Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

A pie might seem like a huge undertaking however if you buy store made crust all you and your kids need to do is stir the ingredients together and bake it.  It is a great way for your child to be able to add an impressive finish to any family dinner. 

Ingredients:

1 store bought pie shell

2 ½ cups rhubarb sliced into bite size pieces

1 ½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

2 ½ cups fresh sliced strawberries (you can also use frozen thawed)

2 tablespoons minute tapioca

½ teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix all the filling ingredients together until they are evenly combined.  Pour into the premade pie shell, if you want to get a little fancy you can create a top out of the second shell that usually comes in the package.  Place the pie on a cookie sheet in order to catch the run, and cover the edges of the pie with tin foil.  Place the pie in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and continue to cook for 45-50 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crust is light brown.  Let cool.

ENJOY!

Danielle

Learning Corner:

Living in the Northwest we have a great opportunity to get fresh rhubarb and strawberries if not from our own backyards then our Olympia Farms Market.  Make it a family trip to go and pick out your pie ingredients together.

HONEYCOMB CANDY    

I found this recipe online at www.chemistry.about.com and thought it looked like fun.  I liked the idea of making my own candy and being able to put special touches into it if I wanted while learning something about science and chemical reactions.  This is a fun and easy way to make something to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons honey

1 ½ tablespoons baking soda

2 tablespoons water

¾ cup sugar

Directions:

Grease a cookie sheet and set to the side, meanwhile heat water, sugar and honey in a pot on the stove.  Try using sugar free honey or Splenda as a way to cut down on your sugar or as a diabetic friendly alternative.  When the sugar is all dissolved it will start to bubble, be very careful not to burn yourself and have your parents close by when you are finishing this step.  Let the sugar turn a light honey color  no need to stir, and then turn of the heat to the stove.  Add in the baking soda and mix until just combined.  This will foam up so make sure to have a lot of room in you pot and for safety let your parents do the stirring.  Poor the foaming candy onto your greased baking sheet, do not smooth out because this would pop your bubbles.  Let cool and break apart like you would peanut brittle. 

ENJOY!

Danielle

Learning Corner:

What is it that makes this candy look like the honeycomb that bees make?

How is honey made, learn about our wonderful bees together!

Homemade Butter

This is something fun, active and super easy.  Making the butter can be a great addition your child can give to any meal to make it that much more special.  A little heads up, this will make your arms tired, so take turns shaking it up!

Ingredients:

1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream

1 pinch of salt if desired

1 Mason jar, or Cleaned out Peanut Butter Jar

Directions:

Pour the pint of heavy whipping cream into the jar of your choice; make sure it is water tight.  Leave about 1 to 1.5 inches of room in the top of the jar, the cream will expand.  Seal the lid and make sure it is water tight before you start shaking it.  To speed up the process you can place the jar in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to cool it down. 

Start shaking the jar; it will take about 20 minutes before you see a change in the cream.  The cream will become thick, and pull away from the sides of the jar to form a clump, this is not butter.  Keep shaking the jar until the clump becomes more solid and a milky white liquid separates from the solid.  Once this happens continue to shake for another 5-10 minutes. 

Now that you have butter and buttermilk (the milky white liquid) place the butter in a strainer with small holes.  This will drain the buttermilk from the solid butter, rinse the butter with very cold water until the water runs clear, this will help remove any leftover buttermilk and keep your butter from turning sour too quickly.   Stir in a pinch of salt if you want salted butter and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

ENJOY!

Danielle

Learning Corner:

Try having your child add different flavors to the butter, freshly picked herbs for thanksgiving

Citrus zest for breakfast

This is another great July treat that show cases one of our Nations best holidays, and it can be done totally by your kids.  This picture and directions can be found on the Kraft website. 

Ingredients:

Cauliflower

Cherry Tomatoes

Blueberries

Starfruit

Directions:

Fallow the picture of the American Flag, parents this can be a totally kid activity.  Start with the top few red and white stripes then add the blueberries and stars.  Continue down the flag with the strips until your serving plate is full. 

Enjoy!

Danielle

Learning Corner:

Try finding different fruits and veggies that are red and white, with different textures and sizes like:

raspberries, cherries, jicama and fennel.