Cheryl Cawley’s Life Skills class at Mid Valley Secondary Center moved into a new classroom this fall, one with a spacious and fully equipped kitchen.
So far, Mrs. Cawley, her aide, Anna Jean “Jijjy” Rebar, and the students have made good use of the kitchen, producing an ever-growing list of tasty dishes, including Pumpkin Cookies.
That recipe was chosen the winner of this week’s Local Flavor: Recipes We Love, earning the class a $100 gift card from Ray’s ShurSave Supermarkets, which has locations in Old Forge, Waymart, Factoryville and Montrose. Mrs. Cawley plans to take the students on a field trip to Ray’s in the near future to make use of the gift card.
Mrs. Cawley had cooked with her special-needs students in the past, but the kitchen has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for the class: Joe Milo, 16; Ryan Hopkins, 19; Alex Searfoss, 15; Jessica May, 16; Anthony Torres, 18; Matthew Matassa, 14; Dallys Balendy. 14; and Tara Salamone, 15.
It’s all part of Mrs. Cawley’s goal to teach the students functional independent-living skills that will benefit them as adults. And Mrs. Cawley makes certain to incorporate math, reading and writing elements into the culinary instruction.
“I want to teach them these skills so they can take care of themselves later in life,” she said.
The school’s family and consumer sciences teacher, Lorna Engler, gave Mrs. Cawley the Pumpkin Cookies recipe. The cookies came out great the first time the class made them, so much so that Mrs. Cawley decided to submit the recipe to Local Flavor.
“It’s so easy. And we’d like to share it with the community,” she said.
Last week, the class produced a big batch. The cookies were soft and moist, and the glaze on top had just the right amount of sweetness. They were, as Joe put it, “amazing.”
The best part is, every student had a chance to contribute to the cookies’ preparation.
“Some of us measured the ingredients. And some of us did the mixing,” Joe said. “Everyone got to do something.”
Asked what the best part of the process is, Anthony replied, without hesitation, “Tasting it.”
The class has also prepared, or will soon prepare, a number of other dishes, including pizza, tacos, soup, meatballs, grilled cheese, baked apples and macaroni and cheese.
“Lunch, dinner, snacks — we do everything,” Mrs. Cawley said. “Things that are so functional. And they freeze well, too.”
They recently made halupki, aka pigs in the blanket. Beforehand, some of the students told Mrs. Cawley they didn’t like the dish. However, the results were unanimously positive upon its completion.
“They devoured them,” Mrs. Cawley said.
“I like them now,” Joe said.
One thing we can pretty much guarantee is that you’ll love the Pumpkin Cookies.
Contact the writer: jmcauliffe@timesshamrock.com, @jmcauliffeTT on Twitter
Pumpkin Cookies courtesy of Cheryl Cawley’s Life Skills class at Mid Valley Secondary Center
Cookies
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Glaze
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Mix in the dry ingredients.
Drop batter by the tablespoon on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool.
For glaze: Combine all ingredients until smooth and of drizzling consistency. Drizzle on cookies.
