Archive for November 2013

This was their favorite so far. We went Friday night. I bought a coupon book online before getting there so we saved a few bucks just getting in. It included one ticket, a drink and this combo plate. The kids got in free. That plate was enough for all of us.

We had Lamb (something I never ate as a kid, but they all tried it),

Dolmathes - Beef, rice and spices mixed and rolled in tender grape leaves and baked in lemon sauce.

Pastitsio - Layers of ground beef and macaroni topped with cream sauce and baked.

Greek Salad

Rice Pilaf

and they gave us 2 rolls to split between us.

They loved the Loukoumathes (or Loukoumades) which are basically like light doughnut holes drenched in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon or powdered sugar. They liked it so much I looked up the recipe and it is super easy so maybe I'll make it for breakfast or special occasions.

The dancers were scheduled for earlier, but ended up postponing the start of their dance until the sun went down. So we had some time to sit and enjoy all of these pastries. There was a lot of honey, cinnamon and walnuts. There were two types of cakes; a spice cake and a chocolate cake. A lot of the dough was crispy, then soaked in honey. We were a sticky mess while we ate.

These are Diples; which are giant rolls of crispy pastries that had honey, cinnamon and walnuts.

Finally the dancers came on. There were 3 age groups. This was the middle age group.

These were high school/college age kids. Those kids had a lot more dance moves and we really enjoyed watching them. The kids tried to duplicate their moves when we got home.

After the dancers, they lit the giant torch. The weather was perfect, they loved all of the food and overall they really had a good time.

A great resource for learning about World Cultures is Food Festivals. I was surprised just how many there are in my area. Not only is there food, but there is usually entertainment related to the culture and that includes dancing and singing. The key to saving money is don't buy souvenirs, don't go on any rides, catch the show and chose a few different entrees to share between you.

Once you've sampled the cuisine, try making it at home. I'm using this portion as part of our Health/Nutrition course and having my oldest research healthier options to cook at home.

Food Reference.com is great for searching for what's in your area. They have it listed by State, Month and even country in case your are traveling.

Here's a list of names to search for. I would link, but it appears each festival location has it's own website.

Italian
San Gennaro Feast

Greek
Greek Food Festival
Usually at your local Greek Orthodox Church

German
Oktoberfest
In October of course ;)

China
Chinese New Year
Between late January to early February

China
Moon Harvest Festival
Usually in September to October, but can be as early as August

Polynesian
Polynesian or Aloha Festivals

International
Heritage Festival or Culture Festival - town usually puts on.
Ours has Japanese, Korean, Irish, German, Mexican, Polynesian, and Bulgarian dancers and entertainers.

Japanese
Aki Matsuri

For even more culture, don't forget to look up holidays such as Dios De Los Muertos (Mexican Day of the Dead) - can be a bit scary for the younger kids.

There's a lot more out there, I'll be adding as I find them.

Every night when I'm making dinner, my 6 year old daughter begs to help. I usually have a few things she can do, but this week I planned a menu that is kid friendly. This is her making Lasagna.

She browned the meat.

Mixed the Ricotta and layered everything. I just grated the cheese and put it in the oven.

She loves watching cake decorating shows. She's watched the same ones over and over, so I found YouTube channels How To Cook That, My Cupcake Addiction and her new favorite, Charli's Crafty Kitchen which has two little girls decorating cupcakes and treats.

After this, she's helped me make Chicken Pot Pie and Enchiladas. Anything that involves layering is nice because there are lots of small steps for them to take.

In case you are looking for cooking utensils that will fit your child's hands, For Small Hands, is a website that sells Montessori-style, real, working, child-size tools for cooking and learning life skills.

Vegetable Chopper

My oldest is taking MIT's OpenCourseware; Speak Italian With Your Mouth Full. This is a great course for learning basic conversational Italian while learning how to cook healthy Italian recipes. He will learn how to make a simple pasta, risotto, meatballs, some vegetarian dishes, and desserts.

A side note: I'm double dipping when it comes to school here. Not only is he taking World Geography and Cultures this year for high school credit, but he's also taking Health & Nutrition. We went to the San Gennaro Italian Feast and sampled their cuisine while learning more about the Italian culture, then this course will give him some healthier options for Italian cooking. The MIT course includes some cultural background as well, making it a perfect supplement for both high school courses.