Back to School Dinner

Calling all students, teachers, and parents...time to head back to school!  I am a teacher, so I understand how it feels to start a new school year.  Some may feel excited and others...well, not so much.  Whatever your feelings, and whether you are a teacher, a student, or parent, this dinner is sure to be a good start for a fresh, new school year!

Drink...

Jitter Juice
*Idea and recipe from Belinda R.

This is a really cute idea my friend used in her classroom to help the students get rid of their first day of school jitters.  Make up a poem about first day of school jitters to read to the class and then make the "juice" to go along with it.  When you drink the juice, all the worries disappear!  I think it would also work well for parents at home if their child is feeling a bit nervous before the start of school.  Add a little vodka and maybe it could help teachers and parents ease away their jitters too :)
Ingredients:

• Lemon-Lime Soda
• Sherbet (Belinda recommended rainbow sherbet, but Trader Joe's didn't have any.  Their Pomegranate Blueberry Sherbet was delicious in this too!)

Directions: 

1. Pour a glass 3/4 full with lemon-lime soda.  
2. Add a scoop or two of sherbet.

Dinner...

 

For this dinner I decided to create a nostalgic school cafeteria inspired dinner.  First, I thought of the types of foods we ate at school (and then tried to improve their taste and quality:), then I served the dinner in a cafeteria-style tray with divided sections like my school cafeteria used to have (I re-used the tray from a microwave dinner).

Chicken Nuggets, Imperial Style

*Recipe adapted from my mom, Maureen K.'s Imperial Chicken

Sometimes chicken nuggets are like mystery meat.  Well, these are just the opposite and are way more delicious than anything I ever ate from a cafeteria!

Ingredients:

(serves 4)

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 cup dried parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• dash of black pepper
• 4-6 tbs melted butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Blend the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl. 
2. Sauté the garlic in the melted butter for 1-2 minutes.
3. Cut the chicken breasts up into nugget-sized pieces.
4. Dip the nuggets into the melted garlic butter, then into bread crumb mixture, coating thoroughly.   
5. Drizzle any remaining butter/garlic over chicken.
6. Bake uncovered on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Best Mac n' Cheese Ever 
 Recipe from:  http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=4291479&page=1 

This macaroni and cheese recipe has bacon in it and bacon makes everything delicious, so you really can't go wrong with this one!
Ingredients:
(serves a lot...maybe 6)

• 1/2 a head of garlic
• 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 pound of Cavatappi or Macaroni pasta
• 1/4 pound sliced Applewood smoked bacon
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Romano cheese
• 4 tbs. butter
• 1/8 cup minced shallots (I used one small shallot)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 quart milk
• 3 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
• 4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dash of grated nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To roast garlic: Slice ½ inch off the top of the entire head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap garlic head tightly in a square of heavy foil and roast until tender — about 45 minutes. Remove garlic pulp by squeezing garlic head. Smash cloves with a fork to form a paste.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions.
4. Cook bacon completely. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat. Crumble bacon when cool.
5. To make topping: Combine breadcrumbs, crumbled bacon, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.
6. Preheat oven to 375°.
7. Sauté shallots over low heat in reserved bacon fat for one minute. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and continue to sauté shallots in butter and bacon fat until translucent.
8. Add flour and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Stirring constantly with a whisk, add milk and roasted garlic paste.
9. Cook until sauce is thickened (coats the back of a spoon). Remove sauce from heat then add salt, pepper, nutmeg, Gruyere and Cheddar cheeses. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
10. Stir in cooked pasta. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle topping to cover entire top (I used all the topping and it was a little too much, so maybe use less or make less). 
11. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until sauce is bubbly and topping is browned. Enjoy! 

 Fruit Salad with a Lemon-Lime Sauce

I love eating fruit with fruit dip, so I thought...why not make a fruit salad tossed in a tart fruit dip?  It turned out quite good!
Ingredients:
(serves 4)

• 1/4 package of cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup whipped cream (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 tbs. lemon juice (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 tbs. lime juice (or to taste)
• Apples (sliced thin like fries)
• Strawberries (sliced)
• Raspberries

Directions:

1.  Mix the cream cheese, whipped cream, lemon, and lime juice.
2. Add the fruit and toss.

Dessert...

Apple Cake Pops

*Recipe from Bakerella
It's a cute idea to give an apple to your teacher, but I guarantee they would prefer to get an apple made out of cake!
Ingredients:

• 1 box cake mix (I used red velvet) + the ingredients on the box to make the cake
• 1 tub of vanilla frosting
• 1 pound red melting chocolate
• Lolipop sticks
• Large round green sprinkles
• Pretzel sticks
• White fondant
• Black edible marker

Directions:

1. Bake the cake according to the directions on the box.
2. After the cake is completely cooled, crumble it using a fork until there are no more large pieces.
3. Mix in 2/3 of the frosting.
4. Form the cake/frosting mixture into balls, pressing the top and bottom with your finger to create an apple shape.
5. Place the cake balls in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
6. Melt the chocolate in the microwave.  I melt it in a mug because you need it to be at least 3 inches deep for dipping.
7. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick into the melted frosting and then insert halfway into a cake ball.
8. Dip the cake ball into the melted frosting covering completely.  
9. Gently tap the lollipop stick to let the excess chocolate drip off.
10. Put part of a pretzel stick in the top of the cake pop.
11. Add 1/2 a green dot sprinkle for the leaf.
12. Put the cake pop in a block of Styrofoam or a piece of cardboard with holes punched in it so the pop stands up to dry.
13. Once dry, add fondant eyes and draw on the facial features.

Good Luck in the New School Year!

This dinner is a bit involved, but is well worth it.  I made the cake pops the day before and then did the prep work (like cutting things up and measuring ingredients) earlier in the day to help things move more smoothly.  After eating this dinner you will be ready to conquer anything the new school year brings you!