Eat Dirt and Like It!

Last Edit December 22, 1999

Children like to eat dirt. So it is only natural that mother's come up with food that resembles what they want to eat. There are dozens of "Dirt" recipes on the Internet! Here are a few. Right up there with "Kathy's Kitty Litter".

Dirt

From the group at Red Lobster

1 large package chocolate pudding - fix in microwave
1 package Oreo cookies - crush fine; should look like planter mix
Use one of those kitchen grinder salsa-maker spin the blade things
Or use a rolling pin. Get fine crumbs.

Stir together.
Place 1/2 into a baking dish (8x8x2)
Make a layer of gummy worms
Place rest of "dirt" on top. Smooth down.
This should resemble a pan of dirt.
Decorate with edible flowers (flower heads) - or real ones that were washed. Edible flowers are in the produce section of your supermarket.
Use as a centerpiece. Remove flowers to serve.

They will never know what's coming......

Check out the Oreo cookie website: http://www.oreo.com/

Dirt Cake

See http://www.mega-zine.com/kitchen/desserts/cakes/recipe253.html

ingredients for 10 servings:
1 ea. Flower pot
1 ea. Garden trowel
3 ea. Gummy worms (or plastic)
1 ea. Plastic flowers, bunch
16 oz Oreo cookies
1/2 c Butter, softened
1 c Confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 packages Instant mix chocolate-fudge pudding(4oz)
3 Cups Milk
12 oz Whipped topping,1 tub thawed
Before serving, remove from refrigerator, decorate with edible flowers.

Preparation: This is an edible joke, a bit of whimsy to lighten up your next party. The cake is really a quick mix dessert made with Oreo cookies and soft squishy stuff. The trick is to capture everyone's attention with an announcement of some sort, and as you are speaking, trowel out some of the dirt from the flower pot around the flowers and eat it. May be followed by a worm dug out of the "dirt". You may substitute vanilla pudding for the chocolate if you want, and use up to 20 oz of Oreo cookies. Please use a clean new plastic flower pot or take the precaution of lining a clay pot with foil and wrap the stems of live flowers if you use them in order to prevent any toxins from entering the dessert.

Crush the cookies until they resemble potting soil. Set aside.
Cream the butter or margarine, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Set aside.
Combine the pudding mix and milk until well blended. Then fold in the whipped topping. Gently fold the cream cheese and pudding mixtures together. To put the "cake" together, layer one-third of the cookie crumbs followed by 1/2 of the pudding mixture, 1/3 of the crumbs, the rest of the pudding mixture and topping with the balance of the crumbs. Refrigerate 10-12 hours before serving.
Remove the flowers. Serve by digging out portions with the trowel. Serves 10 to 12.

Dirt Dessert

See: http://members.xoom.com/twinkletoz/kitchen/desserts.htm

1 lg. pkg. Oreo Cookies
12 oz. Cool Whip
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
2 c. milk
1 c. confectioners sugar
3 oz. box instant chocolate or vanilla pudding
1 tsp. vanilla

Crush Oreo cookies and place 1/2 in bottom of (11 x 17) pan. Mix together Cool Whip, cream cheese, sugar and margarine. Prepare instant pudding and combine with first mixture. Pour over Oreo cookies. Sprinkle remaining Oreo cookies over pudding mixture. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. You can top with gummy worms to make it more authentic.

Students Eat Stones and Dirt to Celebrate Science Learning

See: http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/FOSS/FOSS12Stones.html
We like to know that our cooking has such far-reaching ramifications.

First graders in Jill Brooks' class at Sarah Adams School in Lake Zurich, Illinois, prepared and ate stone soup and dirt cups for lunch one day and loved it. They were celebrating the culmination of their science unit, "Pebbles, Sand, and Silt".

While the food was real, the names given the items were not. The snow-capped dirt cups were actually layers of crushed chocolate cookies, chocolate pudding, gummy worms, and whipped topping. The layers were significant because they simulated the layering of soil samples that the children had studied in this unit.

All the ingredients they love to eat. Sugar. Chocolate. Cream. See below.

Creamy Chocolate Pie

OK. This doesn't' belong here exactly, but it's from the makers of Jell-O.

Prep Time:6 mins.
Ready In:4 hrs. 6 mins.
Skill: Learning Cook
Serves:8

1-3/4 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Chocolate or Chocolate Fudge Flavor Instant
Pudding & Pie Filling
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1 prepared chocolate flavor crumb crust (6 oz. or 9 in.)

POUR milk into large bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk until well mixed. (Mixture will be thick.) Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon into crust.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until set. Garnish with additional whipped topping and grated BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate. if desired. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

VARIATION: Prepare as directed using your favorite pudding flavor.