National Carrot Cake Day

It’s the last few days of January and we are finishing up our mini theme of National Days and a good one to finish on is a super yummy one, Carrot Cake Day.

Monday, February 3^rd is National Carrot Cake Day. Every year Carrot Cake day is celebrated on February 3^rd and it’s a day to eat this yummy dessert. Carrots are a natural sweetener and have been used as sweeteners since the Middle Ages and in a way this cake is a healthy option because it has vegetables in it. If you have a favourite recipe then pull it out and make it, you still have time, Carrot Cake Day isn’t until Monday, but if not we have provided one of our favourites for you to try out. If you’re not into baking then head out to the local bakery or grocery store and pick up a cake (see if they know that Monday is National Carrot Cake Day).

Carrot Cake:

2 cups of flour

2 cups of sugar

½ tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of baking soda

2 tsp. of cinnamon

3 eggs

1 ½ cup of vegetable oil

2 cups of finely grated carrots

1 tsp. of vanilla

1 cup of well drained crushed pineapple

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 packages, 3 ounces each, of cream cheese

3 cups of icing sugar

6 Tbsp. of butter or margarine

1 tsp. of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 13x9 inch pan and put aside for now.

In a mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.

Next add the eggs, oil, carrots, and vanilla. Beat until combined.

Stir in the pineapple and then pour into the greased baking pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean.

While the cake is cooking you can make your frosting. Combine all of the frosting ingredients in your mixer’s bowl and beat until well blended and fluffy looking.

Once the cake is out of the oven, allow it to cool before icing.

This cake makes 12-16 servings and can also be made into cupcakes which are yummy as well. You can even leave them unfrosted too.

Penguin Day

Happy Thursday! This week we are looking at another national day, National Penguin Day. It’s quite fitting because we have been having quite a bit of wintery snowy weather, just what most Penguins love! I love Penguins. They are just so cute and cuddly looking so I am very excited to be celebrating this day.

Take a look at some cool Penguin facts so that you are ready to celebrate the day which is January 20^th.

·         Penguins are aquatic flightless birds.

·         Most penguins reside in the Southern Hemisphere but there is one species that lives North of the Equator, the Galapagos Penguin.

·         Most Penguins are a combination of light (white) and dark (black) shades which helps them in the water. They are countershaded for camouflage.

·         Penguin’s wings are like flippers for swimming in the water.

·         Penguins like to eat krill, squid, different fish, and other sea life.

·         The largest species of Penguin is the Emperor Penguin and the smallest is the Little Blue Penguin.

·         The larger Penguins tend to be found in the colder climates and the smaller ones in the warmer climates.

·         Male Penguins are called cocks, female Penguins ate called hens, and a group of Penguins on land is called a waddle and a group in the water is called raft.

·         The word Penguin originated from the Italian word Pinguinus.

·         There are many Genus’ of Penguins and even more Species.

·         Some Species of Penguins are...King, Emperor, Chinstrap, Little Blue, White Flippered, Galapagos, African, Yellow Eyed, Rockhopper, Royal, and Macaroni Penguin. And that’s not all of them!

·         They are distantly related to the Puffin.

·         They have a thick layer of insulating feathers to keep them warm in the water

·         They can drink salt water because they have glands that filters the excess salt from the bloodstream.

·         Even though the climate is similar to the South Pole, there are no Penguins at the North Pole!

·         Large populations of Penguins can be found in Anglo, Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa.

·         Most Penguins lay two eggs per clutch and all share in the incubation process.

·         Penguins have no fear of humans and often will approach humans with no fear when they come in contact. This is possibly because they have no land enemies in Antarctica.

Also, take a look at some neat Penguin crafts that we found along with a few cards that we have made in the past featuring Penguins!

https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/paper-penguin-craft/

https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/penguin-bookmark/

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/heart-penguin-craft-1253177

http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter04/PATTpasha.html

https://gluesticksblog.com/preschool-penguin-craft/

Apricot Day

We are doing a mini theme for the rest of the month...National Days. Today happens to be National Apricot day so we are going to give you a little info about the apricot and a couple sweet and savoury recipes to try out.

The apricot is a stone fruit and comes from a small tree with a dense canopy and oval leaves. It bears flowers that are whitish and pink. The actual fruit looks like a small peach with a firm and not very juicy flesh and is often yellow to orange with a red tinge sometimes if it gets too much sun exposure. Apricots are often eaten dried with the world’s largest producer being Turkey. When dried, the nutrients are actually increased with Vitamins A and E, potassium, and iron having 25% of the daily value.

Check out this sweet recipe we found...

Honey Grilled Apricots

You will need...

3 Tbsp.butter

2 Tbsp. sugar

6 to 8 apricots (halved and pitted)

2 Tbsp. honey

1 lemon

How to make...

Melt butter and sugar together in a large pan.

Add apricots and coat with butter mixture.

Place on grill for 6 to 7 minutes, turning often.

Once cooked, place apricots on dessert plates cut side up, drizzle with honey and lemon juice, and serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or with slices of Brie cheese.

Garnish with cinnamon and mint leaves.

Apricot Preserve

You will need...

2 cups dried apricots

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 3/4 cups water

How to make...

Finely chop the apricots in a food processor. Make sure the pieces are all uniform.

Place the apricots in a slow cooker. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, and water. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and cook on high, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 hours longer or until the mixture has thickened.

Ladle into clean glass jars. Let the glass jars cool before sealing. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Savoury recipes...

Apricot BBQ Sauce

You will need...

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1/4 cup onion (pureed)

1/4 cup ketchup

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp. mild chili sauce

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 pinch salt

How to make...

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil.

Add pureed onion and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Then add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Finally add remaining ingredients and allow to bubble up slightly.

Reduce heat and simmer through for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Once ingredients have formed a glaze-like consistency, remove the pan from heat and allow to cool before using.

Moroccan Chicken and Apricot Tagine

You will need...

1 whole chicken, cut into eight pieces

2 medium onions, grated

3 to 4 cloves of garlic

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. saffron threads, crumbled

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 or 2 small 3-inch pieces of cinnamon stick

3 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. olive oil

A small handful of cilantro sprigs tied into a bouquet

1/2 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup water

3 Tbsp.sugar or honey

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup dried apricots

1 to 2 tsp. sesame seeds

How to make it...

Remove the skin from the chicken.

Combine the spices in a large bowl, add the chicken, and toss to evenly coat the chicken pieces with the spices.

Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in the base of a large tagine. Add the olive oil, onions, garlic, and cinnamon. Add the seasoned chicken, meat-side down, in a single layer on top of the onions. Place the cilantro bouquet on top.

Add the broth to the tagine. Swirl the water in the bowl to cleanse it of the spices, and then add the water to the tagine as well. Cover and leave the liquids to reach a simmer over medium-low heat.

Once simmering, cook the chicken, for one hour. Remove and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquids.

Carefully turn the chicken pieces over so that they are meat-side-up. Cover and continue simmering for another 30 minutes to one hour, until the chicken is done and the liquids are thick and reduced. 

Mix together the honey and cinnamon to form a flavuored syrup.

Top your finished dish with the honey-cinnamon syrup, dried apricots and sesame seeds.

Happy Apricot Day!