Monday, January 20, 2020

What to Cook When Cooking for a Crowd

What to Cook When Cooking for a Crowd

team building cooking class - Kitchen on Fire

Considering a large group cooking class for a special event? Or are your friends coming over for a feast? Cooking for a crowd can seem complicated but having easy to prepare recipes for such groups can make the tasks much more manageable. Here are some excellent recipes for large groups:

Pasta dishes

Pasta is a great and easy alternative when cooking for a crowd. It is not only an affordable base for your food, but most people also like it too. Also, when baked well, pasta dishes tend to hold up very well even if your guests don’t eat them immediately. The dish is very versatile and has various ingredient options. This technically means you can prepare different options of the plate every time you entertain a crowd to avoid monotony.

  • Lasagna: Use cheeses, layer noodles, and sauce to create your lasagna dish. Assemble it before the party starts and store it in your oven before the ‘gang’ arrives.
  • Macaroni and cheese: Start with the regular Mac and cheese. Put it in a slow cooker so that it stays warm as you set up toppings like ground beef, buffalo chicken, grilled chicken, pork, chilli, spicy sausage, and bacon. Then your visitors can scoop some mac and cheese and then top it with what they want.
  • Baked Ziti: Mix baked ziti with some sausage and pasta. Then blend that with some gooey cheese, and you have something that everybody can enjoy freely. Hold any spare pans in a warm oven, so that they don’t get cold.

Sandwiches

Sandwiches are another option when dealing with large groups. They are tasty, and everyone can personalize their dish to match their desire. You can opt for the regular meat sandwich or do hot sandwiches (a great idea, your guests will definitely love it).

Sandwich options:
  • Sausage sandwiches:
  • Pulled Pork:
  • Sloppy Joes:

Homemade Pizza

Prepare different types of pizza at home to appeal to different tastes. The best idea is to make cheese pizza and then add single topping pieces like pepperoni and sausage. Additional toppings like various types of cheeses and assorted cheese will also take your pizza a notch higher. Bake at least two pieces at a time to save time and then cut them into slices, so more guests can eat them while you bake the remaining ones. Assemble the pizza a few hours before the party starts and then store them in your fridge for easy baking. Also, pre-bake the crusts before you top them to save time.

Cooking With Large Crowd Tips

Choosing easy to cook recipes is just the first step in preparing food for large groups. There are more;

Plan the menu: Prior planning helps you shop for all the required ingredients and manage the preparation and cooking stages correctly. A team building cooking class in California can help you learn more about how to do with this.

Choose options that you are familiar with: You will have an easier time if you are preparing something that you already have an idea about. Chances of making mistakes with a new recipe are very high, so go for old favorites. You will be glad you did!

Prep Food: Do most of the work a day before the event. Making sauces, chopping ingredients, washing produce and peeling veggies are things you can do 24 hours earlier.

Go simple: Keep everything simple to minimize your stress levels. Large group cooking classes teach more on this along with knife skills.

Use slow cooker: It is an excellent tool for preparing dishes and keeping them warm. You can also keep meats, soups, appetizers, and dips in the device.

Accept help: Though it might feel awkward to accept help from large group cooking classes, and guests as well, then feel free to give them simple tasks here and there. This will help you work faster and minimize your stress load.

Wrapping it up

Still not sure of where to start or how to go about it? Large group cooking classes can also help. There are many large group cooking classes available in Oakland and Berkeley, CA. Now At the end of it all, when you throw a party or organize an important event, have fun! Enjoy the process, and you will have it easy. Of course, it may not seem like it is possible at first, but these tips can do the magic. The experience will be bliss once you crack it!

Friday, January 17, 2020

Why Preschool Education is Important for Your Child

Why Preschool Education is Important for Your Child

Montessori preschool - Fremont West


Quality Fremont Preschool Education: Insurance for Future Success

Every parent wants his or her child to be happy, accepted and capable. A quality preschool education is an important foundation toward meeting these goals. A preschool education will give your child the opportunity to:

  • Experience a constructive routine that leads to a positive attitude toward learning. 
  • Develop vocabulary skills in a wide variety of subject areas. 
  • Participate in activities that cultivate both large muscle coordination and fine motor skills. 
  • Learn information in new and interesting ways. 
  • Communicate with both adults and students as they participate in social interactions. 
  • Gain self-confidence in the ability to think and solve problems. 


It is well known that a child develops 85% of his or her intellect, personality and skills before the age of five. A quality preschool education stimulates your child's brain and allows it to develop to its full potential.

The benefits of a quality preschool education are immediate and also long lasting. Research shows that children who received early learning demonstrated increased intellectual development, improved health and positive behaviors. The Brookings Institute on Children and Family documented that children with early childhood education also showed improvement in later years. This included higher graduation rates, less need for special education classes and fewer incidents of criminal behavior. A Rutgers University professor emphasized it this way, "for many children, preschool programs can mean the difference between failing and passing, regular or special education, staying out of trouble or becoming involved in crime and delinquency, dropping out or graduating from high school."

You have the change to share a constructive experience with your child. As a supportive, involved preschool parent you are making a commitment to your child's future. Your child's preschool education will give him or her a great start in life-long skills-- reading, thinking, interacting, problem solving and language. This is the best insurance for your child's future success.

Montessori Children’s House, a Fremont preschool, has provided exceptional education to preschool children since 1998. Their teachers are dedicated to planting life long seeds of learning. Montessori Education focuses on eight traits: independence, confidence, self-discipline, intrinsic motivation, acute sensory perception, academic achievement, spiritual awareness and responsible citizenship. For more information about the program, contact Montessori Children’s House.

References: 
Barnett, Steven W. "Long-Term Effects of Early Childhood Programs on Cognitive and School Outcomes,"(http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/docs/05_03_01.pdf).

Isaacs, Julia B. and Emily Roessel. "Impacts of Early Childhood Programs." ( http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2008/09/early-programs-isaacs).
Elementary Montessori: Successful People who Credit their Achievement to their Montessori Education

Elementary Montessori: Successful People who Credit their Achievement to their Montessori Education



For more than a century, Montessori education has played a part in teaching students to think critically, enjoy learning, and to have the courage and curiosity to take on new ideas in creative ways. Several of the most successful men in internet technology attended Montessori schools, along with performers of both genders, and even a Nobel Prize recipient.


The World’s Most Famous Diarist

When her family moved from Germany to the Netherlands in 1938, Anne Frank was enrolled in a Montessori school, where she was encouraged to learn and practice her love for writing. According to a fellow Montessori classmate, Anne enjoyed writing and was possibly headed toward a career in the field of journalism. Unfortunately, World War II erupted, and Jewish families like Anne’s were forced to flee or go underground. Today, that little girl’s diary has become one of the most harrowing descriptions of the terror and mistreatment suffered by people during the short reign of the Third Reich.


Montessori’s Effect on Technology

Quite a few of the people involved in the technology behind today’s internet attended Montessori schools in their youth and attribute at least some of their success to the Montessori method. Here are four famously successful people who have played a hand in modern technology:


·        Jeff Bezos - The founder of Amazon, a major player in online shopping, began his education in a Montessori preschool setting. Today, Jeff is among the most successful men in the world.
·        Will Wright - Will Wright learned the importance of combining play with education from the Montessori method. He would go on to design the popular SimCity games, as well as The Sims, and Spore.
·        Larry Page and Sergey Brin - The founders of Google both attended Montessori schools in their childhood. Today, their creative brainchild, Google, is consider the #1 best company to work for in Canada, and ranks #2 for the same title in the United States. Google’s unique algorithms have transformed how we search for information, use maps, and among other impacts on internet technology.


Creativity and the Montessori Method

Montessori’s focus on creativity and personal application has also led to successful roles in music and acting. Two examples of creativity inspired by the Montessori method are Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs (also known as P. Diddy), and actress Dakota Fanning, who credits Montessori education with learning to read at the early age of 2. Julia Child, a world famous cook, once said that Montessori taught her that it was okay to make mistakes so long as you never stop trying.


Montessori and People With Global Influence

Credited with influencing the direction of modern literature, Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s autobiography discusses Montessori education and how “its teachers stimulated the five senses by means of practical exercises, and taught singing.” Montessori is also admired by royalty, such as Princess Diana’s children Princes William and Harry, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Montessori education has a profound and lasting effect on those who attend its school, specifically starting at a young age.  Maria Montessori believed in education children with skills and lessons used throughout their lifetime, methods still used by the Montessori School of Pleasanton today.  To learn more about Montessori education and our programs, contact us today.