Family Meal Plan: Mexican Coconut Lime Frozen Custard in a Mug+Whipped CocoLime Crema+Frozen Coconut Limeade

Mexican Coconut Lime Frozen Custard in a Mug

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• blend :

  to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.

• crush :

  to put pressure on a food, like a garlic clove, to break the skin and release its flavor; or to pulverize or grind a food, like a cracker, into small particles with your hands, blender, or food processor.

• dip :

  to briefly put a solid food, such as chips, fries, battered fried fish, hot sandwich (French dip), or veggie slices, into a liquid, like beef broth or a thicker sauce, like ketchup, dressing, or a dip to impart moisture and extra flavor to the solid food.

• freeze :

  to lower the temperature of a liquid or solid food below its freezing point to change its properties or to preserve it.

• juice :

  to extract or squeeze out the juice of a fruit or vegetable, like a lemon, orange, or carrot, often cutting open or peeling the fruit or veggie first to access its flesh.

• knife skills :

  Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls). 

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• melt :

  to heat a solid food so it becomes liquid, like butter or chocolate.

• mix :

  to thoroughly combine two or more ingredients until uniform in texture.

• slice :

  to cut into thin pieces using a sawing motion with your knife.

• tear :

  to pull or rip apart a food, like basil leaves, into pieces instead of cutting with a knife; cutting breaks cell walls more, so herbs can discolor faster.

• whisk :

  to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.

• zest :

  to scrape off the outer colored part of a citrus fruit's rind (skin or peel) using a metal tool with small sharp blades, such as a zester, microplane, or the small holes of a grater (avoid the "pith," the white, spongy lining of the rind that can be bitter).

History of Custard!

• Custards baked in pastry were popular during the Middle Ages. The word "custard" comes from the late Middle English "custarde and "crustarde," indicating a pie with a sauce made from eggs and milk, from the Old French "cruste" (crust).
• Today, custard is a dessert, not necessarily with a crust, or it may be a sweet sauce. Custard is made with eggs, milk, and sugar, with varying consistencies. 
• When custard is a thin pouring sauce, it is called "crème anglaise." It is a base for or is poured over cake, fruit, or meringue (floating island). 
• Eggnog is a type of custard you can drink. It is served primarily during the Christmas season.
• It can also be a thick mixture called "crème pâtissière" or "pastry cream." It is often used in pastries made with "pâte à choux," a dough that puffs when baked and creates a hollow area in the center that can be filled with pastry cream. These include cream puffs and éclairs. Pastry cream is also used in cakes (Boston cream pie), doughnuts, fruit tarts, and a French puff pastry dessert called "mille-feuille." 
• Sweet custard can also become several similar desserts, including crème brûlée, crème caramel, and flan. Custard is also added to a particularly British dessert, the "trifle."
• Frozen custard is similar to ice cream except for one additional ingredient. Ice cream is generally made with milk, cream, and a sweetener, usually sugar. Frozen custard consists of those same ingredients and egg yolks, making it richer and thicker than ice cream.

Let's Learn About Mexico!

• Officially, Mexico's name is "The United Mexican States." It is one of several countries and territories in North America, including Canada and the United States of America.
• Spanish is Mexico's national language, and Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. Mexican people didn't always speak Spanish, though. For thousands of years, Native Americans lived there and built great cities. The people had advanced language, education, and calendar systems, and they had very clever ways of raising food. Mexico is also the country with the largest number of native American speakers in North America. 
• The capital of Mexico is Mexico City. Mexican legend says that Aztec leaders were told to build their great city of Tenochtitlan at the site where they saw an eagle sitting on a nopal cactus with a snake in its beak. That image is in the center of Mexico's flag. The Aztecs built their city on an island in the middle of a lake. The ruins of Tenochtitlan are at the center of Mexico City and still sit on top of a lake! As water is pumped out to serve the needs of the city's growing population, the city has been sinking at a rate of 6 to 8 inches per year.  
• Indigenous Mexican people included the Aztecs in the central interior of the country, the Mayans of the Yucatan peninsula, and the Zapotec of the south. Spanish explorers landed in Mexico in the early 1500s, and they ruled Mexico for over 300 years. During this time of colonization, Mexico's Mesoamerican civilizations mixed with European culture.
• Before the arrival of Spaniards, native Mexican food primarily consisted of corn, beans, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, and herbs. Indigenous people occasionally hunted and added wild turkey, rabbit, deer, and quail to their largely vegetarian diets. Native royalty sipped chocolate drinks. Europeans introduced cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, sugarcane, and wheat to Mexico upon their arrival. 
• Mexican cuisine uses chili peppers to give it its distinct flavor. Jalapeños, poblanos, and serrano peppers are commonly used in Mexican dishes. Dishes that include mole, a sauce made of dark chocolate, chili peppers, cinnamon, and other spices, may be served on special occasions, such as Día de los Muertos. 

What is it like to be a kid in Mexico?

• Mexican children may live near the ocean or the gulf, in the desert, or in the mountains. 
• Kids often live with extended family, including grandparents. Their full names include their father's and their mother's.
• Most kids speak Spanish, but Mexico also recognizes 68 native languages. 
• They attend school from September through June. Large schools have two shifts—one group in the morning and one in the afternoon. Students are usually required to wear uniforms. 
• They may play soccer, baseball, and other sports. Jumping rope and other outdoor games are very popular. They might play a game similar to bingo called Lotería. It is played with picture cards and songs. 
• Corn tortillas are a staple for kids, along with beans and rice. Dishes that include mole, a sauce often made of dark chocolate, chili peppers, cinnamon, and other spices, may be served on special occasions. 
• A popular family holiday is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a celebration to remember and honor a family's ancestors. Family members decorate the graves of their relatives who have passed on. Typical foods served for this holiday include empanadas, tamales, pan de muertos (a sweet bread in which a ring with a tiny plastic skeleton is hidden), and calaveras de azucar (sugar candy skulls).