I’m so behind in posting the recipes the girls have been creating for their State-by-State Geography Study! We have decided that our goal for the current school year is to complete 25 states and then move on to the remaining 25 next year. We still have quite a few to go, to even accomplish that, but they have been making progress! If only I could keep up with the actual blog posts! 😉 I will be back soon with the Dogwood Bark the girls made for the Easter season and the state of North Carolina, Johnny Cakes for their American Revolution Unit Study and the state of Rhode Island, and the amazingly delicous Pancakes with the best Maple Syrup ever for the state of Vermont.
New York Notebooking Pagesby Twinkle Toes (L) and Chiquita (R)
“G is for glistening Garnet,
Grab your garden tools.
and we’ll head up to Gore Mountain,
for New York’s State’s official jewel.”
The girls had such a hard time deciding what to make for New York. First they thought they would make potato chips, which were invented in 1853 in New York. Then they decided to make Garnet Jello Jigglers since a carpenter from Le Roy, New York invented Jello. But, ultimately, the girls decided to make New York Cheesecake, using this recipe, for Mother’s Day! Next time (maybe for Father’s Day?) we want to try an Oreo crust and perhaps follow Barbara’s directions.
New York Cheesecake
15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth.
(Over mixing will cause the cheesecake to crack… I am fairly certain ours was over mixed!)
Pour filling into prepared crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. (which, as you can see, we didn’t do…) Chill in refrigerator until serving.
The girl’s decided to cover the crack top our cheesecake with whipped cream and a strawberry heart for Mother’s Day.
We also enjoyed some cherry topping with the cheesecake as well. Since it was Mother’s Day, I did have a piece, and it was delicious. Thankfully I think Bud is finally starting to outgrow his sensitivity to dairy!
Resources we used for this State Study:
E is for Empire Teacher’s Guide (
pdf)
Other Posts of Interest:
State-by-State Scrapbook
State-by-State Scrapbook :: New York (coming soon)
Prayer of Mothers
Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a privilege—to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven. Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen.
Mmmm…one of my favorite desserts – cheesecake! Great job, girls!
A bit out of place, but I had a quick question about the science kits you posted about. We use the same series, however, have not entered the higher levels with recommended kits. My sister-in-law, who has older children, was interested in the kits, but scared by the cost. I was wondering, are the kits a one time use by one student type, or could they we "refilled" with a few components and be reused by future students.
Thank you!
I have my older children all going through the elementary science books together, so we are sharing one kit for all 4(+) children. They do each experiment together, and one kit is plenty. I hadn't thought about it, but I suppose you could refill the kit with the various consumables, but it might take more work/expense than it's worth. For the first experiment of Zoology 1 you would need to replace the couple pounds of bird seed, but the dishes could be re-used… Hmmmm… It seems that it would be the easiest to just put the non-consumable items back in each individual bag and keep a running list of what you'll need to get if you'd like to use the kit again. It might actually be something to think about!
which of the links is for the worksheets that you used…trying to make this simpler than I had originally planned so we can hopefully get it done…
They are from the United States Maps CD sold by Homeschool in the Woods. The Notebooking Pages for all the States are included on the CD, which you need to purchase. Even though I LOVE the scrapbook pages that my boys are making, this is a much quicker and simpler way to go, especially for children that aren't super fond of much artwork.
Little tidbit about NY– Troy, NY (my hometown) is the home of Uncle Sam (he was a real person!) 🙂
my son is not artsie at all…I did get the United States Coloring book by Dover…I had not looked closely at it, but it has information plus the state by state books…the United States cook book and his geoplunge cards…so after commenting, I decided to use those, plus look up the Patron Saint for that State and do a little on that…already have my menu for Delaware using different ideas 🙂 Maybe I will blog about too…we shall see…
Very nice! And happy the little guy is "kind of" out growing his dairy sensitivities! I find that I can take a bite or "maybe" two at about six months…wow! 🙂
Oh, that looks SO good! My favorite State-by-State Baking post! NY makes pretty good maple syrup, too, by the way. 😉 –Danielle, proud native NYer
Oooh, yum!
The girls look so proud – and so they should – that's one hefty cheesecake they made(my favorite!) My hometown is NYC, and I can attest that your cake looks very official! Well done, girls! P.S. I love the idea of whipped cream instead of sour cream on the top! mmmmmmmmm…….
Your cheesecake looks fabulous!!!