Task #39: Go Ice Skating on a Real Body of Water (Rachael)

39. Go ice skating on a real body of water as opposed to a man made rink

Living in Norwalk, we are all lucky to live at least very close to a body of water. However, my  friend Margo lives right on the water and sea wall separates her back yard from the Long Island Sound and often freezes over. I love ice skating but I have never been on a rink that wasn't man made. Margo and I shoveled off her frozen "backyard" and went skating and skiing!

Task #24: Animated Picture and Snow Photographs (Kim)

24.  Combine photographs to create an animated picture.

Our recent snow days have certainly hindered our upcoming Project Explore plans.  However, I have been using this time to experiment with my camera in the winter weather.  I was able to combine several shots of snow using a Google application to create an animated snow picture.

These are other pictures I took in recent snowstorms and wanted to share.

I must have fifteen photos of nearly this same picture.  I was working on my up-close photo capabilities and trying to really focus on part of the branch.

Another photo working on close-up focusing capabilities.

I experimented with different features on my camera to capture the snow.  High-speed worked well to capture it but often made my photos less focused.

Task #9 Completed: Make a dessert for friends and family (Kim)

9.  Make a dessert for friends and family.

My brother and I decided to make crepes.  We decided on this recipe: 

http://duhlicious.com/2011/03/red-velvet-crepes/

It wasn't the simplest recipe to choose because it has three parts to it (the crepe, a filling, and a chocolate ganache sauce).  It also had a few things we had never heard of before, like mascarpone cheese (which turned out to be a light, fluffy, and sweet cheese used to enhance the filling).  

Because it was red velvet, our batter turned out bright pink.  The crepes themselves were the correct red color.  

Admittedly, our first attempts went poorly.  My brother Kevin described as a trial and error task that was "more error than trial."

This was our first crepe.  To say it went poorly may be an understatement.  

Our second attempt didn't go much better.

After two failed attempts, we headed to Bed Bath and Beyond to get the supplies we realized we couldn't succeed without: a non-stick pan and a no-stick skillet.  

The chocolate ganache sauce.

My dad decided to really over-chocolate the crepe.  

But after we had the right materials and made a few mistakes, we were successful.  My brother mastered the ability to flip the crepes while I made the ganache sauce, rolled and filled the crepes, and poured confectionary sugar over the cooled crepes.  

Task #8 Completed: Do It Yourself Dunkaccino (Kim)

8.  What's known as a "DIY" project: Do something yourself that you typically buy.

My favorite drink from Dunkin' Donuts is a Dunkaccino, a mix of hot chocolate and coffee.  It's just around $2, but that can add up quickly.

I stole a few suggestions from this recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1730041  but I changed it a little.

I used:

1/2 a packet of Nestle Cocoa Powder
4 oz. Folgers' coffee beans
1 dash of salt
1 tablespoon of vanilla
Filled up the rest of the mug with 1% lowfat milk

I warmed up for a minute and forty seconds in a microwave on high power.

Using half-and-half is probably better than milk to get a more similar Dunkaccino taste, but what I made still turned out pretty well.