The Chocolate Chippiest Summer School: Auntie Jamie's Little Sobrina School of Cooking

This part of summer always makes me think of The Great Gatsby. The connection between my reality and the classic is obscure, really, but Fitzgerald is able to make the feeling of summer -- and the way you can smell it, see it, sense it wane -- palpable. I'm certainly missing my Quito crowd, but a bit of apprehension of the near "nos vemos" is building. The beauty, though, in navigating between two worlds, is that when I'm home, staying in the present is nearly effortless. Time is fleeting always, but my awareness of that, and in turn, my recognition of the preciousness of each day, is quite keen now, at least for these sultry days that are too quickly melting into fall.

Really, the summer has been chalked full of playtime, and my favorite among the precious moments has been the time I've spent with my Chica Littles in the kitchen, conducting baking lessons at my very own Auntie Jamie's Little Sobrina School of Cooking.

If you ever have a hankering for a tasty treat, do read on, I'm about to share some delectable recipes, and even sweeter photos.

Recipe #1: Avocado Mint Cream Bars

My favorite sonrisas are made of chocolate, and some of it did manage to make its way onto the top of the bars. Full disclosure: the sobrinitas did not give this dessert rave reviews, but my palate was quite pleased. 

Recipe #2: Quinoa Coconut Granola Bars

You may want to eat the whole pan in one sitting.

Recipe #3: Almond Butter-Quinoa Blondies

This was one of Bapa's favorites! The blondies were nearly gone moments after their appearance onto the kitchen counter...and we made them several times. 

Recipe #4: Blueberry Muffins

One of the best things about this summer school: learning in our pjs. 

I found the concentration on her face each time she began mixing pretty priceless. 

Recipe #4: Carrot Muffins

These earned a big thumbs up from Jenn's 2-year-old son, Jay. He does also like sardines, but I think it's safe to say that kiddos and grown-ups alike could happily devour one or two of these fruit and veggie packed snacks. 

Recipe #5: Veggie Muffins

These muffins become meat and cheese sandwiches, and the way that Natalie was devouring them made my heart happy. 

poem by Ken Nesbitt, slight changes made by Auntie Jamie

My auntie ate my homework,

which I thought was rather odd.

She sniffed at it and smiled

with an approving sort of nod.

She took a little nibble --

it's unusual, but true --

then had a somewhat larger bite

and gave a thoughtful chew.

I think she must have liked it,

for she really went to town.

She gobbled it with gusto

and she wolfed the whole thing down.

She licked off all her fingers,

gave a burp and said, "You pass."

I guess that's how she grades you

when you're in her cooking class.

Recipe #6: Pink Cookie Dough Balls

Beets. The Chica Littles will eat beets if they come in tandem with chocolate chips. I felt so victorious. I just felt like...#winning.

Recipe #7: Fruit and Veggie Kabobs (whichever frutas y veduras fits your fancy here)

Cooking with and for friends makes food extra fun. Anah's chicitas, Grace and Leah, are as cute as they come, and we had a great time artistically creating our fare this day.

Recipe #8: Chocolate Cupcakes

After weeks of healthy treats, we concluded this summer's classes with cupcakes that aren't pretending to be particularly nutritious, but delicious all the same. In fact, in spite of a number of guests at the Baci's Bed and Breakfast, a couple survived the night. I'll be right back...

All summer, Izzy was into trying out new skills and flavors. She loves to crack the eggs...and taste bare vanilla and cinnamon.

Gia Boo was into the tangible math of it all.

#cupcakeassemblyline #workingtogether #learningtogether #baciblood #welovetoeat

As I often do with my high school students, I conducted a little exit survey at the end of our classes. I first asked las sobrinas what they had learned over the course of our baking sessions. Gia responded that she knew there was a 4 on the 1/4 cup and Nat said that now she knew there was such a thing as a 1/4 cup and a 1/3 cup. The following question was "What was your favorite part of baking?" Natalie immediately replied with "The brownies!" while Gia quickly followed with "Cupcakes and carrot muffins!" Huh. Absent was the "Hanging out with my auntie!" or "Learning from the best chef in the world!" Have you ever...fished for a compliment? I was doing just that, as I knew my response to "What was your favorite part of baking?" was "Hanging out with the coolest kids on the block and beyond." I don't often write questions for primary students, so I thought perhaps I just needed to reword the question and try again. "Okay, chicas, what was the coolest thing about cooking this summer?" Cool being the operative word here, of course, as I mean, cool? That's shmee.

Well, I still didn't get quite what I was digging for, but if Natalie thinks carrot muffins are super cool and Giatta simply thinks bananas and chocolate chips and carrots are the bees knees, I really cannot pout about it. These Littles are learning to bake with love, just as I learned to do from my grandmothers.

It's a good thing seasons are cyclical and the freshness of a new summer will come back around. Planning for next year is what keeps me from turning into a puddle right now. Teachers try not to play favorites, but the Chica Littles son las estudiantes que quiero el mejor.