Apple Head Dolls
1 cup lemon juice
1 tbls salt
Fresh apples, medium
to large size
whole cloves
Peel the apples,
trimming away bruises, and submerge in the salt-
lemon juice mixture
to help preserve them. After a few seconds,
remove them from
the liquid and pat dry. Insert a wooden stick,
skewer, or pencil
firmly into the core for a "handle". Carve faces using
a spoon or table
knife and add cloves as eyes, teeth, ears, etc. Keep
in mind that the
apples will shrink to less than 1/2 their original size so
the features should
be a bit exaggerated when carving. The heads can
be propped upright
by inserting the handle into a pot of sand or a block
of Styrofoam.
Allow the apple heads to dry by placing in a full size
oven with the door
slightly open for 4-5 hours at 200 degrees, then
leave them to dry
in the open air for a few days. Or simply let them dry
for several days,
checking periodically to be sure mold does not
develop.
If you live in a humid climate, the oven drying is a better
choice. The
apples will remain a bit soft even when they are
completely dry.
When dry, tie or glue fabric, trinkets or decorations
onto the handle
to create a doll or had puppet. You might want to give
your apple head
figure a name.
Note: Adult
supervision and participation is required for this
activity.
Pasta
(One serving size)
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 tbls of water
(add as much flour
as can be absorbed by the egg and water.)
Mound flour on a
work surface and make a deep volcano.
Break the egg into
the volcano and add water. Beat the egg and water
lightly with a
fork, being careful not to break down the volcano walls.
Begin to draw in
flour from the inner sides of the volcano (this is a good
job for kids to
exercise their motor skills and patience).
Continue to blend
in flour until the dough becomes stiff. Eventually
using your hands,
knead the dough until smooth and stiff.
Refrigerate for
about 1 hour for easier handling when rolling and
cutting.
To shape the dough:
either use a pasta maker or roll out with a rolling
pin until very
thin. Cut the dough into noodles with a pastry wheel or
pizza cutter.
Place in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes or add to a
pot of simmering
soup. Excess uncooked pasta dough can be
refrigerated in
an airtight bag for up to 4 days and frozen for a month.
Chocolate Clay
10 ounces of chocolate
(chopped chunks or chips)
1/3 cup light corn
syrup
Note: the
chocolate can be substituted with almond bark, or colored
candy disks to
create different colored flowers
Melt the chocolate
in a microwave for 1 minute. Stir. If chocolate is
not completely
melted, return to the microwave for 30 second intervals,
and stir until
smooth. If you don't have a microwave, place the
chocolate in the
top of a double broiler over hat water and stir until
melted.
When the chocolate
is melted, add the corn syrup and blend.
Pour the mixture
onto a waxed paper sheet.
Spread the chocolate
with your fingers until it's about 1/2 inch thick.
Cover loosely with
waxed paper and let it stiffen for at least a couple of
hours or overnight.
The chocolate will become very pliable.
Making a Chocolate
Rose:
Have kids roll
10 marble-sized balls out of the clay.
Place the balls
on a waxed paper sheet, about 1 inch apart.
Place another waxed
paper sheet on top. Big or little thumbs can press
each marble into
a flat disk about the size of a quarter. Use some
pressure.
To form the rose:
Remove 1 disk and
curl it into a "tee-pee" shape, narrow at the top and
wider at the bottom.
Wrap the next disk
around the opening of the tee-pee and the third disk
at the back of
the tee-pee. This is the rose bud. Continue adding disks
which will look
like petals. Continue to layer them to create a rose in
bloom. Roses
can be used as edible decorations for a cake or to
create a basket
full of blooms. They will harden after a few days and
can be saved by
storing in a cool dry place.
Handmade Butter
1 empty quart jar
with tight fitting lid
1 pint heavy whipping
cream
pinch of salt (optional)
Pour cream into
jar, leaving a space at the top to allow for shaking.
Shake jar until
chunks of butter start to form, about 15 minutes you'll
feel and hear the
clumps. Pour chunks and liquid in a strainer
positioned over
a bowl. Sprinkle butter chunks with salt if desired.
Candy molds can
be filled with butter to create festive pats of butter for
a special occasion.
Put the filled molds into the refrigerator and pop
out when hard.
Homemade Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping
cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
rock salt
crushed ice cubes
coffee cans: 1
small 12 oz. and 1 big 39 oz. each with tight fitting lids
Optional additions:
1/2 cup chopped
fresh fruit or whole berries
1/4 cup chopped
nuts
crushed candy bars
Pour the whole milk
and cream into a large bowl. Stir. Sprinkle sugar
into mixture, add
salt and vanilla and stir. Add fruit, nuts or crushed
candy. Pour
batter into the small coffee can, leave approximately 2
inches or more
between batter and top of can. Snap lid on can. You
may wish to wrap
tape around it for a tight seal. Place small can inside
large can and sprinkle
about one and a half cups chopped ice around
the small can.
Add a couple hands full of rock salt. Fill, alternating
more ice and rock
salt. Place the lid on the large can and tell the kids
to go outside and
roll the can for about twenty minutes. Homemade
ice cream is best
when eaten immediately.
The Japanese Art of Garnishing
To make a radish
mouse:
You'll need two
fresh radishes. One radish should have a root that can
double as the mouse's
tail, and the greens should be clipped close to
the radish skin.
Cut a thin slice off the round side of the radish so it will
sit flat without
rolling. The stem and the root should be opposite each
other. With
the tail at the back, hold the radish with the stem end
facing you and
for the eyes, place two small cloves on either side and
slightly above
the stem point. For the ears, slice 1/4 inch off one end
of the other radish
and discard, then continue slicing to cut two thin
slices that will
have red skin around the white interior. On the radish
with the tail,
make a narrow slit about 1/4 inch deep above the clove
eyes and place
the two slices in the slit side by side to create the
mouse ears.
To Make a hard-boiled
egg bunny:
Remove a 1/4 inch
thick slice off the side of a hard-boiled egg. This
flat area on the
egg will form the base for the body of the bunny. Take
the oval slice
and cut it in half length-wise to make two ears. Make a
small slit on top
of the pointed end of the egg-body and squeeze gently
to slightly open
the slit. Carefully arrange the two ears in the opening.
Whole cloves can
be used to create the eyes and nose, and, if you like,
attach a small
cauliflower floret as a tail.
To make a tomato
rose:
Start with a large
tomato placed bottom side up. For a teenager or an
adult, carefully
start cutting off a 1/2 inch wide continuous strip of skin
beginning at the
bottom of the tomato and continue to cut with a sawing
motion, spiraling
all the way around, ending at the stem of the tomato.
Carefully roll
this long strip into a tight coil, then let it open up slightly to
create a beautiful
rose-bud blossom. Place your flower on top of your
salad or serving
platter. The remaining peeled tomato can be sliced
and mixed into
your salad or other recipe.
To make green
onion ferns:
Trim the tops off
green onions leaving approximately 3 inches of green
and remove any
roots. With a kitchen scissors, snip lengthwise into
the green tops
to create a narrow ribbon strips. Submerge the entire
onion in a bowl
of iced, cold water. After a few minutes the green
strips will coil
into delightful curly-Q's.