Did you know that on October 24th of 2021, that will be the second year in a row to celebrate the newly formed WORLD KANGAROO DAY? It was created in the aftermath of the devastating bushfire of 2020 that killed 3 billion Australian animals such as koalas, kangaroos, and many, many more.
Australian Kangaroo fans are hoping this will limit the commercialized killing of that precious animal in Australia.
Watch the heartbreaking video at the end of this blog that tells you more about this tragic fire and its impact on one of the kangaroo sanctuaries. I must admit, it had me in tears.
Perhaps, if you check out my newly published 48-page illustrated chapter book about Australian kangaroos and wallabies, you will fall in love with them, too.
The book is called "Zeb and Deb Spy Kangaroos and Wallabies."
Little did I know that when I photographed these cute critters in February of 2019, some of those I photographed might have actually died in that fire. I pray that is not the case.
Zeb and Deb Spy Kangaroos and Wallabies by Debbie Dunn
Book Description:
Ten-year-old twins, Zeb and Deb, adore seeing the world with their travel-writing dad. Where are they going this time? The homeschooled fourth graders will cruise to Australia.
What will they do on this journey? They will photograph kangaroos and wallabies at five Australian animal venues: (1) Reptile Park, (2) Symbio Wildlife Park, (3) Taronga Zoo Sydney, and (4) Blackbutt Reserve in the state of New South Wales plus (5) Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in the island state of Tasmania.
In honor of the newly formed annual World Kangaroo Day, celebrated on October 24th, join Zeb and Deb on this fantastic adventure!
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.
Did you know that April 25th is World Penguin Day? Just in time, my 48-page illustrated chapter book about Magellanic Penguins got published earlier this week. It is called "Zeb and Deb Spy Magellanic Penguins." It is appropriate for kids of all ages - especially those between the ages of 6 to 10.
FYI - Check out the video at the end of this blog that describes more details about World Penguin Day.
Zeb and Deb Spy Magellanic Penguins by Debbie Dunn
Book Description:
Ten-year-old twins, Zeb and Deb, adore seeing the world with their travel-writing dad. Where are they going this time? The homeschooled fourth graders will cruise to South America.
What will they see on this journey? They will visit two reserves for thousands of Magellanic Penguins. The first one is located in Argentina. It is called Punta Tombo. The second one is located in Chile on a lighthouse-topped island in the middle of the Strait of Magellan. It is called the Penguins Natural Monument.
In honor of World Penguin Day, celebrated on April 25th of each year, join Zeb and Deb on this fantastic adventure!
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.
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 second round of Mixed Fruit Roll-ups. It was inspired by the many video tutorials to be found on YouTube. This round, I hoped to do a better job of spreading out the fruit mixture in such a way that it was thicker on the edges than in the middle. I also experimented by using a much higher temperature than the last time I made a similar recipe. That way, I can compare results.
Conclusion: I have learned that 165 degrees Fahrenheit is probably too high of a temperature and 125 degrees is probably too low. Next time I make this, I will try 145 degrees instead. Using the highest temperature in a Cosori Dehydrator possible, 165, made them too dry to roll. Instead, just like you would peanut brittle, I had to break the finished product into large pieces. They were somewhat pliant but not enough to roll. They did not have a scorched or burnt taste. They were delicious like candy. They just were too brittle to roll. At 165 degrees, I dehydrated them for 6 1/2 hours. Then, I peeled them free and flipped them the best I could. I gave the pieces an additional 45 minutes to dry the still wet spots on the flipped side.
I have also learned that when using a raised-lip silicone mold, I should not try to get the batter to reach the edges. Instead, I should try to treat the mixture like I would if the silicone mold was flat and I had to make certain the edges of the mixture were scooted together like I did for the one tray where I actually used a flat silicone mold. That was the only one that peeled off without breaking. The other five trays, where I used the lipped molds, they were all impossible to peel off as one unbroken piece.
My other learned lesson is that although the mixture needs to be a bit thicker on the edges than in the middle, I should not allow the middle to be too thin. Since I made this mistake, the middle pieces had to be peeled off in smaller chunks. I placed those broken chunks into a cereal bowl and munched on them while I gave the other pieces an additional 45 minutes in the dehydrator after I had flipped them.
Recipe
Thawed frozen fruit such as raspberries, peaches, blackberries, and strawberries
2 containers of single-serving unsweetened applesauce
2 cans of sliced peaches
Coconut Oil to grease the silicone molds
3 tablespoons of Chia Seeds (for binding and extra nourishment)
1 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum (for binding)
Eight long squirts (to taste) of Grape Water Enhancer (flavored sweetener)
Procedure - I made some tactical errors that I have learned from. I used red to reflect what I should have done instead of what I actually did on this second round of attempting to make fruit roll-ups.
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, peaches, 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 eight 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. Also stir in 1 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum. 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. That was a mistake on my part that I have now learned from.
Step 6: Plug in your dehydrator and set the temperature gauge to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the time for four hours so you can check on how the drying process is going. I now know that 165 degrees is too high of a temperature to use. I have already learned that 125 degrees was too low. I will try 145 degrees the next time I make these. I ended up dehydrating the current batch for 6 1/2 hours, peeled off what I could, and then flipped what remained over and dehydrated the flipped pieces for an additional 45 minutes. I left them to sit in the dehydrator for the rest of the night while I slept. In the morning, I ended up having to break up the large pieces into small enough pieces to fit into my storage container - kind of like what you would do to peanut brittle. They were not burnt or scorched at all. They were even a tiny bit pliant feeling. Just not pliant enough to roll. They were brittle enough to easily break into medium-size pieces.
Step 7: So when i get around to making round 3, I will try dehydrating them at 145 degrees Fahrenheit. I will also not follow through on the other lessons I learned from this second round. Progress forward but not out of the woods yet, so to speak. In any case, these are quite delicious like yummy candy. I will have no problem at all in consuming them over the course of the next few days. Then and only then will I attempt round three. 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.
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.
