“Cooking with Poppy”

Many families eat dinner together every night, and the staff and residents of Cadbury at Cherry Hill, a retirement community in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, are no exception. Wanting to spice up the resident’s dinner hour, Dining Services Director John Hanstein created a monthly event called, “Cooking with Poppy.”

“Cooking with Poppy,” so named thanks to Hanstein’s grandchildren, is an interactive event in which residents are able to watch Hanstein cook a meal in order to learn the steps to create popular, easy-to-cook dishes. Before the event, Hanstein passes out a recipe so residents can follow along.

“I care about what I do,” Hanstein said. “A lot of times I don’t actually cook the food but my name is on it. I tell my staff: if you wouldn’t serve this to your mother, brother, father, whomever, don’t feed it to our residents. They are our family too.”

Hanstein hopes to teach residents to cook simple dishes that they might be able to duplicate in their own kitchens.

“When I’m with the residents, I want to treat everyone like a VIP,” Hanstein said.

The event takes place in the main lobby so that as many people can attend as possible. Typically, between 50 and 75 residents come to “Cooking with Poppy.” During the events, Hanstein’s “lovely” assistant, Donne Washington, Cadbury’s  human resources associate, helps with food preparation.

“I told the residents today that I thought of them as my family because I spend more time here than at home,” Hanstein said. “This is a place where you care about what you’re doing.”

Check out the latest recipe from April’s “Cooking with Poppy:”

Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients: Makes 8 (1/2 quesadillas) cooking time 30 minutes or less

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups shredded cheese

8 flour tortillas

Pinch of rotisserie seasoning - (garlic, pepper, paprika)

Optional:

1 cup chopped tomatoes / chunky salsa

¼ cup cilantro

¼ cup ranch dressing / sour cream

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.                       (Skillet on the stove)
2. Place 4 tortillas on a cookie sheet pan.         ( Place in skillet)
3. Combine cheese and chicken.
4. Place combination onto the tortilla.
5. Cover with the remaining tortillas.
6. Bake 5 minutes. Carefully flip.
7.  Bake an additional 3-5 minutes.
8. Slice into wedges.

Top with tomatoes / salsa /cream cheese / ranch dressing / cilantro.