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Crazy Quesadillas Easy For Kids To Make

Merri Lou Dobler Correspondent

You notice something different right away about Room 157 at Chase Middle School. Along with desks, there are six kitchen units complete with microwave, stove, sink, blender, refrigerator and cupboards.

It’s all part of the Life Skills class for eager eighth-graders. Teachers Shawna McLaughlin and Penny Kupers teach their students basic cooking skills they may not learn at home.

“Not all are beginners,” says Kupers. Some kids fix dinner at home because their parents work. But others don’t know how to boil water. Kupers and McLaughlin pair up the inexperienced kids with those who have some skills.

McLaughlin says there are always mistakes, such as putting filled muffin tins into the oven upside down, or pouring a cup of baking soda into a recipe calling for a teaspoon. Practical activities help, such as learning how to read and to divide recipes in half.

Nutrition is emphasized. “We’re trying to give them a little insight into the importance of eating healthy, like eating breakfast,” says Kupers.

“They learn how to read a label, calculate percentages of fat, carbohydrate and protein, and use the Food Guide Pyramid to plan a well-balanced meal,” adds McLaughlin.

Look around the classroom and you’ll see student-made posters emphasizing safety: Use hot pads to remove food from the oven, keep cords away from water, don’t use water on grease fires, and - my favorite - keep tongue out of blender when on.

Here’s a great recipe that my eighth-grader tackled with minimal assistance. For a hearty meal, serve it with a packaged salad, steamed vegetables, fresh fruit and a plate of cookies.

Crazy Quesadillas

From “New Junior Cookbook” (Better Homes and Gardens, 1997).

1/4 cup refried beans

4 (6- to 8-inch) flour tortillas

2/3 cup nonfat shredded cheese, pizza blend

Salsa, if desired

Use a table knife to spread half of the refried beans on 1 tortilla. Place bean-topped tortilla in a skillet with the bean side up. Put skillet on a burner and turn to medium heat. Sprinkle half the cheese over the beans. Top with 1 plain tortilla.

Cook about 3 minutes or until cheese begins to melt. Use a pancake turner to turn quesadilla over. Cook 2 minutes more. Use pancake turner to remove quesadilla from skillet.

Repeat with remaining tortillas, refried beans and cheese. Use clean kitchen scissors to cut each quesadilla into 6 triangles. Serve with salsa, if you like.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 171 calories, 3.9 grams fat (21 percent fat calories), 10 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 407 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - Five and Fifteen

The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - Five and Fifteen