World-Class Fun
This time of year offers plentiful festivals from around the globe. Capture the worldwide holiday spirit with our kid-friendly versions of foods used in these celebrations. Make one or several of the following and wish your friends and family peace and happiness for the coming year.
Whip up some royally good treats.
France La Fete des Rois The Day of the Kings on January 6 marks the end of the winter holidays and the end of the Christmas season. On this day, dinner concludes with the magnificent galette des rois, the Cake of the Kings. It is customary to bake a bean into the cake. Whoever finds the bean is elected "king" and will have good luck.
Our version Bake cupcakes or buy purchased cupcakes. Remove a small "plug" in top of cupcake with knife or apple corer. Place a jelly bean in the hole and replace the plug. Frost and decorate tops of cupcakes, as desired. Wrap with clear cellophane wrap and tiewith ribbon.
Share some Indian sweets.
India Makra Sandrant This holiday, also known as Pongal, is a festival of South India, lasting from January 11 to January 14, celebrating the winter solstice -- and the coming of longer days. Special sweets and cakes with sesame seeds and brown sugar are prepared for the festival. Small silk bags containing sesame seeds mixed with sugar are offered to friends with this greeting: "Eat this sweet sesame and speak sweetly to me." The expression is intended to assure that there will be no quarreling throughout the year.
Our version Fill sandwich bags with a mixture of sesame stick crackers, a brown-sugar candy (such as Sugar Babies), and snipped dried apricots. Tie tops of bags with colorful pieces of silk or satin ribbon. This sweet treat should earn you kind words.
