Introducing Beard's Newest Chefs!

Today marked a new adventure for me...18 curious, energetic and adorable preschoolers. I managed to finagle my way into spending time with Abbie's state pre-k class to combine a cooking lesson with the interactive whiteboard; for me, today's lesson was a bit like finding utopia! It was a bit of a challenge for me to come up with a recipe that would fit the many parameters: under 60 minutes from start to finish, enough tasks for everyone to participate, a simple sequenced recipe and an engaging activity to get us through the "baking" time (I'm used to a class of 7 students, so this almost tripled my student population). I initially thought to make soft pretzels, but was dissuaded with the amount of time necessary to allow the dough to proof. Hence, I moved on and came across an old favorite from my own childhood....apple crisp. Wanting to split the class into two groups, I decided that one group would create apple crisp while the other group was simultaneously making peach crisp. I must say, fruit crisp was an excellent recipe choice for this age level: they were very serious about opening containers and packages, buttering the baking dishes and peeling/slicing the apples. We did encounter one slight baking mishap...two ovens and a microwave were a bit much for the electrical circuits; luckily Armando was able to get us back up and running without further ado! Hot out of the oven, the apple and peach crisps were a huge hit with the class, evidenced by how quickly the oatmeal and cinnamon-laden fruit disappeared from their plates.