Technology and Livelihood Education

TLE 10
FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION & COOKING

Food is any substance or material eaten to provide nutritional support for the body or for pleasure. It usually consists of plant or animal origin, that contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals, and is ingested and assimilated by an organism to produce energy, stimulate growth, and maintain life.

Taking this major is fun and challenging. Proper handling and preparing of food should be strictly observed. We have to make sure that it's safe and HACCP or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point is practiced in the kitchen or laboratory. The cookery terms should be familiarize in order to follow the procedures properly. The kitchen utensils, tools and equipment should be clean and we should know on when and how to use it. Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of the remarkable viand that we've made. The recipe and procedure are as follows.

SIMPLE CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast

4 slices Swiss or Provolone cheese

4 thin sliced smoked ham
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg; beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream

Pound chicken breast to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle each piece on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on each breast. Roll up each breast using toothpicks to secure if necessary. Dredge each in flour, shake off excess, then in egg and finally in bread crumbs. Place seam side down in baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Place 1 tablespoon butter on each piece of chicken.

Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine broth and whipping cream; season to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, oregano). Simmer on low stirring until thickened; Pour over chicken.

TLE 11

BAKING

Baking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting by convection, and not by radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones. It is primarily used for the preparation of bread, cakes, pastries and pies, tarts, quiches, cookies and crackers. Such items are sometimes referred to as "baked goods," and are sold at a bakery. This major is fun and it enhances your creativity especially in making gum paste or decorating cakes. Gum paste, also known as sugar paste, pastillage or sometimes called candy clay, is used for making all kinds of fancy decorations, such as long-lasting flowers, ribbons, bows, leaves, and just about anything else you can imagine. It has a long and interesting history and has been used by confectioners to make edible decorations since the late medieval period. Today it is quite popular with cake designers.

Gum paste is really a pliable "sugar dough", mixed with gums, which makes it easy to shape like modeling clay. Because of its sugar content, dries hard with the texture and crispness of a Necco wafer, and can be very brittle. It can be tinted, painted on or dusted with decorating dusts. It is considered "technically" edible, but it is not palatable, especially because it's bland and it's taste is not good.

Gum Paste Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Confectioners' Sugar, sifted (reserve 1 cup for later)

• 1 Tablespoon Gum Tragacanth (or Gum Tex)

• 1 Tablespoon Liquid Glucose

• 4 Tablespoons Warm Water (or 3 Tbs warm water + 1 Tbs lemon juice)

Steps (how to make gum paste):

1. Pour the water in a large bowl and add gelatin (glucose) slowly.

2. Stir until gelatin is dissolved in the water. You may need to microwave 20-30 seconds or heat on the stove with a double-boiler to get glucose to melt.

3. Add confectioners' sugar and gum tragacanth.

4. Mix well.

5. You'll end up with a soft, sticky dough. Store dough in a well-sealed plastic bag at room temperature overnight (if possible) for it to set.

6. Knead in the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar and it will become soft and pliable - no longer sticky. Add more powdered sugar if it continues to feel sticky.

Gum Paste Tips:

• Store your gum paste recipe mixture in a large ziplock bag while working with smaller pieces of it (or keep in bowl and cover gum paste surface with a wet towel.) This will help keep it from forming a crust. If you DO get a crust, don't worry, knead in a little confectioners'sugar.

I have learned from this major that baking is a good way to enjoy and express your feeling. It is a good way of earning income even if you're just at home. In baking, familiarizing of the baking terms and following the procedure is very needed to come up with a good and palatable product .

TLE 20

AGRICULTURAL ARTS

The arts or science of cultivating the ground, including the harvesting of crops, and the rearing and management of live stock; tillage; husbandry; farming. Sustainable agriculture uses ecological principles to farm, hence the prefix agro- to farm and ecology;the science of the relationship between organisms and their environment .This major is tiring. We dig and cultivate soils but I have also learned a lot from which is making organic pesticides and fertilizers. Organic farming should be promoted because it is environment friendly. It is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm.Organic farming excludes or strictly limits the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and genetically modified organisms. One of the fertilizers that was introduced to us by Mrs. Lilia Putis is the EM Bokashi. This is safe and good when used in any type of soil.Bokashi is a fermented compost using EM-1, molasses, water and bran. It is traditionally used in Japan to improve the soil, increase the level of nutrients and to encourage helpful microbial activity in the soil. Normally bokashi is applied at about 200g per square metre but can be increased up to 1kg per meter for very poor soils.Bokashi also can be added to compost heaps or used in composting toilets to breakdown organic matter rapidly.

How to Make Bokashi Compost?

Ingredients: bran, EM-1, molasses, water

1. Make a diluted solution of 1 part EM-1, 1 part molasses and 100 parts of water. Mix well.

2. Pour over the bran,turning and mixing thoroughly as the solution is poured to ensure thorough mixing. You want a final moisture content of the bokashi to be around 30%. If you squeeze some of the bran into a ball it should just hold together but crumble readilyif touched. If the water content is too high the correct fermentation will not occur and the mix will smell putrid and be unsuitable for using.

3. Put the bokashi bran mix in a container with an airtight lid so that it can ferment anaerobically. There is no need to turn the bran and the lid should be left in place.

4. Leave the bokashi to ferment for 2 to 3 weeks in the summer or 5 to 6 weeks in the winter. When the lid is opened there should be a pleasant sweet/sour fermented smell. If it is putrid (see no 2) dry the bran and ferment again with a fresh EM-1/molasses solution.

5. Bokashi is best used fresh as soon as possible. If it must bestored spread, it out on a sheet and allow it to dry thoroughly to stop any further fermentation before storing the dried bokashi.

Using this organic fertilizers lessen your expenses, helps your planted vegetables to grow healthy and you can help protect the environment.

TLE 12
FOOD PROCESSING

Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into othe r forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry. Food processing typically takes clean, harvested crops or butchered animal products and uses these to produce attractive, marketable and often long shelf-life food products. Similar processes are used to produce a nimal feed. One of the products that we've made is Mango Jam. Jam is a kind of fruit preserved.
Fruit preserves ar e fruits, or vegetables, that have been prepared and canned for long term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves traditionally involves the use of pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used as well. The ingredients used and how they are prepared will determine the type of preserves; jams, jellies and marmalades are all examples of different styles of fruit preserves that vary based upon the ingredients used. Jam contains both fruit juice and pieces of the fruit's (or vegetable 's) flesh however some cookbooks define jam as cooked and gelled fruit (or vegetable) purees.

Mango Jam

Ingredients:

3 kilos Ripe mango

4 cups Sugar

Procedure:

1. Scrape the pulp from ripe mangoes and mash.

2. Use stainless bowl to prevent discolorizing.

3. Measure for every 1 cup of mango pulp:¾ cup.

4. In case of sour mangoes, increase sugar to ¾ cup.

5. Stir while cooking until it reaches consistency.

6. Pour while hot in sterilized jars & seal tightly.

7. Cool, label and store.

In making Mango Jam, the mango should not be over- ripe and it should not have bruises. The time should be checked to avoid it from scorching. The glass jars and cover should be sterilized to be safe from bacterias.

TLE 51

HANDICRAFTS

Handicraft, also known as craft work or simply craft, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or using only simple tools. Usually the term is applied to traditional means of making goods. The individual artisanship of the items is a paramount criterion, such items often have cultural and/or religious significance. Items made by mass production or machines are not handicrafts. This major is very fun and interesting. It improves skills and creativity. One of the projects that we've made is the Lying Puppy (Stuffed Toy). This is a little bit expensive and time- consuming but it pays all the efforts when it's done.

Lying Puppy (Stuffed Toy)

Materials Needed:

¼ meter Flash cloth

1 set accessories

1 pc./ spool thread

1 pc. Chipboard

¼ kilo codel

1 meter pink ribbon

½ floral cellophane

Procedure:

1. Assemble tools and materials needed.

2. Prepare the pattern.

3. Trace the pattern at the back of the flash cloth.

4. Cut the traced cloth.

5. Assemble the parts.

6. Attach the eyes and nose.

7. Stuff the codel to form the stuffed toy.

8. Sew the opening and finishing touches.

9. Wrap the Puppy using the floral cellophane and accessorized it with pink ribbon if desired.

This project is very cute. There were still many projects that we have made including Batik making, Jewelry Making, Crochet making, Candle Making, and a lot more.Doing this crafts can be a good way to start business. You can earn money and enjoy at the same time.

TLE 40

CLOTHING & GROOMING

Clothing and Grooming in my own perception is where, we are taught on how to make basic and different stitches, hemmings, sleeves and collars. It is where we are taught on how to operate a sewing machine and sew our own blouses and skirts. This is one of the hardest major that we've been through because I don't know how to operate a sewing machine and the instructor is strict but as the days pass by, it will make you feel better if you will see the projects that you've made all by yourself.

Grooming also is where we are taught on how to improve ourselves through dressing properly, moving with etiquette, maintaining proper hygiene and applying make-up that is suitable for you and for different events of your life. The project that I made proudly is a blouse with a shawl collar.

Materials needed:

1 ½ meter cloth

6 pieces. Buttons

1 spool thread

pins

tailors chalk

scissors

How to make a Blouse?

1. Edge stitch the shoulder seams, side seam, and hemline.

2. Sew the darts.

3. Join the shoulder seam(plain seam).

4. Prepare the collar and use interfacing (pelon).

5. Attach the collar.

6. Sew the side seam.

7. Prepare and attach the sleeve.

8. Turn the turn- in to the right and sew the hemline.

9. Hem the lower part of the blouse.

10. Locate the correct placement of buttonholes.

11. Make buttonholes.

12. Locate the correct placement of buttons.

13. Attach the buttons.

14. Remove hanging threads.

15. Press fit and evaluate the finished product.

I have learned a lot from this major especially in sewing my own dress or designing curtains or pillow cases using the different kinds of smocking (lace, honeycomb, flower and heart).