Kitchen Notebook

After a two-week hiatus, the Sacred Heart girls hit the ground chopping. Fresh rosemary was a hit, and the combination of tastes in the Apple, Orange, and Parsley Salad was a pleasant surprise. Eighth grader Tiffany Veliz is a natural - she reminded us that we'd get more juice out of the lemon if we rolled it first. The chicken-turning tongs did double duty as a microfauxn for Judith Okwamba's spirited Beyoncé imitation.   - Jeanne Runne
and Alice Sandmeyer
 

This week's menu was a home run. One group went to work cutting the chicken and preparing the marinade; the other prepped fruit for the salad. Every one was singing and enjoying each other's company despite the rotten weather. We also added grape tomatoes to the skewers to show how simple it is to add vegetables to a meal. Everything was a hit, although we saw a few tomatoes left on the plates.

- Barbara Krumbhaar and Diane Fanelli

"Is this a vein?" asked Kaila Daniel as she examined the raw chicken thigh. Our young chefs handled the chicken with surgical precision, carefully removing fat while cutting it into uniform pieces to be threaded onto skewers. Our students displayed much-improved knife skills. As we sat down to eat, the girls admitted they had been skeptical as to how this meal might taste. They ate and enjoyed everything, not a morsel left to take home.

- Amy Steinberg
and Cindy Rappoport

This week's meal was our "second favorite" recipe so far. The girls were curious about how the salsa without tomatoes and a fruit salad that included olive oil and parsley would taste. In the end, everyone really enjoyed dipping the chicken into the salsa and thought that the ingredients in the fruit salad resulted in an interesting, delicious side dish. We all agreed that this was a meal worth making again! - Susan Munafo
and Jane Pupis

There was a lot of excitement this week. A gas leak was suspected, and the building was evacuated just as we were ready to start. Half an hour later, we were back and had to move fast. Our group is not afraid of assertive flavors, so the seeds of the jalapeño got added to the salsa verde. We were glad that we bought extra chicken because, boy, did they love everything. We are really proud of how far they have come with their taste buds, kitchen skills, and making recipes their own. - Adrian Selzer
and Debbie Haggett

As the chefs gathered around the prep area in the school's kitchen, they found out that they would be preparing the meal with little guidance from us. Briana and Glenda made the fruit salad. Sasha and Tomas prepared the chicken spiedini, and Ryan mixed the salsa verde. As they worked together, friendly conversation filled the room. They liked interacting with each other and getting to know one another more. - Nancy Donahue
and Beth Stack

Last week, we were completely struck by the confidence the girls have acquired in the kitchen. Jade Giliam pulled out the chicken and without hesitation asked, "Should I cut the fat off before I get this ready to go?" Seeing their ease in the kitchen grow is incredible to watch. - Sara Ginn
and Kristi Sehgal

Anthony Bové is not a lemon-lover and didn't want us to use a lot in the salad. In the end, everyone loved the chicken and salad, which was the perfect blend of sweet and savory! We were surprised to see them take seconds, but when they took thirds, we knew this was the most successful recipe yet!

  - Lisa Krader
and Linda Todorow