food & dining in ancient greece

Readers who have followed this blog for some time may know that I occasionally have to mildly rant about school projects that end up roping parents in for a ride that seems more involved than necessary. Just to balance out those complaints, let me say that it is getting a bit easier as Matt gets older. He is more independent and doesn't rely on us for as much help with school work.

For social studies this year, Matt has worked up some excellent unit projects. The children have a choice of how they want to present what they've learned. They can write a report, write a script for a play or TV show, create a book or some jewelry or clothing, draw a map, make a food, or create a board game or diorama, etc. Two of his best projects, in my opinion have been for the units on ancient Egypt and ancient Greece.

For ancient Egypt, he developed a board game (Race to the Sphinx), complete with rules that made sense, traps and bonus cards (like Monopoly) and fact questions from the unit (like Trivial Pursuit.) He measured out and drew the squares around the circumference of the foam board (that folded in half) and put it in a box with glued on clip art. I helped him type out his questions (he came up with about 30 questions) to place on the squares, and he cut and pasted one question on each square. It was great, and he really did it mostly all by himself.

For ancient Greece, he decided to do a food, and after having tried baklava at a friend's house, he settled on that. He wrote up a one-page report on what the ancient Greeks ate, how they dined, and included a little history of baklava (that he will have to read to the class), and then he typed up the recipe. The tricky part was making the baklava. It is due tomorrow, and the recipes we found all said that it is best made one or two days in advance. We decided to make it last night, knowing that we have a busy day ahead today.

Since Matt was about 3 years old, he has always baked with me, and I know he enjoys it. (Truth is, I don't bake all that often, but I do like to make breads and cakes.) We had never tried anything quite as fussy as this. While I put together the nut mixture in the food processor and melted the butter, he did all the buttering and layering of phyllo dough, with just a little help from me. He also did all the measuring and stirring of the syrup ingredients, and I simply supervised the boiling and cooling. I started the cutting, but he did the rest.

Just look! It looks really good! I forgot to take photos as we were doing this (can you imagine that I didn't even think I might put this on the blog?) So I missed my opportunity to get some shots of the delicious looking nut mixture or other ingredients as we assembled and before we cut/baked it. The first photo was taken this morning after all the syrup had soaked in overnight.

Anyway, for those who may want to try this, it really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be! I found that putting a slightly moistened dish towel over the remaining phyllo dough while Matt was brushing each individual layer in the pan helped from having the rest of it dry out and get brittle. That was a helpful hint I'd seen online.


BAKLAVA
3 cups coarsely ground walnuts
¼ cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
24-28 sheets of Phyllo dough (1 lb. box) thawed
2 cups melted butter (1 lb.)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

SYRUP:
1 ½ cups of water
1 ½ cups of sugar
¾ cup of honey
1 cinnamon stick
½ of a lemon with peel; sliced
Peel of ½ orange
5 whole cloves
(secret ingredient, sprinkled cardamom to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, combine the nuts, ground cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. Brush the bottom of a 9x13 pan with melted butter. Now start buttering and stacking.
Bottom Layers: Working with one sheet at a time, brush 8 sheets of Phyllo pastry with butter and place them in the pan, one on top of another. Sprinkle ½ cup of the nut mixture over that eighth sheet. Filling: Place 2 butter sheets of Phyllo on top and sprinkle another ½ c. of the nut mixture over it. Repeat 4x (Phyllo, nuts, Phyllo, nuts) for a total of 10 sheets for the filling.
Top layers: Brush 6-10 Phyllo sheets with butter just as you did with the bottom layer and stack them on top. Cut through all the layers in a diamond (or triangular) pattern with a very sharp knife. Bake at 300 degrees until golden brown, about 1 hour. Syrup: Start the syrup as soon as you put the baklava in the oven. Combine all syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the mixture boil for 10-15 minutes. Strain and cool.
Remove the baklava from the oven and cool. Pour the cooled syrup evenly over the top of it. It’s best when prepared a day or two ahead. Makes 24-48 servings, depending on how you cut it. (Store in airtight container.) The one secret ingredient we added was cardamom sprinkled into the syrup. We had found that in one of the other recipes that we didn't choose to use, and I think it will be absolutely delicious. Too bad the whole tray is going into school tomorrow. I'll have to hear from Matt how it was received. I may just try to make this again for a special occasion. Today, I am going to take the leftover phyllo dough and make a version of spanakopita (with olive oil and no butter, and no cheese, so that Tom can eat it.) I've prepared the spinach and onion mixture. Should be yummy!

the animal cell

There must be a special place in heaven for parents who help their children with school projects -- and who really let them do the project themselves, but stay in the background to be sure it gets done. If you've been with this blog a while, you may remember this post from a couple of years ago: school project angst. How I long to go back to the days of the Colonial diorama. It seems so simple to me now.

When Matthew came home with a work sheet last Friday with detailed instructions on a science project due on 11/2 (the Monday after Halloween weekend, when a sleepover is planned), that old panic feeling returned. He was to construct a 3D model of a cell (animal or plant) and it had to contain the 9 or 10 components, in proper relationship to one another within the model, made out of non-food items. It must contain a key with all parts identified and defined. He was very excited about going to Joann Fabrics, and he had all sorts of ideas of how to portray the cytoplasm, the nucleus, the chromosomes, the mitochondria, ribosomes, lysosomes, vacuoles and of course, the endoplasmic reticulum and the golgi bodies. You remember the endoplasmic reticulum, don't you?

Meanwhile, I suggested we just get a styrofoam ball, cut it down the middle, and then paste all the parts on with construction paper. Tom pointed out that my idea was just 2D on a 3D platform. Darn it all, he was right. So last night, Matt and I - the uncraftsy woman that I am - went to Joann Fabrics, and he picked out the materials. Those included the bright green felt, the styrofoam base, the molding clay, the neon pipe cleaners, a sponge, and some string.

We spent 2 hours last night -- with him typing up the key on the computer, cutting out the material, and planning the whole and its parts -- and I stood by helping with glue, preaching patience, offering praise, and cleaning up the mess. (Did you know that there are different types of glue for different kinds of fabric? I didn't, but happened to see the "glue section" of the store. I knew that we didn't have fabric glue, so that was one of the things we purchased.) After working for some time last night, we got to a point where things needed to dry, and we were tired, so we saved the rest for this evening. Tonight was a piece of cake. He finished up the model in about one more hour. Ta da!

This has a real Matthew look to it. It is neon, colorful, and flashy. It is like no other animal cell in the class, I'm sure! And please -- no wise cracks about it looking like a mini-golf course. It is a cell. An ANIMAL CELL (as opposed to a plant cell). The little flags to indicate the key definitions were his idea. He cut out the numbers in triangles and taped every single one on a colored toothpick.

I believe kids should do their own projects, and parents should be on standby to suffer. I mean, to help as needed. I'm proud of him for getting it done a day earlier than it is due so that he can hand it in and enjoy the weekend with a focus on candy and sleepover and no pressure to finish up the project. He seemed to really have fun with it. I won't trade one moment of the time together, truth be told. As a sixth grader, he has constant assignments -- reading his books for his reading program, practicing his saxophone, and studying for quizzes. I'll be right here to encourage, prod, and nag, and I may just re-learn some things I've forgotten. Somehow I know that in a few more years, I won't be needed in the same way, and I will miss these days with pressure-filled and sometimes angst-ridden projects awaiting us after a long work and school day and dinner -- trying to get it all done by "bed time."

cooking up indiana-style

The fifth graders at Matthew's school were each assigned one of the 50 U.S. states to research and present at this past week's Open House. Matt's state was Indiana. I wish I had gotten a photo of his paper project, complete with political map, relief map, state flag, state bird, history, places to visit, slogan, recipe, etc., etc. It was this cool, folded, paper project, and each square contained some information and interesting illustrations. The classrooms were decorated with the fold-out books on each desk, and paper t-shirts with slogans strung across the room on string. Each desk displayed a hand-made state flag.

Matthew did his own research to come up with an "Indiana recipe." At RecipeSource.com, he found an entry for Indiana Farm Sausage. We prepared it the alternate way (explained at the end of the recipe) so that we could make up the little meatballs in advance, freeze them, and then bake them right before Open House. Matt and his friends enjoyed these spicy little morsels, and a few people wanted the recipe. Who knew?

Indiana Farm Sausage

Recipe By : Cooking from Quilt Country Marcia Adams
Serving Size : 24
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 pounds ground meat -- room temperature
1/3 cup onion -- finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh parsley -- finely minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon dried basil -- optional
1 teaspoon dried marjoram -- optional
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

In a deep bowl, combine all ingredients, using hands if necessary. On wax paper, shape and roll mixture into 2 logs 6 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, slice the rolls into rounds about 1/2″ thick and fry in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until done. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

**An alternate way to prepare sausage is to shape mixture into 50 large marble-size balls. Freeze. To serve, bake frozen on a rack, starting in a cold oven for 20 minutes at 325.

school project angst

For the non-craftsy parent, a school project requiring children to construct a model or diorama strikes fear into the heart. Are teachers *trying* to torture us? Is this their way of getting back at us? I know that the goal is really to get parents and children to work on a project together to foster a love of learning, and on the surface, I wholeheartedly agree with that aim. But the reality is, unless Mommy or Daddy has special tools and creativity, not to mention a load of extra time and patience, the project becomes a pressure cooker. Somehow the learning takes a back seat. And of course, the child wants the project to look like something on the pages of Highlights magazine -- since little Joshua brought his in 3 days early and it was professionally constructed out of wood, joined by special glues, and painted with period colors in acrylic. The sad truth is, even with a lot of help from Tom and/or me, Matt's projects are pretty much kid-designed and are going to look 9-year-old made. He is the driving force behind the ideas and we just scramble around to help.

Matt came home last week with the Social Studies assignment of putting together a project to illustrate a colonial occupation. It is due on Tuesday. That pretty much left this weekend to get it done since these projects are not something that can be completed on a school night with homework, oboe practice, a bit of play time and then early to bed. Some of the choices were: blacksmith, cordwainer (boot maker), cooper (barrel maker), glassblower, hatter, house wright, joiner (furniture maker), miller, pewterer, printer, shipwright, and the list went on. It is no surprise with the popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that several children, especially the boys, chose the blacksmith shop. They are thinking about sword fights and action when in reality, the blacksmith spent much more time making non-sexy items like nails and door latches. Occasionally they pulled a tooth for a village person back in the days of no dentists.

I was happy with his choice because I actually know a little bit about blacksmiths. You might ask how I obtained this obscure knowledge. The weird truth is that one summer, after my sophomore year in college, I worked as a tour guide at a living-learning museum called the Erie Canal Village. The village had an actual blacksmith shop, complete with forge, anvil, tools, bucket of water, and an employee who dressed in period clothes, and really did the blacksmith work. I sat through hundreds of hot and sweaty demonstrations. (I should mention that I too was in period clothing -- long sleeves, long skirt and petticoats, and a bonnet. I am NOT exaggerating that it was hot and sweaty!) So, I figured that I could at least provide Matt with some practical guidance on the items to include in the model. How hard could it be to make a forge, an anvil resting on a log table, a bucket of water, a work table, and a few tools? (Incidentally, the photo at right that I just found online is actually Mike, the guy I worked with! He is still there - also taking care of the mules, coordinating the mule-drawn canal boatrides, and generally being a 19th century jack of (nearly) all trades!)

Well, two days later, I am happy to say that the model is complete. Matt did a great job on it. It does look like a kid did most of the work, and the truth is, he did. What doesn't show is that he also had a lot of help from Tom and from me. The ideas on how to put it together and the actual construction were Matt's. But the trip to the store for supplies and the pressure and whining were all of ours! Now in the back of my head, knowing that other children chose the same occupation to model, (and knowing that many "handy" parents actually do most of their kid's projects,) I know Matt's may not look the best. He is proud of it though, and he's ready to present it. I do think he learned something from the project. I know he had fun doing it. On the other hand, I think we might have had more fun and learned just as much from doing some online research and reading a book together. I am not-so-secretly hoping we have no more dioramas in our near future.