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Holiday Decorations

Let’s get into the holiday spirit. Here are some super simple and fun ways to use the foods around us to decorate our homes during the holidays. Don’t forget to compost the ingredients once the season is over.

Roasted Orange Garland

  1. With a caregiver’s help, slice several oranges into thick slices (2 cm width) each.
  2. prepare a baking tray with parchment paper
  3. place orange slices onto the tray leaving 3-4 cm between each slice
  4. bake in the over at 200F for 6 hours.
  5. remove from the oven and let cool
  6. choose a string or twine to hang your garland and string it through the
  7. orange slices by poking a hold in the middle of each slice. Tip: you may
  8. need to make a knot after stringing each slice to help secure the slice in place!
  9. hang your garland by the window and see how beautiful they are with the sun shining through!
orange garland activity

Cranberry String: A classic way to decorate! 

    1. have a caregiver help string a thread onto a needle.
    2. depending on how comfortable your are (and get help if you need it), string the needle through the cranberry
    3. string as many cranberries as you like depending on how long you want the garland to be
    4. try stringing around the tree or help it last longer by decorating the outdoor wreaths or doors with!

Recipes: We are excited to share some Julianna Banana favorites

Flaky Biscuits

Bakes @ 450 for 10-12 minutes (depending on the size of biscuit and oven)

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour (keep cold if possible)
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
3/4 cup butter – COLD please
1 egg – cold is best
1 cup whole milk – cold is best
½ cup chocolate chips ) addin OPTIONAL
extras: dusting flour for cutting biscuits, 1 egg whisked for egg wash

Tools:
bowl, fork, spoon, baking sheet, parchment paper (ideal but not required), biscuit cutter (round preferable but any will do) NOTE: if you don’t have, you can use the top of a glass, etc- we can improvise)

Method: Preheat oven to 450F

  1. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix (flour, sugar, salt and baking
    powder)
  2. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, rub cold butter into the flour until it resembles
    breadcrumbs (try to work fast so that the butter doesn’t melt!)
  3. Add 1 egg (whisked), vinegar and cold milk and stir with a fork
  4. Gather the dough (it will be wet) and pour onto a floured surface
  5. Using your hands to gently fold the dough several times, pat down to 1 inch thickness
    and then cut out biscuits (Note: use flour to avoid the dough sticking if too wet)
  6. Place biscuits onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper , brush egg wash 
  7. Bake @450 for 10-15 minutes

Carrot Ginger Soup & Homemade Crackers

We love carrots in our household so you can imagine how happy we were to find carrots in our garden (It was our first time growing them). The kids (and I) loved seeing the different vibrant colors…and to taste how fresh they were. We didnt have enough to make soup but after a trip to the local Parkdale market, we came home to make this easy peasy soup filled with yumminous and nutrients.

Ingredients

6 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, diced

15 medium carrots (800g), washed and peeled, and chopped into chunks

1 large potato, peeled & chopped
1 tbsp ginger powder
2 tsp oregano
5 cups water
Salt to taste

Tools

Large sauce pot

Peeler

Knife and Cutting board

Blender (or potato masher)

 

Method

  1. In a large saucepot on low heat, add oil, onion, and garlic and cook until onions are transparent (Chef’s Tip: Stir often and be careful not to burn the garlic!)
  2. Stir in potatoes, carrots, oregano, ginger, oregano, and salt.
  3. Stir in water and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, cover and cook on low for 40 minutes until carrots are cooked.
  4. Using a stand or a hand blender, puree the mixture into a creamy soup. Alternatively, mash up the carrots by hand using a potato masher. (Safety Tip: Have a caregiver help with using a blender)
  5. Serve!

To make Homemade Crackers:

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 cup water
4 tbsp olive oil

Tools

Parchment paper
Baking sheet
Pastry brush
Cookie cutter or knife (for cutting out crackers)

Method

  1. In a large bowl, flour, sugar and salt. Add water and oil and mix altogether to form a ball of dough.
  2. Sprinkle flour over a clean surface and roll out the dough into a large rectangle. (Chef’s Tip: if your dough is dry and crumbly, add 1 tsp at a time to help gather the dough. If it is too sticky while rolling, add flour to the surface and the rolling pin!)
  3.  Cut crackers using cookie cutters and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  4. Poke each cracker with a fork & bake for 12 min @ 450F.

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