Kirsov's Pudding

Tuesday, August 6, 2013 10:32 PM Posted by The Cookie Cutter Diva 0 comments
More fun today as part of my oldest History lesson about Slavs. He made Kirsov's Pudding which was pretty gross in my opinion lol but it was fun to make for him!
Title: Kirsov's Pudding
Categories: Russian, Ethnic, Vegetable, Desserts, Slavic
Yield: 6 Servings

4 Lg. sweet potatos - peeled & grated
1 c Molasses*
1/2 c Buttermilk
2 Eggs
1/2 c Melted butter
1/2 ts Salt
* Honey may be substituted for molasses. I had this dish made both ways. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2 qt. baking dish. Beat eggs, add the molasses or honey, melted butter, & salt. Stir in the grated sweet potatos. Pour this mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 2 hours or until the pudding is a dark, caramel color. Be sure to grate the sweet potatos just befor eusing them as they will turn dark and not look as appetizing when cooked.

Mummy Experiment Part 1

7:14 PM Posted by The Cookie Cutter Diva 0 comments

We only did a few of these since we didn't have everything but here is what we are doing!
Mummy Experiment
Egyptian mummy
The earliest Egyptian mummies date back to around 3200 B.C. Hieroglyphics from tombs describe how the mummification process evolved over time. In the beginning, preparers would simply treat the body by covering it with a natural salt, called natron (baking soda), to help dry it out, and then wrap it in bandages soaked in a type of resin.
Around 1500 B.C., the art of mummification reached its peak. Before treating the body, morticians would remove the brain and many vital organs. Then they would pack the abdominal cavity with natron, sand, or sawdust and immerse the body in more natron for about 40 days. After that, the body was washed, repacked with spices and more natron, and wrapped in bandages. The whole process took about 70 days.
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Mummy Experiment
Have you ever wondered why every time you eat salty foods, you get thirsty? Or why fresh vegetables tend to shrivel up when you sprinkle salt on them? The answer is simple. Salt is a desiccant - it helps remove water from things, including human bodies. Which is why the Ancient Egyptians used salts when they were mummifying bodies.
In this experiment, you can test different salt compounds and to find out which makes the best mummified apple.
Materials

2 fresh apples
large box of table salt
large box of Epsom salts
large box of baking soda
knife
eight 12-oz disposable plastic cups
measuring cup
large mixing bowl
pen
masking tape
sensitive balance or food scale (optional)
paper and pencil
Slice the two apples into quarters so that you have eight slices similar in size. Place a piece of tape on each cup and write the words "starting weight." Select one slice, weigh it, and record the weight on the outside of cup 1. Follow the same procedure with the other seven apple slices until each cup has been labeled with the appropriate starting weight. If you don't have a scale, try to cut all the apple pieces to the same size.
Put 1/2 cup of baking soda into cup 1, making sure to completely cover the apple. Write the words "baking soda only" on the outside label.
Fill cup 2 with 1/2 cup Epsom salts and label.
Fill cup 3 with 1/2 cup table salt and label.
Fill cup 4 with 50:50 mix of Epsom and table salt then label.
Fill cup 5 with 50:50 mix of table salt and baking soda and label.
Fill cup 6 with 50:50 mix of baking soda and Epsom salts and label.
Fill cup 7 with a mixture of 1/3 baking soda, 1/3 Epsom salts, and 1/3 table salt and label.
At this point, seven cups should have an apple piece and 1/2 cup of salt mixture. Cup 8 should have just a piece of apple as control for the experiment.
Place the cups on a shelf out of direct sunlight and let them sit for seven days.
After a week has gone by, take out each apple slice, brush off as much salt as possible, and reweigh. (Do not rinse the apple off because that will rehydrate it.).
Compare the starting and ending weights of each slice and calculate the percentage of weight which is moisture lost for each by dividing the difference in weight by the starting weight.
If you don't have a weigh scale, put the apple pieces in order of size (make sure to keep track of which piece was in which cup!
Questions

Which salt would seem to work best at making an apple mummy?
Would you have achieved the same results if you used a whole, un-peeled apple? Try it and find out.
What was the point of leaving one of the apple slices in a cup without any salt at all?
Where did the moisture in the slices go? How could you confirm this?
jars for holding salt to make a Egyptian mummy Salts and special drying solutions played important roles in preserving mummies, but they also served another purpose. Before refrigerators and freezers, people had to preserve food by pickling, drying, salting, and smoking. Visit a local food store and see how many foods you can find that have been preserved the same way as mummies. Try your hand at drying different fruits. How do the textures and tastes compare?

King Tut and Pyramids

7:09 PM Posted by The Cookie Cutter Diva 0 comments

Today we had fun with learning about King Tut and Pyramids doing lots of fun activities and crafts!!
1) We designed our own Sarcophagus with a print out from here http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/design-a-sarcophagus
2) Wrote our name in Egyptian Letters
3) Made a Fun Egyptian Hat
What You Need
Cut Strips of Construction Paper glued together to make a head piece
Cut Construction paper in half then decorated for the sides
Rolled up Foil to make a Snake for the front

Recycled Dalmatian Craft

7:01 PM Posted by The Cookie Cutter Diva 0 comments
Today we made a recycled dalmatian craft for part of our science lesson where we learned about rescue dogs!

Make a Dalmation:
Clean 8 quart Kool-aid canister (or similar powdered drink container)
Paper
Pen
White, black, and red felt (we used construction paper)
Scissors
Black permanent marker
Two wiggle eyes (2 mm)
Tacky glue
White Sock

Pottery Clay Experiment

6:57 PM Posted by The Cookie Cutter Diva 0 comments
As part of our lesson today learning about the Slavs we made pottery clay!
Air Dry or Bake Clay #2
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup hot water
1/8 cup cold water
1/4 cup cornstarch
In a saucepan, boil salt and hot water.
Stir cornstarch and cold water together in a separate bowl. Once the cornstarch dissolves, add this mixture to the boiling water. Whisk constantly
Reduce heat to low and cook until mixture is a stiff dough. Make sure to stir constantly so it doesn't burn.
Drop dough onto table and, once cool, knead for 5 minutes until firm.
Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters (just like you would cookies).
Store extra in a plastic bag for up to 3 weeks.
You can let air dry for 48 hours (in a dry, breezy location)
OR Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Bake on a foil covered cookie sheet for about 1 hour
Paint with acrylic or tempra paints. (acrylic cover better, but don't wash out of clothes)