Mixing Bowl Academy

This week the kids and I had the opportunity to attend a “Mixing Bowl Academy   " cooking class online. I had heard about these "LIVE" cooking classes from the Currclick Newsletter and then I had read about them in the blogs of some friends. But I couldn’t imagine how great these classes actually were, until we took one for ourselves…

Now all along, I have been trying to teach the kids some kitchen “life” skills but it's hard for me, because I don’t always have the patience or the time and I find I leave out important steps along the way ~ simple things like “how-to’s” that you take for granted knowing about…

Sandie (the Mixing Bowl Academy creator and instructor) does a great job in making sure everyone is prepared by sending out the ingredients list and kitchen prep list and then by implementing the step by step instructions ~ making sure everyone is ready before she gives the next step. Her own children do the demonstrations…And you can tell that she “REALLY LOVES” to cook and that carries over to the kids when they are listening to her…

The class we attended was called, “Meatballs and Marinara” and I received my e-mailed list of ingredients the week before the class was scheduled ~ therefore allowing me plenty of time to get all the ingredients together.. No expensive ingredients and the seasoning was items most of us would have on our pantry shelves.

When the time rolled around for our class, I made sure all the ingredients and the kitchen utensils / items were out and ready for the kids. We placed the laptop on the kitchen counter and logged in to start the class…

My 10yo.(Tommy), did most of the chopping, with my 7yo. (Libby) helping with the garlic and some of the onions using our “food chopper” so she didn’t come in contact with any blades. Libby loved being able to saute the garlic and onions and Tommy actually enjoyed working up the Italian sausage and ground beef for the meatballs.

 The kids were proud of themselves and I was pleased that they were able to do it on their own with very little guidance from me. Sandi was in no rush and made sure to answer any questions they might have had. I even learned things from the class like the difference between Panko and regular breadcrumbs.

Here’s the kids in their aprons getting ready to start the class…


 All of our ingredients…


Watching intently as the class starts....


Libby stirring the yummy sauce...


Our delicious marinara ~ we put it in the blender when it was finished, to get rid of the chunkiness ( the kids request) but Paul and I would have loved it either way...


Making our meatballs… (the most fun, I think ~ and they worked together as a team)…




After we were done, both of my kids were asking when they were going to do it again…A sure sign in our house that a class is a hit!!

The best part for this momma, is that my dinner was cooked and I didn’t have to do it and it was delicious served with some whole wheat pasta, salad, and some garlic bread… and there was enough sauce and meatballs left over that I was able to freeze it for a meal at a later time…

• You can find out about other great cooking classes thru Currclick offered by clicking on Mixing Bowl Academy.


• You can click here to find out the menu’s / classes for the Jr. Chef’s class. The class is geared toward ages 8+ the cost is only $30.00 for the month (4 classes) and the whole family can participate!


• Then there is also a Little Chef’s Live class (ages 4-8) that is for those little ones who also want to help in the kitchen. The cost is only $20.00 for the month (4 classes).