By Stephanie Bunker

Moapa Valley Progress

Kids in the Moapa Parks and Recreation Cooking Class make ice cream in a bag on a hot Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Stephanie Bunker.

There was a delicious aroma in the air at Moapa Recreation Center on Wednesday afternoon July 18. Local kids were participating in the Moapa Parks and Rec cooking class and were learning that day how to make apple pie and ice cream.

Gail Lindsey, the director of Moapa Parks and Rec had prepared the pie crust ahead of time so that all the kids would have to do is finish rolling it out.

The young bakers-in-training filled their miniature pie tins with apples tossed in cinnamon and placed the crust on top.

An important part of the crust was the decorations the kids put on it. From the left over crust, Lindsey cut out small hearts and apples to decorate the pies with.

Every pie was different so that each child could tell which one was theirs when it came out of the oven.

The kids also made ice cream in a bag while their pies were cooking. Lindsey loaded up the bags with the milk, half and half, sugar, and mint chocolate chip flavoring. The bag of ice cream was then placed inside a larger bag with ice and rock salt inside.

For fifteen minutes the kids stood outside and shook their ice cream making it freeze in the ice; which it did, even in the triple digit heat.

The apple pies were golden brown and the ice cream was frozen, so they all sat down to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

Lindsey said that the class has made several yummy recipes over the past few weeks.

“We get a lot of our ideas from Pinterest and from previous years,” she said.

The week before the class made everything in tin foil. They made baked potatoes by wrapping up potatoes with bacon bits, butter, and cheese inside. They also made some desserts in tin foil. By putting peanut butter, marshmallows, banana, and chocolate chips in a sugar cone and wrapping it in tin foil then placing it in a wheel barrow with solar screen on it. It drew in the heat and cooked the dessert with the sun.

Because of lack of time, they tried their next dessert in the oven, Lindsey explained. A combination of Graham Cracker, marshmallow, and Reeses Peanut Butter Cup wrapped in tin foil was a class favorite.

Next week the class will be doing different fun things with Jello. They will make Jello Jigglers, gummy worms in a straw, and fruit roll up with Jello.

Cooking class has become one of the favorite summer classes for the kids that Moapa Parks and Rec offers, Lindsey said.

“It’s only an hour long so the kids can come, have fun and make their food then go back home,” she said.