Best Fusion Dish
Ham Fried Rice with a Dash of Pueblo
Pearl Hanbei Long, 10, and Grace Guoya Long, 9, Pueblo: “We like this for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack! We are sisters adopted from China. We like to cook because we like to make the food from our country. We make it spicy and hot by adding the peppers grown in our new home, Pueblo. Guoya likes to stir stuff, and Pearl likes to chop!”
Ingredients
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/4 cup sliced green onions,
including tops
2 tablespoons Pueblo peppers (anaheim or jalapeño) sliced
1/4 cup lean ham, cubed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups cold cooked rice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Directions
Heat oil to medium-high in wok or skillet. Add onions and peppers and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add ham and stir-fry 1 minute. Push to one side of wok. Add eggs, scramble, and cut apart with spatula. Mix scrambled eggs with other ingredients. Add rice and soy sauce. Stir-fry to mix and heat through (about 2 minutes). Serve immediately.
Most Sophisticated 6-year-old
Patrick’s Spaghetti Pasta
Patrick Severance, 6, Denver: I love to cook. It is fun, and I like the way my recipes taste. I want to build a restaurant. I will have very yummy food at my restaurant, like spaghetti squash, lentils, and the dessert menu is ice cream and root beer floats. This is my favorite recipe that I made up and I eat it a few times a week. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash
Olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
4 cloves garlic
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and stems taken off
Balsamic vinegar
Feta cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have a grownup cut spaghetti squash in half and you can scoop out all the seeds. Rub a pan with oil and put the squash in it with the round part (skin side) facing up. Bake i1 hour or until it is mushy.
Boil the spaghetti with lots of water in a large pot.
Put some oil in a frying pan and squish the garlic cloves in a garlic press, cook it in the oil. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it wilts.
Scoop out the spaghetti squash so it looks like regular spaghetti. Put some spaghetti squash, regular spaghetti and tomato/spinach mixture in a bowl and mix together. Add balsamic vinegar and top with sprinkle of feta cheese.
Best Use of Spinach
Spinach Balls
Caroline Davis, 9, Greenwood Village: “I love to get messy and have fun with whatever I am making and then clean up my mess. When I cook I try to use as many ingredients as I can and try a lot of experiments. My friends who say they don’t like spinach love these!”
Ingredients
2 ( 10 ounce) packages frozen spinach, chopped
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups herbed stuffing mix (such as Pepperidge Farms)
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mustard sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 teaspoons milk
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
Directions
In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook spinach 5-10 minutes. Cool and squeeze out liquid.
In a large bowl, combine spinach, eggs, butter, Parmesan cheese, stuffing mix, onion, thyme, and salt. Form mixture into 1-inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet and chill in refrigerator 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make mustard sauce: Combine mayonnaise, milk, mustard and lemon juice. Chill, bring to room temperature to serve.
Serve spinach balls warm with sauce.
Best Spanish-Language Entry
Flan
Jesus Vazquez, 9, Longmont: “Primero me gusta cocinar porque quiero aprender. Yo quiero saber porque si no se como cocinar cuando este grande mi vida va a ser más dificil. Luego me gusta porque mi mama me paga dos dolares o tres. Tambien me encanta porque esta chido. Por ejemplo si estas haciendo panqueques a veces los tiras al cielo.
“First, I like to cook because I want to learn. I want to know how because if I don’t know how to cook when I’m bigger, my life will be more difficult. Also, I like it because my mama pays me two or three dollars. I like it because it’s fun. For example, if you’re making pancakes you can toss them in the air.”
Ingredients
6 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat all ingredients. Pour into a 2-quart casserole or 8-inch-square pan. Bake 1 hour. Cool and serve.
Best Updated Classic
Pound Cake Muffins
Casey McAndrew, 9, Arvada: “I started to love to cook when I took a cooking class in third grade. When you are upset, cooking helps get your mind off of it. I like to put things together and make something. Cookies and cakes are fun because you can add things like chips, sprinkles and icing to make it special. This is my family’s pound cake recipe from my great-grandmother.”
Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened (leave it out of the fridge
for a little while)
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (you can put in grated rind to make it more lemony)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
Buttercream frosting:
1 pound powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter,
softened
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put cupcake wrappers in muffin tins.
With an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs one at a time and mix them in. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix it in. Add a little flour at a time and mix it in. Pour batter into muffin pans. Bake 1 hour.
Meanwhile, mix all frosting ingredients in a mixing bowl until well-blended. If icing is too stiff, add a little extra milk and blend. (Be careful to only add a little extra milk at a time or your frosting might end up too runny.) If you like, add a few drops of food coloring to create your favorite color.
When cupcakes are cool, cover with frosting, sprinkles and other fun stuff.
Best “Nacho”
Cinnamon-Apple Nachos
Bree Emma, 11, Louisville: “Cooking is GREAT. I love to cook because you can really test with anything you want. So you love Mac-and-Cheese and you love hotdogs, well have you ever tried Mac-and-Cheese with hotdogs? I love cooking because you can also have fun while doing it.” Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
2 whole pita breads
1/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Peanut butter sauce:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon honey
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut pitas in half with kitchen scissors, so you have 2 big pockets for each pita. Cut each half into triangle shapes (4 triangles per pocket). Each triangle still has 2 layers, then separate and pull the pita bread apart at the edge where it is still attached.
Place all pita chips on a big cookie sheet. Brush melted butter onto the chips with a pastry brush (like a paintbrush but for food).
Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Use your hands to sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over pita pieces. Bake each chip until crisp and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the peanut butter sauce. Put peanut butter, milk and honey in a small pot. Melt together over low heat while stirring to combine. Remove sauce from heat. Pile cinnamon pita chips on a platter and pour peanut-butter sauce all over them. EAT!
Best Essays
Creamy Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Shrimp
Mileah Rayburn, 13, Littleton
Here are a few reasons why I love to cook. Sometimes, when I’m in the kitchen, I close my eyes like I’m blind and I listen to all the sounds. You would
be surprised at how many different sounds you hear! Sizzling and popping and laughter. All in the kitchen. And, closing your ears and eyes, you can smell so
many different smells. I do this often, and it really opens up my senses! I observe things better and I pay attention to the world around me. All that
started in the kitchen. While I was cooking!
I also love to conduct crazy science experiments like dipping carrots in strawberry yogurt and putting chili in brownies! Usually it is totally awful,
but sometimes, I can surprise myself!
And finally, I love to pour things into the pot! I like to see what happens when I pour different liquids into a boiling pot! What will they do? Steam,
wiggle, slosh, EXPLODE? I guess my curiosity gets the best of me in the kitchen! Those are a few of the reasons I love to cook, besides having to eat every
once in a while!
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings.
8 ounces Buitoni angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove large garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and defined
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and sauté garlic for 1 minute, or until just golden; do not brown. Add chicken
broth and lemon juice; Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 3 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, add Parmesan cheese, cream and lemon peel; cook about 3 minutes to thoroughly heat, but do not boil. Season with salt.
Combine shrimp mixture and chopped cilantro with the angel hair pasta; toss to mix. Serve immediately.
Best Essays
Paramount Macaroni and Cheese
Hannah Rose Carrothers, 13, Denver
Food is a necessity, everyone knows that, so I like to spice up my life, create a creative purpose. With cooking you can express yourself, which is
something kids need more then anything, my way is through food. I love to come home and think of new ideas for recipes, comparing ingredients, would this be
good with that, would that be good with this. It is a challenge, but that is what makes it fun.
Every recipe can be tweaked, to make it yours. I love to individualize concoctions. Every night before bed (I know everyone thinks of something to make
them sleep with serenity) I think of food, of that delicious taste touching my tongue with the “hit the spot” quality, and to know that I created that is
extraordinarily satisfying.
Not to mention cooking is a blast, making a GIANT mess with flour but still having a perfect pie be the product of it, that is true beauty.
It has always been my dream to go far with cooking, and this is at the top of my list. I hope one day to own my own restaurant and a have a thriving show
on the Food Network.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, plus 2 tablespoons, plus 1 tablespoon
4 tablespoons flour
2 to 2 1/2 cups half and half
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
8 1/2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, or other good-quality parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
4 ounces grated fontina cheese
4 ounces grated gruyere cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Directions
In a heavy, medium saucepan melt 4 tablespoons butter over low heat. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Increase
the heat to medium and whisk in the half and half little by little. Cook until thickened, about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat,
season with the salt, pepper, hot sauce and 4 ounces of the grated parmesan. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Cover and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt to taste and, while stirring, add the macaroni. Return to a boil, reduce the
heat to a low boil and cook for about 5 minutes, or until macaroni is very al dente (slightly undercooked). Drain in a colander and return the macaroni to
the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the garlic and stir to combine. Add the bechamel sauce and stir until well combined. Set aside.
Using the remaining tablespoon of butter, grease a 3-quart baking dish or casserole and set aside.
In a large bowl combine 4 ounces of the remaining parmesan cheese, cheddar, fontina and gruyere cheeses. Toss to combine.
Place one-third of the macaroni in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with one-third of the mixed cheeses. Top with another third of the
macaroni and another third of the cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining macaroni and cheese mixture. In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, remaining
1/2 ounce of grated parmesan, and the Essence and toss to combine. Sprinkle this over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the macaroni and cheese is bubbly and hot and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5
minutes before serving.
Best Cookie Name
Melt in Your Mouth Super Cookies
Carter Little, Bayfield
I like to cook because it does not take a lot of skill. The hardest part is measuring just right. I also like it because it takes time. Also it’s a hands
on experience. Cooking also makes me warm unless I am making a cold dish. Cooking is fun because there are many different styles of cooking. My favorite
type of food to cook is desserts because I like to eat them.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, cream of
tartar, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can.
Stir in remaining flour.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 300 degree oven about 15 minutes or until sides are set (do
not let edges brown). Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.
Best Use of Corn
Corn Fritters
Noah Zimmerman, 9, Boulder
I love cooking because of all the great and wonderful smells of a kitchen. I started getting inspired, cooking with my grandfather. The first two things
I cooked were bread and cookies with my Nana and Grandpa. Whenever I go up to my grandfather’s house I learn to cook a new exciting recipe. Cooking will
always be an important part of my life.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1/2 onion grated
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Milk
3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
Mix cron, onion, flour, baking powder, eggs, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add a splash milk if batter is too thick. Heat oilve oil in frying pan.
Carefully drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil. Brown on both sides. Enjoy!
Best Use of an Animal in a Recipe Title
Porcupine Meatballs
Gretel Skelton, 14, Littleton
My love of cooking stems from my love of art. Cooking is art with an added dimension. It is beautiful to see like a painting and fun to feel like
sculpture, but best of all, you can savor the taste as you dine on your creation with family and friends. Serves 6.
Ingredients
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup water
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Oil
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Directions
In a small saucepan, bring rice and water to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Remove from
heat and let cool.
In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, onion, salt, celery seed, garlic powder and cooled rice. Shape mixture into walnut-sized balls and cook in a
large skillet with a little oil over medium heat until brown.
In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar, and pour over the meatballs.
Cover the skillet and continue on low heat for 40 minutes.
Serve and enjoy.
Cutest Brother-Sister Entry
Very Berry Parfait
Jamie Lyon, 8, Louisville
I like to cook because it is fun, interesting and messy. Any you also get to eat your yummy creation. When you cook you learn. You learn math because you
are measuring ingredients. One of my favorite things to do is to surprise our dinner guests with a yummy dessert. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sugar to taste
Really good dark chocolate bar
Directions
Wash the berries. Take off the stems and slice strawberries. Put equal amounts of each type of berry in your mom or dad’s fanciest dessert dishes.
Whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla and sugar to taste. Divide the whipped cream equally and add a chocolate square to each
dish. Serve immediately!
Peach Berry Pie
Nick Lyon, 10, Louisville
I love to cook because its fun to eat what you make, I like to take recipes and jazz them up a bit. It is fun to improvise. I love to cook because I love
to eat. It gives us time together with our family and friends. Cooking is great!
Ingredients
4 to 5 cups peeled, sliced fresh peaches (about 2 pounds)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup sugar (or more, to taste)
3 tablepoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)
2 tablepoons butter, cut up
1 egg beaten with 1 tablepoons water
1 pint raspberries
Pie Crust
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Boil peaches five minutes. Cool in water and peel the skin.
Cut the peaches and toss lightly in bowl with lemon juice, sugar, flour and spices.
Divide the dough into two balls. Roll ½ for the bottom crust and place in a 9″ pie dish. Fill bottom crust with rasberries first and then the
peach mixture. Roll the other ½ ball of dough out and cut in strips for the lattice crust. Make your best lattice pattern. Dot with butter and
sprinkle with sugar. Fold the top crust over the lower crust and press them together with your fingers. Crimp the edges decoratively. Vent the top crust to
let steam escape.
Brush the egg-water mixture onto the top curst.
Place the pie in the oven and bake 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes.
Best Diabetic Recipe
Sweet Bread Sticks
Nicolas England Romero, 11, Thornton
Cooking is a great way to express your creativity. Also, my family loves to cook and has taught me everything they know. Before Thanksgiving I was
diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. It makes me cook even more because; I need to be careful about what goes in my body.
Ingredients
1 package dry active yeast
1/4 cup very warm water
4 cups sifted flour
2 sticks melted butter
1 cup of sour cream
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vinilla
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 cup Splenda (for diabetics) or sugar
Directions
Sprinkle yeast into warm water, stir until dissolved. Combine flour, butter, eggs, salt and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir dissolved yeast into the
other ingredients until smooth thick dough forms. Cover with damp cloth and put into refrigerator for 2 hours. Combine Splenda and cinnamon. Once chilled
roll out dough into 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Coat both sides with sugar/ Splenda and cinnamon. Fold 3 times like a letter. Roll into a rectangle again and
add more cinnamon sugar/ Splenda onto the dough using it all up. Cut into 1 in. strips and twist. Lay twists on a greased cookie sheet. Bake on 375 degrees
for 15 mins.
Best Hard Recipe Made Easy
Asako’s Gyoza (Chinese Pot Stickers)
Sabine von Lersner, 9, Denver
My name is Sabine and I like to cook because I like to eat. I am pretty much of an omnivore, so I like to try different things. I have been cooking since
I was a toddler. I especially like cooking for my family because they appreciate what I serve.
This is one of our family’s very favorite meals. I learned how to make it from our Japanese friend Asako when I was just three and I’m getting more and
more experienced at it. It’s not as hard as people think and it’s very delicious. Sometimes we substitute turkey, chicken, shrimp or crumbled tofu for the
pork. We also get creative with the vegetables, adding shaved carrots, or thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, or spinach for example. This makes a great meal
for 4 or 5 people, or an appetizer for lots of people.
Ingredients
1 package wonton skins (You can find these in the produce section of most grocery stores. They are usually on a refrigerator shelf.)
1/2 head cabbage or napa cabbage
3 large cloves crushed garlic
1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly
1 pound ground pork
2-3 tablespoons sesame oil
A small glass cold water
Dipping sauce:
Soy sauce or tamari
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil infused with hot pepper
Directions
Using a sharp knife, slice the cabbage away from the core into thin slivers like you would in cole slaw. Put the sliced cabbage in a pot of boiling water
like you’re cooking spaghetti. Cook it until it is limp, and then pour it in a strainer and let it cool. Once it is cool, squeeze all of the water out. This
keeps your gyoza from being runny.
Now put it in a large bowl and mix in the garlic, green onions, pork, and 1 Tbsp of sesame oil. Mix it all together.
Set out the wonton skins. Put a damp paper towel over them so they don’t dry out while you’re working. Place a wonton skin down in front of you so it
looks like a diamond. Dip your fingers in the water glass and wet the top of the wonton skin well. Put about 2 tsp of filling mix in the center and then
fold the bottom corner up to the top so it forms a fat triangle. Squeeze the edges together well. (Sometimes I use a small plastic dumpling press that we
bought at Sakura Square in downtown Denver. My mom pinches the edges in a few places, kind of like origami, so they will stick together.) Put the finished
dumplings on a cutting board or cookie sheet with a little slap so the bottom flattens and it can stand up by itself. After you have made all your
dumplings, heat the remaining sesame oil in a large frying pan.
When it’s hot, place the dumplings in one at a time, sliding them around in the opil to make sure their bottoms are slippery. You can arrange them pretty
toightly in the pan until the bottom is full.
Toast the dumplings until the bottoms are golden brown. Add about 1/4 inch of water to the bottom, of the pan. (Be careful the weater usually creates a
lot of spattering when you first put it in.) Cover the pan and let the dumplings steam until the water is cooked off and the bottom of the pan is dry again.
Take off the lid and serve your pot stickers onto a large plate. They actually stick to your pot (that’s how they got their name), so take them out
carefully or they will all come off without their bottoms. (Sometimes they all stick lightly together and come out like one giant pot sticker, so you may
have to pull them apart.) Serve them with a sauce made of 1 part soy sauce to 1 part rice vinegar with a splash of pepper oil. In our family, we put all the
sauce ingredients on the table so each person can make the dipping sauce in their own bowl just the way they want it.
You can also make a double batch of the filling and freeze what you don’t use. Sometimes we even freeze the uncooked dumplings and thaw and cook them so
we can serve them fresh quickly.
Best Pancake
Gingerbread Pancakes
Tanner Pastore, Arvada
Cooking is fun because you can make a lot of good food from recipes. I like making gingerbread pancakes for breakfast on the weekends. I like measuring
the ingredients into a bowl and serving the pancakes to my family to eat. My favorite part is flipping the pancakes. Adapted from “Pancakes and Waffles” by
Kate Habershon.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 eggs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons molasses
4 tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)
1/2 cup water
Directions
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients with a blender in another bowl for about one minute. Carefully add the dry
ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour batter on a warm griddle to cook the pancakes. Add your favorite syrup and enjoy.
Best Use of Breakfast Cereal
Frosted Flake Chicken
Jeffrey Frazier, Denver
This is one of my favorite things to eat. I call it Frosted Flake Chicken. I make it with Frosted Flakes and it tastes great. I love to cook because I
can make what I like to eat. I like to chop up all the ingredients first then put it together. Sometimes I like to cook dinner for my family. Cooking is fun
and its fun to try new recipes. This is a fast and easy recipe that kids and grownups enjoy, even my Gram likes it.
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken cut into nugget size pieces
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups crushed Frosted Flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Mix melted butter with crushed Frosted Flakes, add chicken pieces and spread into a buttered baking dish.
Spread the mixture into a single layer, them sprinkle with salt.
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until done.
From Around Colorado
Applesauce Muffins
Meredith Macaluso, Trinidad
I have several reasons why I enjoy cooking. First, I like spending time with other members of my family who like to cook, since my mother and grandma
both like to cook as well. Next, in cooking, you can try anything you like with food. For example, you can substitute ingredients such as using chocolate
chips instead of raisins. You can also invent new recipes. My last reason is that it is fun to taste food after you make it! That is always one of the best
parts.
Makes one dozen.
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Directions
In a bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, allspice and baking soda; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg, applesauce and vanilla;
stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill paper lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25
minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack.
Chocolate Lover’s Dream Cake
Annie Lancaster, 7th grade, Kiowa
I love to cook, and luckily, my family loves to eat! Every holiday we get together and eat! Someone has to cook the food! I like cooking for others
because they enjoy the food. I love cooking with my friends and trying out new recipes every weekend and after school.
Ingredients
1 package Supermoist chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup chocolate milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs
16 ounces container sour cream
1 package chocolate fudge instant pudding and pie filling
6 ounces (1/2 bag) semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons flour
Directions
Heat oven to 350. Generously grease 12-cup bundt cake pan with shortening and lightly flour. (Pam with Flour works well too).
Mix cake mix, flour, chocolate milk, butter, eggs, sour cream and pudding mix (dry) in large bowl until well blended (batter will be very thick). Mix in
chocolate chips. Spoon into pan.
Bake 55-65 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in the center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto wire rack or heat
proof serving plate; remove pan. Cool completely, about two hours.
Drizzle Rich Chocolate Glaze over cake (optional). Store loosely covered at room temperature.
Rich Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons water
Directions
Heat all ingredients in saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until chocolate chips are melted and mixture is smooth. (This can also be done in the
microwave, heating at 30 second intervals and stirring in between.)
Youngest (and Healthiest) Entry
Erik and Maria’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins
Erik, 5, and Maria Christoffersen, 3, Golden
Erik: I love to help Mom cook dinner because I like doing a job. I like chopping things with knives that are not too sharp.
Maria: I love to cook because there is yummy food and cooking is for kids too.
Mom: This low-sugar, low-fat batter is not very sweet so the sweetness of the chocolate chips balances the muffin nicely. Also we like to use a
slightly healthier chocolate chip that is sweetened with grain instead of sugar.
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 regular size package chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray or butter standard muffin pan.
In a medium bowl combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir to blend well.
In a small bowl, combine egg, milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Add to dry ingredients. Stir with a fork just until batter is blended:
do not over mix.
Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup almost full. Bake until the muffins spring back when
touched lightly and the tops are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then remove and serve warm.
Cooking Classes
Cooking classes for young people are not easy to come by, although personal chef Dan Witherspoon of The Gourmet Spoon will organize special events, such as the grilling course Witherspoon recently offered in a private home. For more information, call 303-394-0167 or email chefdan@thegourmetspoon.com
Classes at Aurora’s Expo Recreation Center are scheduled through August. Classes are held at The Kitchen on the Green at Expo Recreation Center, 10955 E. Exposition Ave., Aurora, unless otherwise noted. Call 303-326-8650 or visit auroragov.org/recreation to register.
Carol Wiggins, owner of Stir It Up Cooking School, 1140 S. Lashley Lane, Boulder, offers classes designed around school schedules. Call 303-494-COOK (2665) or email carol@stiritupcooking.com for more information.
-Ellen Sweets
