I’m Melting

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A witch placed into acetone melts into sticky goo. The goo can be molded into different shapes before it hardens.

What you’ll need
foam cup
pen
goggles
rubber gloves
acetone (nail polish remover)
glass or metal bowl

1, Draw a picture of a wicked witch on an upside-down foam cup. Put on the goggles and rubber gloves.
Pour acetone into the bowl so it is about Vi inch deep.
3,  Put the witch into the acetone, feet first. Watch as the witch melts, just like the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz! As you watch, say in your best witch voice, “I’m melting, I’m melting.”
4,  When the witch has totally melted, reach into the acetone and pull out the goo. Mold it into any shape—when it dries you will have a statue.

Safety
Adult supervision is needed for this project. Protect your eyes from the acetone by wearing goggles and your hands by wearing rubber gloves. Don’t pour the acetone into a plastic bowl because it could damage the bowl. Do this activity in an area with good air circulation.

What Happened?
Similar to salt dissolving in water, polystyrene foam dissolves in acetone. The foam in the cup holds millions of tiny pockets of air. This makes the cup a great insulator, helping to keep your hot chocolate warm on cold days. When the foam dissolves in the acetone, the air is released, and a sticky goo results. When the foam goo hardens, it doesn’t have air pockets anymore.

Fun Fact
Styrofoam is made from a chemical called polystyrene. The Dow Chemical Company invented it in the 1940s. Polystyrene beads are heated and air is blown in to create air bubbles in the foam. It is used for cups, home insulation, packing material, and flotation devices.

Fall Pear Salad

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Fall Pear Salad

6   slices (about 14 Ib.) bacon
3   large firm-ripe red pears (about mib. total)
3   tablespoons lemon juice
1   package (10 oz.) washed fresh spinach (or I’/z Ib. spinach, stems and wilted leaves discarded), rinsed and crisped
1/2   pound mushrooms, rinsed and thinly sliced

Ginger dressing (recipe follows) In a  10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high   heat,   cook  bacon   until brown and crisp, turning often. Drain on towels. When cool, crumble.

Core pears and cut each into 16 wedges; mix fruit with lemon juice.

On a platter or 8 salad plates, ar­range spinach and mushrooms; top with pear slices and juice. Moisten with dressing; top with bacon. Serves 8.

Ginger dressing. Mix !/2 cup minced crystallized ginger, !4 cup each extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, and !/2 teaspoon pepper.

Per serving: 201 cal. (43 percent from fat); 3.2gprotein; 9.5 g fat (1.7 g sat); 29 g carbo.; 103 mg sodium; 3.4 mg chol.

Cream Cheese Mincemeat Cookies

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Cream Cheese Mincemeat Cookies

1   cup  butter or margarine
1   large package (8 oz.) cream cheese
2   cups powdered sugar
About 3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4   cup prepared mincemeat
1  teaspoon grated lemon peel

In a food processor or with a mixer, whirl or beat butter, cream cheese, and ‘/2 cup sugar until smoothly blended. Thoroughly mix in 3 cups flour. Cover and chill dough until firm enough to handle, about 1 hour.

On a floured board, roll half the dough (keep remainder cold) Vs inch thick. Cut into 21/2-inch rounds with a floured cutter; place rounds slightly
apart on 2 ungreased 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. Reroll scraps and cut.

Combine mincemeat and peel; drop Vi teaspoon of mixture in center of each round. Fold each round over filling and press edges to seal.

Bake in a 375° oven until golden, 18 to 20 minutes; if using 1 oven, switch pan positions after 10 minutes.

Transfer a few hot cookies at a time to a paper or plastic bag with remaining sugar; shake to coat well. Cool on racks. Repeat to use remaining dough and filling. Serve, or store airtight up to 2 days or freeze. Makes about 5 dozen.

Per cookie: 87 cal. (47 percent from fat); 1 g protein; 4.5 g fat (2.8 g sat); 11 g carbo.; 53 mg sodium; 12 rag chol.

Hearty Baked Pork and Apple Stew

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Hearty Baked Pork and Apple Stew

2   pounds pork shoulder (fat trimmed), cut into 2-inch chunks
1   large (3/4 Ib.) onion, chopped
1/2   cup water
1/2  cups regular-strength beef broth
1  cup apple butter
1   large (1/2 Ib.) bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
1%   cups sliced carrots ‘/2   cup sliced celery
3   large (l’/2 Ib. total) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Place pork, onion, and water in an ovenproof 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat. Cover, bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes; stir occasionally. Uncover and stir often until moisture evaporates and pan drippings are dark brown, about 5 minutes.

Add broth and apple butter; stir to free browned drippings. Bake, covered, in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, carrots, celery, and apples. Continue to bake, covered, until meat is very tender when pierced, about 1 hour longer. Serves 6.

Per serving: 316 cal. (23 percent from fat); 20 g protein; 8.2 g fat (2.6 g sat.); 42 g carbo.; 97 mg sodium; 63 mg chol.

Warm Cioppino Salad

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Warm Cioppino Salad

1/2   pound extra-large shrimp (26 to 30 per lb.), shelled and deveined
3  tablespoons olive oil
2   cups !4-inch-thick slices mushrooms
2   cups 14-inch-thick slices zucchini
1   can (14Y2 oz.) tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2   cups drained pitted black ripe olives
Dressing (recipe follows)
3   quarts lightly packed, rinsed and crisped fresh spinach leaves
1/2   pound shelled cooked crab In a 10- to  12-inch frying pan over
medium-high heat, stir shrimp in oil until pink, about 2 minutes. Lift out and set aside. Add mushrooms and zucchini to pan; stir often on medium-high heat until zucchini is tender-crisp to bite, about 3 minutes.

Return shrimp to pan; add tomatoes, olives, and dressing; stir often until hot. Put spinach in a wide bowl; pour hot mixture over greens, top with crab, and mix gently. Serves 6.

Per serving: 231 cal, (47 percent from fat); 20 g protein; 12 g fat (1.7 g sat); 14 g carbo.; 693 mg sodium; 85 mg chol.

Dressing. Mix /4 cup lemon juice; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire; and 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano leaves, and minced garlic.