Monday morning got off to a great start, thanks to a bunch of boys who like to cook.  In our "Sunday Brunch" class, the boys made homemade applesauce, pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs.  

• The homemade applesauce was a hit! None of the boys had made applesauce before, and they were surprised how easy it was to make. We started out by washing and tasting a few varieties of apples, and then peeled, cut, and cored the apples. They went into a pot with some fresh squeezed lemon juice and a cinnamon stick. They boys licked the lemons after squeezing them and we had a few sour faces! They took turns stirring the apples on the stove every 5 minutes, and after they turned tender, they turned off the heat and used an immersion blender to create the sauce. A masher of any kind would work too.

• The boys each made their own batch of pancakes so that we could try the difference between those made with different amounts of white and whole wheat flour (my kiddos are used to all whole-wheat). They measured out all of the ingredients and even tasted some! They did not like the buttermilk, but it did make good pancakes! The boys operated the stove by themselves, poured their own batter circles, and flipped their own pancakes. Success!

• The boys were eager to make bacon! We cooked it in the oven to free up the stove for our eggs and pancakes, and to avoid making a mess. You can cook it on a cookie rack or broiler pan, with foil underneath to catch all the grease. The boys did a great job laying the strips of bacon out on the sheets.

• They were all familiar with making scrambled eggs. We added a bit of milk to make them a bit fluffier, and they operate the stove and did all the work!

At the end of our class, the boys sat down to a delicious brunch!  They thought the homemade applesauce was great.  One boy said at the beginning of class that he didn't like pancakes and wasn't going to eat them. But after making them himself, he ate nearly a whole pancake!  It sounds a lot like my son, who didn't like certain foods until he started making them by himself.  Happy cooking!