The University of Kentucky Carroll County Cooperative Extension Service recently offered Recipes for Life – a nutrition and cooking program designed to instill the love of cooking in the young people of Carroll County.

During the program, over 325 fifth and sixth-grade students from Carroll County Middle School learned kitchen safety, and food preparation and selection. These skills will allow them to better help their families prepare meals. Research shows children who regularly eat with their families are healthier, perform better at school, and have stronger social and emotional health.

I student said, “This was the best time ever! I really had fun and learned how to fix some stuff by myself that taste good.”   Other students said that they tasted some new fruit and liked it. 

During the program, students cooked and tasted banana pudding, sizzling chicken with rice, muffins, fruit salad and corn bread, with help from the Carroll County Extension Homemakers and Extension volunteers. The students received recipes of the food they prepared to take home to their families along with a starter utensil kit.

“More students are realizing the benefits of family mealtime thanks to the help of our partners and volunteers who have helped make this program possible,” said Joyce Doyle 4-H Extension agent. “We value the community leaders, school administration and teachers for their partnership in providing this learning opportunity for our youth.”

This was the fourth year that the Family and Consumer Sciences program of the Carroll County Extension Service has offered Recipes for Life to the fifth grade, reaching over 750 student participants.