Cornbread or Pan de Choclo is a dish I make often in our household. It goes well with any meal but specially well next to a great soup. So here is the recipe to accompany a hearty Potato Soup. This corn bread is specially crispy and golden brown. It is not too sweet so it could be eaten as a side dish with a nice meal or as a treat. Corn Bread is loved in the American culture and corn likewise is an ingredient used in many LatinAmerican dishes.
Corn bread made on a cast iron and being cooled off
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional: makes a fluffier cornbread)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200C | 400F and place a rack in the middle. Lightly grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet or 9-inch square baking dish with butter and place the skillet/dish in the oven to heat.
Alternatively for cast iron skillets: Heat 1/2 cup unmelted butter in your cast iron on the stove over medium heat until melted. Turn off the heat and let the butter cool slightly before adding it to the batter. (This second method is the one I use because the texture is a little crunchy and more golden).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Then make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, honey and eggs. After, mix well to combine, then add the slightly cooled melted butter. Once more mix again until ‘just’ combined (do not overmix).
Carefully remove your ‘hot’ pan or plate from the oven with oven mitts and pour the batter into the hot pan or plate right away.
Bake until cornbread begins to brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 20-25 minutes). Let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Ingredients and an expectatorStep 1 – Turn oven on at 400 FStep 2 – Heat up the cast ironStep 3 – mixing sugar and cornmealStep 4 – Add flour, baking powder and other ingredientsStep 5 – Mix wellStep 6 – Once it is all combined take the cast iron out of ovenStep 7 -Get cast iron readyStep 8 – Pour the batter in the hot cast ironStep 9 – Bake – Cornbread is ready
Soup and Bread go well together just about anytime of the year. I grew up in a very hot climate. However, for lunch we pretty much had soup and bread daily as an appetizer for lunch. I remember the amazing aroma and the delicious flavors of the dozens of types of soup our grandma, Hilda, and nanny, Sabina, made at home. During my childhood, my single mom although a wonderful mom, worked a regular schedule so she was not home during the day. In spite of that, my siblings and I were blessed to have grandma at home, in the first part of our childhood. And also our nanny, Sabina, was with us during all our childhood and adolescence. This was great help for my mom raising four young children and of course with generally a couple of pets to take care of too.
Summer Lessons
Both, grandma Hilda and Sabina, were amazing cooks so I learned some culinary tips at an early age. Sabina had a special influence in this skill early in my life. She lived in our house for a long time during our childhood. Therefore, she also had the task to cook as she was a fantastic cook. She had not learned to read but she was very smart and talented.
In the Summer time, my siblings and I had cooking lessons taught by Sabi, as we liked to called her. Sabi used to teach me and my siblings, from my mom’s direction, the different recipes which she knew by heart. These lessons may have been a way to keep us busy or to simply show us to be useful, I guess. In the beginning, I dreaded them but soon I learned to treasure them as Sabi had a great sense of humor. Her cheerful and sassy personality always entertained. Although she was a good teacher and a lot of fun, she would never let us goof around or get distracted. She could be very strict and have a strong sense of command.
Learning from the basics
In these summer cooking lessons, the main skill that we learned was how to make any dish completely from scratch. So if we were making a soup, that would mean that if the soup required peanut sauce, we needed to start from getting the peanuts from the shell. We would sit down on the porch of the backyard and start de-shelling the peanuts, then the next step was to toast them on the stove and then peel them. The final step was to crush them and finally mix them with milk or any required liquid for the sauce.
The process was a bit cumbersome but she made it seem so smooth and quick. I remember thinking I want to always cook like this, so naturally and with the freshest ingredients. Her food was amazing. As a Waldorf teacher and mom, growing up with this concept of making something with fine, natural ingredients and from the beginning of the process, without shortcuts, made me appreciate Waldorf Education in a special way.
Putting skill to practice
However, It was really in my adult years that I put them to practice, almost by necessity. In any case, it is a treat to have all these recipes stored in a special place in my memory. Every time I have made these recipes for or with my children or class, I go back to those sunny hot days in the kitchen in a remote place in the tropics. In fact, I just made this great soup this week (which was my favorite one growing up). It was a soup we had in the menu at Guanacaste Waldorf Inspired School in Costa Rica because it was a kids’ favorite.
So I hope you can make it with your children at home or with your class. It is a simple, vegetarian, lactose free version. I am sharing it today celebrating Cultures Day around the Americas. The soup in Spanish is “Locro de Papa” that goes well with “Pan de Choclo”, so celebrating the Ecuadorian culture and the American Culture. Locro means stew in Quechua -“ruqru”. In English it would be Potato Soup/Stew and Corn Bread. Enjoy!
Fig.1 – Michael as a soldier conquering the dragon. Foto credit https://revelationjesuschrist.org
“There was a great battle in the heavens. Saint Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon. The Dragon and his angels also fought, but they did not prevail and there was no longer a place in Heaven for them. And the Dragon, the ancient Serpent, the so-called Devil and Satan, the seducer of the whole world, was thrown out; He was thrown to the earth and his angels with him.” ~Revelation 12:7-9
Saint Michael, a soldier
Fig. 2 – Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Basingstoke, England. Foto credit: loandbeholdbible.com
Again as in Fig.1, Saint Michael is depicted as an angel in armor fighting a dragon with a sword. In figures 2 and 3, Saint Michael is part of a scene of all seven archangels, on the sanctuary ceiling of Holy Ghost Catholic Church, in Basingstoke, England.
In a close up in Fig.2, from the overall sanctuary scene, Saint Michael is shown as a military man, with a sword and shield. He shows in the center, next to the Madonna and Child, given his special place within the archangels. He is a warrior, a savior, a soldier, who gives us an example of great courage and bravery.
Fig. 3 – Nathaniel Westlake / St Michael the Archangel / Marouflage mural / Date unknown Foto credit: loandbeholdbible.com
Historical celebration
Going back to ancient times, the archangel Saint Michael’s day was one of the main christian celebrations. Saint Michael and his angels were given their own feast day by Pope Gelasius in AD 487. This became an important day, almost marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of another farming cycle.
Equally important, it became a time in England when new servants were hired, debts were paid and land was exchanged. Furthermore, Michaelmas was such a crucial time that it became a date in which magistrates were elected. Likewise, it marked the beginning of legal and university periods.
Waldorf Schools celebration
Michael is fighting a dragon from an imaginative story in Waldorf Schools
In Waldorf schools, Saint Michael is brought up in an imaginative story where Michael comes to save with his powerful sword a town which is pestered by a dragon. In some stories, the dragon is feeding from the harvest that civilians gather; in other stories, the dragon is attacking and frightening the town. Regardless of the story development, Saint Michael comes to bring peace and conquers the dragon. In Saint Michael’s day, Waldorf schools have plays performed and verses recited celebrating such an occasion. Moreover, schools plan a special time during the Michaelmas celebration for the children to go through fun bravery challenges to find courage in times of difficulty.
Equinox
The time of Michaelmas happens to fall on a day close to the equinox. It is a date when the days start getting darker. Hence, we call upon our strength to sustain the darkness of the winter days in the northern hemisphere. There are three months apart from the solstice in which Saint John’s festival is celebrated and three months apart from the festival of Christmas or around the shortest day of the year.
Why is Michaelmas important?
Saint Michael’s day was not being celebrated in modern times. It passed to be an ancient christian day, until Rudolf Steiner suggested the celebration of Michaelmas. Why is this festival important more so in modern times than it was needed in ancient times? As Steiner suggested: “with the rise of the intellect and modern technologies, the coldness has entered our hearts too”. Our civilization is in need of spiritual connection, an awakening of spiritual values.
Michael’s message
The message of Saint Michael is to fight evil forces that take us away from true values and from spiritual growth. As Charles Kovacs states in his book ~ The Spiritual Background of Christian Festivals~: “The materialistic civilization in which we live has done everything possible to convince us that there is only the physical sense world, and that in it there is no divine wisdom and no meaning.”
Michael’s name meaning
The name Michael means “Who is like God?”. The message behind his name is interpreted to be closer to God. It is a call to humanity to awaken our own spiritual nature. It is a time to be reminded of our own likeness to the Creator and of our strength and power to create light and to fight darkness, to make the world a place with less destruction and a closer relation to our true nature, our God like nature. It is our time to be brave and strong to grow our creative nature and our God-like values.
Learning from our surroundings is a core method in Waldorf Education. In the first years of childhood, Education focuses on learning from imaginative stories and the contact with the natural world. By the time third grade is reached, the child goes through an important developmental phase, the Rubicon or an awareness of a more detached form of existence. As Rudolf Steiner explained:
“At the moment around the age of nine when the Self awakens, the human being separates himself from his natural surroundings, and is now on the way to being able to make objective comparisons between natural phenomena.” (Steiner 1998, p. 173)
The Rubicon
In Ancient history, the Rubicon was the river that separated the Italian heartland from the Roman Province of Gaul. In the year 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his army in spite of the opposition of the senate, which had the connotation of being an irreversible action. Due to this important step during the Roman Empire, Steiner used this event as a metaphor to explain the crucial step on child development. Caesar iconized this ‘no point of return’ statement with the words: “alea iacta est” (“The die is cast”).
Caesar crossing the Rubicon, 49 BC Image Credit: Lanmas / Alamy Stock Photo
Waldorf Curriculum
With the deepened sense of self comes a higher state of awareness of the natural world. Hence, the suggestion by Steiner to bring curriculum related to our local surroundings. It is during third grade that we study geography lessons observing the surroundings. Lessons start by analyzing the location of the self in relation to near areas. The first lesson centers the location int the physical classroom. Then it progresses to the location in relation to the school, town, city and later to larger geographical areas.
Third Grade
On the same context, the curriculum centers the attention on the local surroundings and how things are made near our local place. Third grade Waldorf curriculum is built around this exposure to the local surroundings and jobs. Language and social studies include teachings of handicrafts, professions, farming as well as building and shelters.
Lesson Suggestions
The child at this age is able to make comparisons and develops the ability to form concepts. In learning from our surroundings, Steiner gave different examples of appropriate lessons for this grade:
“You have seen how we make free use of familiar things
from the immediate surroundings for our independent instruction
in general knowledge. In the third grade, when the children
are going on nine, it is quite possible for this instruction
to provide them with an idea of how mortar is mixed, for
instance—I can only choose a few examples—and how it is
used in building houses. They can also have an idea of how
manuring and tilling are done, and of what rye and wheat look
like. To put it briefly, in a very free way we allow the children
to delve into the elements of their immediate surroundings
that they are capable of understanding.”
(Rudolf Steiner – First Lecture on the Curriculum – Sep 1919)
Farming and field preparation at GWS
Handicrafts and Building
In Waldorf Schools, the study of Handicrafts and Building culminates with a practical project in which the class builds a structure for the school. This project takes into consideration the local culture, learning from our surroundings concept and the specific needs of the school. The teacher decides with the class the best project such as: a picnic table, a bench, a swing, a fort, a tree house, etc.. The third grade project generally uses local materials and applies measuring skills and conversions learned in math lessons.
I had the pleasure to participate in several of these projects with my third grade classes at GWS Waldorf Inspired School in Costa Rica. Likewise, I have seen some beautiful projects completed at other Waldorf Schools. The process the class goes through is very rewarding.
Adding posts to the groundCarrying the teak postsSecond post for the base structureBuilding a swing set with the third grade at GWS
Swing Set
This month in Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica, at Rise Waldorf School the children from the mixed-age grade class built a swing set with their main teacher and a volunteer parent.
The swing set at RWS was the first project made by the grade class; once completed, the children felt a great sense of accomplishment. At the end of the day, the class was so happy to share the swing set playing time with the kindergarten class children.
A fun craft to do during Easter week or anytime in the Spring. This craft is appropriate for any children ages 2+. It uses a few natural materials. It is preferable to choose a tissue paper that is colorful and strong. The colors turn out beautiful and bright.
God’s Eyes are a classic craft that is soothing for children. Young children enjoy the satisfying feeling of turning the branches making colorful patterns. It is a great hobby to do along with finger knitting, especially for the kindergarten and lower grade classes.
Valentine’s day celebration is an occasion in many countries. Where did the celebration initiate? How did it become popular? Where does the name come from?
There are different theories based on stories from many years ago. One of the legends took place long before Valentine became the patron saint of lovers or love. This legend narrates the events from a festival that was held in ancient Rome during the month of February, in honor of the great god Pan. The festival was called Lupercalia. One of the customs was to draw the names of young men and women in the form of a lottery to choose token boyfriends.
Another theory, with a closer relation to Valentine’s name, took place during the 3rd century. The Bishop of Rome, Valentine, was martyred on the eve of the Lupercalia festival. He was a man known for his kindness and chastity and eventually the festival acquired its name after him. It may have been the poet Geoffrey Chaucer who initiated the connection between Valentine’s day and romance. Around the 1370s-1380s Chaucer wrote a poem named “Parliament of Fowls”. The poem had this quote: “For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird comes there to choose his mate.” In the 1300s writers celebrated romance between knights and noble ladies, who could not marry or were promised to other men.
The idea of a day to celebrate romance and love became popular around the 1400s. In February 14th, Valentine’s day started to be celebrated. I like the story of the Valentine’s priest and its connection to the celebration, in particular for the symbol of love and gratitude.
Saint Valentine story
The Saint Valentine story narrates:
“Saint Valentine was a priest who practiced in Rome around the third century. At that time, Emperor Claudius II ruled, who decided to prohibit the celebration of marriages for young people, because in his opinion singles without families were better soldiers, since they had fewer ties. The priest considered the decree unfair and challenged the emperor. He secretly celebrated marriages for young lovers. Hence it has become popular that Valentine is the patron saint of lovers. Emperor Claudius found out and as Valentine enjoyed great prestige in Rome, the emperor called him to the Palace. Valentine took advantage of that occasion to promote Christianity.
Although at first Claudius II showed interest, the army and the Governor of Rome, called Calpurnio, persuaded him to get it out they way. Emperor Claudius then gave the order to imprison Valentine. So, the officer Asterius, in charge of imprisoning him, wanted to ridicule and test Valentin. He challenged him to restore sight to his daughter, named Julia, who was born blind. Valentine accepted and in the name of the Lord, he restored her sight. This fact convulsed Asterius and his family, who converted to Christianity. In any case, Valentine remained in prison. Eventually the weak Emperor Claudius ordered to martyr and execute Valentine on February 14, 270. On the day of his execution, he left the girl a note signed, “Your Valentine.” The young Julia, grateful to the saint, planted an almond tree with pink flowers next to his grave. Hence, the almond tree is a symbol of lasting love and friendship.”
~ Saint Valentine is the patron of couples, happy marriages, beekeepers and love.
Symbols of the celebration
The element of gratitude and the theme of love remain. Flowers, red heart shapes, lace, and birds are symbols of this celebration. For children, it is the element of love and friendship in a card that keeps the enjoyment of the day. February 14 is often a Valentine’s day celebration in many primary grade classrooms. In honor of the celebration of love and friendship, children make their own cards. Often they make gifts for friends and families.
Crafts or gifts to make
I have made crafts with different class groups ranging from: felted hearts, sewing heart shaped pillows, to making cards, sun catchers, heart mobiles and more. During Valentine’s day , baking together to bring a delicious treat home was a loved activity. Our class would plan a special class excursion after school to the middle of town on Valentine’s day. The children would decorate a big tree in the center of town. Decorations were from all kinds of crafts which the class and school had made. Families would join and we would all spend some time at the near beach. Some great memories!
Craft Valentine’s day
In any way you prefer to have a Valentine’s day celebration with your loved ones, I hope it is a fun time. To help you create a nice craft or treat with your class or at home, check the following posts: craft “Sun catcher hearts” and recipe “Heart shaped sugar cookies with natural frosting”, both for all ages. Happy Valentine’s Day!
This Suncatcher Hearts craft is a simple and beautiful art appropriate for all ages. You may adjust the level of difficulty according to age and dexterity per the suggestions. You may review other suggestions for crafts or recipes in our other recent posts. Alternatively you may subscribe to receive our posts. If you need continuos material and ideas for your class, please register to one of our curriculum packages for stories, blocks, circles and more. Contact us with any questions.
Gratitude is a feeling we cultivate in children since they start communicating. Prompting them to say the magic word or to be polite in their interaction with us and others are a few ways to encourage thankfulness. During a special time or a holiday, cards are a wonderful way to express our gratitude, love or caring. As we start the new year, making crafts with our children or the children we teach is fun and enhances values that will remain with them. Empathy and showing our feelings for others are part of these values that are cultivated when we make a birthday, holiday card or write a thank you note.
Fine Motor Skills
Besides being a fun activity and a wonderful way to foster good values, a craft with younger children stimulates their fine motor skills and artistic abilities. In Waldorf schools, this premise is observed in all daily activities: Academic lessons with crayon and pencil drawings, painting, crafts, foreign language lessons, circus arts, and more. Below are a couple of crafts that will bring joy to your classroom or family free time. I recommend this craft for all ages, but variations for pre-k children are suggested. I hope this brightens your crafting time.
Disclosure: These verses have been shared by different unknown sources. We give credit to anyone who posted them originally from Rudolf Steiner lectures. “Faithfulness” art was created by GWS Inspired and “A verse of our time” was created by an unknown source.
