Library List

Welcome to the second edition of our Library List, where I share the books the kids and I have checked out of the library this week! I must clarify why I am posting this one so soon: we actually go to the library on Friday, so right after I posted our first library list, we returned those books for several more. On Friday, I'll post our next batch of books and will be all caught up to start a weekly post.

On our bookshelves this week:

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Famous, famous illustrator and author. We checked this book out for an imaginary break from the sweltering heat we've been experiencing! It really did work! The girls really responded to this one, especially when Peter drug the stick in the snow and then banged the stick against the tree. They really identified with that! They are also obsessed with making footprints and were fascinated with the idea that you could make footprints in snow (instead of with wet feet, the way we do). Too bad we don't get much snow here in the South!

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus. Cute little story about a boy who believes his carrot will sprout even when his family tells him it won't! This book opened the door for a nice discussion about patience and perseverance.

Curious George Flies a Kite by Margaret and H.A. Rey. What will that little monkey do next? My girls love Curious George! Not my favorite George story, but the girls love kites, and they really enjoyed it. I had to read it three times in a row.

Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger. This was really over Doodlebug's head, but she liked the beautiful illustrations. Pretty story. Gorgeous pictures.

Dinosaur Roar! by Paul Strickland. A favorite by far! I must have read this six times in a row and had to calm cries of protest when I suggested we move onto something else--especially from Doodlebug!  Simple text and nice pictures present dinosaur opposites with rhyming words.

The ABC Bunny by Wanda and Howard Gag. This has to be one of the nicest alphabet books I've read, and we've read several.

The Sun, the Wind, and the Rain by Lisa Westberg Peters. I just happened across this title and thought it would be good to introduce the idea that the earth is millions of years old and how the mountains were formed. We haven't made it to this one yet, but still have several days to read it.

 Color Zoo by Lois Elhert. My girls picked this one out all by themselves and we've read it twenty times if we've read it once. I find it odd that it's called Color Zoo when what it is actually presenting is shapes, but it is very colorful so there is ample opportunity for me to talk about colors, too, and shapes is what I'm working with Doodlebug on anyway, as she is getting good with colors now.

AND......

Elmer by David McKee. It seems that I underestimated this title! When we went to the library, Darling simply would not part with it, so here it is again this week.

Slow-Cooker Love

I am totally in love with my slow-cooker. Have I said that before? Head-over-heals in love. It is now a permanent fixture on my counter top, no longer banished next to the fondue pot under the cabinet. I have seen the light!

This weekend I made Creamy, No-Stir Risotto in the crockpot, and now, I am (of all things!) making home-made yogurt in it. I am so excited about it, I am smiling as I write this post! I plan on posting the recipe for the risotto, but I am still tweaking it. My idea is to use prepared butternut squash soup (the Cambell's in the green box) to make a no-fuss, dump-it-and-leave-it butternut squash risotto, and my results were promising (and quite delicious). It's just that the proportions were a little off, so I want to refine it before sharing. However, I will post the link to the original recipe that inspired me:
No-Stir Crockpot Risotto

The yogurt was a surprise. I've been wanting to make home-made yogurt for years, ever since I saw my aunt do it. Only fear and the price of a yogurt maker kept me from doing it. So I get the bright idea to Google "How to make home-made yogurt", thinking surely there is a way to do it safely without a lot of trouble or fancy equipment, and what should pop up in the results but how to make yogurt in the crockpot! The blog, A Year of Slow Cooking, is one that I actually became familiar with way back before it was very big. Wow, has it grown! I highly suggest that you check it out, if you haven't already.

Of Webs and Things

Darling came to me the other day and informed me she was going to make "an elephant web" in order to "catch elephant food." She found some of my pink embroidery floss and asked me for some tape. I told her no tape on the walls, so she made the web inside her play tent. I don't know why I find this so darn creative, but I do!

Library List

Hello, and welcome to the first edition of our library lists! I've been taking the kids to the library and hope to make it a weekly habit. My kids love to read. Well, they can't read yet, but they love for me to read aloud, and they love to look at pictures books by themselves and "pretend" to read. In fact, they know some of the stories so well, that it seems like they are reading because they can recite all the words, verbatim, from memory. Many nights, when it's time to turn out the light, Darling will plead, "Can I please read books by myself?" I've been trying to read to Doodlebug especially, as she still isn't talking very much (which is why there aren't as many stories about things she says....she doesn't say much).  I am thrilled to see her taking such an interest in reading, too.

I have lots and lots of children's books that are supposed to build the foundations of literacy, but I've been looking for books to build other subjects, too, like science, social studies, math, and geography. Here is a list of books that we have been reading this week.

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni. When we finished the first reading of this book, Darling said, "That was good!" Very simple story about an inch worm who measures things. I have this idea to cut an inch of string and let the girls go around and measure things. Good to introduce the idea of measurement.

How to Bake and Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman. This was great to introduce the idea of geography, but also science (the recipe!) and social studies (different cultures). I think it will be fun to make an apple pie after reading this story and talk about where the ingredients come from. Even more fun: eating the apple pie!

Elmer by David McKee. I checked this book out simply because my kids are fascinated with elephants. Cute story about being different and being comfortable with yourself. My kids liked it, but I'm glad I just checked it out of the library.

Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel. Author is more well-known for his Frog and Toad stories (which my kids also love), but I checked this out, again, because the main characters are elephants, and my children love elephants. These stories definitely have the same flavor as Frog and Toad. Easy to read, short, and a little odd.

Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne. You might think that the pictures have a familiar quality about them, and that's because the illustrator, H. A. Rey, is famous for the Curious George series. This is a cute story about Katy Kangaroo, who doesn't have a pocket to carry her baby! We talked about the points outlined in Before Five in a Row. Great for science! It was a nice way to introduce how different animals carry their babies.

Is This a Home for Hermit Crab? by Megan MacDonald. My girls wanted to read this over and over and over. Good for toddler science! They loved it when I would read the little noises that Hermit Crab made on the sand. They loved the repeating phrases. We must have read this ten times in a row and it's always the first read before bed now. I think I'll take them to a pet store to look at Hermit Crabs. We'll be re-checking this one!

Life and a Recipe: Someone's in the Kitchen with Mama

After a year of letting the Darling "help" in the kitchen-- hold stuff, pour stuff, stir stuff, etc...I decided to let her actually help cook dinner one day this week. She now has enough awareness of the danger of fire and sharp objects that she is actually competent to really be my sous chef! Hurray!

I let her help me make one of our favorite entrees, what we affectionately call "Melissa's Chicken". During season 4 of "Next Food Network Star" mom and I rooted for Melissa D'Arabian, who eventually won. In a test pilot, she talked about her simple "4-Step-Chicken" and it looked so easy and tasty that we just had to make it. It was delicious! We've been making it every one or two weeks ever since. Although Melissa's pilot was on The Food Network website for a while, now that she has her official show and Next Food Network Star has moved on to season 5, I can't find the recipe anywhere on the Food Network website, even when I search for it. I'll share it here, with just a few of my modifications. "Melissa's Chicken" meets my dinner criteria: it is easy to double and freezes well! I'll often make up several batches at once.

It was Darling's job to pound the chicken. Putting the chicken between two sheets of wax paper before pounding makes for easier cleanup.

Dredging the chicken in flour

Yum!

"Melissa's Chicken" with Apples

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally and pounded with the flat side of a tenderizer (optional, I just do this for faster cooking time)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 small red onion, sliced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup unfiltered apple juice

3 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

salt and pepper to taste

flour for dredging (I start with about 1/3 cup), seasoned with salt and pepper. I put it in a plastic baggy and shake it up.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge chicken in flour on both sides. When oil is very hot, add chicken. Cook chicken several minutes on each side, until golden brown on the outside and done in the middle. Take chicken out of the pan and set aside on a plate. 

Add onion to your pan and cook until tender and translucent. Be sure to scrape up all those lovely brown bits of chicken!  Next, add the apples to the pan. Cook until tender, and then add the juice and broth. When it starts to get bubbly, add the chicken, reduce heat to low, and cover. Let the broth reduce by at least half. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy!

(I usually make this with 3 sliced red onions only, and 1 cup lemon juice instead of apple juice, with or without 1/2 cup white wine. It's always delicious and is so versatile! You can add whatever vegetables and liquids you want. I'm planning on trying it with apricots, too!)

Life: Pumpkin Pulls UP

I had told him that I didn't want him to do it. I begged. I pleaded. Eight months is just too soon. But, defiant and totally heedless of my wishes (he gets that from his father), there he was when I opened the door:

And he looked very smug about it, indeed.

With a lump in my throat that my last baby is growing up much too quickly, I hurried over to his bed.....and pushed him back down.

(not really!)

Stitch School Blog

I have been playing around with making play food out of felt. So far, I have made a loaf of French bread and an eggplant with moderate success. However, I had no pattern, no poly-fill, and no idea what I was doing, so I think I did pretty well for the first time. Plus, I made them for about 60 cents instead of $5-$8. Hurray for being mildly crafty!

But, I came across this fabulous blog and I had to share: The Stitch School. I looked up how to do a Blanket Stitch for my next play food project. I have a feeling I'll be visiting often!