For The Birds

My grandchildren spent the night last night, and we played an assortment of pretend games.   I was required to be a school child for my granddaughter, while concurrently acting as a criminal in a spy game with my grandson.   The plus of the school game was that my granddaughter made me a lovely school lunch -- pizza with a side of lemon (not sure why, but my house certainly smells of lemon, so perhaps she thought I'd enjoy it)  -- which tasted just about as good as I remember school lunches tasting, but with a much nicer presentation.   Elegant china, too.

 The only benefit of being a criminal was that my grandson locked me in a dungeon, where I coincidentally had a pile of wrapping that I could work on until my (too early) release.

Somewhere in the midst of paper scraps and flashlights, we also made advent gifts for the local birds.   I got this 'recipe' from Katherine's Corner and thought it would be a fun way to bring a little nature into our Holiday. 

In a saucepan over medium high heat combine 2 packets of unflavored gelatin and 2 cups of water and stir, bring to a boil and remove from heat -- be careful, my first batch scorched badly!   Add 2 cups of bird seed, stir with a spoon to combine. Pour bird seed mixture into prepared mold (a plastic container that has been sprayed with no-stick cooking spray - old margarine containers, for instance) and pat down gently. Insert a straw all the way through and snip off the excess leaving about an inch of the straw showing. Place in the refrigerator for about 3 hours. When firm remove from molds by gently pressing on the back of the mold ( it should pop out easily).   Remove the straw with a gently twist and tug. Thread your ribbon through the hole and hang on a nearby tree.

It was simple to do, but because of the hot gelatin, I didn't feel comfortable letting the little ones do anything more than insert the straw and pull through the ribbon hangers.    I didn't want them touching the hot, and they weren't interested in touching the gelled final product.  

The bird molds were easy to make and I think they are pretty cute.   Next year I might be less nervous about my little helpers and offer them a larger role in production.    Now we just have to wait until the birds give the final verdict!