Thursday, December 11, 2014

Please vote for Pulaski! --- UPDATE

Thanks to all who voted- Pulaski won $30,000 to improve technology in our school! Thank you Cellcom!

Original Post: 11/13/14
Pulaski is only 951 votes behind GB West!  $30,000 could be ours to add cell phone boosters at PHS - all it takes is you. If you haven't already, please vote and tell EVERYONE you know as well.  Here's the link: www.cellcom.com/projectinnovate. Voting closes one week from today.  Thanks everyone!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

ProStart Mock Competition & Team Members

Congratulations to our new ProStart team members!

Culinary Team :
Emma Bestul, Emilee Hendricks, Natalie Nickerson, & Destiny Prendiville
Management Team:
Grant Bachman, Bailey Baron, &
Morgan VandenLangenberg
 




Thursday, November 13, 2014

Breast Cancer Family Foundation Helps Save Lives

Stacie Hackl, Executive Director & Community Educator, from the Breast Cancer Family Foundation shared her story of breast cancer survival and cancer reduction strategies with Family Foods & Wellness students. 

Stacie provides a much needed powerful message to students about the importance of early detection and how lifestyles chosen now can impact the rest of their lives.  If you haven't done so, I highly encourage everyone to check out the Breast Cancer Family Foundation web-site for additional resources and opportunities to support their organization.

In addition, please check out the YouTube video "My Sixteen Year Old Me" below and share with your family and friends on Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else that will help in spreading this important message of the crucial consequences connected with lack of early detection.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Under the Sea Cake Challenge: Voting now open!

If you cannot see the form below, click here

Twinkie Torture

I first have to say that I have a soft spot in my heart for Twinkies, simply because my Grandma Rosie had a "Twinkie Drawer," that was always stocked with Hostess products when we came to visit.  This set aside and my nutritionally-minded brain taking over, my Food Science students were able to explore this beloved, yet overly processed, food item by creating and implementing an experiment of their choice using the scientific method.  The results? We found it won't catch on fire (despite having a torch directly on it), a microwave will turn it black within minutes, the white filling turns to yellow goo when heated, AND it can be dropped 2 stories onto concrete without any damage.  
Definitely food for thought...

 


Monday, October 13, 2014

Cookie Challenge 1st Semester Winners & Entries

Thanks to all who voted for the cookie challenge! Our winners this semester came from Entry 1: Fall Fest!  Now we've moved onto cake decorating- check back for our entries!

                                   

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Kendall College visits PHS

A huge thank you to Chef Brian Schreiber from Kendall College of Culinary Arts (Chicago) for speaking with all of the culinary-related courses today about their program, teaching about gluten allergies/celiac and poultry fabrication, and demonstrating delicious foods. 

Friday, October 3, 2014

Betty Crocker couldn't have asked for more

The Family Foods students finally were able to choose their own recipes! Following a lesson on functions of ingredients (i.e. Flour provides structure, eggs bind ingredients together and add color, etc) and convenience foods (foods that take steps out of a recipe), students used Bisquick's website to find a recipe to prepare in class. 

A Slice of Heaven

Advanced Foods students prepared angel food cake with browned butter icing.  


Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Is that apple pie?? You tell me...

Food Science students used their sensory evaluation skills in making 2 "apple" pies- one made from real apples and the other from Ritz crackers.  If addition to our own evaluations, we brought in two taste testers.  Would our panel taste the difference?  One preferred the regular and one preferred the mock apple pie!


Tuesday, September 30, 2014

A practical exam that's worth drooling over

Advanced Foods students put their pastry skills to the test preparing apple turnovers.  This is always the best grading I ever have to do ;)

Friday, September 19, 2014

Bring on the competition!

Family Foods take on their first cook-off of their culinary careers with the famous Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies!

Cut that out... No, seriously- cut that out! :)

It's never too soon to perfect knife cuts! Culinary 1 students work to get them done right!

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Oh Crepe.

Culinary 2 students are in their Breakfast unit and what better way to celebrate breakfast than with a plate o' crepe.  

Friday, September 12, 2014

Peanut buttery chocolately cerealy...stuff.

If silence wasn't bad enough for their previous lab, now I gave them a recipe without exact measurements! Family Foods students had to work together in determining what they considered a "handful," a "smidge," and a "scoop" of ingredients.  The wonderful ending is that with the ingredients they are given, there really isn't a way for it not to taste good :)

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Fancy Frittatas.

Culinary 2 students began their egg unit by combining knife skills with egg cookery by preparing a vegetable frittata.  Since the students never heard of such a thing, it can be easily summed up as throwing a bunch of omelet ingredients together and baking it. Calling it a frittata just makes it fancy ;)

Perfecting Pastry

Advanced Foods students learn the basic techniques of preparing pastry by making cinnamon sticks.  It smelled glorious in my room!

Poach Perfect

Culinary 2 students practice their poaching and Hollandaise sauce skills by preparing Eggs Benedict. 

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Silence may not be golden

Rice Krispie treats may not be rocket science, but it definitely is more difficult when you aren't able to talk! In this lab, students had to prepare the recipe without any verbal communication to understand the importance of teamwork/communication in the kitchen.  

Friday, September 5, 2014

Pancake Perfection


Who doesn't like pancakes?! Culinary 1 students take pancakes to new levels as they prepared a variety of this breakfast deliciousness for the first cook-off of the year.