At this summer camp run by grandmas, kids learn cooking skills and life advice
'When I was growing up my mom used to make this a lot,' she says, showing a chicken stir fry recipe.
At this 'Intergenerational Summer Camp' in a Southern California suburb, the grandmas are in charge. Every week, they taught a group of 8-to-14-year-olds how to cook a new dish and a do a handicraft such as sewing, embroidering, clay jewelry and card marking.
' Isolation and loneliness is something that seniors are challenged with, and they love having younger people around them,' said Zainab Hussain, a program manager at Olive Community Services, a nonprofit aimed at bringing older adults together that hosted the camp.
The camp was held at a community center in Fullerton, a city in Orange County that's home to a large Arab population, and many of the campers and grandmas come from those communities. In between activities, the small room bustled with energy as the girls chatted and munched on snacks. Some of the volunteer grandmas milled around and watched, content to just be around the youngsters.
In July, during the final week of camp, Janna Moten and her friends were learning how to use a sewing machine and make pouches.
'Slowly, slowly,' one grandma chided as Moten stomped on the machine's pedal, causing the needle to rapidly jerk up and down.
She pressed her foot down again, gingerly, and managed to sew a straight line.
'Honestly, I'm just here for the food,' the 9 year old quipped. Still, she beamed as she showed the two pieces of fabric she sewed together and turned inside out, forming a rectangular pocket.
Moten said she's been practicing hand-stitching at home after learning embroidery a previous week.
' Sewing 's pretty easy, it's just hard keeping the lines straight,' she said. She added that her own grandma was stricter than the ones at summer camp.
Haqiqah Abdul Rahim, the instructor for sewing, said many kids don't learn these skills at school anymore through home economics classes, so they're 'filling in a gap.'
She stood in front of the room at the start of the activity, holding up various tools and explaining what they were: seam roller, thread snipper, rotary fabric cutter.
Rahim also doesn't get to spend a lot of time with her grandchildren because they don't live close.
'It is heartwarming to be able to interact with those who love being around you,' Rahim said.
The kids have learned about kitchen safety and how to cook with a grandma's touch — such as mixing spices with water before adding them to a dish so they don't burn, or using fresh turmeric.
The summer camp was held in partnership with the Golden Connections Club, started by high school student Leena Albinali last year to foster interactions between teens and elders.
The 14-year-old lives with her grandma but realized other students didn't have the same opportunity to spend as much time with their grandparents. She also learned about ageism and other challenges faced by senior adults in one of her classes.
At monthly lunches, they invite seniors to the school and discuss topics where both groups can learn from each other, Albinali said.
'They treat us like we're their grandchildren,' she said. The teens share what they know about artificial intelligence and its impact on their lives, and the elders share life stories and advice.
One of the most important things they've shared with her is to live in the moment, something that's taken on new meaning for her.
'The people we have right now, they're not going to be with us forever,' she said.
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The Guardian
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Frying solo? 20 pantry, fridge and freezer essentials for single households
A decade ago I put together a Running Away from Home Cookbook as a gentle nudge to one of my millennial chicks. Too gentle as it turned out – 10 years later I was the one who left home. After a lifetime of cooking for the multitudes, I have adapted to cooking for one. It's been both a relief and a revelation. Single householders aged 65 and over are increasing as a proportion of the population. I am one of that large cohort. Whatever the circumstances, people living solo – whether alone or in a share house – can eat well and inexpensively. By making the most of whatever pantry, fridge and freezer space is at your disposal, you can prepare something nutritious and delicious. Limited bench, cooktop and oven space can still produce the best kind of fast food. The fewer ingredients and steps, the less kitchen real estate and hardware required. What follows are cook-to-survive recipes, with pantry items that speed up the process, such as ready-to-use minced ginger, crushed garlic and microwaveable rice. Pick and choose accordingly. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Oil Olives Good quality anchovies Vinegar Tinned tomatoes Coconut cream Tinned tuna Chickpeas Dukkah Pasta, noodles and rice Olive oil is the oil of choice if pasta is your go-to cupboard meal. Light olive oil has a higher smoke point than extra-virgin olive oil and can be used in cooking and for dressings. Nut and sesame oils have a more limited shelf life and are generally used in smaller quantities, so buy small and check the use-by date regularly. The oil from marinated olives or cheeses can be used to make Swedish crispbread, in dressings or drizzled over roasted vegetables for antipasto. Good-quality anchovies are more subtle in taste than their less expensive cousins and are the foundation for an excellent pasta sauce when mixed with oil, lemon, garlic, rosemary and any other fresh herbs. Add them as a tuna alternative to leftover steamed or baked potatoes, tomatoes (chopped or cherry), boiled eggs, black olives, green beans and capsicums with a drizzle of oil and vinegar for a delicious salade niçoise. If tinned, in glass or in a vacuum-sealed pack, any leftover anchovies can be divided up and frozen in usable quantities. Balsamic vinegar can be used on its own or combined with oil to dress salads and roast vegetables. Rice wine vinegar is used extensively in Asian cooking, and can be used at a pinch as a substitute for white, white wine and apple cider vinegars. Tinned chickpeas and diced or pureed tomatoes are great for soups and curries. Any leftover tomato can be microwaved (lid on) in five-minute bursts to reduce and thicken to make a great pizza base either on its own or combined with fresh herbs or pesto. Dukkah, a spicy mix of cumin, coriander, almonds and sesame seeds, is an essential weapon in my cooking armoury. Try dipping some good bread first in a pot of good olive oil, then in a pot of dukkah. Or split round pita bread in half, brush or spray with olive oil and sprinkle dukkah generously over the top, then bake in a 180C oven until golden brown and crispy. Serve warm or allow to cool and seal in an airtight container. It will last for up to a week. I use coconut cream powder as a space-efficient alternative to the tinned version. When mixed with water, or the hot liquid from whatever you're cooking, it doubles as a thickener so you get all the coconut flavour you want without watering down the sauce. Pasta, noodles and rice are must-have items in my pantry. I prefer the old-fashioned environment-friendly absorption method of cooking rice but have been known to keep a pouch or two of microwaveable rice handy for emergencies. Minced ginger Roasted garlic Parmesan, grated or block Pesto Mayonnaise Stir-fry sauce Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion To my taste buds, commercial minced ginger is an acceptable substitute for fresh and I love the added zing it gives a stir-fry. For those who don't like the taste of commercial crushed garlic in a jar, roasted garlic is a delicious alternative that will keep for weeks in a sealed container in the fridge and can be squeezed out of their cloves as required. Whenever the oven is on, I throw in a whole garlic or two and leave it there for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the garlic cloves are soft and squishy. I'm a fan of freshly grated parmesan, but for the time poor, you can't beat pre-grated commercial parmesan. A block can last for weeks if kept in sealed plastic in the fridge. I still haven't found a commercial pesto that doesn't have an unpleasant aftertaste so I make my own. I either bottle it in small jars and seal each with a top layer of oil to make it airtight, or freeze it in ice cube trays. With a space-saving mincing wand and any old combination of basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts and olive oil (with or without parmesan) a world of lightning-fast meals-for-one opens up to you. Try these pesto baked eggs for one. Give me a good-quality store-bought mayonnaise and I'll show you a shortcut to happiness. Mix it with boiled eggs and a really good curry mix and lather it on excellent bread, with or without rocket. Or add some of that roasted garlic and serve it as aioli with leftover meat, seafood, roast vegetables, boiled eggs. Nagi Maehashi's all-purpose stir-fry sauce is an absolute winner. It can be used in place of the chilli oil and sauce in Justin Tsang's chilli oil udon and it can also be frozen into ice cube containers. Homemade stock Frozen peas Lemon and lime juice ice cubes Pizza bases Whenever you cook a roast chicken, you have the potential for any number of soups, risottos and sauces. I keep leftover bones and skin in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge or freezer until I'm at home for the four hours it takes to turn them into stock. Add enough salted water to a pot to just cover them, add leftover carrot, celery and onion ends and simmer them – lid off – until the mixture reduces by half or until it reaches your preferred flavour intensity. Frozen peas can be thrown into the pasta pot for the final two minutes of cooking time. Drain then add a good dollop of oil and some pesto and grated parmesan from your fridge or freezer. A squeeze of lemon or lime is an essential feature of many pasta, noodle or salad dishes, so having frozen cubes of juice is handy for when you don't want to slice into a whole fruit. If you have a pizza base, some pesto, reduced tomato puree and mozzarella is all you need for a delicious margherita. Try adding leftover ham, salami, olives or, if you fancy it, tandoori chicken slices for a truly delicious fast meal.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Frying solo? 20 pantry, fridge and freezer essentials for single households
A decade ago I put together a Running Away from Home Cookbook as a gentle nudge to one of my millennial chicks. Too gentle as it turned out – 10 years later I was the one who left home. After a lifetime of cooking for the multitudes, I have adapted to cooking for one. It's been both a relief and a revelation. Single householders aged 65 and over are increasing as a proportion of the population. I am one of that large cohort. Whatever the circumstances, people living solo – whether alone or in a share house – can eat well and inexpensively. By making the most of whatever pantry, fridge and freezer space is at your disposal, you can prepare something nutritious and delicious. Limited bench, cooktop and oven space can still produce the best kind of fast food. The fewer ingredients and steps, the less kitchen real estate and hardware required. What follows are cook-to-survive recipes, with pantry items that speed up the process, such as ready-to-use minced ginger, crushed garlic and microwaveable rice. Pick and choose accordingly. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Oil Olives Good quality anchovies Vinegar Tinned tomatoes Coconut cream Tinned tuna Chickpeas Dukkah Pasta, noodles and rice Olive oil is the oil of choice if pasta is your go-to cupboard meal. Light olive oil has a higher smoke point than extra virgin olive oil and can be used in cooking and for dressings. Nut and sesame oils have a more limited shelf life and are generally used in smaller quantities, so buy small and check the use-by date regularly. The oil from marinated olives or cheeses can be used to make Swedish crispbread, in dressings or drizzled over roasted vegetables for antipasto. Good quality anchovies are more subtle in taste than their less expensive cousins and are the foundation for an excellent pasta sauce when mixed with oil, lemon, garlic, rosemary and any other fresh herbs. Add them as a tuna alternative to leftover steamed or baked potatoes, tomatoes (chopped or cherry), boiled eggs, black olives, green beans and capsicums with a drizzle of oil and vinegar for a delicious salade niçoise. If tinned, in glass or in a vacuum-sealed pack, any leftover anchovies can be divided up and frozen in usable quantities. Balsamic vinegar can be used on its own or combined with oil to dress salads and roast vegetables. Rice wine vinegar is used extensively in Asian cooking, and can be used at a pinch as a substitute for white, white wine and apple cider vinegars. Tinned chickpeas and diced or pureed tomatoes are great for soups and curries. Any leftover tomato can be microwaved (lid on) in five-minute bursts to reduce and thicken to make a great pizza base either on its own or combined with fresh herbs or pesto. Dukkah, a spicy mix of cumin, coriander, almonds and sesame seeds, is an essential weapon in my cooking armoury. Try dipping some good bread first in a pot of good olive oil, then in a pot of dukkah. Or split round pita bread in half, brush or spray with olive oil and sprinkle dukkah generously over the top, then bake in a 180C oven until golden brown and crispy. Serve warm or allow to cool and seal in an airtight container. It will last for up to a week. I use coconut cream powder as a space-efficient alternative to the tinned version. When mixed with water, or the hot liquid from whatever you're cooking, it doubles as a thickener so you get all the coconut flavour you want without watering down the sauce. Pasta, noodles and rice are must-have items in my pantry. I prefer the old-fashioned environment-friendly absorption method of cooking rice but have been known to keep a pouch or two of microwaveable rice handy for emergencies. Minced ginger Roasted garlic Parmesan, grated or block Pesto Mayonnaise Stir-fry sauce Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion To my taste buds, commercial minced ginger is an acceptable substitute for fresh and I love the added zing it gives a stir-fry. For those who don't like the taste of commercial crushed garlic in a jar, roasted garlic is a delicious alternative that will keep for weeks in a sealed container in the fridge and can be squeezed out of their cloves as required. Whenever the oven is on, I throw in a whole garlic or two and leave it there for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the garlic cloves are soft and squishy. I'm a fan of freshly grated parmesan, but for the time poor, you can't beat pre-grated commercial parmesan. A block can last for weeks if kept in sealed plastic in the fridge. I still haven't found a commercial pesto that doesn't have an unpleasant aftertaste so I make my own. I either bottle it in small jars and seal each with a top layer of oil to make it airtight, or freeze it in ice cube trays. With a space saving mincing wand and any old combination of basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts, and olive oil (with or without parmesan) a world of lightning-fast meals-for-one opens up to you. Try these pesto baked eggs for one. Give me a good quality store bought mayonnaise and I'll show you a short cut to happiness. Mix it with boiled eggs and a really good curry mix and lather it on excellent bread, with or without rocket. Or add some of that roasted garlic and serve it as aioli with leftover meat, seafood, roast vegetables, boiled eggs. Nagi Maehashi's all-purpose stir-fry sauce is an absolute winner. It can be used in place of the chilli oil and sauce in Justin Tsang's chilli oil udon and it can also be frozen into ice cube containers. Homemade stock Frozen peas Lemon and lime juice ice cubes Pizza bases Whenever you cook a roast chicken, you have the potential for any number of soups, risottos and sauces. I keep leftover bones and skin in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge or freezer until I'm at home for the four hours it takes to turn them into stock. Add enough salted water to a pot to just cover them, add leftover carrot, celery and onion ends and simmer them – lid off – until the mixture reduces by half or until it reaches your preferred flavour intensity. Frozen peas can be thrown into the pasta pot for the final two minutes of cooking time. Drain then add a good dollop of oil and some pesto and grated parmesan from your fridge or freezer. A squeeze of lemon or lime is an essential feature of many pasta, noodle or salad dishes, so having frozen cubes of juice is handy for when you don't want to slice into a whole fruit. If you have a pizza base, some pesto, reduced tomato puree and mozzarella is all you need for a delicious margherita. Try adding leftover ham, salami, olives or, if you fancy it, tandoori chicken slices for a truly delicious fast meal.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
At this summer camp run by grandmas, kids learn cooking skills and life advice
The smell of frying garlic and ginger is inescapable as it wafts through the room, while a row of fidgety kids watches an older woman in a blue plaid apron cooking in front of them. 'When I was growing up my mom used to make this a lot,' she says, showing a chicken stir fry recipe. At this 'Intergenerational Summer Camp' in a Southern California suburb, the grandmas are in charge. Every week, they taught a group of 8-to-14-year-olds how to cook a new dish and a do a handicraft such as sewing, embroidering, clay jewelry and card marking. ' Isolation and loneliness is something that seniors are challenged with, and they love having younger people around them,' said Zainab Hussain, a program manager at Olive Community Services, a nonprofit aimed at bringing older adults together that hosted the camp. The camp was held at a community center in Fullerton, a city in Orange County that's home to a large Arab population, and many of the campers and grandmas come from those communities. In between activities, the small room bustled with energy as the girls chatted and munched on snacks. Some of the volunteer grandmas milled around and watched, content to just be around the youngsters. In July, during the final week of camp, Janna Moten and her friends were learning how to use a sewing machine and make pouches. 'Slowly, slowly,' one grandma chided as Moten stomped on the machine's pedal, causing the needle to rapidly jerk up and down. She pressed her foot down again, gingerly, and managed to sew a straight line. 'Honestly, I'm just here for the food,' the 9 year old quipped. Still, she beamed as she showed the two pieces of fabric she sewed together and turned inside out, forming a rectangular pocket. Moten said she's been practicing hand-stitching at home after learning embroidery a previous week. ' Sewing 's pretty easy, it's just hard keeping the lines straight,' she said. She added that her own grandma was stricter than the ones at summer camp. Haqiqah Abdul Rahim, the instructor for sewing, said many kids don't learn these skills at school anymore through home economics classes, so they're 'filling in a gap.' She stood in front of the room at the start of the activity, holding up various tools and explaining what they were: seam roller, thread snipper, rotary fabric cutter. Rahim also doesn't get to spend a lot of time with her grandchildren because they don't live close. 'It is heartwarming to be able to interact with those who love being around you,' Rahim said. The kids have learned about kitchen safety and how to cook with a grandma's touch — such as mixing spices with water before adding them to a dish so they don't burn, or using fresh turmeric. The summer camp was held in partnership with the Golden Connections Club, started by high school student Leena Albinali last year to foster interactions between teens and elders. The 14-year-old lives with her grandma but realized other students didn't have the same opportunity to spend as much time with their grandparents. She also learned about ageism and other challenges faced by senior adults in one of her classes. At monthly lunches, they invite seniors to the school and discuss topics where both groups can learn from each other, Albinali said. 'They treat us like we're their grandchildren,' she said. The teens share what they know about artificial intelligence and its impact on their lives, and the elders share life stories and advice. One of the most important things they've shared with her is to live in the moment, something that's taken on new meaning for her. 'The people we have right now, they're not going to be with us forever,' she said.
