Twas the night before departure, and all through the kitchen;
mom and Lucy were slicing, dicing and fixin.
Food they could find;
no matter the kind
and threw it all together and said Amen.
As we were getting ready to leave on holliday, we wanted to use up some of the fresh food we had in the house. We found several ears of grilled corn; leftover brown rice from beans and rice the other night; cream cheese in the fridge; about 10 slices of bread; a little cheese and about 2 gigantic zucchinis and it was one of the best dishes I've had in a long time. Lucy just beamed at her creation and said nothing is better than cooking with Mommy in the kitchen. The picture I always saw in my head when we bought this house I realized comes true a lot. Everyone in the kitchen loving, laughing, bickering; being a family.
Ingredients:
@ 3 ears of corn (grilled)
@ 3 cups of shredded zucchini
@ 16 ounces of cream cheese (about half of ours was flavored garlic and chives)
@ 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese
@ 10 slices of bread in food processor
Olive oil
First we shredded the zucchini and cut the corn off the cobs, mixed that all together and put it in a 9x13 pan. We spread the rice evenly over the corn and zucchini mixture, and then dollopped the cream cheese over the casserole. Afterwards, we sprinkled the cheese, topped it off with the bread crumbs and drizzled olive oil over the whole thing. Baked it for 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven, and then turned the oven on broil and watched closely while we browned the top. Yummy!!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Love Aubrey
Love Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur was recommended to me by my little reader-junkie daughter who is going into 4th grade. It was funny to hear her tell me about the book as she was reading it; a girl is left at home all alone to take care of herself. "Honey, there is no way a little girl could be at home by herself, someone would know, " I say. "She was... her dad and sister die in an accident and her mom leaves," she urges. I felt compelled to read the story after that to alleviate any fears of abandonment but she was right, that's exactly how this book begins.
Aubrey is left alone after a tragic car accident taking her dad and sister and then her mom goes off her rocker and just leaves poor Aubrey to defend for herself who manages, to feed herself, go shopping by herself etc. But don't worry, that's just the beginning.
The real meat of the story is when her grandmother finds her in that state and snatches her up and takes her home and the relationship they develop. Aubrey has to learn to trust adults and make new friends and what it means to open up and deal with one of lifes tragedies. My favorite aspect of this book is by far the ending.... the choices she is asked to make and the grace with which she does. A wonderful girl story about loss and discovering yourself.
Grade Recommendation: I wouldn't recommend this below 3rd grade even as a read aloud because of the very real death of family members. It could be a touch subject for some. I think easily up through 6th grade would enjoy this novel and possibly 7th (younger character). Students often don't like to read about characters younger than themselves but they miss a lot of great books because of it.
Read Aloud: Love Aubrey does a fantastic job dealing with the loss of family members and how it's okay if everything isn't okay immediately but that it can be.... I don't know if I would read it if anyone has directly lost a family member but it would be excellent for friends of individuals who have suffered loss to explain how difficult it is for them to open up and talk about it with others.
Mentor Text: The ending by far. I love how the ending is not what we expected it to be but allowed the main character to really make some grown up decisions. You could almost summarize the whole book and get down to the last chapter and then talk about possible choices and they would affect the feeling of the story.
Aubrey is left alone after a tragic car accident taking her dad and sister and then her mom goes off her rocker and just leaves poor Aubrey to defend for herself who manages, to feed herself, go shopping by herself etc. But don't worry, that's just the beginning.
The real meat of the story is when her grandmother finds her in that state and snatches her up and takes her home and the relationship they develop. Aubrey has to learn to trust adults and make new friends and what it means to open up and deal with one of lifes tragedies. My favorite aspect of this book is by far the ending.... the choices she is asked to make and the grace with which she does. A wonderful girl story about loss and discovering yourself.
Grade Recommendation: I wouldn't recommend this below 3rd grade even as a read aloud because of the very real death of family members. It could be a touch subject for some. I think easily up through 6th grade would enjoy this novel and possibly 7th (younger character). Students often don't like to read about characters younger than themselves but they miss a lot of great books because of it.
Read Aloud: Love Aubrey does a fantastic job dealing with the loss of family members and how it's okay if everything isn't okay immediately but that it can be.... I don't know if I would read it if anyone has directly lost a family member but it would be excellent for friends of individuals who have suffered loss to explain how difficult it is for them to open up and talk about it with others.
Mentor Text: The ending by far. I love how the ending is not what we expected it to be but allowed the main character to really make some grown up decisions. You could almost summarize the whole book and get down to the last chapter and then talk about possible choices and they would affect the feeling of the story.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
11 Birthdays
I've read two books this week and loved them both. I had gotten stuck on a book for about two months which is never a good sign for me so it feels good to be back on a roll. Do I dare blog about the one that stopped me dead in my tracks? I would except it wasn't horrible; it just didn't motivate me to keep going but 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass was fun and moved at a fast enough pace that kept my attention and left me wondering.... what would it be like to turn 11 over and over and over again?
The book follows the familiar format of what would it be like to repeat a day; in the footsteps of films such as Groundhog Day with Bill Murray and 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. It gives you the chance to try new moves, say something differently and basically be a different person. The moral of the story is of course that our lives are pretty special as they are and really, we need to live them as such because there aren't "do-overs" very often.
So why was I taken with this formulaic book? Because it made me think! Is there a day in my life that I would have liked to have a do-over and what would I have done differently. Would those differences have had consequences that I can't see? Do-overs are a dream come true for many kids and the opportunity to see that some of those do-overs have dire results is a valid lesson. Additionally, I think the basic repeat of one day with some differences thrown in allows readers the chance to really understand and predict what is happening and more importantly what is coming. I also love the characters and felt like they were well developed. A strong and caring boy and a girl who learns to trust herself, create a friendship that is very powerful and real. Not an easy thing to do at this age when the opposite sex is either the enemy or something of interest and they don't know what to do about it.
Grade Recommendation: A great book for 3rd through 5th. It would be appropriate lower if the student is a strong reader and would be entertaining up to 6th grade if they could move beyond the age of the main characters.
Read Aloud Discussion: A great read aloud as it has both male and female leads with plenty to talk about as far as social situations and the value of friendship.
Mentor Text: A great text to use when working with prediction because of the repeptive nature of the story. It would also be a good text to demonstrate narrowing the focus to a particular moment in time.
The book follows the familiar format of what would it be like to repeat a day; in the footsteps of films such as Groundhog Day with Bill Murray and 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. It gives you the chance to try new moves, say something differently and basically be a different person. The moral of the story is of course that our lives are pretty special as they are and really, we need to live them as such because there aren't "do-overs" very often.
So why was I taken with this formulaic book? Because it made me think! Is there a day in my life that I would have liked to have a do-over and what would I have done differently. Would those differences have had consequences that I can't see? Do-overs are a dream come true for many kids and the opportunity to see that some of those do-overs have dire results is a valid lesson. Additionally, I think the basic repeat of one day with some differences thrown in allows readers the chance to really understand and predict what is happening and more importantly what is coming. I also love the characters and felt like they were well developed. A strong and caring boy and a girl who learns to trust herself, create a friendship that is very powerful and real. Not an easy thing to do at this age when the opposite sex is either the enemy or something of interest and they don't know what to do about it.
Grade Recommendation: A great book for 3rd through 5th. It would be appropriate lower if the student is a strong reader and would be entertaining up to 6th grade if they could move beyond the age of the main characters.
Read Aloud Discussion: A great read aloud as it has both male and female leads with plenty to talk about as far as social situations and the value of friendship.
Mentor Text: A great text to use when working with prediction because of the repeptive nature of the story. It would also be a good text to demonstrate narrowing the focus to a particular moment in time.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Pesto with Pals and Cobbler with Kids
The other night we had a couple over for dinner and made yummy burgers and a side of pesto fresh from the garden. I love involving everyone in the preparation of a meal so when you come to dinner at our house, be prepared to pick up a knife. We made an amazing pesto by stepping out into the unbearable heat to clip our basil. I usually plant about three plants in a giant pot and that keeps me going all summer. Just about the time it's ready for me to cut, I'm ready to eat it. Make sure you clip it before it blooms or your leaves won't taste as good. The girls were making pesto while the boys were doing everything else. Pesto is fun because there are so many variations but here's a basic recipe that I follow:
Pesto:
About 4 cups of fresh basil (chopped up in a food processor)
@ 1 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
@2 cups of nuts (pine nuts are traditional but I used walnuts the other night and will use anything)
@ 2 cups parmesan cheese (again I play with different cheeses - goats cheese is a unique experience)
@ 2 tbsp sea salt ( I actually used Himalayan pink crystals - what a hoot - my first time)
1 whole garlic (optional)
Mix it all up and enjoy the fragrance as you go.... I also taste as I go to see if it needs more of anything. If you have leftovers, you can put them in an ice cube tray - then ziplock the cubes when frozen for a fresh burst of spring all winter....
My oldest is headed off to her first sleep away camp tomorrow. In celebration, we decided to use up the blackberries we've been saving the past few days from our wild blackberry bush. We had about 4 cups of blackberries and were rarin' to go.
My 11 year old made the cobbler by tossing the berries with some cornstarch. She coated them well and placed them on the bottom of a 9 x 13 cake pan. She was really wanting to break eggs but no luck today. This cobbler was a cinch and just about 45 minutes from being eaten. We sprinkled @ 1 1/2 cups of sugar over the whole thing and then topped it with some pie crust. I like to use the crust you buy in a box and mix with water as it makes a sort of dumpling like crust. She dolloped the crust over the berries and sprinkled it with sugar and baked uncovered for about 40 minutes or until the crust looks done. I turned off the oven and let it set for another 10 minutes. Once done, we rang the dinner bell (hence my name) and served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Amazing!!!
Pesto:
About 4 cups of fresh basil (chopped up in a food processor)
@ 1 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
@2 cups of nuts (pine nuts are traditional but I used walnuts the other night and will use anything)
@ 2 cups parmesan cheese (again I play with different cheeses - goats cheese is a unique experience)
@ 2 tbsp sea salt ( I actually used Himalayan pink crystals - what a hoot - my first time)
1 whole garlic (optional)
Mix it all up and enjoy the fragrance as you go.... I also taste as I go to see if it needs more of anything. If you have leftovers, you can put them in an ice cube tray - then ziplock the cubes when frozen for a fresh burst of spring all winter....
My oldest is headed off to her first sleep away camp tomorrow. In celebration, we decided to use up the blackberries we've been saving the past few days from our wild blackberry bush. We had about 4 cups of blackberries and were rarin' to go.
My 11 year old made the cobbler by tossing the berries with some cornstarch. She coated them well and placed them on the bottom of a 9 x 13 cake pan. She was really wanting to break eggs but no luck today. This cobbler was a cinch and just about 45 minutes from being eaten. We sprinkled @ 1 1/2 cups of sugar over the whole thing and then topped it with some pie crust. I like to use the crust you buy in a box and mix with water as it makes a sort of dumpling like crust. She dolloped the crust over the berries and sprinkled it with sugar and baked uncovered for about 40 minutes or until the crust looks done. I turned off the oven and let it set for another 10 minutes. Once done, we rang the dinner bell (hence my name) and served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Amazing!!!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
What Are You Reading?
I posted on my Facebook page that I have gathered all of my reading in one place on my igoogle page and now I know why I don't have time to work out in the mornings.... In a typical morning here is my reading list:
NPR News
CNN News
Reading Lady
Writing Twins
2 Sisters
Eat and Read With Me
Imagination Kid
Tennis News
Baseball News
A Recipe or Two....
Facebook
Scattergood
Whatever professional book I'm reading at the time...
Whatever children's lit book I'm reading at the moment...
ET Weekly (love my celebrity gossip)
What's on T.V.
My Email (2 accounts)
Whew!!
No wonder I'm tired before breakfast ..... Here's hoping all of you read something interesting today!!
NPR News
CNN News
Reading Lady
Writing Twins
2 Sisters
Eat and Read With Me
Imagination Kid
Tennis News
Baseball News
A Recipe or Two....
Scattergood
Whatever professional book I'm reading at the time...
Whatever children's lit book I'm reading at the moment...
ET Weekly (love my celebrity gossip)
What's on T.V.
My Email (2 accounts)
Whew!!
No wonder I'm tired before breakfast ..... Here's hoping all of you read something interesting today!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Zuchinni and Blogs
My oldest daughter Lily and I are in the midst of making zuchinni bread and creating blogs together. Mine, I've decided will be about fixing food for my family as well as just navigating the parenting and teaching world while hers will be about sharing her creativity. We are trying out the recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook and can smell the cinnamon floating through the kitchen. I always wanted the kittchen to be a place of family but little did I know that it would involve my daughter and I making our escapades public.
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