June 29, 2022 - 8:17am -- armstrong.133@o...

It’s no secret that I enjoy cooking and spending time in the kitchen. I enjoy feeding family, friends, and co-workers. Even the ladies at the chiropractor’s office ask what I’ve been cooking – and get excited when I bring them things to taste test! But just like most people, I get tired of the “what’s for dinner?” question and wish someone else would cook once in a while! 

Why not have the kids make dinner?! In July 2022, we’re going to offer our virtual Cook Along with Kate program for older youth, age 13-18. The idea of the series is for all of us, the participants and me, to be in our own homes connected by video using Zoom web meeting on either a computer or a mobile phone. 

Cook Along with Kate will be held on Tuesdays, July 12, 19, and 26 starting at 5:30 PM. There is no cost to this program, however registration is required to receive the materials. Participants will receive the recipes, along with additional instructions for shopping, equipment, or advanced preparation that may be needed a few days before each program. Participants will all cook the same recipe at the same time, with the ability to ask questions and share video of each step. The result of each session will be a main dish and side ready to serve their family for dinner that evening.

Here are our planned menus:

  • Week 1: Cheesy Joes and BLT Pasta Salad
  • Week 2: Breakfast Pizza and Apple Salad
  • Week 3: Creamy Chipotle Chicken and Tex-Mex Corn Dip

The recipes and processes each week will highlight some basic cooking techniques, knife skills, and flavor combinations. Recipes are like a roadmap…there can be more than one way to get to the finished dish. Many of these recipes will offer options for participants to choose some of the ingredients. I’m hoping that participants will be comfortable in their own kitchens and be excited to make a meal for (and maybe with) their families. 

Cooking is a life skill that can serve a person is so many ways! The process of cooking involves reading, math and science. Knowing how to cook at home can save your family money by not spending money on take-out foods and making smart choices at the grocery store to stretch your food dollar. There are a plethora of jobs available in the food service industry and in today’s “gig-economy” lots of people are turning their cooking and kitchen hobbies into money-making machines. 

**As there is always the risk of an accident happening in the kitchen, it is important that there be an adult in the home during these programs to provide assistance, if needed.

To register for Cook Along with Kate, please call 330-674-3015 by Monday, July 11.

Kate Shumaker is an OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Educator and may be reached at 330-674-3015.