Kids cook up summer fun
Staff writer
Having 40 kids in a kitchen might sound like a nightmare, but not for kids at a series of evening sessions sponsored by two local churches.
The kids ranged from preschool to fifth grade.
“I’ve been messy all day,” Cheyenne Boyles said while stirring a corn casserole.
Maddi Beery also took a turn stirring.
“It’s like mac and cheese,” Maddi said.
Also on the menu were baked chicken fillets, and watermelon and raspberry salad. Each child got a turn at preparing every menu item.
Maddie Bowers, 5, came to class while visiting her grandmother, Pam Byer, for a few days.
“I’m going to leave on a train in the middle of the night to go to Salida (Colorado),” Maddie said. “I’ve got a bad toe. I scraped it.”
“We made watermelon salad,” Reagan Cooper said.
Reagan, Brendan Gill, and Sophia Baxa put went to where the chicken filets were being prepared to have a hand in the main course.
Reagan measured baking mix into a measuring cup, using her hand to level the top in true “home cooking” style.
Then she poured it into a bag so chicken strips, dipped in beaten eggs, could be shaken in baking mix to coat them. Reagan used long-handled tongs to remove chicken pieces from the bag and lay them on a baking sheet to be put in the oven.
A week earlier, kids made Texas tacos, guacamole, and tortilla triangles.
The cooking class is an outreach of both Eastmoor and Valley United Methodist Churches, but participation was extended to any community kids.
When dinner was done, children went through a buffet line to fill their plates.
Church secretary Ginny Lind said the church wanted to offer a wholesome summer activity for youngsters.
Ross Baker, minister at Eastmoor, said the churches wanted to create something different for summer, when an after-school program at Valley ends.
“A ministry colleague serving in Illinois has had great success with a cooking class for kids in her church,” Baker said. “We thought it would be a good thing to try. We were hoping kids would come take part, not only to learn about cooking and safety things, but also get some interest in the joy of cooking as well. Every week we try to have the main entrée be a kid-friendly thing.”
Baker said one of the ideas was to tempt kids to try new foods.
“I think if kids are involved in the process, they will at least try something,” he said. “Our hope is the kids have fun. They may get messy along the way, but they have fun.”