Birds, Fish, & Marine Critters Scavenger Hunt: Q-V-X-Z

Birds, Fish, & Marine Critters Scavenger Hunt: Q-V-X-Z

This is the first of 48 ABC animal books that has been published on Amazon.com.

I have been actively working on these ABC animal books since the spring of 2020.

Each book is 60 pages long.

I expect to complete all 48 books by the first half of 2023.

This endeavor has kept me happily occupied during the lockdown and beyond.

Here are the details regarding this first book.

Birds, Fish, & Marine Critters Scavenger Hunt: Q-V-X-Z

$9.99 Paperback on Amazon

$4.99 Kindle eBook on Amazon

Book Description: Zeb and Deb went on a photo scavenger hunt for birds, fish, and marine life that start with the consonant letters Q, V, X, or Z. When they found a critter that fit that category, they composed an alliterative description to accompany their favorite photo(s) and placed these in this book.

From their travels worldwide, the fifth-grade twins and their dad took these photos at zoos, animal reserves, parks, beaches, and out in the wild. Zeb and Deb created a few of these pictures using PowerPoint and Paint. They took the rest of the photos by watching the free WildEarth Safari, Explore.org, and zoo webcams during the pandemic.

Since many primary school students have been stuck at home and couldn't get out in nature, this book is the twin's way of bringing nature to them. So, get ready, get set, go. Join the twins on their scavenger hunt for critters that start with the consonant letters Q, V, X, or Z.

This is book 16 in the 23-book phonics scavenger hunt series with Zeb and Deb featuring birds, fish, and marine critters that feature the alphabet letters and/or the phonetic blends of CH, SH, TH, or WH. See the book line-up below:

• Birds, Fish, & Marine Critters: 23 books total
  60-page books: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I & U, J & K, L, M, N, O, P, Q-V-X-Z, R, S, T, W, Y, CH-SH-TH, & WH

• Mammals, Reptiles, & Amphibian Critters: 19 books total
  60-page books: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H & J, I-O-U, K & L, M, N, P, Q-V-X-Y-Z, R, S, T, W, & CH-SH-TH-WH

• Invertebrates Critters: 6 books total
  60-page books: A-E-I-O-U, B-C-CH, D-F-G, H-J-K-L-M-N, P-Q-R-S-SH, & T-V-W-X-Y-Z-TH-WH

About the Author: Debbie Dunn has been a professional storyteller since 1989. She has also served as a teacher of at-risk teens, an anti-bullying specialist, and she taught both elementary and middle school. She now indulges her love of nature, traveling, and writing as she follows the trail of at-risk animals. This Zeb and Deb Scavenger Hunt Phonics book is one of many.

Amazon Link to all children’s books by Debbie Dunn

Here is the link to the author’s page on Amazon of all paperback and kindle books by Debbie Dunn.. It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: Berry and Applesauce Roll-ups Round 3

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for the third round for attempting to make successful Fruit Roll-ups. This time, I only used berries and applesauce. As always, I added a flavored water enhancer for a sweetener. I also added chia seeds for its gelling properties and for extra nourishment. It was inspired by watching the various YouTube tutorials including the one included at the end of this blog.

Conclusion: Third time is definitely not the charm! Lol! This is what I learned:

I dried them 6 hours on one side at 145 degrees Fahrenheit. I used the offset spatula to easily flip them over. They felt totally dry on the one side and a little dampish on the reverse side. So, I dried them one last hour. After cooling, I used a clean pair of scissors to cut each one into three long strips. I could tell right away that they were too brittle to roll correctly. Several of the strips broke into pieces, similar to peanut brittle, as I attempted to roll them.

So, the experiment is going to have to continue. I think if I had dried them only five hours on one side and one hour on the reverse side, they might have been pliant enough to roll.

OR

Perhaps the  mistake was still using too high of a temperature. The next time I make these yummy treats, I will dry them at 135 degrees Fahrenheit. If you recall, I have already tried drying them at 125 degrees and 165 degrees. 125 degrees was too low. 165 degrees was too high. I will also check them at four hours to see if I can flip them at that point.

Otherwise, I at least got the thickness level right. Also, using coconut oil to grease the silicone sheets was a smart move. Squaring them off on each side and not trying to spread them too thin was also a smart move. I simply need to take corrective actions on the drying temperature combined with the drying time.

In any case, these are still quite yummy. I will have zero problem eating them. It is just that the tenacious part of me wants to get this challenge resolved as I continue to polish my learning curve using my Cosori Dehydrator.

 

Recipe

• Thawed frozen fruit such as raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries
• 3 containers of single-serving unsweetened applesauce
• Coconut Oil to grease the silicone molds
• 3 tablespoons of Chia Seeds (for binding and extra nourishment)
• 12 long squirts (to taste) of Grape Water Enhancer (flavored sweetener)

Procedure 

• Step 1: Using a food processor, blend all solid fruit into a purée.


• Step 2: Mix whatever fruit together that you personally find to be a tasty mixture. In my case, I used strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and unsweetened applesauce.

• Step 3: Add as much or as little sweetener as you find to be pleasing. Since I had a large mixing bowl full of blended fruit, I gave it about 12 long squirts of Grape Water Enhancer.

• Step 4: Once you feel the taste is exactly what you desire, add in 3 tablespoons of Chia Seeds to help bind this mixture together plus add extra nourishment. After stirring it all in, set your timer for at least fifteen minutes to give it time to gel.


• Step 5: Load your trays with this fruit mixture on silicone molds with lips on the side to prevent the mixture from spilling over to the trays below. Using an offset spatula, spread out the mixture to be about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Do not try to push the mixture to the edges of the raised-lipped mold. Instead, using the offset spatula, push the edges together about 1/2 inch or a bit more from the edges of the mold. That will make this much easier to peel and flip. Make certain the mixture is thicker on the edges than the middle. However, do not make the middle parts too thin.  

• Step 6: Plug in your dehydrator and set the temperature gauge to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the time for six hours so you can check on how the drying process is going. 

• Step 7: As indicated in the explanation at the top of this page, I think I should have dried them at 135 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 145 degrees. I also think I should have checked them at four hours instead of six hours. It was the middle of the night. That was part of why I decided to check them at six hours to get a bit more sleep. With this batch, I dried them six hours on one side, easily flipped them using my offset spatula, and then dried the reversed side one additional hour. I noticed as I flipped them that they felt relatively pliant at that point. But given that the reverse side was a bit on the damp side, I gave it one final hour of drying time. Live and learn! LOL!

Here is a video tutorial for how to make applesauce fruit rollups in the oven. It is short and sweet. The chef dried hers for 6 to 8 hours in the oven at 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

In case you are interested in where I got these 'kitchen toys,' here are the links. They will all open in a new window. FYI - I don't get any special perks for posting these. This is simply listed for the convenience for people, like me, who adore kitchen gadgets and baking aids.

• 3 Edge Fruit Leather Silicone Dehydrator Sheets Compatible With Cosori Premium CP267-FD Non Stick Dryer Mats for Jerky, Fruit, Herbs, Chips, Flax Crackers Crusts Tray Lip Liners from Amazon


• 3 Flat Silicone Dehydrator Sheets Compatible With Cosori Premium CP267-FD Non Stick Dryer Mats for Jerky, Fruit, Herbs, Chips, Crackers Tray Liners (3 Flat Sheets)


• BAKER DEPOT 2 pcs Swiss Roll Cake Mat Pad Baking Mold Pastry Tools Silicone Nonstick Baking Rug Mat Silicone Mould from Amazon


• COSORI Premium Food Dehydrator Machine(50 Free Recipes), 6 Stainless Steel Trays with Digital Timer and Temperature Control for Beef,Jerky,Fruit,Dog Treats,Herbs,ETL Listed/FDA Compliant from Amazon

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: Mixed Berries Cobbler

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for making a Mixed Berries Cobbler. It was inspired by a recipe for peach cobbler shared with me by my second-oldest niece. I decided to get creative and try it out with a berry mixture that included strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Although I liked the results better when made with peaches, this still was pretty tasty - especially served with homemade vanilla ice cream. Yum!

   

Recipe for making 9"x13" fruit medley cobbler [FYI - I made a reduced 7" round version of this.]

• A thawed package of frozen fruit medley that included the juice
• 1 box white or yellow cake mix
• 3/4 cup butter sliced into 24 pieces
• Brown sugar to taste
• Ground cinnamon to taste

Procedure

• Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.


• Step 2: Spread desired fruit medley, with liquid, into a greased 9x13 baking dish.

• Step 3: Sprinkle liberal amounts of brown sugar and ground cinnamon, to taste, over the fruit.

• Step 4: Sprinkle entire cake mix evenly over the fruit.

• Step 5: Place butter slivers evenly over cake mix.

• Step 6: Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

• Step 7: Eat and enjoy! I like to eat mine with a serving of vanilla ice cream.

Here is my blog post for homemade vanilla ice cream that I ate along with a large helping of mixed berries shortcake. So, good!

Taste-bud Journey: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream using Dash Ice Cream Maker

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com