Summer time is a great time for your kids to play “Treasure Hunt.”  They may want to dress up like pirates and read some stories of pirate lore to make it more fun.  This will also give them some summertime practice in writing simple poems.

1.       Choose who will be burying the treasure.  The parent may want to do this first to show the kids how it could be done.

2.       Choose the treasure and bury it – while no one is looking, of course!  It can truly be buried, or just hidden in an unsuspecting place.  It’s fun if you have a chest, either real or one the kids help make from a shoe box and decorated with “jewels.”  The treasure can be something simple – an apple, a candy bar, a small toy, or coins.  Make sure there is one for each hunter.

3.       Choose the path to follow to the treasure, keeping in mind landmarks the hunter will need to find.

4.       For each landmark, write a simple rhyming poem telling the hunter where to find the next clue.  For instance, “By the next tree, you will find me.”  Or, “Take 15 steps to the right.  There you will find the site.”

5.       Hide each clue at the appropriate landmark.  The last clue tells where the treasure is hidden.

6.       Give the first clue to the hunters and see if they can find the treasure.

After the hunt, what could be better than a cool, refreshing glass of homemade lemonade!  Try this simple recipe.

Lemonade

2 lemons

¾ cup sugar (can also use Splenda if you are watching sugar consumption)

Water

1.       Wash the lemons.  Squeeze the juice from the 2 lemons.  If you want a tarter flavor, you can grate some of the rind to add to the lemonade or just add slices of lemon.

2.       Pour the juice into a 2 quart pitcher.  Add the sugar (or Splenda) and stir well until sugar is dissolved.

3.       Add cold water and some ice cubes, stirring to combine the flavors.  Pour into iced glasses and enjoy!

For some extra information, here’s a paper treasure chest that you can print out (cardstock would be best), color, and put together.  And here’s a great site on how to write a limerick, taking you step by step.  You can even make a whole day of it ending with a family movie night watching The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie!  Have fun!

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Easiest Grilled Chicken Under the Sun…and Yummy Too!

Simply clean desired number of chicken breasts and marinate in Italian dressing (I like Wishbone, but any would work) for 30 minutes.  Grill for 15 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink when sliced, basting during cooking if desired.

Very easy and very tasty.  I like it served with fried potatoes and corn (but a more health conscience salad would be great too!).  Enjoy

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Kids Can cook – A “Girl Scout” Dinner

Sometimes it’s hard to get kid’s to eat their vegetables, but if they are involved in helping cook, it’s surprising how much better the food tastes!  The “Girl Scout” dinner, a favorite from Girl Scout campouts, is an easy way to do it, because your child can choose which vegetables to include in their meal packet.   A variety of vegetables (all cut to equal size) and a small piece of meat are placed on a square of heavy duty foil.  This is folded into a drugstore wrap, allowing space for steam to expand, and either placed on the grill or baked on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees until cooked through (usually 30 to 45 minutes.)  Turn the packets at least once.  Carefully open the packet because it will be filled with steam.  Each child can enjoy their own creation.

"Drug store folded" Packet

Choice of Ingredients:

Potatoes (I like the small red potatoes)

Onions, white and/or green

Green or red pepper

Squash, either zucchini and/or butternut

Celery

Mushrooms

Carrots

Tomatoes

Any other vegetable you have on hand

Meat can be chicken breast or thigh, a small pork chop, or fish

Seasoning, such as salt and pepper, seasoned salt or other choices

Enjoy!

To discuss recipes or any homeschooling topic, please visit our HMHS Discussion Forum.

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Happy Halloween!

What would Halloween be without those grinning Jack-o-lanterns?  After cutting off the top, the most fun is reaching in and digging out the seeds – eeewwww!  But don’t throw those seeds away – make pepitas instead!  Toasted pumpkin seeds can be a favorite treat – with no tricks involved!

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Fresh pumpkin seeds

Olive oil

Salt (or other seasonings such as seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper)

1. Rinse the pumpkin seeds, removing the stringy pulp.

2. Spread the seeds out on some paper towel and let dry overnight.

3. Heat the oven to 325 degrees and cover a cookie sheet with some non-stick foil.

4. Put the seeds in a bowl and toss with enough olive oil to coat the seeds.

5. Spread the seeds on to the cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt and any other desired seasonings.

6. Bake for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until nicely browned.

7. Allow to cool completely.  They can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 3 months, but they never seem to last that long!

To discuss recipes or any homeschooling topic, please visit our HMHS Discussion Forum.

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In the Los Angeles Times newspaper today, there is a wonderful article on cooking with kids!  They have some good recipes and tips on making pasta with your homeschool helpers.  I remember when I was a kid and my mom would make homemade chicken noodle soup.  We would have noodles hanging everywhere drying.  Not to mention how wonderful it tasted when I had contributed in making it.  Projects like these can become lifelong memories in your child!  Enjoy.

Homemade Pasta in the L.A. Tmes.

To discuss cooking, daily life, or any other homeschooling topic, please visit the HMHS Discussion Forum.

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Anyone with a German background like I have knows that autumn brings the delightful smells of German cooking and Oktoberfest.  The simplest German food is bratwurst simmered in beer and then grilled outdoors, served with sauerkraut and spicy mustard on a rye bun.  You may want to try a more involved German recipe, now that cooler weather should be on the way.  This might also be a good way to incorporate learning about the history, customs, and dress of another country, especially if it is part of your own heritage.

Here is a good menu to try, with the recipes following:

Sauerbraten with Gingersnap Gravy

Mashed Potatoes or Potato Dumplings (I use the frozen ones rather than make my own)

Sweet Sour Red Cabbage

Apfel Kuchen (German Apple Cake)

Sauerbraten

4 Pound Rump Roast

2 Onions, Sliced

2 Bay leaves

6 Whole Cloves

12 Peppercorns

2 Teaspoons Salt

1 Pint Red Wine Vinegar

Place roast in a large zip lock bag with onions and seasonings.  Pour over a mixture of red wine vinegar and ½ cup water (heated to boiling.)  Marinate 3 days or more.  Turn meat twice a day – do not pierce with a fork.  Keep in refrigerator.

To cook:  drain meat and brown thoroughly on all sides in hot fat in a heavy skillet.  Add marinade, cover pan and simmer slowly 3 to 4 hours, or until tender.  (I have used the crock pot.)  Remove from liquid and allow to stand for 15 minutes before slicing.  Serve with Gingersnap Gravy.

Gingersnap Gravy

Pour off any excess fat from the liquid meat was cooked in.  Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 12-16 crumbled gingersnaps.  Cook 10 minutes longer.  Thicken with a flour-water paste (2 tablespoon flour per ½ cup of liquid.)  Bring to boil, and boil 1 minute.  Season and serve.

Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage

1 Head Red Cabbage, Thinly Sliced

4 Slices Bacon, Diced

2 Tablespoons, Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Flour

½ Cup Water

1/3 Cup Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/8 Teaspoon Pepper

1 Small Onion, Sliced

Steam cabbage in a small amount of water until crisp-tender (5-8 minutes.)  Drain.  Fry bacon; remove bacon and discard half of the bacon fat.  Add brown sugar and flour to remaining bacon fat; blend.  Add water, vinegar, seasonings and onion; cook until thick, 5 minutes.  Add bacon and cabbage; heat through.

Apfel Kuchen (German Apple Cake)

4-5 Cups Baking Apples (Granny Smith or other)

1 ¼ Cups Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Teaspoons Sugar

¾ Cup Sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons Flour

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Milk

½ Cup Butter

1/3 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 305 degrees.
2. Mix 1 ¼ cup flour, the baking powder, 2 teaspoons sugar, and salt and sift once.
3. Cut ½ cup butter into dry mix with a pastry blender to pea size.
4. Beat egg with 2 Tablespoons milk and add to dry mix.
5. Mix thoroughly and pat dough into a greased 9X13 inch baking dish
6. Pare and core apples.
7. Cut apples into thin wedge slices and place on dough in rows until dough is covered.  We would cover the thin end of one apple with the thick end of the other.
8. Dot apples with 2 Tablespoons butter.  Mix ¾ cup sugar, 1 ½ Tablespoons flour and the cinnamon together.
9. Spread dry topping over dotted apples and bake in over for 30-45 minutes until golden brown.

Shelly will be featuring information on German culture and the history of Oktoberfest in tomorrow’s blog, so check back or subscribe to our email list or RSS feed to make a full unit study!

To discuss unit studies, recipes, or other homeschooling topics, please visit the HMHS Discussion Forum.

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Kids Can Cook

In our busy lives, it is sometimes easier and quicker to just have the kids set the table instead of having them help you cook dinner!  But when the kids ask, “Can I do that?” the teachable moment pops up and you can feel guilty passing it up!

Baking is always an easy way to get kids to help in the kitchen, and it involves careful measuring with a practical look at fractions.  Sometimes it’s harder to come up with a main course that they can cook.  A simple chili is a good start.

There are some rules to follow first:

1.       Wash your hands well.

2.       Gather up all the ingredients and pans, utensils, etc. that you will need before you start.  There is nothing worse than getting a recipe half prepared to find out you are missing an ingredient.

3.       Read the recipe through before you start so you know how to proceed.

DICK’S SIMPLE CHILI

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 small onion chopped

3 cans (15 oz) chili beans in sauce

1 can condensed tomato soup and 1 soup can filled with water

1 can chopped tomatoes Mexican style

1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)

Salt to taste

1.        Brown ground beef or turkey in a non-stick 3 quart saucepan, crumbling the meat as it cooks.  This may need to be done for younger children.

2.       Drain the fat off the meat.  (For calorie conscious people, you can actually put the cooked ground beef in a colander and run hot water over it, rinsing off the fat!  That way you can purchase the least expensive ground beef and have an almost fat free entrée.)

3.       Chop the onion.  For younger children, a food chopper works well.  If you are using a knife, cut the onion in half from stem to root.  Then cut the half into quarters.  While holding the quarters together, cut across the onion in 1/8 to ¼ inch size pieces.

4.       Open all the cans.  In the pan with the ground beef and onions, add the 3 cans of beans, 1 can of tomato soup, 1 soup can full of water, and 1 can of chopped tomatoes.

5.       Mix together and heat on high until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Add chili powder and salt to taste.  Turn down the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid.

6.       Simmer for a half hour or more until the chili thickens, stirring occasionally.  Be careful when lifting the lid so you don’t get burned by the steam – always lift the lid away from you.

This chili tastes good with fresh carrots, celery, and cornbread.  Or you can sprinkle it with fresh chopped onions and grated cheese and serve with corn chips.

Equipment you need to make this recipe:

3 quart saucepan with lid

Cutting board and sharp knife or a food chopper

Can opener

Rubber scraper

Colander

Tablespoon

See our HMHS Community Refrigerator for more pictures of cooking with the kiddos!

To discuss Cooking and other Homeschooling topics and ideas, please visit our Homemade Homeschoolers discussion forum.

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It’s just a touch chilly this morning and that thrills me!

Being from Southern California, we didn’t have distinct seasons.  For 10 months out of the year we had blistering dry heat, with seemingly relentless sunshine.  And no, that doesn’t mean it’s better than humid heat-it sucks you dry till you’re a walking prune with no energy!  For the other two months, we would have sporadic rain and overcast.  Since moving to Tennessee, we have been able to see each season as it approaches.  We are amazed at the distinctiveness of each one.  But, the one season that I love above all others is Fall.  I feel it coming today!  Do you know that ineffable feeling when the air changes just a little?  I know it’s coming soon, and that means my favorite cozy sweaters, fires in the fireplace, cuddling with a good book, the beautiful colors of the trees changing, nature walks, turkey and deer around every bend, Harvest festivals, and warm, delicious comfort foods are just ahead!  It makes me feel so cozy and happy!

So, to celebrate that wonderful Autumn we are about to have, I decided to share with you my very favorite soup recipe.  Served with some wonderfully warm sourdough bread, this dish will knock your socks off!  Enjoy!

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

1/2 cup  butter

2 Tbsp  olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

4 fresh basil leaves or 1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2-1/2 pounds diced fresh ripe tomatoes or 2 cans (16oz each) Italian-style tomatoes with juice

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3-3/4 cups chicken broth, divided

1 tsp sugar

1 cup heavy cream

In a large kettle, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and seasonings.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft.  Add the tomatoes and paste.  Stir to blend.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Place the flour in a small mixing bowl and stir in 1/4 cup chicken broth.  Stir into the tomato mixture.  Add the remaining broth.  Simmer 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  Allow mixture to cool and run through a sieve, food mill, or food processor.  Return the pureed mixture to the kettle.  Add the sugar and cream.  Heat through, stirring occasionally.  Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

To discuss Recipes and other Homemaking or Homeschooling topics, please visit our Homemade Homeschoolers discussion forum.

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