Family Meal Plan: Not-So-Basic Cupcakes + Fun-filled Fruity Fillings, Toppings, Glazes

Not-So-Basic Cupcakes + Fun-filled Fruity Fillings, Toppings, Glazes

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• bake :

  to cook food with dry heat, as in an oven.

• chop :

  to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

• crack :

  to break open or apart a food to get what's inside, like an egg or a coconut.

• knife skills :

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

• mash :

  to reduce food, like potatoes or bananas, to a soft, pulpy state by beating or pressure.

• preheat :

  to set an oven to the desired temperature a few minutes before cooking, so it reaches that temperature by the time you place the food in it.

• wet vs dry :

  to mix wet and dry ingredients separately before combining them: dry ingredients are flours, leavening agents, salt, and spices; wet ingredients are those that dissolve or can be dissolved (sugar, eggs, butter, oils, honey, vanilla, milk, and juices).

• whisk :

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

History of Cupcakes!

• The earliest recipe for what would be later called a "cupcake" can be found in a cookbook, American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons, written in 1796. In it, she described "a light cake to bake in small cups." 
• The earliest written record of the word "cupcake" was from an 1828 cookbook, Seventy-Five Receipts [Recipes] for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats, by Eliza Leslie. 
• We can conclude from both of these facts that the cupcake is an American creation. Before there were cupcake or muffin pans, bakers used pottery cups to make these small, round, individual cakes. Hence, the name "cupcake!"
• Baked cupcakes can be decorated just like a full-size cake, with frosting type, fruit, sprinkles, and more. In addition, they are sometimes filled with fruit curd, jam, nut or fruit pie filling, or chocolate ganache after baking. To fill a cupcake, after it has completely cooled, scoop out a bit of the cake in the middle, using a paring knife, apple corer, or melon baller. Then, fill the cupcake using a spoon or filled pastry bag. 
• Cupcakes can be eaten like a sandwich, a method that allows for frosting in every bite. Pull apart or slice the cake horizontally in the middle, put the bottom half on top of the frosting, then eat it like a sandwich! 
• Cupcakes are popular birthday and school party treats. Some weddings have also featured an elaborate tiered cupcake display instead of, or in addition to, the traditional wedding cake!

Let's Learn About the United States!

• Most of the United States of America (USA) is in North America. It shares its northern border with Canada and its southern border with Mexico. It consists of 50 states, 1 federal district, 5 territories, 9 Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. 
• The country's total area is 3,796,742 square miles, globally the third largest after Russia and Canada. The US population is over 333 million, making it the third most populous country in the world, after China and India.
• The United States of America declared itself an independent nation from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, by issuing the Declaration of Independence.
• The Revolutionary War between the US and Great Britain was fought from 1775-1783. We only had 13 colonies at that time! On September 9, 1776, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and declared that the new nation would be called the United States. 
• The 13 colonies became states after each ratified the constitution of the new United States, with Delaware being the first on December 7, 1787.  
• The 13 stripes on the US flag represent those first 13 colonies, and the 50 stars represent our 50 states. The red color of the flag symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes innocence and purity, and blue symbolizes vigilance and justice.
• Before settling in Washington DC, a federal district, the nation's capital resided in New York City and then Philadelphia for a short time. New York City is the largest city in the US and is considered its financial center. 
• The US does not have a recognized official language! However, English is effectively the national language. 
• The American dollar is the national currency. The nickname for a dollar, "buck," comes from colonial times when people traded goods for buckskins!
• Because the United States is so large, there is a wide variety of climates and types of geography. The Mississippi/Missouri River, running primarily north to south, is the fourth-longest river system in the world. On the east side of the Mississippi are the Appalachian Mountains, the Adirondack Mountains, and the East Coast, next to the Atlantic Ocean. 
• On the west side of the Mississippi are the flat Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains (or Rockies), and the West Coast, next to the Pacific Ocean, with several more mountain ranges in coastal states, such as the Sierras and the Cascades. Between the coasts and the north and south borders are several forests, lakes (including the Great Lakes), rivers, swamps, deserts, and volcanos. 
• Several animals are unique to the US, such as the American bison (or American buffalo), the bald eagle, the California condor, the American black bear, the groundhog, the American alligator, and the pronghorn (or American antelope). 
• The US has 63 national parks. The Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, and the Grand Canyon, with the Colorado River flowing through it, are among the most well-known and visited.
• Cuisine in the US was influenced early on by the indigenous people of North America who lived there before Europeans arrived. They introduced beans, corn, potatoes, squash, berries, fish, turkey, venison, dried meats, and more to the new settlers. Other influences include the widely varied foods and dishes of enslaved people from Africa and immigrants from Asia, Europe, Central and South America, and the Pacific Islands. 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in the United States?

• Education is compulsory in the US, and kids may go to a public or private school or be home-schooled. Most schools do not require students to wear uniforms, but some private schools do. The school year runs from mid-August or the beginning of September to the end of May or the middle of June.
• Kids generally start school at about five years old in kindergarten or earlier in preschool and continue through 12th grade in high school. After that, many go on to university, community college, or technical school. 
• Spanish, French, and German are the most popular foreign languages kids learn in US schools. 
• Kids may participate in many different school and after-school sports, including baseball, soccer, American football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, and track and field. In grade school, kids may join in playground games like hopscotch, four-square, kickball, tetherball, jump rope, or tag.
• There are several fun activities that American kids enjoy doing with their friends and families, such as picnicking, hiking, going to the beach or swimming, or going to children's and natural history museums, zoos and wild animal parks, amusement parks, water parks, state parks, or national parks. Popular amusement parks include Disneyland, Disney World, Legoland, Six Flags, and Universal Studios.
• On Independence Day or the 4th of July, kids enjoy a day off from school, picnicking, and watching fireworks with their families. 
• Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Thursday in November when students get 2 to 5 days off school. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are popular December holidays, and there are 2 or 3 weeks of winter vacation. Easter is celebrated in March, April, or May, and kids enjoy a week of spring recess around that time.  
• Barbecued hot dogs or hamburgers, watermelon, apple pie, and ice cream are popular kid foods for 4th of July celebrations. Turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are traditional Thanksgiving foods. Birthday parties with cake and ice cream are very important celebrations for kids in the United States!