Mrs. Becky Sphar, a family and consumer sciences teacher in our middle and high schools, came up with a novel challenge for her high school Foods On Your Own class earlier this month.
Working in small teams, Sphar challenged her students to create a plated meal using ingredients from a U.S. military MRE, or meals, ready-to-eat.
Students had to use at least two ingredients from their MRE, said Sphar, and also had access to a few seasonings and staple ingredients in Sphar’s pantry.
Sergeant First Class Joeseph Coburn and Specialist Arrieanna Wright, both of the New York Army National Guard, served as guest judges along with Sphar herself.
The day before the challenge, Wright brought in a variety of MREs for teams to choose from. Once teams had selected their MRE, they began planning their dishes, said Sphar.
The next day, teams prepared their dishes for the judges to rate based on appearance, creativity and taste.
The red team of Jordan Anderson and Clayton Bezon chose the chili and macaroni MRE. They added spices to boost the chili’s flavor, and garnished it with parsley. Then, they added cheese and spices to the basic cracker that came in the meal kit and toasted it up.
The yellow team of Anna Boving, Ryley Donohue, Mason Seipel and Jisaiah Wheeler chose the chicken, egg noodles and vegetables in sauce MRE. This group made a chicken noodle soup flavored with garlic and onion powder. To accompany the soup, they mixed flour, milk, egg, salt and cinnamon to create a thin pancake, which they filled with a fruit jam filling.
The blue team of Morgan Bunk, Meri Eisensmith and Skylar Hiam transformed their chosen MRE’s white chicken chunks entree by tossing them in barbeque sauce, adding a crunchy corn crumble and serving it all inside a folded tortilla shell. For dessert, they used the protein bar that was included in the kit and made a raspberry chocolate bar with walnuts.
The green team of Mia Hubbard, Madison Kautz and Logan Lyons selected the beef taco MRE. The team created a seasoning from various spices to add flavor to the taco meat then topped with cheese and sour cream as the entree.
But it was the green team’s approach to dessert that set it apart on the judges’ scorecards and, ultimately, helped them win the MRE Challenge. The group took the basic nut mix included in the MRE and covered it in a brown sugar butter glaze topped with cinnamon sugar. Then, they lightly toasted the mixture and served it warm, creating a delicious sweet and savory treat.
During their visit, Coburn and Wright also spoke to Sphar’s students about some of the opportunities and benefits that are available through the National Guard, including assistance with education expenses.
“This was the last challenge we had of the semester so the students were more experienced in the kitchens than when they first started,” said Sphar. “Their creativity and skills improvement were evident in this lab.
Photos courtesy of Becky Sphar
Students in Becky Sphar’s Foods On Your Own class select which MRE they want to use during a recent cooking challenge.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
Morgan Bunk and Meri Eisensmith of the blue team prepare their dish.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
Madison Kautz of the green team sprinkles cinnamon sugar over the basic nut mix included in her team’s MRE.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
Mia Hubbard and Logan Lyons of the green team cook the taco meat portion of their dish.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
Ji Wheeler and Mason Seipel of the yellow team flavor their soup and prepare their dessert, a thin pancake filled with fruit jam.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
Anna Boving of the yellow team mixes together a German pancake as part of the team’s dessert.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
The blue team’s finished dish - seasoned chili with a cheesy, toasted cracker.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
The green team’s finished dish - beef tacos topped with cheese and sour cream and a brown sugar butter-glazed, cinnamon sugar-topped mixed nut mixture.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
Members of the green team present their dish to the judges.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
Jordan Anderson of the red team presents his team’s finished dish to the judges,.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
The yellow team presents its finished dish to the judges.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
The blue team’s finished dish, a barbeque chicken quesadilla with a crunchy corn crumble.
Photo courtesy of Becky Sphar
Becky Sphar’s Foods on Your Own class pose for a photo with their MRE challenge judges, Sergeant First Class Joeseph Coburn and Specialist Arrieanna Wright, both of the New York Army National Guard.