teens in the kitchen

Tonight my Junior League committee sponsored such a great project! I am on the Kids in the Kitchen committee and we paired up with a local agency named Bridges to host our first ever Teens in the Kitchen event! The Bridges facility is housing for teens who do not have a home. The students must meet certain requirements to qualify (making good grades, working, etc.). Each student has his or her own apartment with a living room, kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom. Our committee hosted a cooking demonstration to teach basic cooking skills and tips for healthy eating. League members also donated gently used cookbooks and cooking utensils to the kitchen in the common area. Can you imagine being on your own as a junior in high school? No parents to help guide you, no one to feed you? I really can't even wrap my mind around it! These students are just remarkable!! We had a wonderful time tonight just cooking and getting to know the kids better! Thanks to my great committee for working so hard on this event and thanks to the students at Bridges for letting us come spend the evening with you!! I do believe it was win-win!!

Meet the 2009-2010 Kids in the Kitchen Committee:



Here is the yummy dinner that the students help us prepare!

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
1 large package spaghetti
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 lb. light Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 small can black olives, drained
1/4 soup can milk
1 white onion, chopped
2 large cans white meat chicken

Saute the onion in butter. Reduce to medium heat and add soup, olives, Rotel and cheese. While sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook spaghetti noodles. When pasta is done, drain water and return to pot. Once cheese is completely melted, combine spaghetti and sauce. Enjoy!

We also put together a little cookbook for each student to keep. It included the recipes from our feature meal (Vanilla Yogurt Dip with Fruit, Ranch Spinach Dip with Veggies, Italian Salad, Garlic Cheese Bread, Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti and Milk Shakes) as well as about 30 other recipes from our committee members.




Busy in the kitchen...






The end result...YUM-O!!


Thanks again to everyoen for such a great evening!