Pulaski...The new Italy (for a day or two...)

Culinary 1 and 2 students became pros in producing homemade, fresh pasta.  Using a basic pasta recipe, ProStart students were able to first practice the recipe itself and then have a second day to prepare another batch of pasta with their choice of sauce through an open-cupboard lab.

The results-magnifico! 

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That's a Wrap!

Hr 2 Winners: Salsa Verde Chicken Wraps

Going along with the MyPlate guidelines, Family Foods students prepared wraps using whole grain tortillas and their choice of fillings.

Hr 3 Winners: BLT Avocado Wrap

Hr 1 Winners: Chicken Ranch Wrap

Um Num Num...Risotto

Culinary Arts 2 students were able to kick-start their Italian cuisine unit with a demonstration from Fox Valley Technical School culinary student and Pulaski High School's 2011 graduate, Zach Beaver.  As Zach demonstrated a fantastic mushroom risotto, ProStart students followed along preparing their own servings.

Piiiizzzzzaaaa!!!!!!!

Who needs Papa John's when you can make homemade pizza from scratch?!? 

Not our Family Foods students!

                

Hr 3 Winners!

Make it Yourself... Waaaayyyyy healthier version of Chicken Fried Rice

After discussing the impacts of overeating and obesity, Family Foods students prepared a Weight Watchers version of Chicken Fried Rice, made with whole grain rice and free of any added fats.  Students were extremely receptive to this recipe and one comment was even made, "I'm making this all of the time!"

Check out the nutrition facts below- proves that good food does not have to be bad for you!

Regular Version- 12 g fat per 1 c serving

Weight Watchers Version- Only 2 g fat per 1 c serving

              

SCIENCE WITH FOOD!!! Making Maple Syrup Pearls

Culinary Arts 2 students dabbled in molecular gastronomy combining Sodium Alginate with a liquid of their choice and then dropping the heated mixture into a Calcium Chloride solution. Over 2 days, varying droplets and "creations" were based off orange soda, Mountain Dew, beef gravy, and our favorite and most flavorful- MAPLE SYRUP (recipe with instructions)

Maple Syrup Pearls

Takes practice!

Carefully dropping mixture into Calcium Chloride solution

Orange Soda Concoction

Immersion blenders work quite well for this task

Funnel Sodium Alginate/Liquid mixture into squeeze bottle

Cheer on Wisconsin ProStart!!!

In less than a week, more than 350 ProStart students representing their state will be competing for top honors and $1.4 million in scholarships at the 12th annual National ProStart Invitational. This year you can catch it live online, brought to you by Coca-Cola. The live broadcast will stream the culinary and management competitions on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21. Culinary coverage will showcase teams during their 60-minute cooking period, while management coverage will focus on the verbal presentation.

To root on the WI champions as they compete on the national stage, Sun Prairie High School will start competing in the culinary competition starting at 10:20 a.m. CST on Saturday, April 20th. Badger High School will be competing in the management at 8:15 a.m. CST on Sunday, April 21st. Please log-in and cheer on Wisconsin!

Tune in on Sunday evening to watch in real-time as the first- through fifth-place winners are crowned!

If you won't be near a computer, like ProStart on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ProStartprogram or follow ProStart on Twitter (@ProStart) for updates on the competition and the announcement of the winners.

Add a Little Drama to Your Life

For a friend, ProStart student and Cake Wizard Hannah made a birthday cake representing her friend's love of the arts and drama.  No cake form was used in this process, it was made from pure talent, creativity, and of course buttercream and fondant :)

M is for Muffin, Reduce the Fat for Me!

Graphic courtesy of Sesame Street

Family Foods students demonstrated their quick breads techniques while also reducing the fat of their chosen recipes to make them healthier.  Students either substituted 2 egg whites for every 1 whole egg (reducing recipes by 5 grams of fat per egg replaced) or substituting applesauce for oil (1 T oil = 14 g fat).  Final products were evaluated on taste and appearance, including the muffins' cell uniformity, cauliflower-like tops, and texture.

Hr 2 Winners: Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Hr 1 Winners: To Die For Blueberry Muffins

Hr 3 Winners: Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins