Biome Pin Map

I was finally going through a basket that's been staring at me since this summer.  Actually, I think it's been staring at me for over a year, but anyway...  I found this world biome map already printed and laminated, just waiting to be finished. 

-I trimmed it and taped the pages together. 

-I rubber cemented it to foam board and trimmed the foam board. 

-I cut out the control (the colored key) and printed the labels. 

-I made the pins using quilting T-pins (JoAnn's has them 50% off right now)(1-3/4 inch seems really too long but the dc said that it's better).

This is not the original link where I printed off the map/control but it could also be used:

http://www.freemontessori.org/wp-content/uploads/world_biomes_large.pdf

While you are there look at the many wonderful resources offered - use the right tool bar:

http://www.freemontessori.org/

In case the map link doesn't work, here is one just like the one I used.  I just changed the blueish desert color to pink:

http://www.biomes.org/biomes_map.htm

Here are my pin labels in case anyone can use them.  There should be extras of each label.  I didn't want to reprint if I messed up making a pin.

http://tinyurl.com/2gxwmuj

What's Cookin'?

Apples.  I hope.  I got 5 3-lb bags of apples yesterday.  It's not so much that they were on sale as the fact that I could find bagged organic apples.  They were actually cheaper than some of the non-organics, believe it or not.  Now I have to do something with them!  Mainly we love just eating them.  I also plan on doing the following (I think I need more apples!):

- Dehydrating apple rings.

- Making apple sauce.  We usually make apple butter but I don't think I have enough apples to spare.  I can't decide whether to can or freeze the apple sauce.

- Freezing some pre-sliced apples for later to make pies, cobbler, or more applesauce.

- Caramel apples using homemade caramel (I can't wait to make these even though I never eat them -  it will be the first year we make them from scratch).

- Popcorn balls.  Wait, that has nothing to do with apples.  That slipped in by free association via caramel apples...

- Apple turnovers using the yogurt dough in Nourishing Traditions.

Last night I made apple crisp in honor of Sts. Crispin and Crispinian.  The only problem was that I wasn't able to make them in time for us to actually eat it on the right day, lol.  Oh well.  It was just what we needed to fill the gap for today's afternoon snack after a loooong afternoon and a late start with dinner.  Baking in a old, small toaster oven is a challenge but I am so grateful to have it.  You can see a few burned tips in the picture but they actually didn't taste burned at all.  I used the following recipe with the only change being rapadura instead of the sugars listed (and only 1/2 C rapadura in the topping instead of 3/4 C).  In my toaster oven they were ready in about 20 minutes on 350F.  Thanks, J., for sending me this link!

http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2010/10/st-crispins-apple-crisp.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight for dinner I sauteed spinach and kale together in butter.  The kale was from our garden so that was cool :).  I learned that they cook at different speeds.  If I ever cook those together again in life I'll let the kale cook a bit first.  Not that anyone else would combine those two, but just in case, now you know.  Here they are in a super close up because I'm trying to hide the fact that I was using a teflon pan (egad!).