Alexa Hotopp teaches the foods III class at Marshalltown High School for juniors and seniors. Thirteen students signed up for the class this year which not only gives them basic knowledge on how to navigate the kitchen but also 10 college credits.

Hotopp is not alone in teaching the class. Chef Arnie Finch from Grinnell College shows up on Fridays and gives instruction as well as adjunct professor Kris Gilman on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

This past Tuesday the class prepared snacks and a meal for a group of 13 visitors from the Eurasian country of Georgia who were learning about the education system in Marshalltown. Hotopp said the class picked out the menu themselves:

• Morning snack – yogurt parfaits

Peter Eigenberger, senior at Marshalltown High School, stirs some peaches for cobbler during the foods III class instructed by Alexa Hotopp.

• Lunch – cheesy potato soup, cole slaw, Iowa pork chops, peach cobbler, Arnold Palmers and raspberry spritzers

• Afternoon snack – Chex mix.

“They wanted to show our guests what we would eat here,” Hotopp said.

When the class is not cooking for special guests, they are learning a variety of other recipes and kitchen how-tos. They learn about safety and sanitation, how to handle knives and how to reduce recipes which are made for large numbers of people.

Hotopp said last week students learned how to make homemade pasta and either a red sauce or white sauce. The cooking and baking spectrum stretches further as students have prepared scones, pigs in a blanket, Oreo fluff and even a charcuterie board, which is a fancy meat and cheese tray.

Marshalltown High School senior Nash Perisho slices through cabbage to make some cole slaw on Tuesday during the foods III class instructed by Alexa Hotopp.

Each student has his or her own reason for taking the foods III class — whether it be gaining knowledge or college credits or an interest in pursuing a culinary career.

“I have always had a passion for cooking,” said senior Peter Eigenberger. “If I don’t go into psychology, I’m going to go to culinary school. I think cooking is an art and it is something that is fun to do.”

One of the most memorable things from the class for Eigenberger was making fried flowers.

Senior Nash Perisho said he enjoys cooking and wants to find out if the culinary arts are something he wants to pursue.

Iowa Pork Chops

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Cook on a pan broiler until warm. Cover in Gramma Amber’s Salad Dressing, sweet onion vinaigrette and bake in oven at 350 degrees or until a meat thermometer indicates the chops have reached 160 degrees.

Cheesy Potato Soup

(courtesy of Taste of Home)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

Students in Alexa Hotopp’s foods III class in Marshalltown High School created a menu for visiting Georgians on Tuesday, including morning snacks of yogurt parfaits which they made.

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

5 cups water

2 cups milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

12 ounces processed cheese, cubed

Minced fresh parsley

Saute the onion in butter in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Add potatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the milk, soup, garlic salt and pepper. Heat through. Add cheese and stir until melted. Sprinkle with parsley.

Easy Peach Cobbler

(courtesy of myrecipes.com)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar, divided

1 tablespoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 cup milk

4 cups fresh peach slices

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

Melt butter in a 13×9-inch baking dish. Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter. Do not stir. Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Pour over batter. Do not stir. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

• Daily Newsletter
• Breaking News
• Obituaries

Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

• Yes
• No