Ratatouille and Herbed Chicken -- 9-14-12

What a great time of year to make ratatoulli. Right now zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, and tomatoes are all in season. We always say vegetables are never better than when they are freshly gathered from the garden. We already had a few other items in our refrigerator, so a quick trip to the store to buy an eggplant, a few mushrooms, and parmesan cheese was all it took to be ready for tonight's adventure.

Joshua said he thought Amber ought to have a classmate for the cooking class, and what a great idea that was. The two tackled the slicing and dicing of vegetables with confidence and competence. And they sprinkled in a good measure of humor as they worked.


In no time, the vegetables were in the oven and the chicken was cubed and cooking slowly on the stovetop in an herbal basting oil.

While we waited for dinner to cook, we watched a video on setting the table for a family dinner and set the table according to instructions.

The classmate/cousins enjoyed their masterful cooking. And so did the adults who were here.

Congratulations to Amber and Joshua. You did a superb job! I would assign an "A" over-all.

The health lesson tonight covered several aspects of foods and their preparation:

1. Brighter colored foods are richer in vitamins and a variety of colors is healthful. Tonights meal includes bright red, green, purple, and yellow vegetables. We spoke of how the dish we made is nourishing and also appealing.
2. Foodborne illnesses include bacterial and parasitic infections such as salmonella (common in chicken), tapeworm (found in pork, beef, and fish), and trichina (found in pork). Cooking meats, fish, poulty, and eggs thoroughly prevents disease. Handwashing and thorough cleaning of surfaces exposed to raw meats is imperative.  
3. Although some produce is more tasty to us when cooked, we learned that ingesting some raw vegetables and fruits is beneficial. This is because the heat used in cooking destroys some vitamins.