First Grade Family Cookbook: Select Recipes from "Here+There" Spring Summer 2026!

From the Here+There Spring Summer 2026 Issue!

Last December, teacher Hannah Young asked all 1st grade families to make and share a family recipe that they all enjoyed as a class and put into a recipe book, which was given to the families for the holidays. Says Hannah, “Every year in first grade, we focus on holiday traditions from different cultures. This year, we thought it would be more impactful if we tied holiday traditions to their own personal experiences. Food is a big part of cultural traditions, which can typically be passed down from generation to generation. The making, gathering, and eating of food naturally bring people together. So, by using food as a focus of our holiday tradition unit, we learned about first graders' family traditions and their cultural heritage. We also enjoyed delicious food in the company of others, celebrating what makes us unique and what brings us together.” Recipes ranged from delectable sweet treats such as Blueberry Baked French Toast, The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Festive Jam Tarts, and Chocolate Crunch Granola to heartier meals such as Hevvo’s Lasagna and Tita’s Tortillas.

Some recipes rose to the top amongst the class, including Tita's Tortillas, Shoyu Ramen, and Purple Sweet Potato Challah. Enjoy the recipes below! 

Purple Sweet Potato Challah

Challah is a traditional Jewish bread often served at holidays. We braided this challah to symbolize community. We made it purple just for fun! We enjoyed a loaf of challah last night as we celebrated the first night of Hanukkah. 

Ingredients
Makes 2 medium loaves 

• 1 large purple sweet potato 
• 4 c (520g) bread flour 
• 3 tb (38g) sugar 
• 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast 
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt 
• 2 tb (42g) honey 
• ⅓ c (66g) neutral oil 
• ¾ c (180g) cool water 
• 2 large eggs 
• egg wash: 1 egg beaten w/ 1 tb honey + a splash of water 
• sesame seeds and flaky salt, for sprinkling 

Directions

• Steam the sweet potato. Measure 170g and transfer to a bowl. Then add honey and oil and mash until incorporated, mix in water until combined. 
• Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Then add the wet ingredients to the stand mixer with dry ingredients. 
• Add the eggs and mix with a dough hook on low until the mixture comes together into a shaggy dough, stopping to help it along with a rubber spatula as needed. Increase speed to medium high and knead for 12-15 minutes, until smooth and slightly sticky. Use oiled hands to stretch the dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours. 
• Divide dough in half and shape into braids. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet a few inches apart, cover loosely with plastic wrap and then proof at room temp for another hour, until puffy and almost doubled. 
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Brush loaves with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds and a good pinch of flaky salt. Bake until 
• Juniper Kesselman - Purple Sweet Potato Challah - 3
• golden with an internal temp of about 190ºF, begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes. 
• Enjoy with friends and family! 

Tita's Tortillas

This tortilla recipe has been passed down through Leah’s family for generations. It comes from Leah’s great-grandmother, who grew up on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico before joining the U.S. Army as a nurse during World War II.

Like many traditional recipes, this one was not written down but passed from generation to generation through practice and memory. These thicker tortillas were traditionally served alongside soup, used for dipping and eating with meals.

Ingredients
Makes approximately 13–16 tortillas

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1¾ cups warm water (plus a little more if needed)

Instructions

• Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir until evenly mixed.
• Add oil: Pour in the vegetable oil and mix until incorporated.
• Add water and form dough: Slowly add the warm water, mixing as you go. The dough should come together easily. If it feels too dry, add a little more warm water, a tablespoon at a time.
• The dough should be moist but not sticky or overly wet.
• Knead: Knead the dough until smooth and well combined.
• Rest the dough: Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Divide: After resting, tear off pieces of dough and roll them into balls slightly larger than a golf ball. You should have about 13–16 balls.
• Roll out (Important thickness note): Lightly dust a wooden rolling pin and work surface with flour. Roll each ball out to about ¼ inch thick.

These tortillas are intentionally much thicker than typical tortillas.This thickness makes them ideal for serving with soup.

Cook

• Heat a griddle to 400°F (or a hot skillet over medium-high heat).
• Cook each tortilla for 1½–2 minutes per side, until bubbles form and light golden brown spots appear. Flip and cook the other side the same way.

Serve
Traditionally served warm alongside soup, for dipping and eating as part of the meal.

“NOODLE SOUP” – SHOYU RAMEN
Joseph Stevens

As a family, we enjoy all sorts of Asian noodle soups ranging from Pho, Chinese Beef Noodle Soup, Udon, and especially Ramen! We often don’t cook with a recipe, but rather we find flavors and ingredients we love to create our own unique soup. The kids love the opportunity to choose spices, shapes of noodles, meats and toppings. We chose Shoyu Ramen to share with the class because, and you may not believe it, but we are actually a small part Japanese. Joseph’s great great grandfather on his mother’s side, Kanzo Nakaya, immigrated to the United States when he was a young man. We also hope you can enjoy honoring this heritage by cooking noodle soup too!

Ingredients 

• 3 cups of assorted vegetables: green onions, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, etc. sliced thin
• 1/2 boneless chicken breast or thigh meat (about 1 lb) sliced thin, or pork or beef
• 6 oz ramen, or about 2/3 of a 9.5 oz package
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 heaping tablespoon fresh or pickled ginger, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced, about 1 1/2 teaspoons
• 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce I prefer dark (regular soy for best flavor and color)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar (leave out if using cider vinegar)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 4 cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth or stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• garnish optional: sesame seeds, nori (dried seaweed), medium boiled egg (peeled and halved)

Instructions

• Prepare all vegetables used in ramen. Wash, chop and set aside. If using boiled egg, boil, remove from water, place in an ice water bath. Peel and set aside. Place Nori (seaweed) strips near vegetables.
• In a saucepan heat olive and sesame oil over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook for one minute. Do not burn. Add thin cut strips of chicken and cook just until barely done on each side. Season chicken with salt and pepper while cooking. Remove chicken from pan to a dish and set aside.
• In the same pan, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and onion powder. Cook for about 1 minute on medium heat. Add 4 cups of broth to the pan. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and let simmer on medium for 5 minutes.
• While the soup is simmering, bring water to boil in a medium size pan. Add ramen when boiling. Cook ramen according to package directions in water, do not over cook!
• When ramen is done cooking, drain. Divide the hot soup into bowls (if using tofu, place in bowls) and add cooked ramen. Top with fresh vegetables, chicken, and garnish with nori, sesame seeds and boiled egg if desired. Serve hot.