicious. I have a simple recipe for you today and that is roasted mushrooms and veggies. I roast veggies like this all the time, on a weekly basis.
Dessert, My My Miss American Pie
The concentration and prep…
The amazing outcome…
American Berry Pie
Fresh summer berries and a flaky butter and almond crust create a delicious patriotic pie. Ingredients Crust cold Land O Lakes® Butter, cut into chunks Filling 1 (16-ounce) container (2 1/2 cups) fresh strawberries, sliced Egg Wash Land O Lakes® Egg, slightly beaten Heat oven to 425°F.
What a way to end the meal. The OOH’s and AHH’s were characteristic of the finale of a great 4th of July celebration!
I might add that all of the new recipes were a complete success. Not only was the meal a complete HIT, but the experience was a HIT as well….for ALL of us.
However…the 10 year old and I were both completely exhausted after clean up.
Lots of lessons were learned apart from making the meal.
What I have learned…
- Find the ultimate interest of your student. You can teach a multitude of lessons and your students will be totally unaware that they are learning!
- Prepare your lessons
- Require focus and commitment
- Make certain there will be a positive outcome
- Follow up with reinforcement on accomplishments
- Combine fun and facts
Who knew I would become a teacher in retirement!
