Kids in the Kitchen

4-H Kids in the Kitchen is in its 14th year in Calhoun County. The group meets once a month at the multi-purpose building in Pittsboro under the supervision of Extension staff members Trent Barnett, Emily Rennie and Stephanie Hitt. At each meeting, they prepare a meal that was decided on the month before.

Last week they made waffles, scrambled eggs and sausage. In each class, they are given the recipe and ingredients for what they will be making. Because there were 22 children present, they were divided into four groups with each participant getting hands-on experience.
“The kids really seem to like the real big hands on activities. The more things there are for them to do, like crack eggs, stir, mix, pour, etc., the more fun they seem to have,” said Rennie.

Front, Stormy Thompson, Lilly Howell, Layla Bramlitt, Lylla Howell, Anree Massey; center, Chloe Wright, Mason Massey, Mary Katelyn Baker, Jess Russell, Samuel Nanny, Jagger Warren, Cane Necaise, Hannah Green, Coby Necaise, Jaylee Warren, Hagan Russell; back, Alyssa Green, Hayden Barnett, Jordan Dorrough, Bella Norwood, Zach Dorrough and Cambry Clarke.

“I think their favorite thing to make was 7-Up biscuits with homemade butter. They baked brownies last time, and we had different kinds of toppings for the brownies which made them a little different–cream cheese frosting with strawberries and also caramel sauce to drizzle over the top. They’ve also made Pilgrim hat cookies, Kool-Aid/Jello popsicles, and banana sushi,” said Rennie.
Layla Bramlitt said her favorite food is chicken and dumplings and she helps her grandmother, Deb Bramlitt, make them.
Deb gave her the Paula Deen My First Cookbook that her donut recipe came from. Layla’s mother, Michelle, said she likes to use the mixer and to help make cakes.

Lylla Howell likes cheeseburger hamburger helper, and Lilly Howell, pancakes, but she also likes chocolate chip or blueberry waffles. Their mom, Andrea, says Lylla also loves vegetable soup and Lilly, sweets. “Both of them like to make desserts by themselves and they have mastered Nana’s (Cindy Ferguson) Cornflake Candy. They also like to make banana pudding and decorated cupcakes.” Their interest in cooking started in the kitchen with their father, Bradley’s grandmother, Opal Howell.

Cambry Clarke, who is new to the group, says she likes dressing. She likes to help her mom, Tiffany,  in the kitchen and has helped make the dressing before. Mary Katelyn Baker loves chocolate chip pancakes and says she helps her mother, Laura, make them. Bella Norwood likes Krispy Kreme donuts. And she likes to help with the family Thanksgiving meal by making grape salad, corn salad and sweet potato casserole. She also likes to make trail mix, and little pizzas using biscuits for the crust.

Others’ favorites are: Zach Dorrough, breakfast for supper; Jordan Dorrough, cheeseburger; Hagen Russell, cheesy hamburger helper, waffles with syrup; Cane Necaise, steak; Mason Massey, poppy seed chicken; Hannah Green, macaroni and cheese;  Jaylee Warren, grilled cheese; Chloe Wright, cheese pizza; Jagger Warren, “Everything but waffles or pancakes!” Jess Russell, pepperoni pizza; Stormy Thompson,  meatlovers pizza mostly; Anree Massey, gravy, biscuit and pancakes; Alyssa Green, loaded baked potato; Coby Necaise, Ramen noodles and sausage pizza;  Samuel Nanney, deer sausage, and Hayden Barnett, hamburger steak.

Their vote for next month was chicken nuggets and French fries. The chicken nuggets are made with crushed tortilla chips and coated with a butter, garlic and bbq sauce mixture. They will make a sour cream and bbq sauce dip for the fries and nuggets, according to Rennie.
“The fries will be just regular potatoes cut up and coated with olive oil and spices and baked. The new group has never had these before, but every kid that’s ever eaten them has said that they love them, and they’re a favorite at my house!” she said.

  Grandmother’s Teacakes
  (Samuel Nanney)
1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Mix ingredients thoroughly and spray inside hands. Pinch a walnut-sized piece of dough and roll into ball. Place 2” apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes (cookies will not look done, but will finish baking as they cool.) Once cool, store in airtight container with one slice of loaf bread. The bread will harden and may be removed. The cookies will remain moist and soft.

Aunt Cassie’s Tator Tot Casserole
(Lilly Howell)
2 lbs. ground chuck
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 lb. Velveeta
Bag of Crispy Crowns tater tots
Brown ground chuck and drain. Mix meat and soups (no water!) Pour in 9×13 casserole dish. Slice cheese and lay on top of meat mixture. Lay tator tots on top of cheese. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.

Nana’s  Cornflake Candy   
(Lylla Howell)
1/2 cup light Karo
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
3 cups Cornflakes
Mix Karo and sugar in sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Blend in peanut butter and Cornflakes. Drop from spoon on wax paper. (We have doubled, and even tripled the recipe!)

Mamaw’s Potatoes
  (Alyssa Green)
5 lbs. potatoes
1 lb. bacon
1 stick butter
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. shredded cheese
Peel and dice potatoes. Place in boiler and simmer about five minutes. Potatos should be tender, but not mushy. Drain, return to pan. Add butter and sour cream. Mix well. Can pour into bowl for serving or leave in pot. Top with cheese and cooked diced bacon. Serve and enjoy. Can also top with black olives, green onions and anything you like on a baked potato. (I only peel potatoes when grandbabies are coming.)

Doughnuts   
  (Layla Bramlitt)
What you’ll need: Brown paper lunch sack or resealable plastic freezer bag. Paper towel. Big plate. Deep pot or electric skillet for frying. Bottle cap. Tongs. Confectioners’ sugar, about 1 1/2 cups. 1 qt. vegetable oil. 1 can refrigerator biscuits (10 biscuits)
Put sugar in lunch sack and set aside. Put a few sheets of paper towels on plate near stove or skillet. Put oil in pot or skillet, about 3” deep. Heat oil to medium-high or electric skillet to 350°. (Let adult test temperature by seeing if drop of water sizzles when  dropped in.) Separate biscuits. Take bottle cap and punch hole in middle of each. Save “holes” if you want to cook them, too. Have adult put dough into hot oil a few pieces at a time. Fry until lightly brown on both sides, turning with tongs.  Fry the “holes” too! When done, have adult remove to paper towel-lined plate. When drained, put them immediately into sugar. Close up bag and shake, shake, shake until completely coated. If they are too hot, they will melt plastic! Eat immediately!

Taco Soup
   (Hannah Green)
2 lbs. hamburger meat, cooked and drained
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 pkg. taco seasoning, dry
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix, dry
2 cans whole kernel corn, undrained
4 cans kidney beans, undrained
Mix all ingredients together. Cook on medium for one hour. Add 1-2 cups water, as needed. Great served with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, black olives and sour cream.