Air Fryer Potatoes

 

Wash and dice about 5 potatoes. Put in a large bowl with 2 Tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook in the air fryer for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees. 

We like them plain like this, but you could add garlic and parmesan cheese for additional flavor. 

One-pot Pasta

For my last cooking class, we made this one-pot pasta. It is very easy and cheap to make. 

Ingredients: 

1 pound of pasta

1 can diced tomatoes

3 cups water

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, sliced

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

pepper

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

cooked sausage (optional) 

In a large pot, saute the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes for a minute. 

Add the diced tomatoes, water, salt and pepper, and uncooked pasta. Stir. Let it boil. Reduce heat and cover for about 9 minutes. Add the parmesan cheese when the pasta is done. You can add cooked sausage or other meat if you want more protein added. 

 

Earth Day Activities

One of the bins had brown paper to represent dirt. The other just had water and some gemstones and shells to represent the ocean. In the dirt pile, I added some cards that had pictures of recyclables and trash. I found garbage can pencil holders at Dollar Tree that we used to separate the cards in the correct bin. 

We added some cocoa powder mixed with olive oil to the ocean bin and had to clean the animals 

I also added some shredded plastic bags to the ocean and the kids had to clean that up too. 

We put frosting on graham crackers and made flowers out of fruit. 

We also did some ocean scenes on the graham crackers. 

We did q-tip painting and painting inside of a ziploc bag. 

 

Fruit Baskets

 

We decided to make some fruit baskets for all of the office staff. I got most of the fruit from Sams, but did get the pineapple and apples from Aldi. I also got some trail mix and large candy bars from Aldi. I got the bowls, bows, and cellophane bags from Dollar Tree, and some filler candy/chocolate from Dollar General.  

I spent about $160 to make 9 baskets. 

Kentucky Derby Party

 

We had chicken, tots, derby pie tarts, virgin mint juleps, a horse track charcuterie board, horse Nutter Butters, and meringue roses. I also cut strawberries to look like roses. 

We also made tissue paper hats and sculpted horses out of homemade brown playdough. For the hats, put 4-6 squares of tissue paper on top of one another. Fold it as you would fold a fan. Tie a piece of ribbon around the middle of the fan. Spread out the tissue paper and fluff the flower. Cut a 3-4 inch circle out of a paper plate. Cut two small holes in the middle of the larger circle. Put a headband through the holes and tie the ribbon from the tissue paper to the plate and headband. 

We made some meringue roses. 

Ingredients: 3 egg whites

1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries

1 3oz strawberry gelatin

1/2 tsp vanilla

melting chocolate

Let the egg whites sit in a bowl for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put sugar and strawberries in a food processor and pulse until powdery.  Add the gelatin. Pulse again. 

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add vanilla. Gradually add gelatin mixture, 1 Tbsp at a time, beating after each addition. Continue beating until soft peaks form. 

Put in a pastry bag that has the 1 M star tip attached. Pipe out the roses on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 225 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the roses in there for about an hour, without opening the door. 

Let the roses cool completely on the baking sheet . Melt some chocolate and dip the bottoms of the roses. Let the chocolate set. 

Coronation Tea Party

 

For our tea party we had black cherry tarts, pecan tarts, scones with jam and cream, pork dumplings, sandwiches, and mini quiche.  I also displayed red and blue fruit. 

I decided to make a photo board featuring the King's Guards.

Cinco de Mayo Dinner Party

 

We had a taco/nacho bar for Cinco de Mayo this year.  We had turkey taco meat and ground beef taco meat, rice, quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes, spinach, guacamole, onions, cheese, a variety of shells and blue corn tortilla chips. I also made virgin strawberry margaritas and air fryer churros. 

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water

1/4 cup butter

1 Tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

3/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Reduce the heat and add in the flour, stirring rapidly. Continue stirring until it thickens. 

Put the dough in the stand mixer and beat for about 3 minutes with the paddle attachment. 

Next add the eggs, one at a time. 

Put the mixture in a bag with a large star tip attached at the end. 1 M works best. I tried different size star tips. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe the dough in 3-4 inch pieces on the parchment paper. Put the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes. 

Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees. 

Remove churros from the freezer and bake for about 12 minutes. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and immediately put the warm churros in the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

May the 4th Be With You Annual Party

For our Annual May the 4th Be With You party we did a breakfast theme for dinner. We had Princess Leia buns, Chewbacca hash browns, Yoda soda, BB8 donuts, grape lightsabers, and pancakes made in our Star Wars pancake machine. 

We also turned our seasonal tree into a Star Wars display.  

Bunny Charcuterie Board and Carrot Cheeseball

 

The cheeseball is just 2 8 oz cream cheese, about 1/4 lb thinly sliced ham, diced, 4 green onions, chopped, and 1 tsp garlic salt. Mix ingredients together and shape the cheeseball. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and add parsley on the top. 

Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Ingredients: 

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups grated carrots

4 eggs

3/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:

1 stick butter

1 8 oz package cream cheese

 2 tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15x10 inch jelly roll sheet pan with cooking spray.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. 

In a separate bowl, beat the oil, eggs, vanilla, and shredded carrots together. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, mixing continuously. 

Pour the batter in the pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. 

For the frosting: Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and mix well. When the cake is cooled, add the frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers. 

Easy Hot Cross Buns

 

Ingredients: 

1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (8 count)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1 egg

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp milk

Press out each biscuit until it is about 4 inches in diameter. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and spread on half of each biscuit. If you want raisins, add the raisins on top of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Fold over. Then fold one more time and shape into a bowl, sealing the creases. 

Place seam side down in a greased pan. Brush the tops with a beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from plan and place on a cooling rack. 

When the rolls are slightly cooled, mix the powdered sugar and milk. Put the icing in a plastic bag and cut off the tip. drizzle over the top of the rolls, making a cross. 

2023 Graduation Cake

 

Air Fryer Bagels

Ingredients: 

1 3/4 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

butter

toppings of choice

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the yogurt and stir. It will be pretty crumbly. 

Dump on the counter and knead with your hands until the dough comes together. Divide into 4 equal portions. 

Roll each portion out snake-like. Pull the ends together to make a ring. 

Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Spread butter on top of each ring and add the topping of your choice. I added everything bagel seasoning to these. 

Set the air fryer to 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 

Brioche Slider Buns

 

Ingredients: 

3 1/3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp yeast

2 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp milk

1 cup warm water

2 eggs

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt together. 

In a small saucepan, heat butter and milk until the butter is melted. Let cool for a couple of minutes. 

In a small bowl, whisk the 1 cup warm water with 1 egg. Add the butter milk mixture to the egg and water mixture. 

Pour into the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator). 

The dough should double in size. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat the dough ball into a rectangle. 

Divide the dough into 18 equal pieces. 

Cover and let the dough rise for about 1 hour. 

Whisk 1 egg and 3 Tbsp water together and brush the egg wash on the top of the rolls.

 Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes.