A Great Resource!

For those of you with kids in Middle School - High School grades, finding fun supplemental science activities can be challenging.  I have found a website with a huge assortment of activities, powerpoint presentations, notes, quizzes, and more.   It is designed for these older students and is an absolutely wonderful resource.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

Here is the link:  http://www.sciencewithskinner.com/Bytopic.htm

I hope you find this resource as helpful as I have!

Quick, easy, and nutritious!

We love soup at our house!  I love to make soups that are loaded with vegetables and not necessarily loaded with meat.  One of our favorites is Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Dumplings. Best of all - it is a crock pot recipe!!! Yeah!!!!

2 cups each chopped onion, chopped celery, chopped bell pepper, chopped carrot
1 clove garlic - minced
1 lb dried lentils that have been rinsed
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
3  ten count cans of biscuits
Salt and pepper to taste

Place vegetables, garlic, lentils, broth, and bay leaves in crock pot.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6 hours.  Add water if necessary to make a thin soup about an hour before cook time is over.  Cut biscuit dough into fourths and add to hot soup.  Continue cooking until these dumplings are done.  This takes about 30 minutes with the crock pot on high.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with pepper sauce if more heat is desired.  **Remember to remove the bay leaves before serving!**

Quick and Easy Copycat Cracker Barrel Biscuits

I love to bake, and, bread is my biggest temptation when baking.  To me, there is nothing like the smell of fresh bread or biscuits baking.  I am a little spoiled, though. I do not like canned biscuits.  There is a texture and a smell to them that just does not appeal to me.  I love, love, love homemade biscuits.  Cracker Barrel restaurant has some of the best biscuits around.  I have tried for years to mimic them to no avail, until now.  This is the easiest, fastest, and most delicious biscuit recipe I have ever used.  Try it out yourself. It takes a little practice, but it is well worth it!

Recipe:
Baking mix - like Bisquick (generic is fine, homemade is fine) - you will need at least 2 cups.

Soured milk (milk that has been soured with vinegar - ratio is 1 T vinegar per cup of milk)

Butter - at least one stick, melted

This is a 'feel' recipe.  Dump your baking mix into your mixing bowl.  For my family of eight, I use about 8 cups of baking mix.  Make a well in the center of the baking mix.  Slowly work in soured milk until you have a nice soft dough.  The exact measurement will vary based on how dry your baking mix is. The key to good biscuit dough is to not overwork it. You want to mix it until it just starts to come together.  Then, knead it gently just a couple of times to get a workable ball of dough.  Dump onto a floured surface, pat out about 1/2 inch thick and cut into biscuits.  You can mash the scraps together gently, re-pat out the dough and cut more biscuits a few times.

Place the biscuits on a baking pan lined with parchment paper, sides touching.  Brush with melted butter.  Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown.  Brush with melted butter again when they come out of the oven. Serve hot.  Delish!!!!