Prepare nutritious, quick meals while having fun with friends
By Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Angela Burkham, 806-677-5600, ABurkham@ag.tamu.edu
AMARILLO – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is offering a new program that will allow the expert cooks as well as beginners to learn to prepare easy, nutritious meals in advance and promote more family meal time and money savings.
“Cooking with Friends” is a way to learn healthier cooking habits and save time and money when it comes to putting a meal on the table, said Dr. Angela Burkham, AgriLife Extension regional program director for family and consumer sciences in the North Region.
The program features four sessions a year, Burkham said. The sessions will be offered in Deaf Smith, Potter, Lynn, Baylor, Knox and Young counties in the month of May. All will teach four concepts – freezer basics and safety, grilling, gluten-free foods and “slow-cooker 101.”
Contact the individual county AgriLife Extension office to find out more details about time, date, place and associated costs at each location.
Participants will make five meals at each session that can be frozen, Burkham said. The trainers will discuss side dishes that would be good for the different main dishes they prepare. Most of the dishes will be geared toward the evening meal, but some will also be appropriate for lunch and breakfast.
Participants will be provided a shopping list in advance of each session, which they can adapt to include ingredients they choose to fit their family likes and dislikes, she said.
“If you do the prep ahead of time, all you have to do is pop it in the oven, and it fits in with today’s busy schedules that we all face,” Burkham said.
-30-