☘️ Last Minute St. Patricks Day Ideas below 👇 
I know it's hard to imagine but summer is coming fast! 
Are you ready for it?
Any fun trips planned now that the world is opening back up?
We are offering a bunch of super fun camps, that can be taken from anywhere! 
Imagine not having to cook dinner for a whole week?
What if your kid could learn how to make all your favorite Italian dishes?
Or make you some sushi?

Most of our camps also have a drop-in version, so you could create your own menu.

LAST-MINUTE ST. PATRICKS DAY IDEAS

Haven't planned anything special for St. Patricks Day yet?
☘️ 
Here are a few ideas that are quick and easy ideas
to help celebrate the special day. 

Better yet - hand those over to your kids and tell them Chef Pascal asked for you to make this. 😊 

Here is a super easy and quick recipe:Leprechaun Crinkle Cookies (by Everyday Mom Life)

Here is a recipe for Sally's Baking Addiction 
for an Irish soda Bread

NOTE from Chef Pascal: The recipe calls for buttermilk, which is easily made by mixing milk (any type of milk with vinegar. so for 1 cup of milk add 1 tsp of vinegar)
​
 Ingredients

• 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) buttermilk*
• 1 large egg (optional, see note)
• 4 and 1/4 cups (531g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for your hands and counter
• 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed*
• optional: 1 cup (150g) raisins

Instructions

1. Preheat oven & pan options: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). There are options for the baking pan. Use a regular baking sheet and line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (bread spreads a bit more on a baking sheet), or use a seasoned 10-12 inch cast iron skillet, or grease a 9-10 inch cake pan or pie dish. You can also use a 5 quart (or higher) dutch oven. Grease or line with parchment paper. If using a dutch oven, bake the bread with the lid off.
2. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Set aside. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. Mixture is very heavy on the flour, but do your best to cut in the butter until the butter is pea-sized crumbs. Stir in the raisins. Pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture. Gently fold the dough together until dough it is too stiff to stir. Pour crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can, then knead for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
3. Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet/pan. Using a very sharp knife, score an X into the top. Bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top. I usually place foil on top halfway through bake time.
4. Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings/spreads.
5. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. We usually wrap it tightly in aluminum foil for storing.

​Chicken and Rice Soup With Celery, Parsley, and Lemon 
By Ali Slagle

INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 4 stalks celery, leaves reserved and stalks thinly sliced
• ¾ cup jasmine rice (unrinsed)
•  Kosher salt
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest plus up to 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

PREPARATION

1. In a large Dutch oven or pot, combine the broth, chicken, celery and rice. Season lightly with salt. (Some broths have more salt than others, so start easy.) Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the rice starts to break down and lose its shape, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop together the parsley leaves, lemon zest and up to 1/2 cup celery leaves. Transfer to a small bowl, grate the garlic clove into the bowl, season with salt and stir to combine.
3. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a medium bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken into pieces, then stir it back into the soup. Remove from heat, stir in the butter (if using), and season to taste with salt. Stir in the lemon juice a little at a time until the soup is bright but still tastes like chicken. (You may not use the full 1/2 cup juice.)
4. Divide the soup among bowls and top with the parsley-lemon mixture. (The soup, minus the lemon juice and parsley mixture, can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; the rice will absorb liquid as it sits, so add more chicken broth when reheating. Add the lemon juice and fresh herb garnish just before serving.)

We hear your requests and are creating a new Movies & Food camp this year -
We picked a few of our favorites! 
​

• Sound of Music (Schnitzel with Noodles)
• ​Encanto (Arepas)
• Pixar short film Bao (Bao Buns)
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Spaghetti and Meatballs)
• Ratatouille (Ratatouille)

If you have any other ideas, please let us know!
We are still in the process of creating the curriculum - this camp will be posted soon!

Hello everyone!

I hope this finds everybody well. Did you make anything yummy for Valentine's Day? 

I took myself out for a cup of coffee and wanted to get myself some flowers, but when I saw the line in the stores I decided to do this another day. :) Oh, and I went for a walk. 

I am all about self-love/self-care right now. Just a few things, like drinking enough water, stretching occasionally when I have a computer day, eating fresh fruit, or calling a dear friend. 

What do you do for self-care?
​
I wanted to share another recipe with you. 
See below:

Have a great rest of your week! 
Chef Pascal ​

Hello Bake Austin family,
Thank you so much to everyone that responded to my last email. If I have not gotten back to you yet, I promise I will! I received a lot of responses and I want to take time to write to everyone individually. 

So much to take in, one thing I have noticed is that the people that want to continue with the online summer camps also would like to have options to do single days instead of the whole week. I am working on that option and I am trying to find a way to make it really easy to enroll. 

Some of you have asked me for in-person classes. Though I am available and open for personal classes in-person they would have to happen at your locations. Due to the whole pandemic, I had to rent out my space and I am not in the position to rent large kitchen space at this time. 

​I am listening to your suggestions and I will take them all to heart.

Thank you again.

A love letter from Sara:
Are you ready for Valentine's Day? 

I remember the joy of receiving those decorated little pieces of folded paper, secured closed with a sticker, that had my name on it as if all of my classmates were vying for my love and attention.

Even though I too had just written all 26 names of my fellow classmates on my own cards to pass out at the end of the day, it felt wonderful to get home and spill the pile of admiration on my bedroom floor and carefully open each one. I was, of course, seeking out the hidden jolly rancher or lifesavers candy, but I do remember taking extra note of the kids who shared full-on lollipops and stickers. 

With the disconnect of this day and age, it must feel even more amazing to receive something that was handmade with care and intention as opposed to store-bought.

Homemade Valentine's Day cookies are an excellent way for your intentional and kind child to show all of their friends and classmates that the days of celebrating togetherness are not gone, they have simply evolved into a new way to show up in each other's lives.

Instead of hugs this year, imagine the experience of your child handing a cellophane bag with a  beautifully, homemade cookie inside.

I bet the kid receiving that cookie will feel like a million bucks!

With love, Sara

Inspiration from our kitchen to yours!
Meal planning is always a lofty goal, but setting the intention is a great first step! Sara made the above planning board for weekly family meals and uses index cards to help keep a running list of family-approved dinner options.

Every once in a while a new recipe will make it into the queue, but we typically rotate through the same 40-50 recipes. We use a card box to separate the recipes into categories, such as Mexican, Italian, Breakfast, and Homemade Favorites. On Sunday, my son, my husband, and I all choose a few recipes each and then the rest of the week is sorted out for us. I have found that "knowing" is half the battle and once we have a plan, the ease comes while working toward our shared goal... making a delicious meal to enjoy together!

Welcome to 2022! 

Happy New Year to my wonderful community! I hope that everyone is safe and hanging in there during these crazy times. 

This year has started out with quite a bang and while the coronavirus is still a daily part of our collective experience, I am looking forward to new virtual class offerings, hosting a monthly free community class, revamping the website, and introducing a new member of the Bake Austin team!

I hope that you enjoy the free recipe and video for Apple Roses below!

Please allow me to introduce myself, Chef Pascal, to all of the new Bake Austin followers!

Bake Austin was started in 2012 in my home at the dining room table, with one stand mixer and twelve children. I went to culinary school and have a Pastry Culinary Arts degree. Becoming a single mom, I wanted to do something that I was passionate about and would support my livelihood while showing my children how to strive for the things one desires in life.

Baking, education, children, instilling values and resilience in young minds, as well as creating a schedule that allowed me time to be with my children, were the passions that led me to create Bake Austin.

My favorite part of in-person teaching was being able to joke around with the kids and do some silly stuff, like making ads and video skits. I enjoyed being able to physically help them, but also allowing them to struggle in a safe space. I loved the hugs at the end of class, of course! The ability to check in with parents at drop-off was really connecting and nice, as well.

For virtual learning, I’m noticing that kids learn a lot more and a lot faster because they are doing it in their own kitchen with their own tools, though I am there on the screen. They learn how to troubleshoot, how to communicate by asking me questions. They learn how to follow instructions, how to understand the structure of recipes, and ultimately how to become more confident and independent. And they don’t have to share a table or equipment with anybody. They have their own space.

Never forget, I always have the kids clean up so that they learn responsibility and I hope this translates into help for the parents. As a parent, I have observed that instructions are received in a different, more willing way if someone else tells my children something than if it is just coming from me. There is less of a struggle and more willingness to listen and take action.

What do I think about virtual learning? I love it! I’m really excited about the abilities and reach of virtual/online learning because of the accessibility for students, no matter where they are in the world. It broadens the experience and students from different cultures get to interact in real-time. Though online learning may not translate well for every subject, for baking/cooking it translates beautifully to give them valuable life skills!

(Photo credit: Alina Prax)

​Our Gift to You - Free Recipe: Apple Roses

Apple Roses are a wonderfully creative and tasty activity to do with your little ones. I love how pretty they become and how they look like they took a long time to make. Apple Roses are relatively healthy and not too sweet. If you are feeling adventurous, try using peaches, strawberries, or plums.

If you want to try to make a savory version, zucchini and yellow squash are delicious options. Sprinkle the tops with some parmesan or pecorino romano and voila... anything goes when you try your best!

Click here for the downloadable recipe and when you are ready, follow along from your home kitchen by watching Bake Austin Makes Apple Roses.

May your holidays be peaceful and may your new year be filled with laughter and light. 
It's been another year! Sigh!
Hang in there!
We are not even cooking this year, we are ordering Chinese food and calling it Christmas (can you see our tree isn't even fully decorated). 
Be safe and remember that we are all in this together.
Hug your kids from me, I am holding mine as close as they will let me. 

​With love,
Chef Pascal ​