Winston Banks, 12, and his sister, Laila, 11, hadn’t even heard of quiche 10 days ago. Now, not only are the 4-H youth and Columbus Middle School students genned up on the dish, they cooked it during Thanksgiving holidays for their parents, Alphonso and Minnie Banks. They’re eager to make it during the Christmas break, too.
“What I liked most was mixing all the ingredients up together and seeing how it tasted at the end,” said Winston, who baked a four-cheese quiche for the family. Laila made a sausage quiche. Their quiche skills and confidence are courtesy of a Food for Fun holiday cooking class for 4-H members they took part in Nov. 19 at the Mississippi State University Extension Service office in Lowndes County. It was taught by “Ms. Jane” — Extension Agent and Community Wellness Planner Jane Chamblee.
The Pontotoc native joined the Lowndes County Extension team in September, bringing with her a roster of programs to implement locally that are designed to improve the nutrition and health of children and families. They include Direct Education — nutrition lessons taught to third through fifth grades in area schools; Smarter Lunchrooms — which works with school lunchrooms to promote healthier choices; Community and School Gardens — helping schools, churches and clubs develop gardens; Cooking Matters — a series of cooking lessons for adults; and Today’s Mom — a six-lesson series to improve nutrition of new moms and unborn babies.
She’ll also work on a Happy Healthy social marketing campaign, a statewide effort to improve nutrition and increase physical activity. Chamblee conducted these programs in Pontotoc County during the past nine years.
Hands on
For the recent cooking class, Chamblee focused on four basic quiche recipes.
“I chose quiche for the kids to learn to cook because these are excellent recipes for the holidays that are quick and nutritious for families. A quiche can be a great breakfast or anytime dish,” said Chamblee.
Her own mother and grandmother helped the Extension agent with her early cooking skills. “But it never really made sense until I had kids of my own, until I realized how important it was that they eat what they need to grow and to be healthy.” said Chamblee, who talked with class participants about nutrition and food groups.
Sixth-grader Laila Banks said, “She explained everything very clearly, and we understood it. Quiche is a French dish that has almost every type of food group in it, and it’s actually a great breakfast item, especially in the holidays. ”
Caledonia Middle School seventh-grader Kathryn McKinney, daughter of Joe and Melissa McKinney, said the hardest part of making her sausage quiche was chopping onions. “I’d never done it before,” the 12-year-old said. “The best part was getting to eat the quiche when it was done. It was really good. It made me feel proud of myself because I had made something by myself.”
As the class neared its end, participants sat down to a tasting so everyone could sample the four-cheese, sausage, spinach and quiche Lorraine they had made. Chamblee shares the four recipes today with Dispatch readers to use during the busy holidays ahead. Cooked quiche can be refrigerated for up to three days; it can be frozen as well.
Lowndes Extension Agent Sharon Patrick is pleased the class was offered. “The 4-H slogan is ‘Learn by Doing,’ and the Food for Fun class was designed to teach youth the importance of choosing healthy foods while providing hands-on experiences to gain safe kitchen skills to prepare meals to share with their families.”
Chamblee will soon be conducting more classes for youngsters, as well as adults.
“I’m excited to be in Lowndes County and look forward to improving the nutrition and health of the children, families and communities in the county,” she said.
For more information about the programs, contact the Lowndes County Extension office, 662-328-2111. For more about Extension Service resources, visit extension.msstate.edu.
FOUR-CHEESE QUICHE
9-inch pie crust
1⁄2 medium sauteed onion
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1⁄2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1⁄2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1⁄2 cup crumbled feta cheese
5 eggs
1⁄2 cup milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
SAUSAGE QUICHE
9-inch pie crust
1⁄2 medium sauteed onion
1⁄2 cup cooked sausage, drained
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
5 eggs
1⁄2 cup milk
2 tablespoons of sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
SPINACH QUICHE
9-inch pie crust
1⁄2 medium sauteed onion
1-10 ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1⁄2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1⁄2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
5 eggs
1⁄2 cup milk
2 tablespoons of sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
QUICHE LORRAINE
9-inch pie crust
1⁄2 medium sauteed onion
1⁄2 cup diced ham
1⁄2 cup sauteed mushrooms
1⁄2 cup of Swiss cheese, shredded
5 eggs
1⁄2 cup milk
2 tablespoons of sour cream Salt and pepper to taste
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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