Summer "Bucket" List: Make Cloud Parfaits

Make whipped cream clouds floating on a berry blue Jello sky.

2 packages of Berry Blue Jello
2 cups of ice

2 pints of whipping cream
2/3 cup sugar
1 tea. lemon juice
2 teas. vanilla extract
parfait glasses or any clear containers that you can see through

Make your whipped cream as per the instructions here, but continue whipping it until it forms super stiff peaks. You want to make sure that it is good and stiff so that if will hold it’s shape later in the jello. Keep chilled in fridge until needed.
Now it’s time to get your jello ready. Using both boxes of Jello, follow the directions on the back for Quick Set jello, doubling the amounts, of course. Stir the ice around in the bowl for about 5 minutes until the jello has thickened and remove any left over ice that didn’t melt. It should be jelled enough to scoop out on a spoon.
Start by placing a few spoonfuls of jello in the bottom of your parfait glass, then take your whipped cream from the fridge and drop in a spoonful or two and press it against the side of the glass. This is going to form your cloud in the sky.

Continue layering the jello and whipped cream, alternating where you place your clouds so that you get a staggered effect.

This idea comes from Huber Hof Academy, but the link no longer works, so I can't include one.

Originally posted Aug 3, 2011

Summer "Bucket" List: Make a Watermelon Slushie

2 cups frozen watermelon

juice of 1/2 lime or lemon

1 ripe banana, peeled (not frozen)

Place everything in a blender and let it blend.

originally posted Jul 27, 2011

Summer "Bucket" List: Strawberry Fizz

They went so fast, this is the only picture I could get!

This refreshing drink is good during strawberry season, but I decided to make it this week for some summer fun. The recipe originally came from The Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques.

1 quart strawberries, hulled

1 cup strawberry ice cream

4 teaspoons - 4 Tablespoons sugar, depending on how tart the strawberries are

1 cup seltzer water

Combine the strawberries, ice cream and sugar in a blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate for one hour.

Stir in seltzer water and serve immediately.

originally posted Jul 29, 2013

Summer Bucket List: Mini Mint Garden

Today we had fun planting a mini mint garden.

But not the kind you might be thinking. This is the edible kind, and no, I don't mean just the mint. I mean the whole garden.
I saw this idea at Practically Living, but I modified it a little.  I started with regular pudding (the kind you cook on the stove) simply because it tastes so much better than instant pudding and I didn't add the mint flavoring to the pudding. I substituted crushed Mint Oreos instead for plain Oreos on top the pudding, before sticking in the springs of mint. For the plant markers, I wrote their initials on wooden disposable spoons instead of a popsicle stick. They look just like plant markers when they are put in the cups...

but they double as something to eat the snack with.

originally posted 6/24/11

Red, White and Blue Jello Firecrackers

You can make a batch of these little red, white and blue firecracker jello cups for your next patriotic holiday. You can add fruit to make the jello look like it has confetti in it or leave the jello plain. You can use a dairy jello layer for the white layer or you can use coconut milk. All three have a red jello layer and a blue jello layer, made from packaged jello mixes.

You will need:

3 oz raspberry or strawberry jello

3 oz blue berry jello

@20 maraschino cherries with stems

Mini clear plastic cups

If you want to add fruit to your cups, you will need:
3/4 cup blended fresh strawberries

3/4 cup blended fresh blueberries

You can make the white jello mix in two different ways.

For the dairy-based white layer:
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tbs sweetened condensed milk
5 oz heavy whipping cream
1 oz milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin

For the coconut-based white layer:

1 cup coconut milk

2 packets of Knox gelatin
1/2 cup sugar

To make the cups:

1. Mix blue jello just as it says on the box, with 1 cup of boiling water. Mix well. Add in 1 cup cold water. If you are adding fruit, blend blueberries and stir through the jello. Pour in to cups 1/3 up the cups and refrigerate until it sets.

2. Make white jello. For the dairy based white jello, mix cold milk with gelatin. Let it set for a minute then microwave it for about about 30 sec. or until it melts. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream, sweetened condensed milk and whipping cream with a mixer. Pour gelatin slowly into the mixture while you continue mixing. Pour white jello to 2/3 up the cups as fast as possible. Refrigerate until it sets.

For the coconut based white jello, add 1 cup of water and 1 cup coconut milk to a saucepan and sprinkle the Knox unflavored gelatin over it. Turn on the heat to low and stir well, cooking on low until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.Allow to cool several minutes and then add 1 cup of cold water. Let cool a bit before you add it to the cups because if it is too hot it will start mixing with the blue layer.
Transfer to fridge and allow to completely cool and set.

3.  Mix red jello just as it says on the box, with 1 cup of boiling water. Mix well. Add in 1 cup cold water. If you are adding fruit, blend strawberries and stir through the jello. Pour in to cups to top off the cups and refrigerate until it sets.

4. Insert maraschino cherries. Press cherries into the jello, leaving the stem stick out to form the firecracker's fuse. Serve.

Any uneaten cups can be topped with lids and stored in the refrigerator.

sources: 

• Kraft Jell-O Firecrackers
• My Mini Adventurer
• Welcome to Lea's Cooking

Ladybug Cookies

I tried out Almost Unschooler's cookie dough recipe today and made her ladybug cookies.

I divided the dough in roughly 1/4 and 3/4 and added cocoa to the smaller portion. I then added the needed flour, as she suggests, 1 Tablespoon at a time and ended up adding  2 1/2 Tablespoons or a rounded 1/8 cup to the smaller cocoa portion. I then added red coloring to the larger portion of dough and began adding flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time. I ended adding 6 Tablespoons or 3/8 of a cup.

If you are not making the ladybug cookies and making the whole batch instead of dividing it, I would add 2 1/2 cups of flour instead of 2 cups.

Adding Ladybugs to the Garden Mural
January 2008

We had already learned all about ladybugs when we made our garden mural a few years ago, including their life cycle, symmetrical bodies and their feeding on aphids.

originally posted 6/16/11

Easy Little Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

Pinwheels (or similar type cookie)
white chocolate chips
spearmint leaves candies, cut in half lengthwise and then in half width-wise
mini M & M's or other small red candy

Start by melting the white chocolate (In the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, mixing in between to ensure the chocolate doesn't burn.)

Take a Pinwheel and swirl upside down in the chocolate to get a nice even coating.

Top with mini M and M's and spearmint leaves either, arranged attractively on the chocolate.

Let sit to firm up. 

source: Always Made with Love

Little Snowmen

This afternoon snow began to fall. It was very exciting to everyone because we have been seeing snow pictures from all across the country and have been longing for it. But it did not snow for long and the tiny flakes melted as soon as they hit. But the melting snow did not stop us from making snowmen.
These would also be a great treat for those who have come in from the snow to warm up with hot cocoa.

To make these you will need:  large marshmallows, white Karo syrup, some black and orange confetti sprinkles (I have some left over from Halloween), and white sparkling sugar. You'll need some wood skewers and a clean paintbrush for each person making one.

The original instructions, found at It's always a party at the Parker's, said to take your large marshmallow and with a clean paintbrush, brush some Karo syrup all around the side of the marshmallow, and then, roll your marshmallow in the white sparkling sugar, three times, separately and  so we did this at first, but, as you can imagine things got pretty sticky really quickly. We found it a little less messy with kids to thread all three marshmallows on the skewer first, then paint them with the Kayro syrup and...

roll the whole skewer full of Kayro-laden marshmallows in the sparkling sugar.

Next we added the face. Using your paint brush, dot the back of your confetti sprinkles with a touch of Karo syrup and then apply to your sugared marshmallow...two black for coal eyes, one orange for the carrot nose and three purple ones for the buttons on the body. Some of us used black sprinkles for the mouth and some of us used a red Christmas sprinkle for the mouth. You can be as creative as you like. They take a few minutes to set or the face will slide off.

Amanda added a candy hat and little marshmallows for arms, but we like the simplicity of this little guy. These were easy enough for my 6-year old to make and simple enough that I had the ingredients on hand.
Pair these little guys with a snowman book and it is perfect.

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How to Survive a Home Remodel

If you follow this blog at all, you know that we have been undergoing a major house renovation. Though we are not quite finished, I can already say that I have learned a lot that I am glad to share these insights with you.

1. Realize that it will take longer than you expect. Prepare yourself that things are not going to go as planned. That is the basic concept that everything else hinges to. No matter how much you plan, things will come up that you don't expect and you are going to have to roll with it.

2. Plan Ahead and yet be flexible. Prepare to grill. Buy microwaveable meals. Buy pre-made meals. Make crockpot meals and freeze them so you can have meals when you don't have a kitchen. We ended up doing all of these at one time or another during the six weeks of our remodeling job, and yet we also had to be ready for the idea that even that may not be feasible, and you may have to end up eating out. I planned ahead and set up a mock kitchen in our dining room, using a table to hold crockpots, the microwave and disposable eating-ware. Then, when the remodel began, I couldn't even get into the dining room because it was blocked by the appliances, such as the range, which were temporarily moved there to get to areas of the kitchen to complete the work. Despite all of this, I recommend that you stock up on paper plates and plastic cups and plastic-ware. At times you won't have anything available to you and so you will need something to use at home, even if you do eat out frequently. 

3. Prepare yourself mentally for the disruption. I am a introvert by nature so having strangers in my house was particularly hard on me, but it will be hard on even the most social of people. Your routines will be disrupted. I had planned to use this time to hide away from the main center of the work and catch up on schoolwork. With all the noise and disruption, however, we found concentrating an impossible task. Things will come up that you couldn't possibly plan for, such as additional work, may crop up. Some of our choice of materials were out of stock by the time we got to actually ordering the product, so we had to alter our plans suddenly. All of these things add to the family's stress level. You may see the worst traits in all of the family members, especially if the remodel goes beyond two or three weeks. You will have to be patient and understanding of each other.

4. Find things to do that bring you comfort to counterbalance the stress. For some that is exercise or meditation. It may simply be getting out of the house. A picnic lunch in a natural setting can be just the salve you need. Remember that each family member may need a different thing, so you may need to provide a variety of outlets.

4. One thing that was comforting during the whole ordeal was the fact that we cleaned up and did our best to regain some normalcy along the way. It is easy to just give into the disruption and wait until it is all over to do anything. My advise is to not give in, but do all you can to regain control of your life. In the end, these efforts will bring some much needed comfort to the family.

5. Keep your eye on the prize. Remember no matter how extensive the remodel is, it will eventually be finished. Rejoice in all the improvements you see along the way, even if at the same time you have to turn a blind's eye to the messes which are also in the room.

Celebrating National Peanut Butter Day!

source

To celebrate National Peanut Butter Day...

  Katie made us these Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana "Dog" sandwiches...

 which very much got the attention of our dog.

 We also had peanut butter cookies for dessert.

Then we played the Unambiguously Describe How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich game.

The basic idea is that one person has in front of them all the things you need to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a second person has to guide the first person through the steps of making the sandwich as if the person has no idea how to do so. The first person must follow the instructions exactly. Lots of laughter always ensues. For example, when I was told to put the knife in the peanut butter, I put it in just as I picked it up, which happened to be handle down into the peanut butter. It is a lot of fun to do.

Happy National Peanut Butter Day!

Master Menu Planning!

As homeschooling moms we have a lot of regular tasks that take our time and energy but they are necessary, so we have to do them. Through the 19 years of homeschooling and homemaking, however, I have tried to simplify and streamline these tasks so that they take up less of my time and energy. One of these tasks is menu planning. It is a particularly difficult task for our family as we have special diets and palates that don't always combine well. I have two children who can't have casein (milk protein) or gluten. My husband has been a vegetarian for years. Most of my kids are picky eaters, only liking American-style foods and I crave variety and foreign dishes. One of my kids won't eat anything that is mixed together, like a casserole. And then there is the issue of getting the most for your money. What solutions have I found through the years? How do I accomplish the task of menu planning?

• First I would suggest that you get a blank calendar page to make up a master monthly menu. Most of us tend to eat the same dishes over and over again, so I have found that you can pretty much get everything you like to eat in a one to two month master plan as people tend to eat the same things over and over each month or two, with a few variations.

• At the top of each column, instead of the usual "Sunday...Monday...etc" write categories for the things that your family likes to eat. An example may be: 1) chicken, 2) hamburger, 3) Pasta, 4) Crockpot (in winter) or Salads (in summer), 5) New or Occasional dishes (which would include holidays), 6) Fish or Beef and 7) Pork. You could make the categories anything you like, however, customizing it to your family's tastes. My family likes to eat tacos more than anything else and I have found that they like me to serve it once a week! So, one of my categories is just Tacos.
• Now, begin filling in the chart with your family's favorites. Some categories will be easy to fill up and others might take a little more work. You might even find that you need to change the category headings as you see where your family's favorite recipes fit.

• Once you chart is almost finished, you will see that there are gaps here and there. You can fill them with new recipes you would like to try. This is where Pinterest, blogs that you like or a menu planning system, like Build a Menu, comes in handy. Build a Menu has lots of really great tasting recipes and has them in categories which include Dine on a Dime, Family Friendly, Low Carb, Low Fat/Sensible Portions, either just Gluten Free or Allergy Friendly, which all have no gluten, dairy or nuts, Vegetarian, Clean Eating, Slow Cooker, Grill-A-Meal and Trim Healthy Mama. You could even use these categories at your header categories in your own personal master monthly menu. You can pick from any or all of the categories each week, so you are not stuck with one type of meal. There is even a "Cheat and Eat" option for breakfast and lunch which is just an option to include items that don't need a recipe, such as a frozen pizza or a box of cereal to your menu. When I reviewed Build a Menu previously, the only thing I didn't like about the program was the fact that there wasn't a way to add in your own recipes, but now Build a Menu has added a new feature in which you can add your own recipes!

• Make a shopping list based on your menu choices. If you do this step once, then you can use the same menu and shopping list over and over again without any additional work. You can do this entirely on your own or you can use a use an online menu planning system to help you with this step. I have found Build a Menu a lifesaver on this as well. The program has a built in shopping list generator. As you pick the recipes, it automatically generates a shopping list with estimated costs, divided into categories for easy shopping. And now, your own recipes will be added to the shopping list as well as the menu, so you should know exactly what you will be spending! The shopping list shows you what recipe each item is used for and it computes your shopping list in such a way that if you need a half an onion for one recipe and another half an onion for another recipe, the shopping list will reflect one onion. This saves money and waste. I have found the cost estimates to be very accurate. In this way, you can adjust your menu to fit not only your family's tastes and preferences, but also your budget. If the total is running too high, just switch out a more expensive dish with a less expensive dish, until you meet your budget.

 

• And so now you have a month or two of meal plans that you know your family will eat and you know what you will be spending on them. All you have to do is add in any special occasions that come up the week you are shopping, that might influence your menu, such as holidays or birthdays. You now have a menu that you don't spend a lot of time creating each week that fits your budget!

And if you are convinced that Build a Menu can help you with your menu planning, you might want to hop over there right now because they have a sale going on in which you can get a 12-month access to their program for only $35!

Triangular Numbers, More on Pascal's Triangle and Odd/Even Numbers

Remember when we played with squares and square numbers?

I thought maybe it was time to look at triangular numbers.

We took out circles because triangular number is the number of dots in an equilateral triangle uniformly filled with dots. 

Okay, one is the smallest way to make a triangle. How many circles does it take to make the next size larger triangle? We played and built.

Three.

Next size up?

Six.

Can you predict the next size up triangle?

Nine? Is it multiples of three?

Let's see.

No, ten.

Let's build one more.

Fifteen.

Now let's take them and make squares out of them. How many more do you need?

One more to the three.

Three more to the six.

Can you predict the next amount it will take to make the triangles a square?

Six?

Let's try and see.

Why did you say six?

Because it was the same sequence of numbers...1...3...and 6.

The sum of two consecutive triangular numbers is a square number.

Then I told them a bit about Karl Gauss. He lived in the 1800's and he proved that you can make any whole number by adding no more than three triangular numbers and that triangular numbers never end in 2, 4, 7 or 9.

What triangular numbers add up to your age.

Ten is already a triangular number but it can also be made by1 +3+6!

Seven is 6+1!

Thirteen can be made by adding 10 + 3.

What about you? Hmmmm...49 can be made by adding 28+28+3.

Lastly, remember Pascal's Triangle?

Can you find triangular numbers in it?

Then I found this investigation of number patterns and Pascal's Triangle and I had to try it out too.

So, I printed out a copy of Pascal's Triangle and we went to work coloring multiples of two and three.

We tag teamed this activity by starting with Quentin until he wanted to pass the marker to James and then James to Sam.

You may find it helpful to know that the sum of the digits of any multiple of 3 is itself divisible by 3. For example, 252 = 2+5+2 = 9, and 9 is divisible by 3; 924 = 9+2+4 = 15, and 15 is divisible by 3—so both 252 and 924 are colored, but 560 = 5+6 = 11, is not.

You could also look at it in terms of odd and even numbers and if two cells above are of the same type (both odd, both even), you color the cell below even. If the cells above are different (odd + even, or even + odd) you color it odd. Why does this work?

Because of the principle that an odd + an odd always equals an even. Same is true with the sum of two even numbers is itself even. If your student doesn't know this, he will need to play with numbers to prove it to himself. With every step of the way, he needs to see for himself what the rules of math are, and not just take it from you. 

Summer Fun #73: Watermelon Cake

What says summer more than watermelon? 

This watermelon cake is easy enough for anyone to make for any summer party or just for fun.

 You only need one layer of cake, which you then cut and half and put together to make the watermelon shape. I used Duncan Hines Pink Velvet Cake (which has a delicious chocolate flavor) but you could use a white cake and some red food coloring to make a pink batter.

When you bake the cake, add some mini chocolate chips (Nestles makes some) to simulate the seeds. I just eyeballed the amount. It makes a nice surprise when you cut the cake.

 Ice the rind area with green frosting. I used Pillsbury Funfetti Vibrant Green Vanilla Flavored Frosting because I was going for simple and easy, but you could make up a big batch of white icing and tint some pink and some green, leaving just a bit of white. Let the green come up just over the edge of the top of the cake. When you are finished icing the green, you can add those characteristic watermelon lighter streaks in the rind with just a bit of white icing on your knife and kinda zig-zag or swirl in through as you pull your knife up through the green icing. You must have a soft touch with this because you don't want obvious stripes, just a hit of coloration.

 Next you need to bead a line of white icing that touches the green icing that comes up over the edge of the cake. I just scooped some white icing into a zippered  bag, sealed it shut, snipped off a tiny corner, and started piping. You, of course, can use a decorating bag, if you have one. You need to use an icing bag for this part because you do not want any of either the green or the pink mixing with the white. You want a nice crisp white line. If you want a thicker portion of white, just pipe a second bead of white right next to the first.

 We chose just to have a thin white area.

Have the white icing go along the line of green all the way across the cake and down the sides.

 Next, frost the remaining parts of the cake with pink frosting. I used Pillsbury Funfetti Hot Pink Vanilla Flavored Frosting, but it was a bit vivid. You might want to tone it down a bit with some red food coloring or make your own.

Make sure the frosting goes all the way down the cut side of the cake. You may need to use a crumb layer especially on this side because, being the cut side, this side is more crumb producing than the other sides. I just popped my layers in the freezer for a little while and that helped keep the crumbs down. You want it to be firm, but not yet completely frozen.

When you are finished frosting the cake, press some more of the mini chocolate chips randomly where you have frosted with pink frosting for the seeds.

And now your watermelon cake is all finished and ready for any summer party occasion or even just for fun!

Disclaimer: I have used the products mentioned for my own purposes and their mention is not meant as an endorsement or recommendation of any particular products and they may not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

To see more Summer Fun ideas, click here.