A Smoo-o-o-o-th Return to Royersford Elementary

Group One  (*Photo credits, see below)
Click on any image to enlarge it

What I had previously suspected was confirmed today.  What I most miss about being an elementary principal is the kids.  Not only that, but everyone should have a place where they're treated like a rock star.

Today was Career Day for the third and fourth graders at the borough school where I was principal for twenty-five years before retiring in 2010.  Guidance counselor, Ginny Prevost, has organized an annual Career Day for about ten years at the school.  Community members, including many moms and dads, come into the classrooms to share information about their occupations.  It’s a great chance to widen the horizons of the boys and girls, many of whom up until this point have limited their future aspirations to being a fireman or a professional athlete.

Cassandra was was first chef-assistant

I was invited back not as a retired principal, or even as a pastor, but as a cooking blogger, which by the way, has yet to provide me with any financial gain.  However, if the ideal job is one you would do for free, then blogging about cooking is for me.  My dad was a baker, so the cooking part is understandable.  Many people do not know that my mother, Gladys was a correspondent for The Pottstown Mercury for more than thirty years.  That would account for the journalistic side of food blogging.

"The moment of truth"

I shared my year-long experience of starting a cooking blog with the children, projecting my blog onto a screen in the classroom and introducing them to some of the statistics that are provided to assist you with tailoring your blog to your audience.  I also told them about related blog experiences such as learning about food photography and taking the food safety certification course, (the certificate for which arrived in the mail on the day I returned home from Career Day!)

Look at that smile as the honey goes in!

After my spiel about blogging, the real fun began.  I referred to a blog post from last summer entitled, "Refreshing Summer Beverages,” and announced that we would be making smoothies.  Not just any smoothies, mind you.  The children in each group would be inventing the recipes that I would include in this post.  (The excitement and enthusiasm in the room was palpable!)

Group Two - More happy "customers"

Madison was chef-for-a-day #2

I selected a helper from each group, outfitted them with the proper “chef gear,” and put them to work.  There was only one momentary lag when one third grader told me she wasn’t allowed to use a knife.  My host, fourth grade teacher Mrs. Laura Clark fortunately had a plastic one in her pocketbook!  (What ever happened to zero tolerance?)

After reviewing the ingredients that I had on hand, each group selected a fresh fruit item, a frozen fruit, and a liquid.  After initial blending with some ice cubes, the moment of truth came:  The Taste Test.  Was it sweet enough?

Chef Marissa's group (#3) added Cool Whip to their ingredients

To no surprise, each groups “chef-for-a-day” indicated that more sweetness was needed, (as any self-respecting elementary student would), and honey or agave was added.  Everyone then got to share in tasting their group’s creation.  Passing out a recipe sheet and business cards with the There’s a Dad in the Kitchen web address on them, rounded out the presentation.  All that in a half hour.  Yes!  Nailed it…and not once, but three times.  I still had it!

A little extra "help" in the form of some agave syrup

It was so good to be “back in the saddle” where I spent a total of thirty-five years teaching and “principaling.”  Some people asked me if it “felt weird.”  My response?  It was just like riding a bike.  In fact, it would have felt weird not to have returned.

Group Three

Here are the three on-the-spot-invented recipes by the students of Royersford Elementary School.  Basic smoothie directions follow all three ingredient lists.  All ingredients are estimated.  (It’s pretty hard to wreck a smoothie!)  Try them, you’ll like them…and experiment with your own!

RES CAREER DAY SMOOTHIE RECIPES

Group One – “Kiwi Strawberry-Banana Smoothie”

Ingredients:

½ banana, sliced

1 kiwi, peeled and sliced

3-5 strawberries, cored and halved

¾ cup of milk

1½ cups ice cubes (approx.)

2-3 Tablespoons honey

Group Two – “Cranberry Fruit Shake”

Ingredients:

½ banana

½ cup red raspberries

1 cup cranberry juice

1 cup Cool Whip^®

2 Tablespoons agave (sweetener)

1½ cups ice cubes (approx.)

¼ cup cold water

Group Three – “Very Berry Smoothie”

Ingredients:

3-4 strawberries, cored and halved

½ cup frozen blueberries

½ cup frozen red raspberries

¾ - 1 cup orange juice

1 cup Cool Whip^®

2 Tablespoons agave (sweetener)

1-2 cups ice cubes


Basic Smoothie directions:

1. Add the liquid you’re using to the blender first
2. Add the fresh and frozen fruit and blend
3. Add any Cool Whip^®, yogurt, or ice cream and the ice cubes, blending until the ice cubes are “pulverized”
4. If mixture is too thick (to even blend fully), add some more liquid or water.  You may have to turn off the blender, stir with a spatula, and blend some more.

Enjoy!

*All photos taken by Mrs. Laura Clark and Mrs. Dina Preston, fourth grade teachers at Royersford Elementary School