FUN WITH COLOURS

1. FIND A BOY WHO LOVES TO PAINT

                          2. SELECT FAVORITE COLOURS



 3. HAND OVER A PAINT BRUSH TO YOUR LITTLE ONE  
     AND WATCH AS THE FUN BEGINS   :)

 

BUTTON COOKIES





SHORTBREAD BUTTON COOKIES

   These cheerful bite-size cookies found their way into my sister's mail box one winter day. A fun greeting for anyone.

I used a shortbread recipe and whatever I could find to cut out the small round cookies. Searching through my kitchen I found something to make the even smaller inside circle. Some suggestions would be a medicine cup, metal cup tealight candles come in, cap or cover for a narrow neck jar. I used skewers to make the button holes.


BREAD MAKING TUTORIAL



FLUFFY GOLDEN CRUST



I was introduced to the art of bread making more than 40 years ago in the back woods of Nova Scotia by my mother in law. Ever sense my first loaves I have enjoyed making it, eating it and sharing it. Bread dough is versatile and very forgiving. Initially I was very careful to follow the recipe. I soon found that "a little of this and a little of that" allowed for a great degree of creativity. Over the years I have experimented with different liquids, flours, oils, sweetners, baking pans, temperatures,  baking times, fillings and kneading techniques.

In this tutorial I'm sharing my favorite technique. You will notice that the measurement of ingredients are general and that I go more on how it looks and feels.

Add 2 cups of scalded milk to a cup and a half of water. Allow to cool until tepid. Add honey, white or brown sugar, stir to dissolve in the liquid. You will need at least a tablespoon of sweetener, increasing it as needed for a sweeter tasting bread. Making sure your liquid is tepid add the yeast sprinkling it over your liquid. Place the bowl in sink of hot water to keep it warm being careful not to stir or cause movement in your liquid.

Once your yeast is "working" you will notice it has changed to a frothy appearance with fine bubbles. Now add your salt, Oil (about 3 tablespoons) and flour.

Gradually add 3 or 4 cups of flour stirring until you have the consistency of runny paste or runny oatmeal porridge.

Keeping your bowl in a sink of hot water allow the dough "sponge" to rise to the top of the bowl, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Stirring vigorously beat the dough down deflating the bubbles. I stir the dough "sponge" for a minute and then leave the dough to rise again. I may repeat this step only once or up to 4 or 5 times. My dough does not dictate when it is ready . The convenience of this method is that I can get back to my dough when I am ready.

Before pouring my dough onto a floured counter I add more flour making it the consistency of thick oatmeal porridge.

Cover the dough with flour making sure you have flour surrounding the whole dough mound.

Before kneading I gently press the flour into the sticky dough. As I handle and knead the dough I make sure that any sticky dough is quickly covered in flour. I gently work the dough in to a soft formed ball covered in a dusting of flour.

Now I am ready to prepare my dough for the oven. Dividing my dough into 4 balls I will make pizza, "boy bread" cinnamon buns and a loaf of plain white bread.

To make "Boy Bread" roll out the dough cover it with shredded mozzarella and cut up ham. Named for them, my grandsons love helping me make and eat this bread.

Roll the dough into a log and cut according to the portion size you desire. Place pieces in oiled baking dish.

CINNAMON BUNS

After rolling out your dough cover it with cinnamon, sweetener (brown sugar, apple sauce, honey or white sugar) walnuts and raisins.

Roll dough into a log and cut. Place pieces in oiled baking dish.

PIZZA

Roll out dough and place on oiled pizza pan. Top with meat sauce and mozzarella or topping of choice.

Cover to keep warm and allow to rise for up to an hour. I find if I am pressed for time that I can easily reduce the rising time to only 10 or 15 minutes and still get good texture and taste.

Bake in a hot oven (380 to 420 degrees F) until golden brown. Remove from oven lightly rub butter over crusts. Remove bread loaves from pans onto cooling racks. 

WOODEN DINNER PLATES

My grandsons love having their lunch served on their special wooden plates.

When my daughters were young our winter cook outs would most often find us eating from fresh cut plates. 

These plates were cut with a chain saw from the Linden tree we were having removed from our front yard. Thanks Uncle Kevin! 

VALENTINES' DAY CANDLE TUTORIAL

VALENTINES' DAY CANDLE
My mother taught me how
to make these fun candles
in the late 1950s.
You will need: -a milk carton of any size.
The one I am using here is 1 liter. 
wax, crayons, tin can, ice cubes
and a candle wick.

Start by making your ice cubes.
I have added paper hearts.

Melt your wax in a tin can sitting
in boiling water. I am using
an old candle and wax crayons
for color.

Allow all the wax to completely melt.

Have your milk carton ready
placing your wick in the center.

When your wax has completely melted
place your ice cubes around the wick
in your milk carton.

Carefully pour your melted wax over your ice cubes.

After your wax has hardened,
(about an hour)
tear the carton away from your candle.




As the candle burns down
the light will shine out through
the cavities left by the ice cubes.

 

VALENTINE CARD



VALENTINE CARD
PANTRY PAINTS

I used a heavy cardstock paper and painted it with blackberry and beet juice from my "pantry paints." Both make a very nice valentine color.
I sewed several sheets of lighter cardstock together on my sewing machine to make a four page card.
I roughed the edges slightly with sandpaper followed by rubbing a black ink pad all around the edges.



I added additional hearts fastened with ribbon through a hole punch.
"I carry your heart with me, I carry it in my heart. I am never without it. Anywhere I go you go. . ." 
E.E. Cummings

"Unto a broken heart, no other one may go without the high prerogative it self hath suffered too."
Emily Dickinson

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. . ."
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I've used a decorative disposable coffee cup from one of our dates to embellish the card. I cut the center piece from the cup, glued two like pieces together, burned the edges, roughed it with sand paper, hole punched it and attached it to the card by a ribbon. I've made a small note remembering our time together.

I have several pages, embellished  with hearts or romantic sayings and have included pictures of my self.

HAPPY VALENTINES' DAY

MELTED CRAYON ON WARM ROCKS



MELTED CRAYONS OVER WARM ROCKS



I bundled up a cooler full of warm rocks fresh from my oven.

We placed several layers of newspaper underneath the rocks. The grade threes were able to choose the colors they wanted to work with.

The rocks were hotter than would be ideal. It was hard to judge how hot to have them. Even an hour after being removed from my 300 degree oven they had not cooled enough to handle them. A much cooler oven would have probably worked better as you don't actually want your rocks too hot. Melting the wax gradually allows it to flow and mix with the other colors more effectively. 

The whole class enjoyed the project creating some very unique pieces.