"Cooking for a Cause is a club that gives back to the community through the collection and donation of foods to those in need in and around our community" - President Madison Trewhella
Cooking for a Cause is a club at West Essex that was founded in 2016. In its 5 years of existence, it has grown tremendously in popularity. This year the club has well over 100 members. C4AC prides itself on being very hands-on in its efforts to use cooking to promote community service and engagement; members make dog treats, sandwiches, gift bags and more to be brought to different organizations for various events and holidays. This year, events have predominantly been virtual or following social distancing guidelines. Students could participate in events by making cards or dropping off nonperishable goods either at the school in bins to be driven to various locations or they could bring the goods to the organizations themselves. Regardless of the struggles brought on by COVID-19 this year, this club has prevailed and continues to provide students with a way to give to others in need.
Below are a few recipes you can make and deliver to organization around our community
Organizations C4AC works with
Pesto Pasta with Tomato and Mozzarella
Recipe by Sophie Kearney
Ingredients
- bow tie pasta
- Small salad tomatoes
- Pesto with basil
- Fresh mozzarella pearls
- salt and olive oil
Steps
- Biol water (add salt and olive oil to water)
- Put pasta into water and follow directions for time
- Drain pasta and transfer into a large bowl
- Use cherry tomatoes and cut into quarters add desired amount into bowl
- Use pearl mozzarella balls and add desired amount to bowl
- Add pesto into the bowl and keep adding more until you’ve reached the desired taste
- Mix ingredients together well and serve
Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken
Recipe by Charlotte Brunetti
Ingredients for pesto sauce
- 1 bag of basil
- ½ cup mixed nuts or pine nuts
- 1 piece of crushed up garlic
- 1 ½ cups olive oil
- Shredded parmesan cheese
Steps
- Gather nuts and slowly roast them on the stove top
- Wash and cut basil
- Combine nuts, basil, garlic and olive oil into a food processor and blend until you reach a creamy consistency
- Add parmesan cheese and stir in for flavor
- Cook pasta if desired or just add pesto straight on top of chicken
Ingredients for grilled chicken
- 1 pack of 4-6 chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Garlic powder or paprika (preference)
Steps
- Wash chicken thoroughly and dry with paper towels
- Lay the chicken breasts out on a cutting board and pound them until flattened
- Mix in a bowl the salt and pepper, olive oil, and garlic powder and add in the chicken
- Mix for an even coat
- Apply a little bit of olive oil or veggie oil to the grill pain and fry chicken evenly on both sides
Cereal Treats (Fruity Pebble)
Recipe by Ciara Farrell
Ingredients
- 6 cups of choice cereal (fruity pebbles, rice krispies, etc)
- 10 oz Marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Melted chocolate (optional)
Steps
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan on the stove on medium heat
- Pour marshmallows into the pan and stir until fully melted
- Turn the heat off and add cereal until all is mixed together
- Pour mixture into desired pan and flatten
- Leave to cool
- Cut the treats up into squares and serve or continue to the optional step
- OPTIONAL: Melt chocolate in the microwave and dip one side of the treat in and let cool then serve
Baked Ziti
Recipe by Madison Trewhella
Ingredients
- ½ package of ziti
- ¾ pound ground beef
- 3 cups pasta sauce
- 1 and ¾ cups ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Steps
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Bring water to a rapid boil and add salt. Add pasta, stir and cook until al dente.
- Simultaneously, brown the meat until thoroughly cooked in a big skillet at a medium heat.
- Drain the meat and stir in the pasta sauce. Leave on simmer for 10 minutes
- Combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and seasons in a bowl.
- Spread ½ of the pasta mixture across a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish and cover with cheese mixture. Then layer with the remaining pasta.
- Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese and cover loosely with foil.
- Bake for 25 minutes
Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
Recipe by Kelle Dingwell
Ingredients
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef OR 90/10 ground beef
- 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
- 6 oz water
- 1 24 oz jar of tomato puree
- 5-6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- Pinch of dried oregano
- Pinch of onion powder
- Handful of fresh basil chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Steps
- In a large pot, saute garlic and 2 tbsp of olive oil until soft and fragrant (about 2 minutes)
- Next add in meat and brown until meat has been thoroughly cooked. Season with salt and pepper (about 5 minutes)
- Then add in tomato puree and paste, seasoning, including basil and sugar. Mix and stir well. Next add the 6 oz of water. You can use the tomato paste can to do so.
- Let the mixture simmer, uncover for 2 or more hours. The longer it cooks the better but 2 hours is the minimum. Make sure to stir occasionally
- When done cooking, serve over warm pasta.