State-by-State Scrapbook :: Kentucky

"B is for Bluegrass,

across broad fields it's seen
and though it looks the color blue
up close the grass is green."

  ~ B is for Bluegrass: A Kentucky Alphabet


.: Kentucky by Captain :.

.: Kentucky by Rascal :.

*The links to the worksheets used for these notebook pages can be found here, and here is the link to all of our State-by-State Study posts.

State-by-State Baking :: Rhode Island Johnnycakes

Earlier this year (during our last school year), for the state of Rhode Island, the 13th State to join the Union, the girls read R is for Rhode Island Red: A Rhode Island Alphabet and then completed their Notebook Pages.

Rhode Island Notebooking Pages
by Twinkle Toes (L) and Chiquita (R)

We have also been studying American History so we decided to make Johnnycakes for this state, inspired by The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States:

"Pilgrim women were the first to make a Rhode Island dish called johnnycakes, which are fried cornmeal cakes, something like pancakes.  They were originally called "journey cakes" because they were small and easily portable."

We used a recipe from Felicity's Cookbook:  A Peek at Dining in the Past with Meals you can Cook Today.  The girls had just completed a Felicity Lap Book after all!   

"I is for Independent Man.
Look up and see Independent Man
standing way up high,
watching over all Rhode Island
with clear and trusty eye."

  ~  R is for Rhode Island Red: A Rhode Island Alphabet 

Johnnycakes

adapted from Felicity's Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• Butter to grease skillet
• Favorite syrup

Directions:

1. Bring the water and the butter to a boil.
2. While that happens mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Pour the boiling water and butter into the mixing bowl. Add the milk and stir the batter until it is well mixed.
4. Grease the skillet with butter and heat over medium-low heat.
5. Drop 6 spoonfuls of batter into the pan. Let the cakes cook about 5 minutes, until they are golden brown. 
6. Use the spatula to turn over the cakes.  Cook for another 5 minutes, or so, until they are golden brown.
7. Serve with syrup. 

Flipping Pancakes for the First Time - Very exciting! 

Okay, fine... I'll put the camera down! ;) 

Resources we used for this State Study:

R is for Rhode Island Red: A Rhode Island Alphabet

R is for Rhode Island Teacher's Guide (pdf)

Rhode Island's Notebooking Page from United States Maps

United States Coloring Book (Dover)

State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book (Dover)

The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States

Other Posts of Interest: 

State-by-State Scrapbook

State-by-State Scrapbook :: Rhode Island

State-by-State Scrapbook :: Rhode Island

"R is for Rhode Island Red.
The roosters have plenty of meat.
The hens will lay eggs all year.
Known far and wide throughout the land,
Rhode Island Reds came from here."

  ~ R is for Rhode Island :: A Rhode Island Alphabet


.: Rhode Island by Captain :.





.: Rhode Island by Rascal :.

"O is for Ocean State,

One thing can be said for sure
as you look around -
All throughout the Ocean State
water can be found."

  ~ R is for Rhode Island :: A Rhode Island Alphabet

*The links to the worksheets used for these notebook pages can be found here, and here is the link to all of our State-by-State Study posts.

State-by-State Scrapbook :: Indiana

"Y is for yellow, a mellow yellow

the color in which farmers' fields are dressed
during Indiana's autumn harvest,
when corn and soy crops are at their best."

  ~ H is for Hoosier: An Indiana Alphabet

*I'm skipping ahead to the state that the kids all completed last week. I never did get around to posting the rest over the summer. Hopefully soon!  

My favorite part of the boys' State-by-State Scrapbooks has ended up being their illustrations.  (Even though those same detailed illustrations are the reason it takes them so long to complete each state.)   This was their own addition to our original plans...  We started with just coloring the worksheets I gave them, then started adding stickers to a few of the first states, and then they started adding their illustrations.   Now they like to see how much they can cram into the two pages!  ;)

.: Indiana by Captain :.





: Indiana by Rascal :.

*The links to the worksheets used for these notebook pages can be found here, and here is the link to all of our State-by-State Study posts.

State-by-State Baking :: Indiana Bread Pudding

"H is for Hoosier,

What is a Hoosier? You may ask.

There are many different ideas,

so giving an answer is a difficult task."

  ~ H is for Hoosier: An Indiana Alphabet

I'm quite behind on posting about our State-by-State Studies...  Instead of trying to catch up, I'm going to just jump ahead to Indiana - the state we studied last week, before moving on to Mississippi this week.   Eventually I will try go back and add the posts for Rhode Island, Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Louisiana.

For the state of Indiana, the 19th State to join the Union, the girls read H is for Hoosier: An Indiana Alphabet and then completed their Notebook Pages.

Indiana Notebooking Pages

by Twinkle Toes (L) and Chiquita (R)

After searching through The United States Cookbook the girls decided to make Bread Pudding.  This recipe is associated with Indiana since it used lots of eggs.

"Indiana chickens lay 5 billion eggs each year.  That's one for everyone in the world!"

Indiana Bread Pudding

(adapted from The United States Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons butter or shortening
3 cups day-old bread, cubed (about 5 slices)
1/2 cup raisins
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
ice cream, optional

Directions:

1 .  Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Using a paper towel, grease the baking dish with the butter or shortening.

 
2.  Put the bread cubes and raisins in the baking dish and toss to mix.

3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla.  Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and raisins.

4.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  

5.  Serve warm or chilled with ice cream!  :) 

Resources we used for this State Study:

H is for Hoosier: An Indiana Alphabet

H is for Hoosier Teacher's Guide (pdf)

Indiana's Notebooking Page from United States Maps

United States Coloring Book (Dover)

State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book (Dover)

The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States

Other Posts of Interest: 

State-by-State Scrapbook

State-by-State Scrapbook :: Indiana 

State-by-State Baking :: North Carolina Dogwood Bark

We are off to an "End of the Year" celebration this morning, and then we'll be having friends over for the afternoon.   I don't have much time, but thought I'd hop online for a few minutes and finish up the posts for one more state.

The state of North Carolina, the 12th State to join the Union, became a state on November 21, 1789.   As usual, the girls read T is for Tar Heel: A North Carolina Alphabet and then completed their Notebook Pages. 

North Carolina Notebooking Pages
by Twinkle Toes (L) and Chiquita (R)

"Now, D is for the Dogwood,
flowers gentle pink and white.
From mountains to city streets,
in spring a showy delight."

  ~ T is for Tar Heel: A North Carolina Alphabet

Since we made this recipe during the Easter Season, we decided to try and find something to create for the Dogwood (which is the state flower for North Carolina) recalling the legend of the dogwood tree:

It is said at the time of the Crucifixion, the dogwood was comparable in size to the oak tree and other monarchs of the forest. Because of its firmness and strength it was selected as the timber for the Cross, but to be put to such a cruel use greatly distressed the tree. Sensing this, the crucified Jesus in His gentle pity for the sorrow and suffering of all said to it: "Because of your sorrow and pity for My sufferings, never again will the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a gibbet. Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross -- two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints -- brown with rust and stained with red -- and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see this will remember. 

I happened to find a recipe for White & Dark Chocolate Dogwood Bark which we adapted for our state recipe!  I'll have to try and remember to add this recipe to Catholic Cuisine next Easter.

North Carolina Dogwood Bark

Ingredients:

3 cups pecan halves
6 ounces white chocolate
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees . Toast the pecans on a baking sheet in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. remove the nuts from the oven and set aside to cool at room temperature until needed.

Melt both chocolates in microwave, or in a double boiler over medium heat.  Allow chocolate to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Add the pecans to the bowl of melted semisweet chocolate. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the pecans until combined.

Pour the chocolate pecan mixture onto a nonstick baking sheet with sides and use a rubber spatula to spread evenly. Drizzle the white chocolate, one tablespoon at a time, over the entire surface of the chocolate pecan mixture.

Use a rubber spatula to spread and blend the white chocolate into the surface of the chocolate pecan mixture creating a marbleized effect (be careful not to overblend which would diminish the marbleized effect). Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the bark is hard, about 1 hour.

Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and transfer the bark to a cutting board. Use a cook's knife to cut the bark into irregular pieces.  (The girls just used there hands to break the bark into pieces.)

  Refrigerate in a tightly sealed plastic container until ready to use.

**Oh,  and be sure to let the kids each have a couple pieces after dinner and then package the rest to give away to neighbors or friends... This stuff is very dangerous to have just sitting in the fridge!**

Resources we used for this State Study:

T is for Tar Heel: A North Carolina Alphabet

T is for Tar Heel Teacher's Guide (pdf)

New York's Notebooking Page from United States Maps
United States Coloring Book (Dover)
State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book (Dover)
The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States

Other Posts of Interest: 

State-by-State Scrapbook
State-by-State Scrapbook :: North Carolina

State-by-State Scrapbook :: North Carolina

"T stands for Tar Heel,

a title that we're all proud of.

Our flag, our ancestors, "good people,"

 we honor the history we love."

~ T is for Tar Heel: A North Carolina Alphabet

I'm still working on catching up with the kids State-by-State study.  At this point, as we finish up our 2011-2013 school year, the kids have all completed 20 states.   Not quite half, but we are making progress. I have high hopes that we will be able to finish the remaining 30 by next summer, since we won't be adding on to our home, or having another new baby this Christmas.  Excuses, excuses. ;)  

Even though it has taken time to fit the State Study in to our busy schedule, we all think it has been worth the extra effort!  The girls have been having so much fun with their baking, and the boys love flipping through their albums and looking back at all of their little illustrations for each state.  

.: North Carolina by Captain :.

Captain's pages for North Carolina ~ photo taken March 9, 2011

.: North Carolina by Rascal :.

*The links to the worksheets used for these notebook pages can be found here.

State-by-State Scrapbook :: New York

"E is for Empire State and the marvelous Erie Canal.  

Opened in 1825, 

this waterway carried the lumber and goods 

that helped our state to thrive."

~ E is for Empire: A New York Alphabet

It has been quite some time since the boys completed these scrapbook pages for New York, but I'm just now getting around to posting them, along with the girls' State-by-State Baking post for New York.

Actually, it is the perfect time for a little review, as we have been studying the Erie Canal (reading Amazing Impossible Erie Canal and re-watching an episode from How the States Got Their Shapes) this week, as we study the Early 19th Century.

by Captain (photos taken last year)

by Rascal  (completed last year, photo taken today)

*The links to the worksheets used for these notebook pages can be found here.

We were also blessed with a goodie box from a sweet family in New York. (Thank You Harmony!)  It was packed with all sorts thoughtful gifts including pretty much the strangest thing I've ever received in the mail... Turkey Joints!  :)

This unique treat is created in Rome, New York, using an old time process and a secret formula. The end result is a decadent chocolate and brazil nut “bone marrow” center that is enrobed in a delicate, shiny and crunchy sugar “bone” outer shell.

My kids were all a little skeptical, and hesitant to try them, at first... But, after just a little nibble, they "gobbled" them all up.  And it's a good thing too!   Despite my diet, I couldn't resist having a taste myself (just three bites) and boy was it yummy!

It has been so much fun to discover (and enjoy) a few of the regional specialties found around our country. 

State-by-State Baking :: New York Cheesecake

I'm so behind in posting the recipes the girls have been creating for their State-by-State Geography Study!  We have decided that our goal for the current school year is to complete 25 states and then move on to the remaining 25 next year.   We still have quite a few to go, to even accomplish that, but they have been making progress!  If only I could keep up with the actual blog posts! ;)   I will be back soon with the Dogwood Bark the girls made for the Easter season and the state of North Carolina,  Johnny Cakes for their American Revolution Unit Study and the state of Rhode Island, and the amazingly delicous Pancakes with the best Maple Syrup ever for  the state of Vermont.  

For the state of New York, the 11th State to join the Union, the girls read E is for Empire: A New York Alphabet and then completed their Notebook Pages. 

New York Notebooking Pages
by Twinkle Toes (L) and Chiquita (R)

"G is for glistening Garnet,
Grab your garden tools.
and we'll head up to Gore Mountain,
for New York's State's official jewel."

  ~ E is for Empire: A New York Alphabet

The girls had such a hard time deciding what to make for New York.  First they thought they would make potato chips, which were invented in 1853 in New York.  Then they decided to make Garnet Jello Jigglers since a carpenter from Le Roy, New York invented Jello.  But, ultimately, the girls decided to make New York Cheesecake, using this recipe, for Mother's Day!  Next time (maybe for Father's Day?) we want to try an Oreo crust and perhaps follow Barbara's directions.

New York Cheesecake

Ingredients:

15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.  In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. 

(Over mixing will cause the cheesecake to crack... I am fairly certain ours was over mixed!)

Pour filling into prepared crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. (which, as you can see, we didn't do...) Chill in refrigerator until serving.

The girl's decided to cover the crack top our cheesecake with whipped cream and a strawberry heart for Mother's Day.  

We also enjoyed some cherry topping with the cheesecake as well. Since it was Mother's Day, I did have a piece, and it was delicious.  Thankfully I think Bud is finally starting to outgrow his sensitivity to dairy!

Resources we used for this State Study:

E is for Empire: A New York Alphabet

E is for Empire Teacher's Guide (pdf)

New York's Notebooking Page from United States Maps
United States Coloring Book (Dover)
State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book (Dover)
The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States

Other Posts of Interest: 

State-by-State Scrapbook
State-by-State Scrapbook :: New York (coming soon)