Gnocchi, Gnocchi!

The children made gnocchi this week with butter and spices. The spices we used were basil, parsley, and oregano. The children found the taste of the gnocchi interesting. Each child was offered a taste of the gnocchi before we began our project. Some were able to identify the taste of the potato and some were able to identify the taste of the dough. They thought the shape and texture of the gnocchi were interesting. The children were also amused by the word gnocchi and they started to think of words that rhyme with it. They got a little giddy and began to say “gnocchi, gnocchi.” One child began saying “sorry dear, we're not having gnocchi, we’re having pepperoni.” A lot of fun was had by all! They enjoyed eating the gnocchi.  

INGREDIENTS:

-Box of gnocchi

-Butter

-Basil

-Parsley

-Oregano

PREPARATIONS:

Boil the gnocchi in a large pot of water

Drain and add butter and spices….enjoy!

Creamy Chocolate Pudding with Marshmallows and Sprinkles

I promised the children that we would make a sweet treat for Valentine’s Day.  We are currently exploring creamy, crunchy, and chewy. The children really enjoyed dipping the marshmallows into the flavored whipped cream when we made it.  They asked for the marshmallows when we were exploring sour and sweet cream. So I decided to add it to this project.

The classes enjoyed watching the powdered pudding mixture become creamy when mixed with milk.  They made a little sundae with the marshmallows, pudding, and sprinkles. A good time was had by all!

INGREDIENTS:

-Chocolate pudding mix

-Milk

-Marshmallows

-Diane’s flavored whipped cream

-Sprinkles

PREPARATION:

Pour the pudding mix into large bowl and slowly add milk

Whisk together the mixture until all powder is dissolved

Pour into bowls and top with marshmallows and sprinkles

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!

All the children at Buckle My Shoe immensely love making pizza!  It was a little hard for the two-year-olds to refrain from eating their pizza right away before baking. They were able to wait and enjoyed it hot. The older children said “that it was ok they could eat it cold” but then we all agreed it would taste better warm.  I got a lot of questions as to when the pizzas would be ready. Pizza was enjoyed by all! The children particularly liked contrasting the different taste of the cheeses. Most of them decided they liked both on their pizza. They all agreed they wanted to make it again.

INGREDIENTS:

-English muffins

-Tomato sauce

-Mozzarella cheese

-Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION:

1 slice of English muffin

Spread it with tomato sauce

Add mozzarella cheese

Add parmesan cheese

Bake for 10 minutes

Bagels with Sweet Cream Butter

The children have been enjoying experimenting with different tastes and textures. This week we had bagels with homemade sweet creamy butter. The children were very interested in the transformation of the cream into butter and some of the older children compared the texture to the butter they got from the store. One child noticed that the cream was turning yellow but the yellow was lighter than the butter from the store.  We added a little bit of sugar to the cream but some of the children said it was not sweet enough. Most of them, however, loved it! The children loved spreading the butter on the bagels. All of the children had a bagel even if they did not have any butter. I didn’t know how much the children loved bagels! I would have brought more.

INGREDIENTS

-One container of good quality heavy whipping cream

-Sugar

PREPARATION

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake until cream becomes thick and butter like

Or

Combine all ingredients in a mixer until cream becomes thick and butter like

Cream Cheese and Lemon Curd Tea Sandwiches

The 2A and 2B classes love the taste of lemon! So I decided to try using lemon curd with them. I know they love cream cheese and thought that the tart lemon would make a good contrast.  They also love creamy textures. I added raisins and craisins for fun. The 2’s classes enjoyed spreading the cream cheese and lemon curd on the bread. Some of them added the raisins and craisins but most of them ate them right off the plate.  They really loved the craisins!!

The 3’s classes also enjoyed making the sandwiches. They all took a brave taste of all the ingredients. Most of them like the lemon curd but some said it was too tart! Their spreading skills are excellent and they are becoming more independent in their cooking skills.  

INGREDIENTS:

-Cream Cheese

-Lemon Curd

-Raisins

-Craisins

-Bread…. Of your choice

PREPARATION:

Spread the cream cheese and lemon curd on bread slices (to taste)

Add craisins and raisins (to taste)

Pasta Making with Music

The children enjoyed making our pasta dishes.  Two of the classes had the pasta cold with tomatoes and chickpeas and one of the classes had the pasta hot with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. We did, however, put some cheese on the cold pasta as requested by some of the children. Some of the children were very interested in the idea of eating the pasta cold like a salad. One class requested the hot pasta. While we were stirring the pasta we wrote two songs. Both of the songs were sung to the tune of “Frere A Jacques.”

Song 1 Lyrics

We love pasta

We love pasta

Yes we do

Yes we do

Yes we do

Pasta pasta pasta,

Pasta pasta pasta,  

We love you

We love you

Song 2 Lyrics

Stirring the pasta

Stirring the pasta

123

123

Stirring the pasta

Stirring the pasta

123

123

INGREDIENTS:

-Pasta (of your choice)

-Cherry tomatoes

-Chickpeas

-Parmesan cheese

-Mozzarella cheese

PREPARATION:

Cook and drain pasta then add tomatoes, chickpeas and sprinkle with cheese.