Cocoa Krispie Sod House: a model you can eat

Ahh! I just realized I haven't blogged our Adventures in U.S. History since Week 26!!  What happened?!  We've just been plugging away contentedly at our work and are nearing the end of our school year.  So, while I go get myself sorted and whip up the rest of our weekly reviews for you, I thought you might like to see our latest project.

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A Cocoa Krispie Sod House

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 cups miniature marshmallows
• 9 cups cocoa krispies
• 3/4 cup fancy shredded coconut ("fancy" looks more like grass, but any shredded coconut will work)
• green food coloring
• extra butter or cooking spray

Also needed:

• large sauce pan (or large microwave safe bowl)
• wooden spoon
• jelly roll pan or cookie sheet
• waxed paper
• small glass bowl
• fork
• knife
• clean scrap of cardboard
• popsicle sticks
• kitchen shears

Directions:

Melt butter in a large sauce pan over low heat. Don't let the butter brown!  When melted, add in the marshmallows and stir until they too are melted and well blended.  Low heat is key.  (Pssst! You can do this step in the microwave!)

Stir in the cocoa krispies until fully coated in marshmallowy goodness.

Butter a jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet and press mixture firmly into it.  Press the mixture thinner than regular krispie bars, about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick.  Buttering your hands or using a piece of buttered waxed paper can help with this process.  But be careful not to burn yourself!

In a small glass bowl, mix a few drops of green food coloring into the coconut with a fork.  Sprinkle it liberally over the top of the krispie mixture and press it down so it adheres to the sticky surface.

Allow to cool completely before cutting.  When cool, cut into long narrow strips about 1 inch wide by 2 1/2 inches long.

Construction:

Your cocoa krispie bars are now sod bricks!  Arrange them grass (coconut) side down the way the pioneers did.  Select slightly wider bricks for the bottom of the wall and use narrower ones at the top.

Stagger the bricks for stability just like a bricklayer does. Trim bricks as needed to fit the end of each row.

Don't forget to leave a space for the door!  If you want windows, leave a space in the third row up from the ground.  Support the doorway and window openings with wooden popsicle sticks cut to size with kitchen shears.

Build up the back wall of your sod house slightly higher than the front of the house. Taper the side walls to match.  Lay popsicle sticks across the walls and layer sod slabs over them for the roof.

Tips:

Don't try to make your soddie too large. They were, by necessity, rather small structures averaging 10 by 20 feet.  That's about the size of your living room!

I would love, love, love to see your cocoa krispie sod house model! Please drop me a note if you make one!