Food – Kirsten W. Larson

ILLUSTRATOR: Gerald Kelly

PUBLICATION INFO: Enslow, 2012 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-0-7660-3785-4

SOURCE: Publisher-provided copy

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Grades 3-5 (Amazon), Grades 5 – 9 (publisher); I think Amazon’s grade-level designation is more appropriate.

GENRE: nonfiction

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“Turning a long metal skewer, the cook roasts a whole swan over a blazing fire. For gravy, he mixes the bird’s blood with its heart, liver, and guts. He stirs in pieces of bread and adds some broth. The swan’s skin and feathers are then stuck back onto its body to make it look alive. Dinner is served!”

Enjoy reading about mouth-watering “delicacies” like this roast swan, pottage (think gruel), blackbird-filled pies and more in this delightful romp through medieval cooking. In 48 pages, Stiefel covers royal food and feasts, as well as the peasants’ plight. She also looks at the constant threat of starvation that plagued the people of the Middle Ages.

THEMES/TOPICS: history (European), cookery

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: This gross-out books is gobs of fun. Stiefel’s prose is delightfully descriptive. Her conversational and humorous voice truly put the “story” in this history. Yet, at the same time, it’s clear this is a well-researched text. Stiefel includes quotes from people who lived in the Middle Ages, as well as other tidbits, like the shopping list for a 6,000-person feast. Gerald Kelley’s lively illustrations are a perfect match for the text, keeping the book fun and engaging for young readers. You’ll find it hard to put down.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

Enslow has a free, downloadable Educator’s Guide for this title.
KidsDiscover Magazine has a downloadable vocabulary list and educator’s guide about the Middle Ages.
Perhaps the kids need a trip to Medieval Times?

Food, Outside

Blog-cation

June 18, 2012 Kirsten W. Larson

Dear Blogosphere friends,

It’s summer. Days are long. Nights are warm. The kids are out of school. And there’s just too much beach going, pool swimming, fruit picking, firefly watching and other summer fun happening to be tied to the computer.

So, I’m declaring a blog-cation until August 1st. I won’t blog regularly, but maybe occasionally. And only if I feel like it. I’ll fall way behind on my blog reading and commenting. I won’t check Facebook. I won’t tweet (but how often do I do that anyway?). I’ll just have lots of lazy fun with my two curious kids.

In parting, here are a couple of pictures from our recent cherry picking adventure. We picked 8.25 pounds and canned 15 half pints of jam. There were enough cherries leftover for eating and making a cherry pie. Yum!

Mmmmmmm, cherries!

Ace cherry pickers (Finley with Sheyla)

Food, Outside

Farmer’s Market: Fresh Food Fun

May 14, 2012 Kirsten W. Larson

Farmer’s markets. Fresh food. Friends and neighbors. Childlike fun.

We moved into our new-to-us-home four years ago, the first year the winery around the corner piloted its seasonal farmer’s market. From May to November, walking with our little red wagon — complete with trailer — to the Saturday market has become a family tradition.

We meet friends and neighbors. We visit with farmers who have become friends. The kids balance on beams and race in the grass near the gazebo and grapevines. We sample fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as tamales and hummus and berry pie.

Visiting the farmer’s market has sparked some interesting discussions about where food comes from. The boys understand that farmers grow the food we buy at the farmer’s market. They’ve even visit and picked fruit at local fruit orchards. Still, I don’t think they connect the food we buy at the grocery store with the growers. It’s an ongoing discussion. Recently we talked about how different foods grow best during different seasons; Trader Joe’s was no longer carrying California Cuties (mandarins) and organic apples since they are out of season.

There are some great books available to start a conversation about food with your children. One of the best I’ve seen is How Did That Get in My Lunchbox: The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth. Children learn where lunchbox staples like bread, cheese and juice come from. If you simply want a food celebration, check out two of April Pulley Sayre’s latest releases: Rah Rah Radishes and Go Go Grapes.

You can also turn a visit to the farmer’s market into a game if you are worried about keeping little ones occupied. How about creating a farmer’s market bingo card? Find pictures of seasonal foods your child will find at the market and arrange them five across and five down on card stock. You could cut and paste pictures from magazines or do this in a word processing program. Let your child bring a marker and cross out foods he finds at the market. The first one to get bingo wins a prize, for example a fruit or vegetable of his choice.

Do you have a local farmer’s market? What are some of your favorite experiences?

Food, Holidays

Lil’ Punkins’ Pumpkin Butter – phase 2

December 7, 2011 Kirsten W. Larson

As I mentioned previously, I was inundated with pumpkins at Halloween. In early November, I steamed all the pumpkins to make pumpkin puree, which I froze until I was ready to make pumpkin butter for the holiday gift-giving season.

Over the last two days, I’ve “canned” more than 12 half-pints and 4 pints of pumpkin butter, using a recipe from PickYourOwn.org. I chose this recipe because it requires a crock pot, which means it’s a bit more hands off than stovetop methods. I didn’t have to stir the pumpkin butter as frequently to prevent burning. I did have to make one adjustment to the recipe, however. The author suggests cooking the pumpkin butter partially covered on low to allow the pumpkin puree to reduce. I was getting nowhere with this approach, so I turned my crockpot on high, leaving it covered for about an hour. Then I removed the lid completely and let the pumpkin butter cook for about 6 hours. The texture was perfect!

I should note that technically you cannot can pumpkin butter; it must remain refrigerated and should be used within 6 weeks. I’ve printed this instruction on my labels for “Little Punkins’ Pumpkin Butter.” My label also includes a full list of ingredients: pumpkins, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and sugar.

Along with the gift of pumpkin butter, I’ll include a festive recipe card with the recipe for Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake by Eleanor Johnson courtesy of Allrecipes.com. I think homemade gifts are some of the nicest, and I can’t wait to give this tasty holiday treat to family, friends and the kids’ teachers.

Food

Little Punkins’ Pumpkin Butter

November 8, 2011 Kirsten W. Larson

Canning locally grown fruit is one of our favorite summertime activities. We have apricot and pear trees in our backyard, and we also pick locally grown peaches and cherries for canning (and eating!). I think it’s important for the boys to know where food comes from. Plus they get a kick out of the labels we create for the jellies and jams; I name each new creation for them.

This year we experienced a late freeze in our area, which resulted in tremendous stone fruit losses. That coupled with our summertime travels meant it was October before I was thinking about canning. The end result: no jellies and jams for holiday gifts. Yikes!

Fortunately, a plethora of pumpkins came to the rescue. Somehow, this year I ended up with 10 pumpkins of various sizes between three trips to the pumpkin patch, a trip to the dentist (free pumpkins in October) and a pumpkin science workshop.

Pumpkin butter technically cannot be canned in jars using a water bath canner. It’s not acidic enough. However, pumpkin butter does keep for up to 6 months in the refrigerator. When labeling my “Little Punkins’ Pumpkin Butter,” I’ll make sure to include refrigeration instructions.

I’m not quite ready to make the pumpkin butter yet; I’ll wait until closer to Christmas. However, I did go ahead and make and freeze pumpkin puree before my pumpkins started decomposing. I plan to use this crockpot pumpkin butter recipe when the time comes…..click here for the recipe.

To make pumpkin puree, the basis for pumpkin butter, simply cut off the top of your pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and pulp. Cut the pumpkin to fit into a microwave-safe dish; I used an 11 x 13 lasagna pan, but a covered dish would probably work better. Note: The larger your pieces of pumpkin, the easier it is to scoop out the flesh when you are finished. Add a few tablespoons of water to your dish and microwave the pumpkin on high for 15-20 minutes. Test for doneness with a knife.

When your pumpkin is done, cool it and scrape out the flesh. The easiest way to puree the cooked pumpkin is with an immersion blender. My kids loved pushing the button and helping me puree the pumpkin. However, you could probably also do this in a food processor.

I put the pumpkin into gallon freezer bags and labeled them with the date. I placed the bags on cookie sheets to cool them first in the refrigerator before moving them to the freezer.

You can use homemade pumpkin puree the same way you would use canned purees: pumpkin pies, smoothies and breads. However, if you have pumpkin butter in your sights, stay tuned for the follow-on post in a few weeks.

Food, Homeschool, Science/Math

Disappearing Halloween Candy

November 2, 2011November 2, 2011 Kirsten W. Larson

Are you ready to make your Halloween candy disappear (and I don’t mean into your little one’s belly)? Have no fear; it’s science experiments to the rescue!

The website and blog Candy Experiments is a great resource for fun ways to ditch the candy. The site has experiments for all seasons, including Easter and Christmas (floating Peeps, anyone?).

When doing the experiments below, try to walk the children through the scientific method. Help them develop a simple question, for example, “Are Smarties acidic?” Then have them make a prediction: “I think Smarties are acidic.” For young children, you might have them draw a picture of what they expect to see. When doing the experiment, ask the children to talk about what they are observing: “Wow, the Smarties make bubbles when we add baking soda.” Then discuss your conclusions.

Here are a few you might try courtesy of Candy Experiments:

You can test fruit-flavored candies like Smarties, Nerds, Warheads, etc. to see if they are acidic. Just dissolve the candies in a little warm water and add some baking soda. If you see bubbles, the candy is acidic. (Scientific question: Is this candy acidic?)

Using heat, like a hairdryer, you can separate the cocoa butter, cocoa solids and other ingredients in chocolate. (Scientific question: How does heat affect chocolate?)

You can make the Ms from M&Ms and the S from Skittles float while the candy sinks. Drop them in water with the letter side facing up and watch. (Scientific question: Do M&Ms float?)

Microwaving a chewy candy like Starburst creates an oil slick, since they have a high oil content. (Scientific question: Are Starburst high or low in fat?)

These candy experiments are guaranteed to make you not only smarter, but also thinner, since you won’t be helping your children eat their candy.

Food, Parties

Labor of Lego Love

November 1, 2011November 1, 2011 Kirsten W. Larson

We love Legos in our house! Legos are some of the best toys on the market in terms of play value for the money. Plus they last forever; my mother-in-law still has my husband’s Legos from his youth, and they certainly would work with today’s sets.

From what I understand, Lego lovers are split into two camps: the instruction manual followers (like me) and those who prefer to build their own free-form designs (my children). I have to admit, there have been times I’ve spent hours after the kids are in bed rebuilding a Space Shuttle or some elaborate Star Wars vehicle that’s been smashed into bits and modified. I’ve now realized that’s an exercise in futility, and I’ve pretty much given it up. However, whenever the boys get new Legos, they do let me build the sets from the instruction manual at least once.

Anyway, everyone in my house was thrilled when my eldest picked a “Lego Mars party” as his birthday party theme. There are so many great blogs out there with ideas for Lego parties, and I’ll share more ideas that I’ve borrowed and modified later in the week. However, my first task was a true labor of love: Lego minifigure cake pops.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am neither a baker nor a candy maker, so this was way out of my comfort zone. After some internet research (thanks to Living Locurto) and consultation with my cake-baking friends, this is what I came up with:

Lego Minifigure Cake Pops (makes about 40)

1 18.25-ounce box cake mix (flavor of your choice)

1 container of frosting (flavor of your choice)

40 lollipop sticks (buy these at Joann’s or Michael’s)

1 individual-size package M&Ms

Additional frosting for attaching M&Ms

2 packages yellow candy melts (again, Joann’s or Michael’s)

Food decorator pens (found some Wilton FoodWriter pens at Walmart)

Before you begin: Line 3 cookie sheets with wax paper or parchment paper.

1) Bake the cake according to package directions. 2) While the cake is still warm, crumble it into a bowl, mash it up with a fork, and mash in the container of frosting until well mixed. 3) Using a tablespoon-sized disher (or melon baller) scoop out tablespoon-sized scoops of cake/frosting mix. Roll into a ball, and form into the shape of a large marshmallow. 4) Insert lollipop sticks into one of the flat ends. 5) Attach an M&M to the other flat end in the center using frosting (I used Wilton’s Royal Icing mix from Joann’s.).

6) Put your cake pops in the freezer for a couple of hours. 7) Melt the candy melts in a bowl according to package directions, and swirl each pop in the candy coating, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Lay the cake pops back on the parchment. 8 ) Once the candy shell has hardened, draw minifigure faces using food decorator pens.

NOTE: The cake pops really need to be kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them.

These are far from perfect, but I’m excited to hand them out in the goody bags. Stay tuned for more Lego love.

Category: Food

Review: THERE’S A RAT IN MY SOUP

Blog-cation

Farmer’s Market: Fresh Food Fun

Lil’ Punkins’ Pumpkin Butter – phase 2

Little Punkins’ Pumpkin Butter

Disappearing Halloween Candy

Labor of Lego Love

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