Month 2: Working with Eggs - Shortcut Strata

Miss V loves working with eggs and was bummed she didn't have to separate them.  She was so funny sniffing the Secret Ingredient envelope and after a minute or two said it smells like Nutmeg and she was right!

 The YCA way to crack and egg is to crack it on a flat surface then gently place your thumbs in the crack.  Turn the egg sideways and pull the shell apart allowing the egg to fall into the bowl.

These were pretty good, but with both thought it would be even better with a salty meat like bacon or ham.  We will try that version next time.

Month 4 Knife Skills - Lasagna Americana

So in my last post yesterday I talked about a nice little knife set that I bought Miss V.  YCA has their own knives and one came part of the kit.  This is a great knife for beginners/Kindercooks. When I taught Kindercooks the kids did have a hard time cutting harder vegetables like carrots.

She loves trying to guess the secret ingredient before opening it.  We got the package last Friday and when she opened the package she said "Whoa this stuff is strong!"  I knew what it was immediately.  She then read her materials and guessed oregano.

Anyway Miss V made this last night for dinner.  We did make a few modifications and it still came out fabulous!

 Proper knife skills, curl the fingers under so that you don't cut them.

We all thought this was pretty good.  The recipe called for diced ham, cheddar and mozzarella.  Miss V wanted ground beef instead and we changed the cheeses to mozzarella and Parmesan.

Master Chef Victoria makes Cheesy Scones - Month 1

Miss V is a little behind in her YCA at Home program.  She had yesterday off from school and wasn't sick so she wanted to jump right in with Month 1.  The theme of the month was Measure up!  Measuring wet and Dry ingredients.

The recipe this month was Cheesy Scones.

For Christmas I was able to find her a Black Master Chef Coat on eBay.  She was really upset years ago when the local YCA closed and I wasn't able to get her the black one.  She absolutely loved it.  Her first tip is, always pull your hair back.  You don't want to make and serve food with hair in it, YUCK!

Second tip Mise En Place, which means putting in place, setting up.  She loved this part of class and would get everything she needed out and conveniently located on the kitchen counter.

 Scoop, Tap and Swipe with an offset spatula.

 Never measure salt over the bowl, make sure you measure it over the trash or something else so if you spill over you can toss it out.  To much salt in a recipe will make it yucky.

 Part of the YCA at Home program is the Secret Ingredient.

 Hmmm...It says it can also be used in Gum and Candy?

 A big sniff and she doesn't think so!

 Month 1 secret ingredient is DILL!

 Mixing up the dough.

 Folding it and patting into a circle that is one inch thick.

She started to cut the scone dough into 8ths with her YCA knife.  It was kind of to sticky.

 The YCA Pizza cutter is a better kitchen tool for this job!

 After the first 10 minute baking, add the rest of the cheddar cheese.

 All done and ready to cool a bit before eating.

Miss V said she loved that they were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  She liked the cheesy dill flavor also.

When you log onto your YCA at Home account, students can download extra recipes.  Miss V had a great time practicing her skills.