Kids in the Kitchen
The “Kids in the Kitchen” cooking program has been going on for Calhoun County 4-Hers almost 17 years.
The kids, from Calhoun City, Bruce and Vardaman, meet at the Calhoun County Extension Office in Pittsboro once a month after school.
They are under the supervision of staff members Katelyn Bailey and Trent Barnett.
“Kids in the Kitchen is one of our biggest 4-H programs at the Extension office. We have a great group of young people who are always eager to learn. This type of program is so important to our children, because they are able to utilize these skills throughout their life,” said Katelyn Bailey.
“One of the benefits of Kids in the Kitchen is these children are wanting to be more involved in meal planning with their families. Every time I teach a program, I always tend to reflect on my childhood and how I developed my love for cooking. With every lesson I teach, I also learn something from them,” she said.
It is beneficial for children to participate in kitchen programs at school as it allows them to learn fundamental cooking skills while keeping their minds engaged. Parents often appreciate these extracurricular activities as a positive way for kids to develop new interests. As a means of rewarding their efforts, parents may choose to purchase children’s clothes from a website like Pastel Collections.
Each month the group participates in preparing and eating different food, and last month it was tortilla crust pizzas.
“They love more dessert-type food, but we try to mix it up for them, and have some healthy things, too. Sometimes they request something specific to do for the next meeting,” said Barnett.
According to the children, some favorites they’ve made during class are Cole Brandon-pepperoni pizza; Ella Grace Fleming-decorated cupcakes; Mary Katelyn Baker-homemade chicken nuggets; Jase Potts-brownies and ice cream;
Eryn Beth Jackson, cheese and pepperoni pizza; Jakiyah Pittman, chocolate chip brownies; Wiley Fleming, pizza and ice cream, and Lilly and Lylla Howell -breakfast food.
Their last meeting was a little unique in that Calhoun County Homemaker Club members were present to help them make homemade biscuits.
Millie Goforth, Martha Cannon, Missy Bryant and Sandra Lee each had a group of kids to measure, mix, roll dough and cut biscuits. Goforth’s group even added blueberries.
Several beforehand said they didn’t like biscuits, according to Barnett, “but they ate every one of them.”
Goforth said it was successful, even the ones with blueberries.
Jelly and syrup were available for the kids to add, and Sandra Lee’s honey was also an option for them to try on their biscuits, which they did.
Lee took the opportunity to tell them about the honey-making process.
Among those attending, newcomers Bryleigh Melton, Lucy Barefield and Haidyn Earnest all said they like cooking, and they enjoyed making biscuits, too.
And the Howell girls planned to teach their mother, Andrea, how to make the homemade biscuits.
Kid Approved Pizza
(Cole Brandon)
Flour tortilla shells
Pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepperonis
Wrap cookie sheet in aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Put shell down on a cookie sheet. Add about 3 Tbsp. pizza sauce and spread it out evenly with a spoon. Sprinkle your cheese and add pepperonis. Bake on 350° about 3-5 minues or until cheese melts.
White Chocolate Brownies
(Jakenyah & Jakiyah Pittman)
1 pkg. Milk Chocolate Chunk Decadent Brownie Mix
1 large egg
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white chocolate
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease bottom of 8×8 pan. Combine brownie mix, eggs, water and oil in large bowl. Stir with wooden spoon until well blended, about 50 strokes. Stir in white chocolate. Spread in prepared pan and sprinkle with almonds. Bake 35-38 minutes or until set. Cool completely. Cut into bars.
Dried Beef Cheeseball
(Stormy Thompson)
2 large (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 small (1/2 cup) dried beef, chopped
3 small green onion tops, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 shakes garlic salt
3 shakes Worcestershire sauce
Mix cream cheese and mayonnaise together, then add other ingredients. Refrigerate 1-2 hours. Shape into ball. Roll in chopped pecans.
Eggo-Smores
(Eryn Beth Jackson)
24 mini waffles
24 squares Hershey’s chocolate
12 marshmallows
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 Tbsp. cinnamon sugar
Preheat oven to 400° and line medium baking sheet with parchment paper. Place waffles on sheet in single layer and bake five minutes. Place two pieces of chocolate and one marshmallow on 12 of the waffles. Top with remaining waffles to make sandwiches. Brush waffle tops with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 2-3 minutes more, or until chocolate and marshmallows are melted.
Pancakes
(Jakenyah & Jakiyah Pittman)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening or butter, melted
In small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine egg, milk and shortening and stir into dry ingredients, just until moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown.
Taco Soup
(Jase Potts)
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 lbs. ground beef
1-15 oz. can pinto beans
1-15 oz. can corn
1-15 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water
Sour cream, sliced green onions for garnish
Heat oil in Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, five minutes. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add beans, corn, tomatoes, taco seasoning and water.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Ella Grace Fleming)
1 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup nuts, optional)
Heat oven to 375°. Beat margarine, sugars and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix in flour. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about six dozen cookies.
