good evening students... (lyn)

So while M is off teaching her class to business school students, I’m teaching mine.

A month ago Alexander gets a new MacBook Pro, a very generous graduation gift from his paternal grandparents.  He’s been using an Apple for a while and knows the basics, but little more.  Even though he’s not looking for any help, I insist on it.

His friend Nicole also gets a new MacBook Pro for college, and she is a first-time Apple user.  I offer to teach them the basics.  Nicole is driving in from New Jersey with her mom (my friend, Cynthia).  I suggest separate dinners, but I’ll make dessert.

Alexander calls from work and quizzes me on the evening’s agenda.  “What exactly are you covering?”  “How do you know what I don’t know?”   “Will there be a quiz at the end?”  And then, the most important question, “Exactly how long is this going to take?”

In preparation, I make an outline, with copies for my two students. I also make a weight-watcher friendly dessert.  I adapt a blueberry cobbler recipe from Eileen, a fellow-weight watcher's member.  Her recipe calls for just blueberries, but I include some strawberries and raspberries as well.  It sounds simple enough:

• Add fruit to bowl.
• Squeeze in a little lemon and add lemon zest.
• Sprinkle with freshly grated ginger.
• Use a rolling pin to crush some WW ginger snap cookies and add to top.
• Bake until it begins to bubble.

Alexander and I have a quick sushi dinner, and are ready for Nicole and Cynthia when they arrive around 8.  My students are fast learners, and in the end, I wonder if I've taught them anything.

After the lesson, I put the dessert in the oven. Fifteen minutes later, and before it's had time to bubble, I take it out, as my guests need to leave.

Even not fully heated, the fruit cobbler is a hit.  Everyone loves it, and we eat the whole thing.


Lesson learned:  Desserts can be healthy and still be good.