With a few basic cooking skills and some common kitchen staples, you can cook a variety of foods in your kitchen. Try some of these basic recipes using flour, and learn more about the Youth Can Cook program.

Youth Can Cook

The Youth Can Cook program is a multi-tiered life skills and job-readiness program. Eligible youth will be provided with food-related education, healthy relationship tips and be connected to career opportunities, by completing the Food Safety Manager Certification and through a paid internship. 

As part of the Youth Can Cook program, teens learn about basic cooking skills. With the combination of basic cooking skills and staple ingredients, the options are endless. Staple ingredients are ingredients commonly used for a variety of recipes. Today we are focusing on the staple ingredient, flour.

Cooking with Flour

Do you have a lot of flour but are not sure what to do with it? Flour is a kitchen staple that many people have on hand. It is a diverse ingredient used for making sauces, desserts, and tortillas. Here are a few recipes that don’t take long and might have you thinking outside of your normal routine! The following recipes call for whole wheat flour; feel free to use half whole wheat flour and half white flour, or just white flour for these recipes.

Homemade Tortillas

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ C. whole-wheat flour
• ½ C. oil
• 1 t. salt
• 1 C. water heated in microwave for 1 minute

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer set with a dough hook, pour in the flour, oil, and salt. Beat with the paddle until crumbly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed. If your hand-held mixer comes with dough hooks, those can be used as well.
2. With the mixer running, gradually add the warm water and continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Take out the dough and divide it into 12 equal-sized pieces. I do this by making the dough into a big log shape that is about 8 – 10 inches long. Then I cut it in the middle. Then I cut each of those pieces in the middle and so on until you have 12 pieces.
4. Using the palms of your hand, roll each piece into a round ball and flatten it out on a baking tray or board. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour.
5. Heat a cast iron skillet, griddle or 12-inch skillet over med-high heat. The pan should be fairly hot before you begin cooking the tortillas.
6. On a lightly floured board or counter top, use a rolling pin to turn each ball into an 8-to-10 inch flat circle (measure against your recipe if printed on a 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper). Be careful not to use more than a teaspoon or two of flour when rolling out each ball into a tortilla because too much excess flour will burn in the pan.
7. Grease the pan with a touch of oil (or ghee) and then carefully transfer each tortilla, one at a time, to the pan and cook until puffy and slightly brown, about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Set aside on a plate to cool slightly. Eat within an hour, refrigerate or freeze.

Recipe from: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/recipe-whole-wheat-tortillas/

Homemade Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

• 2 C. whole-wheat flour
• 1 ½ T. yeast
• 1 t. salt
• 1 ½ t. sugar
• ¾ C. water
• 1 t. canola oil (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add water and oil and mix well to incorporate flour mixture. Form dough into ball. Let rise 10 minutes while covered with a clean towel.
4. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out into a pizza crust shape.
5. Place on prepared pizza pan or baking sheet. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Recipe from: Food $ense program

Homemade Pretzels

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 C. warm water
• 2 t. salt
• 1 package fast acting yeast
• 2 ¼ C. all-purpose flour
• 2 ¼ C. whole-wheat flour
• 4 T. butter
• ¼ C. honey
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 C. water
• 1/3 C. baking soda (for boiling water)
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 T. water
• Salt

Instructions:

1. Combine the water, salt, yeast, flour, butter, and honey.
2. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, and prepare a second bowl by rubbing vegetable oil along the inside.
4. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
6. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
7. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan.
8. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope.
9. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.
10. Place onto the parchment-lined, half-sheet pan.
11. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, one by one, for 30 seconds.
12. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula.
13. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with salt.
14. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe from: http://honestcooking.com/honey-whole-wheat-pretzels/

This article was written by Katie Kapp, Youth Can Cook Program Coordinator with Utah State University Extension Salt Lake County

Make your kids feel valued and loved by spending one-on-one time with them. Here are some ideas to get you started.

As a young adult, some of my favorite memories were when I had one-on-one time with my parents. Even now when I go home, I cherish the time when my mom and I run to the gas station to get drinks. The moments you spend with your kids will impact them in many positive ways. Here are six ideas of ways to spend quality time with your kids.

1. Take them on a date. The first Christmas after I had moved away from home, my Christmas present from my dad was a date with him before I went back to the craziness of school. We went to dinner at my favorite restaurant then bowling. It was a good time for us to talk about how school was going, my plans for the future, etc.  

2. Take them to run an errand with you. This can be as simple as going to the gas station to fill the tank. This gives you an opportunity to talk in the car. This can also be a teaching opportunity. For example, teach them how to pump the gas.

3. Go on a trip with them. My parents took us each on a week-long graduation trip. They would  plan activities that were of particular interest to us. Since I love the theatre, my parents took me to see Fiddler on the Roof. It was a great experience to watch a show I have always loved the music to, but had never seen.

4. Plan a family vacation. Though it’s a family trip, you can still make one-on-one time with each child. My mom and I are not big hikers while my dad and sisters are. So while they would hike, my mom and I would play card games together. Another example is going on a walk with one child before everyone else gets up.

5. Birth day date. This idea is taken from the blog Your Modern Family. Each month, on the day the child was born, he or she gets to stay up an extra 20-30 minutes and chooses a special activity. For example, if your child was born on May 15, then on the 15th of every month it is his or her night to stay up. These activities are best when electronic free and can include such things as going for a walk, baking easy cookies, playing a board game, etc.

6. Surprise your kids. Whether it is bringing lunch to school or getting ice cream together, there are many ways to spend one-on-one time with kids. This helps them know you love them, are a support system for them and that they can talk to you about anything. When they are younger, make an effort to spend one-on-one time with each of them. It can be tucking them into bed, after school homework time, etc. Put the phone away and focus on them. Your undivided attention will make them truly feel loved and appreciated.

This article was written by Kayla Orton, Utah State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Intern, Salt Lake County

Help prepare your older children to be responsible babysitters with these tips and ideas.

Is your son or daughter interested in babysitting? It’s important to help youth understand that watching kids is a big responsibility, and keeping them safe adds to their duties. Here are ideas to discuss with them to help keep the children they tend safe.

• Always wear and reapply sunscreen. As a general guideline, the SPF number is the number of minutes you can go before you need to reapply the sunscreen.

• Keep your eyes on the children at all times when you are around water, including ponds and swimming pools. Kids can get hurt even on slip and slides, so keep your eyes out for possible danger.
• Be aware of hot cement. The cement can often get so hot that it burns the kids’ feet. If you want to have fun with sidewalk chalk, find a shady part of the sidewalk where children can draw their creations.
• Be aware of strangers. Play in the backyard as much as possible. If this is not possible, keep an eye out for strangers and suspicious vehicles.
• Drink plenty of water, especially if you are outside and sweating and losing water. Both you and the kids need to stay hydrated.
• Be aware of the temperature outside. If it is above 90 degrees, it is probably safer to find something to do inside.
• Prepare simple snacks that are healthy and safe. Make sure vegetables, fruits and hot dogs are cut up in small pieces. Don’t give children a treat on a stick unless they are sitting down to eat it. Running around and eating food on a stick could cause them to fall and jam the stick in their throat.
• Have a first aid kit handy.
• Have fun and be safe!

Another responsibility a babysitter has is dealing with tantrums, bad behavior and irrationality. These behaviors can often be handled through a time out. Attached is a recipe for a glitter “calm down jar” that also doubles as a timer. As kids focus on the settling glitter, it helps them calm down. Once all the glitter settles, the time out is over. It can be found here. Your youth may want to add a “calm down jar”  to their babysitting kit.

This article was written by Kayla Orton, Intern with Utah State University Extension – Salt Lake County

4-H Aggie Adventures and Summer Camps are great for all kids over the summer. They are entertaining, fun and interactive. Youth love attending the camps and you will love knowing that they are making friends and learning over the summer!

Looking for an Adventure?

Learning. Discovery. Engagement. Sound like a great way for kids to spend the summer? Then Aggie Adventures and Summer Camps might be for you!

4-H Aggie Adventures and Summer Camps for Kids are educational day camps for children and youth in first through eighth grades in Utah. All camps emphasize hands-on learning and explore a variety of subjects including archeology, robotics, art, history, astronomy and more! Click on over to find a camp location in your area.