Today our student chefs came in and immediately checked the menu board to see what our meal would be. This chicken meal includes unusual ingredients – olives, apricots, and cauliflower along with a mix of spices that aren’t typically part of our students’ home cuisine. Ms. Chris brought in a new side dish – cous cous with peas, carrots and parsley – to round out our menu. The class today began with a review of dining etiquette to make our mealtimes more relaxed and respectful, followed by a demonstration of how to set the table.

Now it was time for everyone to dig in for food preparation! Mr. Josh and Mr. Muhammed helped Tyejae, Scarlett and Anadely cut up the chicken thighs, while Isaac and Natasha attacked the cauliflower, making florets from the ungainly big vegetable. Natasha mentioned that she has helped her mom cut up cauliflower before and she also has cut up pineapple. Ms. Chris will consider bringing in a pineapple for a future meal. Everyone remembered to remove their cutting gloves and wash their hands after handling chicken.

The highlight of today’s food preparation was squishing the marinade and the chicken, a delicate and fun job. Isaac, ever the adventurous chef, tasted each of the pungent spices – cinnamon, cayenne, curry and paprika and enjoyed them all! Scarlett and Anadely were enlisted to make the cous cous, and soon it was bubbling away. As the chicken cooked, we had some free time to form teams to compete with food flash cards and review the “My Plate Charts”. We also understood that this meal was a true rainbow of color. The students were all eager to take the leftover chicken meal home to share with their families. This meal was a true winner! The next class, week 6, will be cancelled because the leaders will be out, so the students were reminded to start thinking about their vote for the family meal. Review the recipes in your cookbooks everyone!