family – Page 12 – Peaceful Reader

Beautiful soup!

I love soup. If I had to pick a last meal I would pick soup and I’d have to make it myself. I’m not a fan of canned soup or most soups in a restaurant. They generally don’t excite me-even though I want them to be splendiferous. When I order a tomato-basil soup I want it to be great-as great as the one I make or better even!

Jason’s Deli makes a good soup but we don’t have one around here. We had one in Little Rock when we lived there and used to go after church and have soup, sandwiches, and salads. I found one in Denver, Colorado when I needed to order chicken noodle soup for my 19-year-old son who was sick- I sent him a delivery person with soup. I couldn’t be there so this was the next best thing. It’s all about the soup.

Soup, glorious soup. I found a keeper as I scanned through my very special copy of Dinner; A love story by Jenny Rosenstrach. I found myself standing in my kitchen lazily paging through looking and reading many of Jenny’s stories (again) when I came upon this soup and I had all the ingredients (Love that!) + I’m under the weather so perfectly in need of a bowl of quality soup.

{Jenny’s photo}

Butternut Squash Soup with apples (101-102)

1 medium onion, chopped
few glugs of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme
1 T. curry powder (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes. (about 4 1/2 cups cubes)
2 apples (Fuji, Macintosh, or Cortland preferred., but just about any except Red Delicious will work.)
3 1/2 cups or more of chicken broth (or vegetable broth-which is what I used)
Garnishes: Chopped walnuts, chopped chives, sour cream

In a Dutch oven or a large stockpot, brown the onion in oil until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, thyme, curry powder and cayenne. Stir in the squash and apples, then add enough broth to cover it all by about a half inch. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for 30 minutes-checking and adding water or broth every 10 minutes or so-until the squash is tender. Turn off the heat and puree with a handheld immersion blender or in batches in the blender (see warning about spinning hot liquid), adding more water or broth until it reaches desired consistency. Serve with toppings.

Hopefully by now everyone has an immersion blender because they are one of the greatest kitchen tools ever invented! Mine is a Braun and I’ve had it for about 14 years and it is still going strong.

This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads; Weekend Cooking meme. Click her link to find many other food-related posts. Maybe others are talking about their deep love of soup as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

{Etsy art}

We have much to be thankful for and we shared those thoughts during our husband/dad cooked breakfast this morning. It is a joy to be alive and feel the fresh, freezing Midwest air fill your lungs as you lope from house to car. I also said a few blessings this morning as I curled warmly under the blankets this morning as I slept and read until about 9:30. Glorious. I’m always sleepy as I just don’t get enough sleep anymore. And I’m in the middle of a good book and it’s tough to put it down even as my eyelids blink shut repeatedly. Holling Hoodhood has just read The Tempest with Mrs. Baker and the cream puffs just devoured by the two escaped rats in The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt so you can see my sleeping/reading dilemma this morning.

All I’m trying to say is the day has started off luxuriously just as Thanksgiving should be. We did watch a little of the Macy’s parade as we devoured the breakfast (biscuits with fruit jam, local bacon, scrambled brown eggs, and orange juice) and then we cleaned. Yes, we cleaned our family room. When you work full-time and don’t have a full-time maid to help you keep up with it; it all kind of settles and clutters around this main area of space. We did it together and got it polished up in about an hour. The table is all clear and ready for our food spread.

We are very untraditional when it comes to our holiday meals. We don’t care what others are consuming (turkey) and even though I have brined and roasted a lovely organic bird a time or two for large family gatherings it wasn’t going to happen this year. We have a perfect piece of Alaskan salmon as our main fare accompanied by sweet potatoes, a tossed green salad, and fresh cranberries cooked to pop with drizzles of maple syrup, honey, and orange zest. A glorious meal of favorite food for the three of us to share. I wish I still had some brussel sprouts to roast-they would be perfect also.

What’s on your menu?

Sometime we’ve gone to a movie on Thanksgiving night but tonight we have tickets to a volleyball tournament hosted at our local university. I don’t like to see anybody work on a holiday such as this but it will be fun to watch two top teams compete. Better than football for me.

Wednesday I had two opportunities to read my favorite Thanksgiving picture book, A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting, which has Mr. Moose off looking for a turkey who gets to join in the holiday meal instead of the main course. Kids always love this surprise ending and it shares the grand idea that who you are eating with is far more important than what you are eating!

Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving.

Traveling Mercies

(collage by Groovy Girl: G.G. with her super cute cousins)

We spent three days last week in Minneapolis, one of my favorite cities. I lived there for years while I went to college the first time and loved it. Lucky for me I still have family there so it is easy to drive the 3 1/2 hours north to see some of my favorite people. Sadly I don’t make it as much as I’d like to but this time our purpose was to see our new niece born August 13th. You’d think (because of my deep love of babies) I would have made the journey before now except that was just about the time school started for me and then it seems that pretty much every weekend after that was filled to the brim with activities.

Somewhere in October I vowed not to fill November weekends up just so we could head north and it worked. I persuaded my husband to journey with us and he complied by finding a Bluegrass show to sweeten the deal. The show just happened to be on Thursday night so I took a day off from work (oh, so rare) and we headed to Harriet’s Brewery after dropping Groovy Girl at my (step)sister Robin’s new house. Her family of four just moved to the Minnehaha neighborhood after living in South Chicago for about 6 years and they are so excited about this move.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/VFR63YxU6R4&source=uds

Greg and I enjoyed music by The Last Revel at the brewery. They were fantastic and I would head out of town again to hear them play. The second band was good also but I can’t remember their name.

This was a perfect toe-tapping band and the guys were equally as nice by they way they tolerated chatting with my husband several times about music.

I was a wreck that night for some reason. I got carded coming through the door into the steamy brewery and I could NOT find my driver’s license anywhere in my bag. While I was desperately searching my glasses dropped out of my hand because I’d taken them off due to that steaminess. They snapped in half and were completely unwearable. So I couldn’t drink the delicious brewed beer or truly see the band. It was a mess and I still managed to enjoy the evening. Now I have to buy new glasses and I wasn’t ready to do that and I still don’t know where my ID is.

(Upside down cousins)

The rest of the weekend was spent at my (step) sister Autumn’s home in Eden Prairie. We walked even though it was chilly. We ate delicious pizza and generally lazed around the house holding her little one. My hope was to give my sister time to sleep and rejuvenate. Maybe it worked. Sometimes just visiting with each other can make the day solid. We also had a delicious lunch at a diner in their neighborhood with Robin and family on Saturday before we left town. I had the best fish sandwich ever. The coleslaw had cranberries in it and the fish had perfect crunch.

Thank you for the alignment of the stars to bring us all together on one weekend even though my glasses and ID decided to jump ship.

We also checked out the construction of my brother’s new house. We can’t wait for a return trip in December or January to see the finished product.

(new house)

This picture is all about the cookie. Groovy Girl wanted to show the size; it is bigger than my face. My husband is behind me hoping I’m not going to eat that cookie. My glasses in the photo have been super-glued. That trick only lasted two days.

Belong to me by Marisa de los Santos; read it and rejoice

{cute cover}

This book was a huge hit at home. Both my husband and daughter loved the cover. ” It’s the bright rain boots” Groovy Girl commented as she ran her finger up and down the different sizes of boots, thinking about the children in the story who would be slipping them on. My husband also made comments regarding the cover and the title. Usually they don’t pay this much attention. We do love rain boots at our house but maybe it was because my nose was often stuck down into the book at different times of the day trying to read one more chapter, paragraph, or sentence. Maybe it’s because de los Santos is a poet as well that her words make such wonderful sentences.

I finished it and had that same old bluesy feeling that I didn’t want it to end. The characters became a part of me. Even the woman that I thought I wouldn’t ever like turned out to be pretty darn likable. Cornelia, Piper, and Dev all share their stories with us in alternating chapters and in very distinctively different voices. Surrounding those three characters are a crew of others that we also grow to love and even weep about it. I know…don’t you just want to know more…

Okay I’ll tell you a little more. But just a little. You should really read it for yourself.

Cornelia and her husband, the handsome Teo, have moved to the suburbs leaving NYC after 9-11 made them feel a little less safe in the city. Cornelia’s not excited about the suburbs and her fears all come true when she meets Piper, her wound-too-tight neighbor. Piper is snobby, complex, and unhappy; she likes to be the queen until one thing in her life falls apart and she sees how much it doesn’t matter. Cornelia doesn’t like snobby and writes Piper off as a neighborhood quack. But then Cornelia meets Lake in the grocery store and they hit it off right away yet there is a story behind Lake and her super intelligent son Deveroux that Lake isn’t willing to share. Family secrets and good friendships wind their way through this well-written plot.

Random quote:

He and Clare started walking toward the bus stop, their shadows stretching out ahead of them. Dev watched the girl shadow take the boy shadow’s hand, and he realized that the homesick feeling had disappeared. In its place was a new feeling, too new to have a name.

“How cool would that have been, though?” He shot Clare a sidelong, happy grin. “A dad with a bike shop?”

Clare laughed her jingle-bell laugh, and Dev realized that what he felt was young. He’d been young all his life, of course he had. But now he was aware of it. Every cell, every electron of his body felt young: unencumbered, uncluttered, as clean as the clear blue sky. (153)

The interesting part is that Clare is a repeat character from de los Santos’ first book, Love Walked in, and she makes me want to go back and reread that first book again even though I have many other books laying about my house to read. Clare’s and Cornelia’s story is intriguing and makes an interesting twist to bring them together again and share this young love story with us.

Marisa de los Santos website

A Literary Mama interview with de los Santos about all three of her books.

Laugh with the Moon by Shana Burg + a recipe

I found this at the library one day browsing around like I do; it was on my list to read for possible Iowa Children’s Choice book awards. It was the last one I read in my tall stack of choices and it was one of the best.

I loved that both boys and girls would enjoy the story even though it is told from a 13-year-old girl’s point of view and that we learn so much about the country of Malawi. Clare is a spunky character who is filled with grief over her recently deceased mother. Ever wonder why so many realistic fiction books for kids involve death? Her father is a doctor working for a world aid organization and probably to help his own grief he takes on this journey back to Malawi where he served before Clare was born. I think both parent and child are in need of a change of scenery even though Clare isn’t aware yet of how much this trip will mean to her.

Even though she is completely bitter on the first leg of their travels and her anger grows when she sees the small cabin where they will live she makes friends in the village and at school. She helps to change lives while their as she teaches English to the youngest children at school and gets everybody involved in a play.

A quote:

Outside, Memory shows me a dress that’s hanging from a clothesline behind the hut. In the dusk, I can’t tell if it’s blue or green or gray, but I can see the shape of it just fine. I don’t mean to be rude, but it looks like a pilgrim frock. Still, I’m a firm believer in stretching the truth in the name of friendship. At this rate, Memory might be the only person I’m speaking to on the entire African continent, so I tell her “It’s so cool!” even though I’d never be caught dead wearing something like that myself. (37)

She does indeed end up wearing a dress quite similar to her new friend Memory’s “pilgrim” dress and that is not her only compromise she must make.

I loved this book for the experience it offered me; while lots of books are written about dead mothers, not many share such an interesting path through grief. I love that her mother appears to her when she needs her most and that through their journey we get to see a part of life in Africa especially since this continent is in the news right now. Burg has first hand experience in Malawi and that helps us get a realistic feel for the country.

At the end of the book is a recipe for Sweet Potato Biscuits that I just had to try. I made them, we loved them, and then the dog stole the rest of the biscuits right off the counter and ate every last crumb..

Mbatata (Sweet Potato) Biscuits

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1/4 cup milk
4 T melted butter
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
6 T sugar, plus 2 T to sprinkle on top
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus additional 1/2 tsp to sprinkle on top

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375*. Mix the sweet potatoes, milk, and melted butter and beat well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, 6 T of the sugar, the salt, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and add gradually to the sweet potato mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Mix the additional cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle on top. Bake for 15 minutes.

They were delicious. Even the dog thought so. I didn’t even sprinkle on the extra sugar topping. I plan to make them again for Thanksgiving.

Read this book, share it with any elementary and early middle school students, share it with your class as a read-aloud. Right now it could provide an empathy for the people of Africa as they struggle with the affects of the Ebola disease.

Shana Burg is also the author of A Thousand Never Evers an excellent historical fiction that takes place in Mississippi in 1963.

Weekend Cooking: Who doesn't love cake? A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff offers cake.

Groovy Girl recently had a very big birthday. She turned 12 on the 12th of September. She’s growing up…I dislike it, I love it-it depends on the day. She’s taking 7th grade in stride, a few bumps along the way. For example, she forgot her phone at school, in a classroom. Couldn’t get a hold of her for about 35 minutes after school. So frustrating yet we joked about it on our way home. We walked home from school hand in hand and then shared a cupcake when we got home. Much of life is grand.

Back to the major birthday party. For two years she’s been awaiting this golden birthday and she’d requested a hotel sleepover party for this illustrious event. We went hotel shopping in early August to check out their lobbies, their pools, and how they made us feel. The Hilton Garden Inn won hands down as the pool was warm and they had a lovely outdoor area with twinkling lights and fire pits. The deal was sealed. I made two reservations. The price was pretty reasonable.

I asked her if she wanted cupcakes from our local cupcakery that is so popular. She said “NO” flat out. “We always make my cake, mama!” she said. I asked her to look for a recipe. Weeks went by and then as I was reading an Iowa Children’s Choice possible title A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff I found the cake! It spoke to me because it combined some of her favorite things…chocolate and more chocolate and she loves s’mores! I rushed upstairs to share my discovery and she was like “mm-maybe-” followed by a “maybe” and a little shoulder shrug. Hmmm. I stuck with it though and we gave it a try.

Will’s S’more Cake
-a cake that always disappears quickly-

For the cake:
small spoonful of flour, for preparing the cake pans
14-oz package of graham crackers (about 26 crackers)
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter (2 sticks) **always use unsalted as it is fresher** at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp good vanilla
1 cup milk, at room temperature

For the frosting:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
pinch of salt

For the filling:
1 large cup marshmallow fluff
(I did NOT say this cake was healthy in anyway)

For the topping:
extra graham crackers and/or mini-marshmallows **she opted for studding it with chocolate chips**

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease the bottoms of two 8-in. round cake pans with butter. Using the cake pans as a template, trace two circles onto wax paper (I used parchment paper) and cut them out, placing once circle inside each pan. Sprinkle the inside of the pans lightly with flour, and tap the pans to distribute it evenly.

2. Place graham crackers in a blender or food processor, and grind until crushed to a fine powder. (Alternatively, place the graham crackers in a plastic ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin which is exactly what Groovy Girl did as it sounded more fun!) Measure out 3 cups of the cracker powder into a medium bowl, and mix with the baking powder. Set aside. Reserve the remaining graham cracker powder to decorate the top of the cake, if desired.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer, starting on low speed then increasing to medium-high, until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla.

4. Reducing the speed on the mixer to low, add about a third of the graham racker mixture to the batter, combining well. Add about half of the milk and combine. Then add another third of the graham cracker mixture, the last of the milk, and then the last of the cracker mix, combining well each time.

5. Pour the batter into the two pans, smoothing the surface. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.

6. While the cakes are baking, make the frosting; In a double boiler or a heatproof boil fitted into a saucepan of simmering water, carefully melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 10-15 minutes.

7. In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer fitted with clean beaters on medium speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Reducing the speed on the mixer to low, gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, another 2-3 minutes. Add the cooled chocolate, sour cream, and pinch of salt, and beat to combine.

8. When the cakes are completely cooled, place one cake layer on a plate and spread marshmallow fluff on top. If fluff is difficult to spread, microwave it in a glass bowl first for 10-20 seconds and stir.) Place the second cake layer on top and frost the whole cake with the chocolate frosting. Decorate with graham cracker crumbs or mini marshmallows. (44-46)

Almost everyone at the party loved the cake, the flavor was great and it was nice and dense. I would make this one again with some minor adjustments. We brought part of the cake home and we’ve all been sneaking bites here and there and we’ve also shared a few pieces Grandpa Roger style; in a bowl with some milk. The best. Thanks Dad. Miss you.

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff has some memorable moments but the plot was a bit scattered for me. The cakes and Cady’s story were the very best part though and I wanted Cady to find a good permanent home with Miss Mallory. Cady has a knack for baking and it was fun to read about how she created cakes for those around her. Thank you Ms. Graff for giving us a wonderful birthday recipe!

Birthday gifts that keep on giving!

My birthday is way past (still in the same month at least!) and I wanted to (share) brag about two fantastic gifts I received.

My husband and Groovy Girl gave me a NutriBullet because I’d been pricing them myself. I’ve had a Juiceman juicer for years and years but lost interest because it was a mess to clean up and all the fiber ended up in bucket. The juice was good but not enough to keep me interested and so it was collecting dust. I recently gave it away in a flurry of cleansing. Oh it felt so good. The NutriBullet is the answer to the lost fiber and I love it. I’m trying to take off the 10 lbs I’ve added to my small frame over the last few menopausal years and juicing jump starts my morning. I’ve followed a few recipes but mainly just throw a few slices of fruit, leafy greens, nuts, Chia seeds, and a dollop of yogurt or water. Yum. It’s not always pretty but they taste great.

The second cool gift I received is a FitBit Flex from my amazing in-laws. I love them and they always get me something wonderful. I didn’t know much about FitBits before but I’m addicted now. I love logging my food, water, and workouts. I like the sleep part also but can’t get that to always work. I am freaking amazed at how many steps I take in one day plus it makes me walk more than I normally would just by sitting on my wrist. It is the extra thing that pushes me onward. Thank you Phyllis and Allen!

I did get many other amazing gift – these two are just the ones that are helping me health-wise. Oh and the sound recording of my friend Barb’s yoga guru who is both meditative and thrilling. My mom got me a colorful bag and a lovely scarf that I wear a lot and my friend Verda sent me Flair pens to start off my school year right.

I’m blessed ten times over and am personally thrilled every time I have a new birthday. As my stepfather says “it’s better than the alternative.”

What a great week, kid-style.

My son sent me this photo last night. He is fishing in Gunnison, Colorado with his grandparents. They always catch and release so no fish was harmed in the taking of this photo. He was thrilled though because this is one of the biggest trout he’s ever caught. His smile says it all.

On the other end of the spectrum Groovy Girl tried a little modeling at a Dillard’s promotion and was picked for her style and her photograph. One of her photos will be blown up and used for in-store promotion in the children’s section and her photo will be sent to corporate offices for another chance to win. She was thrilled to be chosen and almost as thrilled that her prize bank was filled with candy and little trinkets like Hello Kitty tattoos.

Recent Reads-Amazing!

I’m a pre-reader for our state award committee and our list is always long. I only read enough to get me by and I generally pick ones that I think are worth it because I just don’t have time to read each and every one of them This year the first three that I picked up made me so happy as a reader and a librarian.

Doll Bones (2013) by Holly Black: Creepy middle grade book done so well by the amazing Holly Black. I loved that this one will appeal to boys and girls alike even though the word “doll” appears on the cover. Poppy, Zachary, and Alice are close friends that have been playing “the game” for a long time and even though Zach feels a bit embarrassed he loves to play. The three of them have a collection of odd ball dolls, action figures, and animal figurines and they build a story around their adventures. It sounds amazing and creative to me. Zach’s dad unfortunately sees the toys a little differently and chucks the bag carrying his son’s “toys” away. Zach is crushed but instead of wanting to admit that to Alice and Poppy he pretends he isn’t interested in playing anymore. One of Poppy’s dolls has a bit of history and the three of them are compelled to go on a journey to save her. I will have a very easy time selling this book to students this year.

The Mark of the Dragonfly (2014) by Jaleigh Johnson: What an incredible world Jaleigh created in “The World of Solace.” Piper is an incredible character trying to make do as a scrapper in a scrap town on her own. She ventures out of her routine when she finds Anna in a wagon after a meteor shower rains down on their village. Her instinct is to protect her and she does even though she ends up far from home on a train bound for the capital. I really enjoyed Anna’s and Piper’s journey and thought the addition of Gee, Trimble, and Jeyne added to the incredible story of escape and what it means to be a misfit in an already strange land. Is there another one coming out? I hope to hear more about The World of Solace.

Winterling (2012) by Sarah Prineas: Fer has always had trouble fitting in and doesn’t really understand what happened to her parents or why her grandmother keeps her under such a close watch. When she meets a boy by the pond trying to protect himself from a couple of wolves she saves him and takes him back to her Gran-Jane to be healed. As the young Rook meets Grand-Jane mysteries spill out that Fer doesn’t understand and eventually her grandmother is forced to share her heritage with her granddaughter. Fer’s mother was The Lady of the Land on the other side of the Way and Grand-Jane’s son fell in love with her and left. Now both are dead and the land on the other side needs Fer’s help to be rid of the Mor who has a grip on the land and the people. I love strong female characters and Fer is that. She stands up for what she believes in and is more interested in having fun than grabbing power. I liked this one so much I’m reading the 2nd in the series, Summerkin.

One not on the list but recommended by Tina Says: The Secret Hum of a Daisy (2014) by Tracy Holczer. This one is realistic fiction which was a nice change of pace after all those magical lands swept me away. Grace and her mother have spent all of their year together moving from one small town to the next in search of something they never truly find. When Grace’s mother dies unexpectedly Grace must go live with the grandmother that pushed her mother out of the house years ago. Grace has to work hard to reconcile her feelings for her mother and what happened between mother and daughter before she was alive. This novel explores so many excellent themes of parenting, grief, family, and home that it should be a read-aloud in many 5th-7th grade classrooms. I will promote it as such and will recommend it for next year’s list of could-be award winners.

If you are looking for a great read any one of these will do!

Summer Salsa Season

{source}

My mom brought me enough tomatoes to fill an entire kitchen counter. My young nephew Jasper picked most of them for her and his count I think was 72 plump and vibrant red toms. Last night I started the process of turning them into salsa. They were so gorgeous though it was hard to not want to save them for mozzarella, basil salads or avocado, lettuce sandwiches; I compromised and saved 6.
The rest I plopped into boiling water then plunged into an ice bath before slipping the skins from the meat.

I used this great article from AllRecipes.com to remind me how to skin the tomatoes.

It was late last night and so the rest of the process will happen today. Most of last week I had back-to-school classes that I had to attend because I’d switched districts. This week I have school everyday with meetings the first 3 days and students on Thursday. I have MUCH to do but today I will spend most of it making the salsa that I love because the tomatoes don’t wait. And the fruit flies start to circulate.

Read more about my salsa-making adventures right here with cute photos of a younger short-haired Groovy Girl + the recipe! Have a healthy week!

This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads weekly foodie meme, Weekend Cooking, and you should click there for many more interesting food related posts. Cheers.