Homeschool Haven Beach Party

Beach Blanket Clambake

8 red potatoes
8 ears corn
8 lobster tails (*Use large shrimp to substitute)
16 lobster claws (same as above)
2 kielbasa, split and cut in 8 pieces
8 dozen hard-shell clams, such as cherrystone or littleneck
2 whole flounders, wrapped in aluminum foil with thyme, oil, and lemon slices
8 dozen oysters

Dig a shallow pit in the sand and line with large stones. Gather driftwood from the beach and pile on top of the coals. Create a bonfire by burning the wood for 1 to 2 hours until the rocks are red hot. Rack off the ashes. Set 1 cinder block on each corner of the pit to form the base. Lay a barbecue grate (or a piece of steel) on top to make a table. Gather seaweed from the beach and place a thick layer on the metal. Place the potatoes and corn on the rack, then cover with a thin layer of seaweed. Mound the lobster tails, claws and kielbasa evenly on top, then cover with another thin layer of seaweed. Set the clams and flounder on top and cover with another layer of seaweed. Finally, set the oysters on top, then cover with a thick layer of seaweed. The juice from the seafood will drip down and flavor the corn and potatoes. Cover the entire bake with burlap or a tarp soaked in seawater. The tarp traps in the seaweed steam and bakes the food. Keep the tarp wet by pouring seawater over the top if needed. Cook until the clams open and the lobster is bright red, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. * If you use shrimp add to the clambake in the last 10 minutes or so.

White Chocolate Ice Cream

1 quart heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 pound white chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/2 cup)

Warm 2 cups of the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat, just until the milk gives off steam and bubbles begin to form around the edge. Remove the pan from the heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they have a pale lemon hue. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until dissolved. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the scalded cream. When the mixture is thoroughly blended, whisk it into the scalded cream in the saucepan. Add the vanilla bean. Return the saucepan to low heat and whisk the cream constantly for about 5 minutes, until it has thickened and reached a temperature of 178 to 180F, as registered on an instant-read or a dairy thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat. Remove the vanilla bean from the pan, then whisk in the white chocolate, until it is melted and thoroughly incorporated. Scrape out the inside of the vanilla bean with the back of a knife and add these flecks to the pan. Whisk in the remaining cream. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Prepare the ice cream in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Store the ice cream in the freezer, where it has a shelf life of about 1 week.

YIELD: 1 quart

Tie-Dyed Bathing Suit Cover-Up

Step 1:
Begin by covering the work area with newspaper. In a plastic bowl or pan, dissolve a packet of nontoxic fabric dye in hot water, according to the package directions. Add more hot water until there is enough to cover your plain white cover up. This could be a t-shirt as well, it doesnt matter.
Step 2:
Dampen the white cover up with clear warm water, then bundle it up in rubber bands. To make stripes, wrap three or four rubber bands around the top, bottom and middle of the cover up. To make circles, pinch a section of the cover up and tie, about an inch down, with a rubber band. For a pattern of tiny rings, slip pennies or buttons into the cover up and wrap bands around them.
Step 3:
Wearing rubber gloves, submerge the bound cover up in the warm dye and stir occasionally with a plastic spoon.
Step 4:
After 20 minutes or so (the color will lighten after the fabric is rinsed and dried), run the cover up under cool water, squeezing until the water runs clear.
Step 5:
Remove the bands (and any pennies), smooth out the cover up, and rest it flat on newspaper. Let it dry overnight.

Tips: Wash the shirt separately from the rest of the laundry the first few times to prevent damage from bleeding dye.

oops! Edit to ice cream recipe: Emit (unless you have vanilla bean) the vanilla bean instructions. I use vanilla extract. :)

Homeschool Beach Party Ping!

I guess everyone is at the beach! I am off to get camping stuff together. Have a good day-

Also with seashells if you have a dremel tool... after identifying them you can drill a small whole in each to string for necklaces. try having the children create a pattern with the shells. If the shells are large, you can break them into samller pieces by putting them in a bag and hitting them carefully with a hammer.

Thank you for the idea. :)

PING!

Friday Fun Day sounds good! My summer plans revolve around having kidlet#3 born healthy & safely, and then TRYING to get ANY sleep I can! ;)

--Vicky