Kid-friendly Crazy Color-Changing Cream Recipe - Sticky Fingers Cooking
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Recipe: Crazy Color-Changing Cream

Recipe: Crazy Color-Changing Cream

Crazy Color-Changing Cream

by Dylan Sabuco
Photo by Jarvna/Shutterstock.com
prep time
5 minutes
cook time
makes
4-6 servings

Fun Food Story

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Crazy Color-Changing Cream

If you’ve ever made your own natural tints for dyeing Easter eggs or fabric, you may be familiar with the intense purple hue you can get from, oddly enough, red cabbage. In this recipe, you’ll marvel at the beautiful color you achieve when you mix it with sour cream!

Crazy Color-Changing Cream pairs well with Purple Polish Savory Cabbage Pierogi (see recipe), cut-up veggies, or baked potatoes!

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

  • dip :

    to briefly put a solid food, such as chips, fries, battered fried fish, hot sandwich (French dip), or veggie slices, into a liquid, like beef broth or a thicker sauce, like ketchup, dressing, or a dip to impart moisture and extra flavor to the solid food.

  • measure :

    to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

  • whisk :

    to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.

Equipment Checklist

  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Dry measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Whisk
scale
1X
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6X
7X

Ingredients

Crazy Color-Changing Cream

  • 3/4 C sour cream **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free sour cream or yogurt)**
  • 1/4 C cooked red cabbage (from Purple Polish Savory Cabbage Pierogi recipe)
  • 1 pinch granulated sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch ground black pepper
  • 1 T lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

Food Allergen Substitutions

Crazy Color-Changing Cream

  • Dairy: Substitute dairy-free/nut-free sour cream or yogurt for sour cream in Cream.

Instructions

Crazy Color-Changing Cream

1.
caution

Red cabbage can stain clothes!

2.
measure + whisk

Measure and combine the following ingredients in a medium mixing bowl: 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup cooked red cabbage (from Purple Polish Savory Cabbage Pierogi recipe), 1 pinch of sugar, 1 pinch of salt, 1 pinch of black pepper, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1/2 lemon. Whisk all the ingredients thoroughly.

3.
recipe tidbit

The lemon will react with the red cabbage and create a color-changing effect. Be sure to add the lemon juice as the last ingredient to achieve the most drastic color change possible.

4.
serve + dip

Serve alongside the Purple Polish Savory Cabbage Pierogi (see recipe) for a perfect dip pairing.

Surprise Ingredient: Sour Cream!

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Photo by AS Foodstudio/Shutterstock.com

Hi! I'm Sour Cream!

"I know my name has "sour" in it, and I do have a tangy flavor, but I'm really tasty and add an extra zip and creaminess to lots of foods! Try a dollop of me on baked potatoes, enchiladas, chili, and omelets. I'm great in chip and veggie dips. I even add richness and moistness to cakes!"

  • Sour cream is cream that has been cultured or acidified. It is rich, high in fat, and quite adored by many. A similar product, but less sour, is the French "crème fraîche" (crehm fraysh). In Mexico, the creamy dairy product that tops many Mexican dishes is called "crema" (CREH-mah). In Central and Eastern Europe, sour cream is called "smetana" (SMUH-tah-nah).
  • Either lactic acid bacteria or an acid, like vinegar or lemon juice, can make cream sour. The bacteria occur naturally or can be intentionally introduced to the cream, causing it to become thick and sour. Vinegar or lemon juice act the same way; however, most sour cream is cultured with lactic acid bacteria.
  • Fermented milk may have originated with the Mongols, who used milk from horses, and Russians may have borrowed their method using cow's milk. The sour cream was originally produced naturally by leaving milk out at room temperature, with the cultured cream rising to the top.
  • Did you know you can make your own sour cream? Just stir 2 to 3 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of heavy cream. Some recipes also include 1/4 cup of milk. Stir (or shake) and leave on the counter overnight, up to 24 hours.
  • Sour cream is used in sweet and savory dishes, like baked goods and soups. A famous Russian dish, beef stroganoff, uses sour cream in the sauce. In addition to baked potatoes, you can put sour cream on loaded potato skins and potato pancakes (latkes). 
  • Reduced-fat or non-fat sour cream and several dairy-free options are also available. Sour cream has been sold in small plastic containers for many years, but you can now find it in plastic squeeze bottles, making it easy to put just the right amount of sour cream on a taco or baked potato.
  • Two tablespoons of regular sour cream contain about 1 gram of protein, 5 grams of fat, 30 milligrams of calcium, and 40 milligrams of potassium.

Let's Learn About Poland!

Photo by Dobra Kobra/Shutterstock.com
  • Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It shares a border with Belarus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. It also borders the Baltic Sea.
  • The capital and largest city is Warsaw, and the official language is Polish. The government is a unitary parliamentary republic with a president, prime minister, and parliament. It has 16 administrative provinces called "voivodeships." The Polish flag is designed with two horizontal stripes of white and red, which are officially Poland's national colors.
  • Poland is part of the European Union but uses the "złoty" as its currency, not the euro.
  • The country's land area is 120,733 square miles, slightly smaller than the US State of New Mexico, and its population is over 38 million. 
  • Poland's central and northern region is part of the Central European Plain, which is flat, but the southern area has hills and mountains. Mountain ranges in the south include the Sudetes and the Carpathians. In addition, it has 440 miles of shoreline along the Baltic Sea.
  • Its climate is generally temperate, with wet, cold winters and mild summers. 
  • Poland has 23 national parks. Two of these are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
  • Poland produces agricultural products such as potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat, poultry, eggs, pork, and dairy. It is also involved in the manufacturing sector, producing iron, steel, coal, chemicals, and machinery.
  • Poland's national symbol is the white-tailed eagle. Every year on November 11, the Polish people celebrate their 1918 independence from the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian Empires.
  • One of Poland's most famous scientists was Nicolaus Copernicus. He was a 16th-century astronomer and mathematician who was the first to say that the Sun was at the center of our solar system (what they thought was the universe at that time) rather than the Earth. 
  • In the early 20th century, the Polish scientist Maria Skłodowska-Curie, who lived and worked in France, was the first person and only woman to win two Nobel Prizes, the first in physics and the second in chemistry.
  • Mariusz Pudzianowski, from Poland, won the World's Strongest Man championships five times, more than any other competitor in the event's history.
  • The wisent (European bison) and the white stork are considered national animals of Poland.
  • "Pierogi" (filled dumpling), "kielbasa" (meat sausage), "bigos" (meat stew with sauerkraut), and "babka" (sweet braided bread) are well-known Polish dishes. The "bagel" came from Jewish communities in Poland and was mentioned in written material from 1610 in Kraków. These foods and many others came with Jewish immigrants to the United States.

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Poland?

  • Polish children attend school from October through June, with a summer break from July through September. The English language is a compulsory subject in school. 
  • Kids may play "dwa ognie" (d'vah ohg-nee-ay), a game of dodgeball, "berek" (BEHR-eck), a game of tag, or "chowanego" (hoh-VAN-ay-go), or hide and seek. They also may participate in various sports, like football (soccer), volleyball, track and field, swimming, or karate.
  • In Poland, a child's Name Day may be celebrated in addition to their birthday. 
  • Kids may enjoy going with their families to the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw with its hundreds of exhibits, theaters, and planetarium. They may also go hiking or skiing together in the mountains or visit a water park, amusement park, or dinosaur park!

  • For a quick meal or snack, Polish kids may eat chicken or tomato soup, Polish pancakes or potato pancakes, or "pierogi" (filled dumplings). For a sweet snack or dessert, kids may enjoy "paczki," a filled yeast doughnut, "sernik," a cheesecake, and "makowiec," a sweet poppy seed roll cake.

Lettuce Joke Around

What do you call a German cabbage that's getting clean? 

Shower-kraut!

Lettuce Joke Around

What do you call a cabbage with a body? 

Head and shoulders above the rest.

THYME for a Laugh

Any leftover cabbage can and will be shredded and mixed with mayonnaise.

That's Cole's Law!

The Yolk's On You

"Why are you taking that sour cream into the pool?"

"Because I want to take a dip in the water."

Lettuce Joke Around

What do you call grumpy soft serve?

Sour cream!

The Yolk's On You

How does a farmer mend his pants? 

With Cabbage patches!

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