Peters Township teen forms Culinary Creations

Are you a teenager who loves to bake, or at the very least loves to eat baked goods, especially Christmas cookies?
If so, stop by the Peters Township Public Library for the kickoff to “Culinary Creations” … the first-ever Teen Cookie Exchange, set for 1-2 p.m. Dec. 19. All you have to do is bring a dozen (or more) cookies to exchange – the number of cookies you bring is the number of cookies you get to take home with you.
I’ve always been an avid baker (and food taster). If I’m not in the kitchen baking, then chances are, I’m in the kitchen eating. Even at a young age, I loved to help my mom cook and bake, and while I always left a massive mess, my mom would always let me help.
Now 16, I consider myself a way better – and tidier – baker and cook, crafting anything from pesto pizza to sweet potato fries to pumpkin muffins. At this point, my mom is hardly ever surprised when she arrives home from work and sees a tray (or the remnants) of freshly-baked cookies.
Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once declared that, “There is no sincerer love than the love of food,” and I agree wholeheartedly.
At the end of summer, my family and I attended the Harvest Potluck dinner at Peters Township Library. I had so much fun talking to everyone and swaping recipes. That’s when I realized that there needed to be a teen cooking club where teen foodies like me could have a community where they could mingle and share recipes, tips and their love of food. After all, food tastes better when you have pleasant company. Thus, Culinary Creations was born.
At the Teen Cookie Exchange, while you’re munching on delicious cookies and watching holiday movies, you’ll also hear about Culinary Creations, a free new cooking club open to all teenagers. Culinary Creations will meet monthly at the library beginning Jan. 9, to bake seasonal and themed goods. At each meeting, the club will bake anything from Valentine’s Day cupcakes to Harry Potter-themed goods and even participate in decorating contests and bake-offs.
So be sure to stop by Dec. 19 to spread holiday cheer, eat homemade cookies and hear about a great upcoming club.
Stephanie Wang is a junior at Peters Township High School.