Summer Ideas + A Fond Farewell

There are so many summer recipes "out there" and, often times, I just get so overwhelmed. There seem to be so many different versions of the same thing. I sometimes think: Why can't I just simply grill a hamburger, boil some corn and call it dinner? Do I really need to make "inside out cheeseburgers"? What's so bad about a traditional Caprese salad? Why would I possibly need to change that? So, instead of reinventing the wheel, I just try and make the wheel more appealing. Translation: I try to do one thing different for a recipe that I make all the time. This can be easily and deliciously accomplished by making Quick Pickled Red Onions. When I was growing up in the South, everything was pickled: pickled string beans, pickled shrimp, pickled peaches, pickled okra, pickled corn, and, of course, pickled cucumbers. A couple of years ago, I got the idea for Quick Pickled Red Onions from a Cooks Illustrated quarterly publication called "30 Minute Suppers" and was hooked. If you want to quick pickle red onions, you can find soooo many recipes on the Web. Martha Stewart has her version, which is flavored with cloves. Bobby Flay flavors his with chopped cilantro. But, this one from epicurious.com, is super simple and one that I recommend. (If you like spicy, just slice up a fresh jalapeno and add it to the mix.) You just won't believe how often you will take these beautiful and delicious red onions out of your refrigerator. I have added them to green salads, quesadillas, hamburgers, hot dogs, bean salads, and guacamole. Recently, I served them all by themselves in a beautiful green bowl alongside a wedge of Manchego and vegetable chips and hummus to some friends (who are from Jackson, Mississippi) and they swooned. (The swooning could have possibly been from the Port City Optimal Wit, but that is another story.) 

Here are my quick pickled red onions and pickled string beans served as a side to a grilled turkey burger. I also added sliced avocado and a black bean and corn salad for a cool, delicious meal. And, yes, that is the Olio Black Walnut Aged Balsamic Vinegar drizzled on top. (The possibilities of which foods to add this Balsamic vinegar to are endless. So, so, so good.)

Another fun, easy summer idea is to make your own Popsicles. I like to use Emergen-C instead of juice. It has virtually no sugar, and tons of Vitamin C. My children cannot get enough of these things. I make a batch of 4 every day. You can find Popsicle molds at Tj Maxx, Home Goods, Amazon, or William Sonoma.

If you can, try to carve out some time for your kids to have a lemonade stand. Nobody can resist buying lemonade from kids. This photo of my daughter (right) and her friend was taken during Spring Break before we left on our "Grandparent Tour". Clearly, this is no fancy Lemonade Stand. I simply set up our craft table we usually have in the playroom; the girls brought the chairs out. The drink dispenser was perfect for the lemonade, but a pitcher works just as well. I unearthed old cups from a Halloween party and we found a shoebox to hold the money. Those girls made $22.50 in less than 2 hours. (Thanks, in part, to Miss Medrano for stopping by as a generous customer.) They were so proud of themselves. Plus, if you have any lemonade left over, (which you won't, but just in case)....make Popsicles!

Does anyone ever shop at Reunions, the gift store just around the corner from St. Clement? I love it there. I always find the perfect gift...and then some. Here is the most hilarious note card that I couldn't resist sharing. If you have a foodie friend, I think they would get a kick out of this. I did.

So, here are your summer assignments:
1. Quick Pickle something and use it as your new condiment.
2. Make homemade Popsicles.
3. Host a simple Lemonade Stand.
 4. Try one or two new recipes...just for fun! I recently tried making Baked Tostones (Plantains) for the first time...and they were delicious. I heard my daughter say: "I don't like the way that looks, but I don't judge food by the way it looks, I judge it by the way it tastes." Well. Isn't that good to know?



And, now.....a fond farewell to all of you. With great contemplation, I decided it was time to move out of the realm of teaching adorable preschoolers to cook and onto other endeavors.

So, every goodbye should begin with a story. This past January when we made Homemade Pizza, I asked the kids to share a personal story about pizza. One class didn't have much to share and we still had 5 minutes to wait for the pizza to bake, so I decided to share a story of my own. Here is how it went:

Me: "Hmmm. If you don't mind, I have a pizza story to share with you all."
Class: Stares and Silence.
Me: "So. My story starts like this: I have a little boy who is 4 years old..."
Eager Little Fellow: "...Miss Diana, is it me?"

This little comment was so poignant for me. Of course, I told his mom and dad, who thought it was equally hysterical. Then, I started thinking about it and I realized that at some point, at some moment, at some time throughout the year, I have looked at each of your children with the same pride that a parent would look at their own child. With guidance and love from --no doubt-- all kinds of people, your children have grown up this year. They have become smarter, wiser, more polite, better listeners, more skilled, more confident, better communicators...and they have become great cooks...and I have enjoyed observing this transformation!

And so, Miss Lee had her version of Cooking Class then Miss Cathy had her version. When I came along I offered the students and teachers my version of Cooking Class. And soon, someone great will come along and offer his or her version and you all will have fun listening to your children talk about Cooking Class once again.


I would like to thank Miss Dory for offering up the opportunity to teach your children. In addition, I would like to thank the teachers for their support throughout the year. Basically, I didn't know what the heck I was doing in the beginning and everyone offered up their encouragement and gratitude as I figured out my way of teaching the kids. (I would like to share that some of the teachers have even been inspired to purchase a couple of cooking tools for their own kitchens. One teacher enthusiastically purchased a microplane and couldn't wait to tell me about it. Another teacher got a Global knife for her kitchen. If memory serves, I think she may have even passed it off as a "Father's Day gift", which is SO something I would do, so I wholeheartedly support this strategic move.) I would like to thank Joy Pochatila for giving me the idea for the blog. The blog has offered a vessel for the parents (and the grandparents) to share in their children's lives, and it has served as a vehicle for allowing the reader to get to know their child's teacher (me!) in a whole different way. Throughout the year, I have been randomly inspired in surprising ways and, as a writer, have experienced the feeling of great anticipation of transforming an idea in my head into a sentence on this blog. And, I would like to thank the many parents who generously donated their time to volunteer in our Cooking Class this year. I hope that I have adequately expressed my gratitude about how much I enjoyed getting to know you all and how much I appreciated the extra help!

All the best to each of you. Please keep in touch, especially if you have a recipe that you would like to share with me! If you haven't noticed....I love to try new things!

Have a great summer!

Diana Duplantier
St. Clement Cooking Teacher
2013-2014