Cooking with Math

21 01 2010

On Monday, our friends at C-Day Camp made trail mix by using math, and you can too!

To make this trail mix, you must count. Counting correctly is very important to math but it is also very important when making food. 

For this counting recipe you will need your favorite trail mix ingredients. At the Museum we like to use:

1 bag of popped popcorn
1 bag of pretzels
1 bag of animal crackers
2 cartons of whole grain Goldfish
1 bag of  M&Ms or raisins or mini marshmallows

Here is everyone waiting to count out their trail mix ingredients.

When making these at home, you could also use dried fruit, nuts, or granola.  You can also use just one cup of each ingredient if it’s only for you and your family so you don’t make too much. If not, invite friends over and you can all count together.

After you set out your ingredients, count each one into a bag to make your trail mix.  This is how I  like to make mine:

9 pieces of popcorn
8 pretzels
7 animal crackers
12 Goldfish
6 M&Ms

Each time you make a bag of the trail mix you can count to new numbers.  Tell us what you like in your trail mix. Don’t forget to keep count!

Here are our friends after they counted out their trail mix ingredients.


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Categories : 5 years & under, Cook

Gobble, gobble! Turkey snacks & sweets!

23 11 2009

Disney’s Family Fun web site has this great idea to make your regular lunchtime sandwiches more exciting.  Not only are these turkey-shaped sandwiches fun to make, they’re healthy too! Click on the photo to learn how to make this turkey snack!

Afterward, satisfy your sweet tooth with these turkey sugar cookies!

All you need is a sugar cookie recipe, different colored icing, candy corn, and candy for the eyes. I think mini M&Ms make good turkey eyes. You can also use a small bit of red licorice for the turkey’s waddle. 

For one recipe, check out the Pillsbury web site by clicking on the photo.

These turkey-themed snacks are making me even more excited about Thanksgiving! What are some of your family’s Thanksgiving traditions? What food do you look forward to eating?


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Dry Ice Experiment #1: Concoct a witch’s brew!

12 10 2009

Double, double, toil and trouble….

With some dry ice and punch, you can make your own smoking witch’s cauldron full of tasty brew.

witch's cauldron

This is the first experiment in a three-part series using dry ice. Dry ice experiments are great for Halloween or anytime you feel like being a mad scientist!

What you need:

-Ingredients for your favorite kind of punch or Kool-aid mix

-Two punch bowls so that one can fit inside the other (try using a Halloween cauldron for the outside container to make it look more like a witch’s brew!)

-Dry ice (Both Central Market stores and the HEB on Congress and Oltorf carry dry ice)

-A hammer or other tool to break the dry ice into smaller chunks

-Tongs, oven mitts, or thick hand towel to touch the dry ice—the chemicals in dry ice can burn your skin so never use your bare hands to handle it!

What to do:

1. Put the smaller bowl in the bigger bowl. Mix your punch in the inner bowl. You can snap some some non-toxic glowsticks and drop them into the punch to make it look more eerie!

2. Break the dry ice into chunks so they fit in the outer bowl and around the inner bowl. Make sure you pick up the pieces using the tongs, oven mitts, or thick hand towel, not your hands!

making the smoke

3. Pour warm water on the dry ice. Continue to pour warm water if the smoke slows down. Hot water will make more smoke come out, but the ice will disappear faster.

4. As your cauldron smokes, serve your magical concoction to people!

ooh, witch's brew

Dry ice is different from regular ice because it is made from frozen carbon dioxide. (Carbon dioxide is the air we breathe out!) When regular ice breaks down, it melts from a solid to a liquid. Dry ice doesn’t turn into a puddle when it breaks down because it goes through sublimation. Sublimation is the process of a  solid changing into a gas. That means the dry ice transformed directly into carbon dioxide gas, creating the smoke effect.


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Categories : 5 years & up, Cook, Experiment, Learn

Ice cream for you & me!

27 04 2009

ice-cream-cone

We realize it’s not summertime just yet, but that’s no reason why we can’t enjoy America’s favorite dessert. Each year, the average American eats an average of 23 pints of ice cream. I am definitely one of those people! Wouldn’t you just love some ice cream with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and whipped cream right about now? Mmmm!

Check out our previous post about ice cream. It gives you the recipe to make your own at home. Get creative and invent new flavors!

Steve Spangler explains the science behind making ice cream. Check it out!

Did you know: Sugar makes the dessert sweet, but it also serves another important purpose. In the freezer, plain cream turns into a solid that’s hard as a rock. Sugar helps keep the ice cream softer by lowering the mixture’s temperature.


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Categories : Cook, Cool stuff on the web, Learn

A Leprechaun Treat

12 03 2009

Shamrock Rice KrispiesSt. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by people all around the world. It is a day of festive food, fun, and family. People celebrate by wearing green, eating green foods, and attending parades.

In honor of the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, we tried this fun and easy leprechaun recipe. 

You can try it too!

 Materials:Ingredients

  •  3 tablespoons  butter or margarine
  • 1 package (10 oz., about 40)  regular marshmallows
  • 6 cups Rice Krispies
  • green food coloring
  • green decorating frosting (optional)

Directions:

1. In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Add green food coloring to the mix, and stir until smooth.

2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into shamrock shapes and decorate with green icing. Enjoy!

You can add green food coloring to any of your favorite treats: Mac and cheese, jello, ice cream, milk. Try cucumbers, celery, pickles, grapes or anything green! Even make green “leprechaun” apple juice.


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Categories : 5 years & up, Cook

Pumpkin Pie Play Dough

30 10 2008

We found a fun recipe for play dough on the blog Pepper Paints! Although the play dough is not edible, it will have your home smelling like fall and pumpkin pie in no time!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 drops red food coloring
  • 15 drops yellow food coloring

Directions:

  1. Combine all dry ingredients in a cooking pot.
  2. Add oil, water, and food coloring.
  3. Whisk until smooth.
  4. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a ball.
  5. Place the dough onto the counter and once it has slightly cooled, knead the dough until it is smooth.
  6. The play dough will keep in a plastic bag for about a week. Enjoy!

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Hungry for Halloween!

24 10 2008

It’s almost time for Halloween and we thought we would post some yummy Halloween-themed snack ideas! Instead of the normal sweet snacks like Halloween cupcakes and candy though, these treats are healthy for you!

Our first snack, from Little Nummies, is Witch Hats made out of crescent rolls! Instead of rolling up your dough completely to make regular crescent rolls, roll it half-way and then curl the end of your dough to make the top of a witch hat. Super easy and tasty!

Our second snack, from Munchkins and Mayhem, is Skeleton Dip! All you need are some assorted vegetables and your favorite veggie dip from the grocery store. Then, arrange the vegetables to create the skeleton’s body. The bowl of dip is perfect for the skeleton’s head!

Our third snack, from Where the Sidewalk Ends, is Mummy Pizza! You will need English muffins, pizza sauce, cheese slices, and olives. After putting sauce on the English muffins, place olives where the eyes will be and then surround your olives with cheese slices. Heat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then bake your pizzas for about 10 minutes!

   

To get in the Halloween spirit, come to the Austin Children’s Museum’s 2008 Bats and Cats Ball this Sunday, October 26th! A costume parade will begin at 5PM at the City Hall Plaza followed by the official ball at the Austin Children’s Museum from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.  Go here to RSVP!


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Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cook

Eat Like an Astronaut!

7 08 2008

Believe it or not, astronaut food is not that different from the food we eat on Earth. Astronauts can choose from a variety of foods such as fruits, nuts, peanut butter, chicken, beef, seafood, candy, brownies, and more.

It is extremely expensive to launch astronauts into space. It costs $10,000 per pound to launch the space shuttle, so the weight of objects in the shuttle are very important. Therefore, NASA eliminates some weight by removing water from most of the prepackaged foods, a process known as dehydration, (like the way a wet sponge gets smaller if you leave it out to dry and then expands again when you put it in water). The food is later rehydrated in orbit with water from the space shuttle’s fuel cells.  

Try making your own astronaut meal with this recipe we found from SpaceCenter.org!

Materials

• Tang

• Chocolate pudding

• Oatmeal

• 1 tablespoon

• 3 Ziplock bags (with zipper)

• 1 straw

Directions

1. Measure 2 tablespoons of tang into the first plastic bag.

2. Fill the bag about 1/4 full of water, zip the bag and slowly shake the bag to mix the contents.

3. Measure about 4 tablespoons of chocolate pudding into the second zip lock bag.

4. Add just enough water so that the pudding is not runny and mix the chocolate pudding with the water by squishing the bag.

5. Measure about 3 tablespoons of oatmeal into the last zip lock bag.

6. Add just enough water so that the oatmeal is not runny, squish the bag and mix the contents.

7. Once all of the food is prepared, slowly open one corner of the drink packet and put the straw in the bag. Tighten the area around the straw so it does not move.

8. Dig in and enjoy!


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Categories : Cook, Learn

Fun with Fruit

6 08 2008

While we all love to bake sweets, it’s important to remember healthy eating and good nutrition as well. In camp this week we made Number Fruit Salad, combining fruits like pineapple chunks, banana slices and orange pieces. These fruits are all an important source of vitamins, minerals and enzymes and a main staple in our diet. Try this recipe for Fruit Kabobs for a fun and easy way to get your daily serving of fruit!

We found this recipe on the blog Full Circle, check it out for other neat ideas, like these fantastic fruit & veggie creations!

What other ideas can YOU come up with?


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Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cook

Playdough Cookies!

6 08 2008

This recipe for play dough cookies from Allrecipes.com is yummy AND fun! The swirls of rainbow color look similar to play dough, but taste MUCH better! This is a project that’s easy for kids of all ages, and an excellent way for them to show off the cooking skills they learned in camp this week. Check out Plum Pudding’s Blog for additional tips and photos! ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

· 3/4 cup butter, softened

· 3 ounces cream cheese

· 1 cup white sugar

· 1 egg

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· assorted colors of paste food coloring

· 24 lollipop sticks

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms. Divide dough into fourths. Tint each with a different food color. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Working with half of each color, shape dough into 3/4 inch balls and for each cookie place 1 pink, 1 green, 1 blue and 1 orange ball together to make 1 large ball. Shape into a 12 inch long roll (like a snake), starting at one end, coil roll to make a 2 3/4 inch round cookie. Place cookies 3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Carefully insert lollipop sticks into bottoms of cookies.

4. Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container.

How did they turn out? Let us know!


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Categories : 5 years & up, Cook

We all scream for…fish?

29 07 2008

 

Ice cream contains pretty basic ingredients like ice, salt, milk, and sugar. But did you know that some ice cream uses proteins from fish?

The ingredient, called an ice-structuring protein, is used by some manufacturers during the ice cream making process. How does that work exactly? Well, the protein they are using comes from fish that live in very cold temperatures, like in the Arctic ocean. This protein protects the fish in the freezing waters by lowering the temperature at which ice crystals form. And this protein does the same thing for ice cream. When it is used in the churning process the protein prevents ice crystals from forming and helps the ice cream to stay really creamy.

 

 

If all this talk about ice cream is making you hungry, here’s a really easy recipe for some homemade (and fish free) ice cream.

 Vanilla ice cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup light cream

1 beaten egg (or use equivalent reconstituted dried)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 In 1 lb. coffee can mix all ingredients. Seal can lid well with duct tape. Put small, sealed can inside larger 3 lb. can. Pack ice and 1 cup salt around small can. Put lid on large can and duct tape closed. Roll back & forth on a large towel (optional) for 15 minutes. Open large can and dump ice and water. Wipe small can dry and open. Stir mix, scraping sides of can. Additional ingredients, eg. cookie crumbs, chopped nuts, can be added now. Reseal small can and place back in larger can. Repack with salt and ice. Continue rolling for 10 minutes more. Open large can and dump ice and water. Wipe small can dry and open. Enjoy!

 

You can flavor your ice cream with fresh fruit or juice. What new flavors can you come up with? Let us know!


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Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cook, Learn

How to make soft number/shape pretzels

3 07 2008

Looking for a fun way to cook with math at home? Check out the recipe for the soft number/shape pretzels we made in camp this week!

Supplies:

1 package yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

4 cups flour

more flour for hands and table

a little salt for tops when done

beaten egg with brush and cinnamon/sugar mixture (if desired)

 

Materials:

Greased cookie sheet

Large bowl

teaspoon

tablespoon

1 cup measure

½ cup measure

 

Directions:

1.     Measure the water into the large bowl

2.     Sprinkle yeast into the water and stir until soft

3.     Add salt, sugar and flour to the large bowl

4.     Dust hands and table with flour. Mix and knead the dough with hands. Dough should be smooth and elastic, not sticky. Reflour hands as needed.

5.     Divide dough into five pieces and knead one piece each.

6.     Form pretzel into a shape or number of your choice and put on a greased cookie sheet.

7.     If desired, you may brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or salt.

8.     Let rise for 45 minutes at least, bake 13 minutes at 350 degrees.  (They won’t be very brown when they’re done, they tend to stay the same color as when they went in).

 

If you’re looking for more fun recipes to make with the kids, check out instructables.com for creative recipes like these shape pancakes!


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Chefs in Training

3 07 2008

This week we put on our chef hats and aprons and got into the kitchen to explore cooking with math! Today we made pretzels, just like the baker in the story we read. We learned the importance of following a recipe and making all the correct measurements. Here we are kneading our dough to get it just the right consistency before baking our yummy concoctions!

Along with baking, we also learned about the importance of nutrition and a healthy, balanced diet. We explored the food pyramid and the number of servings you need from each food group. Did you eat from all five food groups today? Try out this interactive food pyramid from nutritionexplorations.org to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need everyday!

 

 


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Categories : Cook, Cool stuff at ACM

Make fossil pudding

6 06 2008

In dinosaur camp this week we learned about paleontologists and the work they do to uncover fossils. We even got to do some paleontological practice digging ourselves! We know that fossils have been forming over time for millions of years, and that dinosaur fossils are not the only types of fossils there are to find. If we could look at a cross-section, or a slice of the earth, we could see that the older fossils are found on the bottom and the newer fossils are found near the top:

 

Scientists can use the depth at which they find fossils to help them tell how old the fossils are compared to other fossils they find.

Why not make a fossil pudding parfait with layers of pudding “rock” embedded with fruit and cookie “fossils”? Here’s how to do it:

Stuff you’ll need:

- two flavors of pudding (in this recipe we’ll use chocolate and banana) made using the directions on the box

- a clear drinking glass or parfait glass

-  some of your favorite fruit, cookies, wafers, etc. cut into small pieces

What to do:

Make the two types of pudding according to the directions on the box and put it in the fridge for a little bit while you cut up your fruit and cookie “fossils”. Once the pudding gets to be pretty solid take it out of the fridge. Use a spoon to put a layer of vanilla pudding in the bottom of the glass. Embed some fruit or cookie “fossils” in this bottom layer (start with the heavier “fossils” on the bottom). These fossils are the oldest fossils. Now add a layer of chocolate pudding “rock” and some more “fossils”. Continue adding layers of rock embedded with fossils until the glass is filled. 

Look at the glass from the side. Where are the oldest fossils? Where are the very newest fossils found? The best part of making this parfait is finally getting to go on your “fossil dig”! Enjoy!


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Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cook