Bird Burgers and Seed Sensory

Playgroup was at our home today, and we wanted to work on a Father’s Day gift project. My Dad, “Pops” and Big K’s Dad, Papa, are great bird lovers, so when I came across this recipe for bird seed ornaments from Saltwater Kids, I thought it was a perfect idea.

I didn’t have small, round, cous cous-type seeds, so I used what we had…Big, Black, SunFlower Seeds. I found a huge bag in the garage.
Big K uses this seed to fill the bird feeder that’s right outside our living room window so the kids can watch the birds. I wondered if the project would work out alright with such big seed. I do know the birds like to eat these seeds better.

The ingredients for these ornaments are as follows:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup
4 cups birdseed

The kids helped add the ingredients and I mixed with my hands. We just dumped everything into a bowl at once, pressed the “dough” into cookie cutters on cookie sheets. I poked holes through the dough while it was still wet so as to thread it with ribbon once dry. I laid them out in the sun and flipped them after about 3 hours.

The kids loved the seeds! They scooped handfuls out of the tall bag and mixed it with hose water in the process table. We were all hot, and I’m sure it felt good to put their little hands in that cold water and even more interesting that there were lots of seeds floating on the surface.

They also added a little flour, J dumped the whole flour bag into the process table, a little corn syrup, J dumped all that in too, flower pedals and lots of wooden orange letters.
The letters were meant to press into the ornaments, but the kids were having more fun with them.

Here is the finished product. They kind of remind me of this great portobello mushroom burger I used to make all the time. I might just make these for Father’s Day too. See recipe at bottom of post.

The ornaments from Saltwater Kids were so much prettier, but I know my dads will love these, and that’s what matters.

The Bird Burger

2 portobello mushroom caps, cut into chunks
2 cups button mushrooms, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 small carrots, grated
2 crushed cloves of garlic

1 and 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/8 cup white miso
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup dried bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for greasing the pan.

Pulse mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor. Heat the olive oil and saute the mushrooms, onion, carrot and garlic for about 3 minutes. Place the mushroom mixture in a large bowl. Combine sunflower seeds, miso and lemon juice in the food processor. Pulse to make a light paste. Combine mushroom and seed mixtures. Add rice and bread crumbs. Blend. Let mixture stand in fridge for about 6 hours, they will hold their shape better. Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking pan. Bake on middle rack for about 25 minutes until golden brown or saute on medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side.
Makes 8 burgers.