Our PreSchool Blog

Another cooking day is here! Today we read If you give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff and talked about cooking at home. The boys and girls did a great job adding the ingredients and helping to mix it all together. The children really enjoyed making these yummy Carrot Muffins!

Summer has yet to make it’s official arrival, however, the weather has fooled us!  To kick off the season to come, we made Summer Fruit Pizza.  This delicious, kid friendly recipe was a blast to make, and even more fun to eat!

Summer Fruit Pizza:

Pillsburry pizza dough

Cream Cheese

Blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, bananas, and mandarin oranges

Directions:

1. Bake pizza crust according to package directions

2. Cut up fruit while pizza dough is cooking

3. Spread cooked dough with cream cheese, and then top with cut up fruit

Today we  read Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert.  After reading about vegetable soup we made our own! The children helped pour in the vegetables, add the water and stir it up. I hope everyone enjoyed our yummy vegetable soup!

With Easter just around the corner, we, fittingly, used our cooking day to dye Easter eggs!  The children had the option of drawing on their egg before dying it or just dipping it into a variety of fun Easter colors.  Once our eggs looked egg-stra perfect, the boys and girls learned about how to hard boil an egg.  Looking at the difference between a hard boiled egg and a raw egg, the children decided hard boiled looked much more appetizing!  They got to put their taste buds to the test when each one had the opportunity to crack open their own hard boiled egg, slice it up, and eat it.  It was a delicious experience!

A cooking day is upon us once again!  The weather has turned and it’s time to head outside and enjoy the sun and warmth.  Here is an easy snack to put together and bring on those long walks, hikes or car rides:

Talkin’ Trail Mix:

Ingredients:

1 cup Chex Mix

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup yogurt rasins

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup almonds (we did not use these in our mixture today)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

On a foil lined baking sheet, combine almonds, pumpkin seeds, and coconut. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until coconut is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool thoroughly.  Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, mix and enjoy!

There are lots of unique dishes that come from Brazil, but none as tasty as biscoitos de maiz.  These cornmeal cookies are popular in Brazil, and easy to make.  The children enjoyed making this yummy Brazilian representation!

Biscoitos de Maiz (cornmeal cookies)

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2tsp salt

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1. Place the cornflour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and blend thoroughly then add the butter and mix well.
3. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest.
4. Preheat oven to 375.  Line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper
5. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the lined baking sheets, spreading well apart. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Spring is just around the corner, so what better way to usher in the new season than with a refreshing drink!  The boys and girls did a nice job slicing the lemons and adding all of the ingredients.  They even helped press the buttons on the blender!  The recipe below yields 4 cups.

Ingredients:

2 limes

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

3 cups water

ice

Directions:

Wash limes thoroughly.  Cut off the ends and slice into 8 wedges.  Place limes and all ingredients into blender.  Blend, and then strain out rinds.

The children were at it again as we poured and stirred our way into salad dressing!  This easy recipe makes a yummy dip for veggies or can be used for salad.          Creamy Feta Dressing & Dip (yields 1.5 cups):

–5 oz. feta cheese

-1/4 cup milk or buttermilk

-1/2 cup sour cream

-1/2 cup mayonaise

-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

-1 teaspoon of chopped, fresh dill (1/4 tsp. dried)

-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-salt and pepper to taste

Mash the feta and milk together until you get the consistency of cottage cheese.  Next, add the remaining ingredients and blend well.  Let sit, covered, in the refrigerator to blend  flavors.

We started off our week on a healthy note!  These little chefs really got into the cooking mode while chopping and mixing a delicious Aussie Rice Salad.  It wouldn’t be complete without sampling a little taste of our ingredients along the way.  Using fresh red peppers, onions, cilantro, corn and peas, the children were able to add more or less of what they liked.  This is a recommended recipe to all!

Aussie Rice Salad

-3 cups jasmine rice, cooked

-1/2 cup peas

-1 onion, chopped

-1 small can corn

-1 red pepper, diced

-bacon bits

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon mayonaise

1 tablespoon allspice

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or coriander