Stir Fry-day

Friday nights are fun in the Highfield kitchen. That's the night I have the teenagers in to cook. When I first started teaching this age group I wasn't sure I'd be able to relate to them all that well since it's been…um…let's just say a while since I was a teenager, but truthfully, these kids are pretty terrific. They rib each other mercilessly, but they are incredibly respectful. They may whine occasionally about the copious instructions on some of my recipes, but they're all in the kitchen with me because they want to be. They love to cook. There are no cliques, no popular kids vs. not-so-popular kids, they're equals.

(Henry did not want his picture taken. Stephen insisted. Luckily I was a quick shot because Henry got away a fraction of a second later.)

During our last class we made Chinese Chicken (tofu for our vegetarian) Stir Fry with brown rice, Chinese dumplings, and fortuneless fortune cookies.

The atmosphere was positively jovial. Everyone was relaxed and happy and it was great watching them work while they laughed and joked with each other. There was a lot to do in three hours, but just about everyone got everything done with a little time to spare.

Emily's mom declared Friday nights her favorite because Emily is nice enough to share her goodies. The only thing these kids need to work on is their cleaning skills. Fortunately, I've got some ideas for motivating them to work harder in that department. [Bwahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!]