Kids cooking class, fresh pasta & meatballs

Back in October over Maisie’s birthday weekend, she and I attended a kids cooking class at a local Italian restaurant.  We both had a fabulous time doing the class together and we’ve been wanting to do a class again but with the holiday season the classes were on hold.  Finally after months of patiently waiting the restaurant started up classes and today was the first one.  Last time we made calzones and today it was fresh pasta and meatballs, both were delicious and great fun.

Just like last time, when we first arrived there were Toque chef’s hats for the children to decorate.

Maisie contemplating how to decorate her hat.

The room was set up with three work stations, a buffet area and tables where we’d eat our lunch.  The work stations were for making the pasta dough, for rolling out and forming the pasta and for making the meatballs.  The children rotated through each station so that they all had the opportunity to make each component.

Chef Maisie waiting to learn how to make meatballs.

Off with the hat, sleeves rolled up, gloves on and working on mixing the ingredients for her meatballs.  Each child rolled their meat and put their meatballs into marked containers so that they could bring them home to cook later.

Next Maisie worked on making the pasta dough.  Here she is working next to Executive Chef Brown, starting her dough.

Making her “volcano”.

Learning how to mix in the eggs.   Maisie’s obviously not too sure about this part.

She does it though, working the eggs into the flour.  

The dough is coming together.

Kneading her dough. 

Giving it some welly.

Maisie with her completed dough ball.

Her final station was to actually form the pasta.  Here she is flattening out her dough ball.

Rolling her dough and trying not to catch the giant gloves in the rollers, which she ended up doing three times.

Concentrating on cutting the pasta.   Once all the children made the pasta, it was portioned out so that everyone could take some home.

After all the children rotated through the three prep stations the buffet was opened up and we all enjoyed a lunch of fresh baked bread, salad, fried zucchini, ziti with marinara, meatballs, pasta with chicken & mushrooms, fried mozzarella, fresh fruit, fresh baked cookies and brownies and a few other things which I can’t remember but they were all delicious.  After our meal we gathered up Maisie’s container of meatballs, her potion of pasta, a container of marinara sauce, all the recipes, a gift of measuring spoons, her apron & hat and we headed home, full and tired.

Maisie played for a while and then was ready to try the meatballs and pasta that she made so we cooked everything according to the directions given.

Maisie tasting the pasta and meatballs that she made.

The food rates a thumbs up!

Baba & Maisie enjoying the dinner that Maisie made.  I tried the pasta and fresh pasta totally rocks!  I don’t eat meatballs but both Maisie and Eammon said they were wonderful.

It was another really fun day with my girl and we’re looking forward to the next time we take a cooking class together, just three weeks away!