Jícama con limón

Here's a simple yet yummy treat to share with your kiddos- a common snack in México.

You need:
1 small-medium jícama (the bigger they are, the more fibrous they are)
Juice of one lime
cayenne pepper (optional- and boy, does it go a long way!)

Remove the skin of the jícama and slice in julienne strips
Add juice of the lime and mix.
Sprinkle with cayenne pepper (be stingy! :))

Serve in little cups. This is enough for one class, maybe two if they are small. I find that it's better if I hold the cayenne off and let each kid choose whether he/she wants it. It should really by piquin peppers but I can't get those around here. At any rate, most kids have never tasted a jícama so it's a great snack that has some novelty but won't turn off the vast majority of your students.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Caliente

Ummmm! It's that time of year to get making chocolate caliente. I often make it for my students right before Christmas vacation- they're squirrelly and lessons are going, going, gone! For a class of 18 I use:
1 gallon of milk
2-4 barras of chocolate (Abuelita brand is great or Goya or whatever you have available)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean
1 package of paper coffee cups

Pour milk into a large pot and add the cinnamon sticks, and the vanilla bean. I usually scrape the sticks together a few times before adding and I score the bean lengthwise. Warm the milk without scalding over medium heat. When the milk is warm, add the chocolate bars, continue warming until chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally. When it is ready, pour into a large pitcher and use a molinillo to stir it up. ¡Bate, bate, chocolate!

Serve in the cups. ¡Que delicioso!

*Note: It usually takes about 20-25 minutes for the milk to warm up. I need to do so prior to class as my classes are only 20 minutes long. I suppose if you put the heat up higher it would go more quickly.