Video Cooking Class

BANANA MUFFS

I haven't seen the little granddaughters in so long it hurts. But the pandemic has kept us apart. We, of course, have done FaceTime visits, but that's not the same. Then Mommy had a brain storm. One thing they love to do when they are here with me is to cook. So we cooked together this week. Together apart. It was the closest thing to being in the same space that we've had in months.

Because we planned this ahead I had time to order a tripod for my iPhone. Back in the day, I did cooking demos on the local television station as part of my job. This reminded me of the setting up we did. Except they used real cameras and had real cameramen. But the "think it through" process was the same. I made sure everything was set out. And Mommy made sure the little girls had the same ingredients and tools set out and ready.

We still used FaceTime but this was more interactive. They used an iPad. See it propped up on a box? They could watch me and I could see them. Baby Girl made banana muffins. The recipe is an old one and it's called Banana Muffs. Because they are a healthy eating family, Mommy liked this one because it only uses 1/4 cup sugar. And it's delicious.

We talked about the different kinds of measuring cups and what each is for. We learned how to properly measure. Squishing the bananas was the most fun! This was such a good set up. They could ask questions as we cooked and I could see what they were doing.

Seriously. This was the most fun. If you have any thoughts of doing this with your hobby—whatever your hobby is—spend the $30 for the tripod. I don't think it would have worked without it. I could easily tilt the camera down so that they could see into the  bowl and then move it back up so I could talk to them.

And because we had a Daddy-O handy, he could capture what was going on. He used his phone to get a few pictures and thankfully a little video. I think he was fascinated that this all worked. This video clip is only 4 seconds. See us in action!

Cheese Omelet

Some serious thought went into the recipes we chose. We wanted something suitable for their skill level. And we got lucky that these two foods worked together. Baby Girl (who just finished kindergarten) made the muffins. When she slid them in the oven (with mom's help,) Little Sister and I started the cheese omelets. No written recipe for us. Just a demonstration. I would do a step. She would copy me. It was a miracle. The timing was perfect. The 15 minutes baking time was just right to have a omelet lesson. And they had a complete breakfast. J-Daddy got the first plate and he gave it a two thumbs up. 

And after making two more omelets, the girls got to enjoy their own breakfast. I snapped a quick photo of them. I was still watching. Licking the plate clean is about the best compliment any cook could get. Baby Girl was licking the omelet plate and Little Sister got every crumb off the muffin paper. They make quite a team.

Mommy taught kindergarten for several years. And the teacher in her made this a real learning project. After we cooked, she had each of the girls write their recipes. I dictated the recipe and Baby Girl wrote it down. In her own way. Can you read it? If you are not fluent in kindergarten writing, the recipe (in an easier to read version) is below.

BANANA MUFFS

2 cups Bisquick baking mix

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)

Preheat oven to 400º.

Combine baking mix, sugar, butter and egg. Beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Fold in bananas.

Fill 12 greased (or line with cupcake papers) muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 15-18 minutes. until lightly browned.

While warm, you can drizzle with Thin Icing and sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired. (The girls decided they liked them better plain.)

Thin Icing: Blend 1 cup confectioners sugar and 2 tablespoons water until smooth.

Sometimes I made 36 mini muffins instead. Bake them for 12-15 minutes. 

I'm not sure we will ever come up with two foods that work so well together, both in the timing and the food pairing. But I do think we will try this again. I really had a good time. I'm pretty sure they did, too. And Mommy got a few minutes to herself for a change. It was good every way we looked at it.