What We Have Been Up to Lately....

It is the time of the year where I spend hours every week working with the local kids that participate in the 4-H Food and Nutrition project. I am the adult leader for our program so I have been working with 16 kids, aged 9-15, with the Food Challenge project. They work in groups of 3-5, are given a recipe with just the top portion with items and measurements, no directions and no idea what they are expected to make, only a clue giving them a hint. They have 40 minutes to prepare the dish, prepare a presentation covering 5 different areas - my plate requirements, food safety, food preparation methods, substitution ideas, and menu planning. They also have to plate their dish for presentation and clean up their work space and have everything put away. IN 40 MINUTES. Then, they have to present it to a judge's panel.

It's fun to watch the kids grow and change -- learn and have a good time together. There are three boys in our groups -- so we laugh that these will be the ones in college helping to feed their roommates..

Anyway, I have to go get ready for another practice and see what they make tonight.