Kitchen Capers
What common seasoning could ruin a batch of cookies if you accidentally used it instead of sugar?
Hint: It often sits on the table beside pepper.
Salt
Fun fact: Many cookie recipes call for a little salt to balance the sweetness!
In the classic song title, “Fly Me to the…” where does the singer want to go?
Hint: You can see it in the night sky, and astronauts have walked on it.
The Moon
Fun fact: This song was originally titled “In Other Words.”
What Halloween candy has a yellow bottom, an orange middle, and a white tip?
Hint: It’s shaped like a kernel of something grown on a cob.
Candy corn
Fun fact: Candy corn was once sold as “Chicken Feed,” with a rooster on the packaging!
What flying mammal is often seen on Halloween decorations?
Hint: It usually comes out at night and hangs upside down to rest.
Bats
Fun fact: Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly—flying squirrels can only glide!
What group featured a young Michael Jackson singing with his brothers on hits like “ABC” and “I Want You Back”?
Hint: Their name combines their last name with the number of brothers in the group.
The Jackson 5
Fun fact: Their first four Motown singles all reached number one—including “I’ll Be There”!
What ingredient helps bread dough rise before it goes into the oven?
Hint: Bakers use it to make fluffy loaves and dinner rolls.
Yeast
Fun fact: Yeast produces tiny gas bubbles that make dough expand.
Which superhero is known for saying “Up, up, and away!” before taking off?
Hint: He wears a red cape and has a big S on his chest.
Superman
Fun fact: Superman’s hometown, Metropolis, is nicknamed “The City of Tomorrow.”
What tall flower has a large center full of seeds and usually bright yellow petals?
Hint: Its name includes something that shines in the sky.
Sunflowers
Fun fact: Mature sunflowers face east. The morning sun warms them up, making them more attractive to visiting bees!
Which explorer reached the Caribbean in October 1492?
Hint: “In fourteen hundred ninety-two, ______ sailed the ocean blue.”
Christopher Columbus
Fun fact: His first landing was in the Bahamas, where the Taíno people already lived.
Frankie Valli sang “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry” with what group?
Hint: Their name makes you think of spring, summer, fall, and winter.
The Four Seasons
Fun fact: Their rise to fame inspired the Broadway musical Jersey Boys.
What is the cooking term for briefly putting food into boiling water, then cooling it quickly in ice water?
Hint: It starts with a B and is often done to vegetables before freezing them.
Blanching
Fun fact: Blanching can also loosen tomato and peach skins, making them easier to peel!
What flying craft carries people in a basket beneath a giant balloon filled with heated air?
Hint: You might see lots of these colorful balloons floating above a balloon festival.
A hot air balloon
Fun fact: Pilots move higher or lower to find winds blowing in the direction they want to travel.
What fall flavor is famous for appearing in coffee-shop lattes each autumn?
Hint: Think of the pie often served at Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin spice!
Fun fact: Starbucks developed its Pumpkin Spice Latte in Seattle in 2003—but real pumpkin wasn’t added to the recipe until 2015!
What famous ocean liner was built in Belfast and sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912?
Hint: Its story became a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
The Titanic
Fun fact: When Titanic was launched in Belfast in 1911, it took just 62 seconds for the enormous ship to slide into the water!
What band sang “Joy to the World,” which begins, “Jeremiah was a bullfrog”?
Hint: Their name includes a number, a barking animal, and the opposite of day.
Three Dog Night
Fun fact: “Joy to the World” stayed at number one for six weeks!
What kitchen tool do you use to drain the water from cooked pasta?
Hint: It looks like a bowl with lots of small holes.
A colander (accept: strainer)
Fun fact: A colander is also handy for rinsing fruits and vegetables!
What curved object can return to the person who throws it when tossed correctly?
Hint: It’s famously associated with Australia, and its name starts with B.
A boomerang
Fun fact: Not all boomerangs come back—some were designed to fly straight for hunting.
Acorn, butternut, and spaghetti are all varieties of what vegetable?
Hint: Some have tough outer skins, and one shares its name with a type of pasta.
Squash
Fun fact: Pumpkins belong to the winter squash family, too! Their thicker skins help them keep longer than summer squash, such as zucchini.
What strong-smelling spice looks like tiny brown nails and is sometimes pushed into a holiday ham?
Hint: Its name starts with C, and it’s also used in gingerbread and pumpkin pie.
Cloves
Fun fact: Cloves are actually flower buds! They’re picked before opening and dried to become the spice we use in cooking.
What Motown group sang “I Can’t Help Myself,” better known as “Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch”?
Hint: Their name starts with the number four and ends with the opposite of “bottoms.”
The Four Tops
Fun fact: Before becoming the Four Tops, the group called themselves the Four Aims.
What happens to a tall, puffy soufflé as it cools after coming out of the oven?
Hint: Think about what happens to a balloon as it loses air.
It falls, sinks, or deflates
Fun fact: Soufflés can be sweet or savory—chocolate and cheese are two popular varieties!
What is a skydive called when a person jumps while strapped to an instructor?
Hint: The same word describes a bicycle built for two people.
A tandem jump (accept: tandem skydiving)
Fun fact: During a tandem jump, the instructor controls the parachute so the beginner can experience the jump without operating it alone.
What colorful fall flowers are commonly called “mums”?
Hint: Their full name starts with “chrys,” and they’re often sold in pots beside pumpkins.
Chrysanthemums
Fun fact: The name “chrysanthemum” means “golden flower” in Greek—even though these flowers now come in many different colors!
What October birthstone is known for its shimmering flashes of rainbow colors?
Hint: Its name has four letters and starts with O.
Opal
Fun fact: An opal’s rainbow flashes can change as you turn the stone—a natural effect called “play-of-color”!
What party band is known for the songs “Love Shack” and “Rock Lobster”?
Hint: The band shares its name with a famous American bomber aircraft.
The B-52s
Fun fact: Their name came from a nickname for the towering bouffant hairstyles worn by the band’s singers! .