PAES and Pancakes

According to the National Day Calendars website, today is Have Fun at Work Day and Blueberry Pancake Day!   Both of these “there is always something to celebrate” occasions have inspired me to highlight jobs in the PAES Lab with which students have a lot of fun and look forward to accomplishing.

Official Pancake Survey Results

I conducted an extremely professional, (note a hint of sarcasm here) wide-based survey about the pancake eating habits of friends, family and the PAES Author staff.   You may be interested to know that out of 25 humans surveyed, 45% eat pancakes “often”, they are seriously attached to their “big pancake spatula” (it MUST also be flexible), and the #1 favorite type of pancake was…you guessed it – blueberry! Truth be told, buttermilk was an extremely close second!  I realize this is probably not surprising data gathered, however, it was how I chose to celebrate National Have Fun At Work Day!  By the way, have you ever tried sweet potato pancakes??

PAES and Pancakes

So... What do PAES and pancakes have in common? They both require the ability to measure ingredients as well as the skills to use various kitchen tools and appliances. Food Measurement (FM), Kitchen Appliances (KA) and Food Preparation (FP) are units within the Consumer Service component.  These units contain jobs that assess and help students learn how to measure liquid and solid ingredients (that would be pancake mix and water for me!) as well as how to follow basic cooking recipes. The level six FM job is making pancakes from scratch, and builds on knowledge gained from previous jobs within the unit.

Important Life Skills

Since being able to live independently is the main focus for teachers who work with students transitioning into adulthood, learning the skills needed to provide food for themselves is definitely worthy of the possible burnt popcorn smell! All of the jobs in the various food units are designed to evaluate a student’s ability to use basic appliances and food measurement tools. 

Students also get to practice their ability to focus and follow step by step directions while making 13 different recipes. It really is fun to see the look on students’ faces as they serve decorated cookies to their class or sip homemade hot chocolate while taking their break! In addition to the cooking fun, students learn proper food handling procedures and the importance of safety in the kitchen. Cooking in the PAES Lab is interesting and fun!!  It’s something both employees and supervisors get excited for while working in the lab!

Another Survey Result: Rebekkah Swisher, the PAES Co-Founder and CEO’s favorite type of pancake is chocolate chip - and she always uses her “big pancake spatula”!

Since we’re talking about pancakes, here is a link to the most popular pancake recipes Rachel Ray and her people have ever created! They are the most often viewed, shared, printed and pinned. AND IHOP is celebrating National Pancake Day on March 3rd with free pancakes!

Drop a comment below and let us know your favorite type of pancake and how you like to cook them!  Or, perhaps you have the perfect pancake flipper you’d like to share…