ARC TV - Story Time with Mother Goose

 

DECEMBER

Week #1


Scents of Christmas

Sometimes scented flowers and herbs were placed in churches and homes for providing a pleasant holiday scent.  The following receipt can be used to produce an authentic 18th century holiday scent.

Ingredients:
  • ½ c. dried Rose Petals
  • 2 T. dried Lavender flowers
  • 2 T. dried Rosemary leaves
  • 2 T. dried Bayberry leaves
Combine and enjoy!

Week #2


"Apple Sauce" Ornament

Materials:
  • 1 c. apple sauce
  • ½ c cinnamon
  • 1 T. nutmeg
  • 1 T. ground cloves
  • 1 T. white glue
  • cookie cutters
  • straw
  • ribbon

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl combine, cinnamon, applesauce, nutmeg, ground cloves and glue
2. Mix well, until a stiff dough forms.
3. Roll the dough out on wax paper until it is ¼ to ½ inch thick.
4. Use the cookie cutters to cut out holiday shapes. With the straw, poke a small hole towards the top of the shape.
5. Put the shapes in a warm spot to dry or maybe a 200 degree oven.
6. Once your sweet-smelling ornaments are dry, you can put a piece of ribbon through the hole and hang on the Christmas tree or somewhere in the house to make the house smell good.
7. If too moist, add more cinnamon.

Baked Play Dough

Ingredients:
  • 1 c. flour
  • ½ c. salt
  • ½ c. water
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
  2. In a bowl, combine flour, salt and water.
  3. Stir until dough forms a ball.
  4. Place the ball on a floured surface and knead dough, adding more flour is too sticky.
  5. Make a pot, bowl or whatever you would like to make.
  6. You can also use a cookie cutter for this craft.
  7. Put objects on a cookie sheet and bake in oven for 2 hours or until firm.
  8. Remove from oven and let cool.
  9. Paint your craft.
  10. Homemade tempera paint works very well.
  11. Spray with shellac for a finished piece of art work.
  12. If too dry or too stiff, add more water.

Chocolate "Plum Pudding" Cake

Ingredients:
  • 2/3 c raisins
  • 1/3 c. cocoa
  • ¾ c. flour
  • ¾ c. butter(softened)
  • ¾ c. whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ c. sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 c. applesauce
  • 1 T. cinnamon
  • ½ c. chopped walnuts

Directions:

Soak raisins in boiling water (enough to cover raisins) for 5 minutes and drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10" tube pan. Sift together the flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then the applesauce. Beat the flour mixture into the applesauce mixture. Stir in the raisins and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely, chill in refrigerator.
Recipes are wonderful for Math SOL's.

"Reindeer Cookies"

Ingredients:
  • 4 (1 oz.) squares white baking chocolate
  • 96 pretzel sticks
  • 1 (16 oz.) pkg. Nutter Butter cookies
  • 64 blue, green or brown mini M&Ms
  • 32 red mini M&Ms
In a microwave-safe dish, place white baking chocolate. Melt in microwave on high, stirring occasionally until melted. Place 2 pretzel sticks into peanut butter filling of each sandwich cookie. Break remaining pretzels in half and stick next to longer pretzels in each cookie to form antlers. Dip one side of each blue, green or brown mini M&M in melted chocolate ad place two on each cookie to form the eyes. Dip 1 side each red mini M&M in chocolate and place on each cookie for the nose. For a nice gift, place cookies in a decorative tin lined with tissue paper.

"Rudolph Lollipops"

Ingredients:
  • 1 large, round lollipop
  • plastic wrap
  • clear tape and glue
  • 1 brown pipe cleaner
  • 1 tiny bell
  • 10" red ribbon
  • self-adhesive goggle eyes
  • 1 red mini pom-pom
Unwrap the lollipop and cover completely in plastic wrap. Secure the plastic wrap to the base of the lollipop with clear tape. Wrap the pipe cleaner in half around the neck and bend up behind Rudolph's head Shape each end of he pipe cleaner into antlers. Thread the tiny bell onto the red ribbon and tie the ribbon in a bow round the base of the lollipop. Attach the goggly eyes and the red pom-pom as Rudolph's nose.

"Santa Clause" Cookies

Ingredients:
  • 1 (18oz.) pkg. refrigerated sugar cookie dough
  • white frosting
  • red frosting
  • shredded coconut
  • mini chocolate chips
  • red cinnamon candies
Roll out sugar cookie dough on a flat surface. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut dough into heart shapes and place on a baking sheet. Bake cookies according to the package directions. To decorate cookies, turn each heart upside down and frost the two rounded parts with whit frosting. Sprinkle shredded coconut over white frosting to make Santa's beard. Use red frosting on the point of the heart to create Santa's hat, adding more shredded coconut for the trim. Add mini chocolate chip for the eyes and a cinnamon candy for the nose!

"Sugar Plums"

Ingredients:
  • ½ tsp. of lemon jest
  • ¾ c of walnuts
  • 2 T. lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp. of cinnamon
  • 1 c of figs
  • 1 c of dates
  • 1 c of raisins
  • 1c of candied orange peel
In a blender or food processor, grind everything together, except the lemon juice. After everything is ground up, then add the lemon juice. Form the mixture into balls and roll them in powdered sugar.

Week #3

"Carmel Apple Gift Basket"

  • 16 apples
  • 1 (11oz.) pkg. caramel bits
  • 1 (8oz.) pkg. chopped nuts
  • 6 popsicle sticks

Fill a gift box or basket with tissue paper. Arrange 6 apples, the package of caramels, the package of chopped nuts and popsicle sticks in the basket. On a gift tag or recipe card, write the recipe below and add it to the basket. Be sure to personalize the tag and decorate the basket with ribbons, raffia or twine.

"Easy Caramel Apples"

  • •Wash and dry the apples. Push 1 popsicle stick half way into the apple where the stem used to be.
  • •In a microwave-safe bowl, place the caramels. Microwave on high, stirring often, until caramels are melted.
  • •On a large sheet of waxed paper, spread out the chopped nuts in a single layer.
  • •Dip apples in melted caramel and roll in chopped nuts.
  • •Place apples on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until caramel has hardened.

"Hot Cocoa Mix"

  • 2 c. non-fat dry milk powder
  • ¾ c. sugar
  • ½ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ c. mini chocolate chips
  • ½ c. powdered non-dairy creamer
  • 1/8 tsp. salt

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well and divide mixture evenly into 4 zip-lock plastic bags. To assemble one gift, place one of the filled bags in a ceramic mug. Add a baggie of mini marshmallows, some peppermint stick candy as a stirrer or a spoon. Decorate the mug with ribbons or a bow. Don't forget to attach a gift tag that says… "Spoon 3 heaping tablespoons of the cocoa mix into your mug and add hot water. Stir well and enjoy!"

"Candy Cane Bath Salts"

  • 2 c. Epsom salts, divided
  • ½ c. sea salt, divided
  • 4-6 drops peppermint Essential Oil, divided
  • 2-3 drops of red food coloring

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of the Epsom salts, ¼ cup sea salt, 2-3 drops of skin safe essential oil and 2-3 drops of red food coloring. Mix until well combined. In a second bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup of Epsom salts, remaining ¼ cup sea salts and the remaining 2-3 drops of skin safe peppermint essential oil. In a decorative or antique bottle with a lid, add a layer of red bath salt and a layer of white bath salt. Repeat layers until all bath salts are gone. Close the bottle and decorate with a ribbon. Attach a personalized gift tag with the directions below.

Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the "Candy Cane Bath Salts" to warm, running bath water. Soak, relax and enjoy!

"Rosalie's Edible Play Dough"

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup of oatmeal
  • 1 cup of honey
  • 1 cup of powdered sugar

Mix – divide – color – play – EAT! From : Rosalie Gilchrist of ARC TV


"Twinkling Star Treats"

  • 3 T. butter
  • 1 pkg. regular marshmallows
  • 6 c. Rice Krispies cereal
  • canned frosting or decorator gel
  • candy sprinkles
In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies and stir until well coated. Using buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture on wax paper, with a thickness of about 1 inch. Using the "star" cookie cutter which has been sprayed with a cooking spray, cut into star shapes. Decorate with frosting and sprinkles.

Week #4


"Gift Soap"

  • 1 bar of soap
  • acrylic paints
  • paint brushes
  • 2 oz. canning wax
Paint a design over one side of the bar of soap, using the acrylic paints and paint brushes. Meanwhile, in a double boiler over medium high heat, place the canning wax. When wax is completely melted, use a disposable brush to paint a layer of clear wax over the painted design on the bar of soap. Set the bar of soap aside until the wax dries. The protective layer of wax will allow the soap to be used while the painted design remains on the bar! People love to get gifts that have been hand made!

"Mama Lane's Popcorn Balls"

  • 2 c. sugar
  • 1c. water
  • ½ c Karo syrup
  • 2 tsps. vinegar
  • tsp. vanilla flavoring
  • dash of salt
Cook all of the above to a hard ball stage, then add vanilla flavoring. Pour over popped corn, stir, grease hand with butter, then form popcorn into balls.