Geography Album: Utah, The Beehive State
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UTAH-LAND OF CONTRASTHi! We are the Brown family. We live in Utah. Utah was named after the Ute Indian tribe who is prominent in the area I live. Utah has a rich pioneer history. Hunting, fishing and camping are very popular activities in our state. We have a very large open pit copper mine that you can see from space here. We live in the lower NE corner of Utah. Our area is a tourist place for dinosaurs history. There are five National Parks in Utah. Five more are very close to us. |
We received this postcard from the Brown Family. It shows the many varied scenes you can find in Utah.
"I live right near (in Uintah County) the second picture from the top, which is a picture of Flaming Gorge an enormous lake. The copper mine I talked about is Kennecott, the right side middle picture shows an aerial photo of it. Here is where you can see it from space. There are only two man made structures that can be seen from outer space, The Great Wall of China and the Kennecott Utah Copper Mine. I forgot to talk about The Great Salt Lake as well. Here is a neat Utah website."
We added Utah to our geography album, coloring a map of many interesting things in Utah.
The map also shows the land formations such as Brice Canyon, Zion National Park, the Colorado River and, of course, the Great Salt Lake. It also shows the products of the state, such as salt, gold and farming. We also noted that Utah is bordered by Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada.
The map also shows the land formations such as Brice Canyon, Zion National Park, the Colorado River and, of course, the Great Salt Lake. It also shows the products of the state, such as salt, gold and farming. We also noted that Utah is bordered by Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada.
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| The Seagull Monument located in front of the Salt Lake Assembly Hall on Temple Square. photo source: Wikipedia |
I told them the miracle of the gulls, the story behind the sea gull being their state bird.
From our coloring page we also learned the state flower, the Sego Lily and the state tree, the Blue Spruce.
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By looking at the state quarter, we learned about how Utah is considered the "crossroads of the west." On May 10, 1869, two steam locomotives met at Promontory, Utah, for the "Joining of the Rails Ceremony," at which the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads completed the transcontinental route.
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| "We'll start with Utah's arches, made from wind, frost, and rain. Nature's rocky sculptures- an art that can't remain."
From A is for Arches to Z is for Zion National Park
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To celebrate Utah, we made "Utah Scones" with cinnamon-honey-butter, which are nothing like scones, but a lot like Navaho Fry Bread. Very tasty, and pretty easy to make.
This is not the classic scone, that we’re all familiar with. This is a Utah creation, a flattened ball of dough deep-fried and topped with sweet toppings like honey and jam. It is much like Indian Fry Bread.
2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 – 1 cup warm water
Oil for frying
Powdered sugar
Cinnamon honey butter, recipe below
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and 3/4 cup warm water. Mix with a spoon until dough comes together into a ball. Dough should be moist but not sticky. Use remaining 1/4 water if needed. Cover dough and let rest for one hour.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat to 375 degrees F. Oil should be at least 2 inches deep.
Meanwhile, roll out the scones. Divide dough into 8 equal-sized balls. Roll out each ball, one at a time on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Stretch and pull with your hands if necessary. Dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.
When oil has reach 375 degrees, place first scone gently into the oil. Scone will bubble vigorously in the oil and puff up. Fry until golden brown on first side, about 2 minutes, then flip over. Once both sides are browned, remove from the oil and place on a paper bag lined sheet pan to cool slightly.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately with the cinnamon honey butter or other desired topping. Repeat with remaining scone dough.
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 – 1 cup warm water
Oil for frying
Powdered sugar
Cinnamon honey butter, recipe below
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and 3/4 cup warm water. Mix with a spoon until dough comes together into a ball. Dough should be moist but not sticky. Use remaining 1/4 water if needed. Cover dough and let rest for one hour.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat to 375 degrees F. Oil should be at least 2 inches deep.
Meanwhile, roll out the scones. Divide dough into 8 equal-sized balls. Roll out each ball, one at a time on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Stretch and pull with your hands if necessary. Dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.
When oil has reach 375 degrees, place first scone gently into the oil. Scone will bubble vigorously in the oil and puff up. Fry until golden brown on first side, about 2 minutes, then flip over. Once both sides are browned, remove from the oil and place on a paper bag lined sheet pan to cool slightly.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately with the cinnamon honey butter or other desired topping. Repeat with remaining scone dough.
Cinnamon Honey Butter
Makes approximately 1 cup
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.
Honey butter makes a great addition to a treat for the Beehive state. The state has this nickname because Deseret, in The Book of Mormon, is a honeybee. Early Mormon settlers have been described as having carried "swarms of bees" with them. This nickname also commemorates the industry of the people of Utah.
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We have "visited" 46 states (92%) with our Postcard-Geography album.
We still need postcards for these states:
Mississippi
New Jersey
Vermont and Wyoming.
If you live in any of these states and would like to help us with this project, please leave a comment on how I can get in touch with you. Thank you!
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