Chia

I spent the past week hanging out with 751 teens at a state-wide leadership conference. The focus of the conference is to learn about future careers and potential college major options. I co-taught a class with another youth development co-worker at our Manhattan, HyVee. We experimented with Chia!

Chia is a grain, but not any ordinary grain. It is a super grain! Doesn't that sound like some sort of super hero music should start playing now? Anyway, this grain has excellent fiber and omega 3 content -- plus many other health benefits. The grain absorbs three times its weight in water, and makes an excellent fat substitute in baked products.

The teens tried the grain, dry, in yougurt smoothies. They loved the crunch! The grain resembles a poppyseed, but has more color variation and is a bit bigger than the poppyseed.

Did you know that women need about 25 grams of fiber per day, and men need about 35 grams per day? Karen Hanson, Manhattan HyVee Dietician, said that most folks get about 11-15 grams per day. She suggested Chia as a terrific option for increasing fiber.

This picture features Karen telling some of our adult assistants about the benefits of Chia. Karen suggested mixing a little in with your fruit spread, adding it to your ice cream as a topping or even sprinkling a little on your salad. Chia does not have any taste, but it packs a powerful crunch!

A House of Sugar

Some illustrious 2-4th graders have been creating cottages – out of graham crackers, frosting and sweet treats. The foundation begins with a small milk carton set upon a white paper plate. The frosting is concocted with powdered sugar, water and meringue powder to make it set stiff.

Students had to plan a budget for their decorating costs. Candy items ranged in price from 5¢ to 20¢. Each student had $1.50 to spend on their house decorations. The students recorded their purchase intentions on a special sheet and then brought their money with their plan to the table. Be careful though – new crackers will cost you 10¢, if yours happen to break!

I was able to decorate my house on a budget of $1.20. What do you think?

Minor Measurement Mix-Up

Last week was the first ever Cooking Camp experience for 19 third-fifth grade students. Ginny and Andrea led the “Chefs” in designing aprons, games, cooking, measuring, kitchen safety, menu planning and a host of other culinary skills. Our young “chefs” quickly learned that a key to any recipe success is to read.

Our breakfast themed day involved work with eggs. Cracking eggs and separating eggs were listed as favorite activities by many of the young cooks. After practice with eggs, it was time to get down to business of completing the recipe for a creation. The recipe of “Sunrise Sandwiches” took on a little hint of night because of a measurement mistake.

The chef team quickly grabbed ingredients and added a ¼ cup of pepper and a ¼ cup of salt to their recipe of 6 eggs. Shredded cheddar cheese was thrown in to complete the mix. After a quick look in the bowl, the adults discovered that the recipe did not quite look right.

After a chat with the team, and a review of the recipe, it was discovered that the recipe actually required a ¼ teaspoon of both salt and pepper. Without enough eggs to remedy the large quantity of salt, we scrapped that batch and began again.

The second recipe was truly sunny – bright yellow and orange – and quickly gobbled up by some very hungry cooks!

My Favorite Recipe

Growing up, Mom always needed a little help in the kitchen. She prepared many meals for my sisters, my Dad and I. As we grew older, each one of us (I was one of six kids) had a day to prepare dinner for the family. I started to experiment, and grew to love cooking!

My favorite meal to prepare is baked chicken and potatoes. Yum! It was fun to make, and even more fun to eat. I added a little cheese to the potatoes and ranch dressing for a little twist. This recipe was definitely a keeper.

In honor of cooking, and because I grew to love cooking as a kid, Riley County Extension is hosting a Kids Cooking Camp. This day camp will be held at the Riley Centre, June 22-26, from 9-noon each day. Kids will get to explore the world of cooking and learn about food safety, kitchen utensil ID, shopping on a budget, selecting ingredients, measuring and other cooking skills.

This camp is for current 3-5 graders. A registration form can be found at www.riley.ksu.edu and the cost to attend is $30. Only 25 students will be accepted, and registration will close on June 10. Bon appétit!

Restaurant Food at Home for Less: Bruschetta

After being inspired by a recent anniversary dinner at a fancy restaurant, I decided to try recreating one of my favorite appetizers – bruschetta.

Bruschetta is an appetizer that originated in Italy. It consists of a small piece of toasted or grilled bread that is rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil, salt, pepper, or other seasonings. American bruschetta is also commonly topped with cheese, basil, and tomatoes.

The bruschetta I copied is a version of the common cheese/tomato appetizer. I had a lot to go from since the menu at the restaurant informed me that the bruschetta topping was made from goat cheese with a marinade of olives and balsamic vinegar. On the side were diced tomatoes with basil seasoning. The dish I came up with tasted almost exactly like the restaurant dish, and cost much less!

Ingredients:
Bread for grilling or toasting – French or Italian
Small portion of Goat cheese (I found goat cheese with basil mixed in already, or you can mix in your own)
Basil
6-7 Green olives
1 can Diced tomatoes
1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic (you can also use garlic salt)

Method:
Mince a handful of green olives (about 6-7) and place in a small bowl. You can use a food processor for a finer mince. Drizzle the olives with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Mix well.
In another bowl, combine diced tomatoes (canned or fresh) with about 3 tsp. basil and mix.
Slice bread at an angle and place on a clean surface to prepare for seasoning.
Rub with a smashed clove of garlic, or sprinkle with garlic salt. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt, pepper, and basil. For authentic bruschetta, grill the bread pieces on a grill. You can get a smiliar effect from using an electric kitchen grill as shown below. You can also broil for several minutes on each side until bread is golden brown, use a toaster oven, or a hot regular oven to toast the bread.
To serve:
Roll cheese into a ball and create a cylinder shape. Place cheese on appetizer plate. Spoon a thin layer of olive mixture onto the top of cheese cylinder. Place a small amount of tomato/basil mixture around the cheese and arrange toasted bread on the outside of the plate.
When ready to eat, spread cheese/olives onto toast and top with tomatoes. Enjoy!
Restaurant bruschetta: $14 (!)
My home-made similar bruschetta: $5
Total savings: $9