salt, ice, elbow grease
mix, roll, squish-science freezes
creamy treats go fast
treats by angie quantrell
photos by angie quantrell
Category Archives: Food
Make It Monday: Rustic (very) Apricot Galette
This lovely treat was an experiment from the get-go, but worth every creative independent choice I made in the process.
First, the recipe said 6-8 apricots. I stopped at Barrett Orchards (Washington Fruit Place) to purchase apricots. A HUGE bag, with possibly 20 apricots. And cherries. 2 pounds, Rainier and a different red cherry. I can’t remember the name. The recipe does not call for cherries, but I’ve been craving them.
Then. The recipe says refrigerator pie crust. Nope. First. It’s not whole wheat. So I searched for a simple whole wheat pie crust recipe. Quite simple, but did not make very much. Or roll too thin.
Mixed the cream cheese mixture to put on the crust and realized this is more like an apricot cheesecake, but with less filling. I also reduced the sugar. Added it to the too small crust. So beautiful!
And then apricots. It only took 3 to cover the top. I still have way too many for 2 people to eat before they are overripe.
Brush the crust with egg white. What crust??? There was barely enough to fold over. Ok. There wasn’t even enough to fold over. But I did my best to brush the crust edges. Sprinkled a little raw sugar on it like the recipe said. Barely any.
So now I have a lovely rustic apricot galette! We can’t wait to have it after lunch. Or for lunch.
I’m sorry, but I don’t know which magazine I tore this recipe out of…usually the pages have the name at the bottom. Thanks to Trinity Fruit Company for sharing this recipe!
Next time, I will search for a different crust recipe. And try to make a larger, more rectangular galette, due to the size of our cookie sheet and RV oven. One doesn’t bake big items in an RV. And use more apricots.
Bon appétit!
Book Report: How Long Is Forever? by Kelly Carey, Illustrated by Qing Zhuang
How Long Is Forever?
Written by Kelly Carey
Illustrated by Qing Zhuang
Charlesbridge, 2020
Who loves blueberries, farms, kitties, and grandparents? I do! Thank you, Kathy Temean, for hosting Kelly Carey and Qing Zhuang. Thank you, Kelly Carey, and Qing Zhuang, for sending me a copy of this lovely picture book! I was thrilled to read it and I can recommend How Long Is Forever? to young readers (and their grandparents) everywhere. Happy reading!
And while you’re at it, let’s have blueberry pie.
News from Charlesbridge
Waiting for pie takes a long time, but not forever.
Mason is waiting for Nana’s blueberry pie and complains that it’s taking forever. So Grandpa challenges him to figure out how long forever really is. Is it as long as Grandpa has had his tractor? No. As long as it took Nana to grow the roses to the top of the chimney? Not even close. After a trip around the farm to figure out the answer, Nana’s pie is ready.
What I LOVE About This Book:
~ Nana! I am a Nana, so I love that the grandmother is named Nana
~ Blueberry pie!
~ The kitty included on almost every spread (I love kitties)
~ The concept of forever and how it is explored through the eyes of a young child
~ The lovely story
~ Wonderful, colorful illustrations
~ Farm and farm house!
Amazon Blurb:
Mason is waiting for Nana’s blueberry pie and complains that it’s taking forever. So Grandpa challenges him to figure out how long forever really is. Is it as long as Grandpa has had his tractor? No. As long as it took Nana to grow the roses to the top of the chimney? Not even close. After a trip around the farm to figure out the answer, Nana’s pie is ready. And Mason’s finally got the answer: forever is how long he’ll love Nana’s pie and how long he’ll love Nana and Grandpa, too.
Book Report: Grandpa Grumps by Katrina Moore #BookBirthday #BeeAReader
Grandpa Grumps
Written by Katrina Moore
Illustrated by Xindi Yan
little bee books, April 7, 2020
Happy Book Birthday to Grandpa Grumps by Katrina Moore!
I enjoyed this book from the get-go. From front to back, Grandpa Grumps is full of adorable details, tells a perfect story, and bursts with fun colorful illustrations. My grands ask for this one over and over. They are drawn to the story! (I don’t think it’s because they have their own Grandpa Grumps. LOL) Thank you, little bee books, for sending a review copy. #BeeAReader
What I Love About This Book:
~ The adorableness. It’s a thing. Honest.
~ The story about a young girl meeting her grandfather from China for the first time
~ The learning and sharing that goes on between the generations
~ The way the relationships grows between Grandpa Grumps and Daisy
~ A recipe!
~ Perfect illustrations that complement and enhance the story (much adorableness)
~ The story is sweet, but Daisy does face a problem when Grumps doesn’t react the way she imagined. I love how she finally solves the problem.
~ A shining example of creativity and partnership between the author and illustrator
~ Anyone who has relatives from a different country could prepare the way for visits by reading Grandpa Grumps.
Amazon Blurb:
Daisy’s Yeh-Yeh is visiting from China, and try as she might, Daisy can’t get her grumpy grandpa to smile!
Daisy’s Yeh-Yeh is visiting for the first time from China, and Daisy is so excited to meet him! She has big plans for all the fun they’ll have together, like tea parties and snow angels, but when Yeh-Yeh arrives, Daisy finds him less jolly than she imagined. Throughout the week, she tries all sorts of things to get him past his grumpiness. Will she be able to make him smile before he goes home?
Kids will love this funny and heartwarming story about overcoming cultural differences and connecting across generations!
You can find Grandpa Grumps here.
Haiku Moment: pizza party
Homemade whole wheat pizza dough!
ten hands, knead and pound;
recipe for tasty treat,
Grand pizza party
pizza party by Angie Quantrell
The mandatory “silly face” photo
Autumn, who loves pepperoni but not bread
Gage has just taken a big bite
Donavyn knows how to smile, take a bite, AND pose at the same time
Khloe also loves to ham it up for the camera (she is also super patient, as she had to wait for the second baking of pizza with Nana)
Hayden who loves projects like this and wanted to make it again for dinner (and that boy can eat!)
Book Report: Be a Superhero in the Kitchen by Donna Glass #BookBirthday
Be a Superhero in the Kitchen
Written by Donna Glass
Illustrated by Alejandro Chamberlain
Mascot Books, March 2020
Friends, if you are stuck at home with young children (and most of us are right now, due to COVID-19), I have a great idea for you. It’s time to enlist your superheros and teach them to cook!
Why not? Plenty of time, cooking reinforces OH SO MANY skills (math, reading, science, nutrition, fine motor, life skills), and your enlistees will be SUPER happy to help you make a meal!
Thank you, Mascot Books , for sending a review copy of Be a Superhero in the Kitchen by Donna Glass. I didn’t know I was getting a very cool COOKBOOK!
Let’s dig in!
Why I LOVED this Book:
~ Super colorful and engaging
~ Each page spread is an entire recipe, filled with simple directions, ingredient lists, and illustrations; Cautions are listed along the way
~ 20 different recipes are included for entrees and side dishes, desserts and breads, and even a beverage
~ Superhero Cooking Tips are listed right at the beginning of the book! Yay!
~ The superhero theme is wonderful. I love how it is continued throughout the entire book. Kids will LOVE being a SUPERHERO chef!
~ This book is perfect for teaching young readers and chefs how to TAB a favorite recipe with a sticky note. The age old method of quickly finding your place…
~ Well written, fun, interesting, and very useful
~ With so many families caring for and homeschooling their children and grandchildren right now, this “activity” book is perfect. Plus, you get help making dinner.
~ Scroll down to the bottom of this post and follow the link to order your own copy.
Let’s get cooking!
Amazon Blurb:
Every caregiver knows the trials of feeding a picky eater. Some nights are truly a battle. Nerves are frayed, and a pleasant, relaxing dinner can quickly be filled with tears, tantrums, and some nights, a battle of wills. Well, my goal with this book is to tip the scales in our favor. One surefire way I’ve discovered to get my picky eaters to eat is to let them help make the meal. After all, food tastes better when you’ve had a hand in fixing it. Let your child try their hand with the recipes in this book. A child who becomes the superhero of dinnertime is one who eats super well.
To purchase a copy of Be a Superhero in the Kitchen, click this link:
It’s Not Just Rubber Stamping
We LOVE getting together to play with our toys. Some call it making messes, but we call it fun. And you can’t create and make rubber stamped cards without the creative process, and that means messes are made. Also mistakes, but we use mistakes as opportunities to be even more creative with our oops.
It’s not just rubber stamping.
It’s crafting
chatting
applying (or ignoring) theories of art composition
using our imaginations
sipping tea (or coffee or a special dessert drink)
solving world problems
singing the oldies, sometimes badly and off-tune (me, always with the wrong lyrics)
sharing life
telling stories
listening to music
keeping cats off the table
playing games
getting older
sharing resources
enjoying fine literature (or just literature on a CD)
making goals
going for walks
building from each other’s ideas
paving the way to send snail mail messages to friends and family
making gifts to share
eating too much
recycling (saving rubber stamps from the landfills and reusing paper and craft items down to the tiniest scraps)
storing memories (and collectively attempting to recall long ago events)
visiting friends
and building love.
Completed card totals for this trip: 76
Friends involved in this weekend: 7
Haiku Moment: coffee with friends
steaming black, sip, chat
sable dunked, savored, enjoyed;
coffee with good friends
coffee with friends by Angie Quantrell
Book Report: Just Bunny and the Great Fire Rescue by Jeanne LaSala Taylor #BookBirthday
Just Bunny and the Great Fire Rescue
Written by Jeanne LaSala Taylor
Illustrated by Ana Sebastian
Mascot Books; February 4, 2020
Every child has that one special lovey, you know, the one where tragedy will strike if it goes missing. No sleep, no rest, no snuggles-but plenty of tears and agony (for both child and parents).
Just Bunny and the Great Fire Rescue is the story of such a lovey, Just Bunny, who is accidentally left behind when Francesca, her sister, and her mother hurriedly leave a restaurant due to a kitchen fire. Disaster strikes once Francesca realizes she does not have Just Bunny. After racing back to the scene of the fire, a firefighter is quick to recognize the loss and is able to save Just Bunny from certain doom.
In honor of the Fire Department of New York, and a certain Captain Anthony Matteo who rescued Just Bunny, a portion of the proceeds from sale of this book will be donated to the NYFF Burn Center Foundation. Jeanne LaSala Taylor wrote this book based on a true story.
Thank you, Mascot Books, for sending a review copy of Just Bunny and the Great Fire Rescue.
What I Love About This Book:
~ Just Bunny! I love that most every child has a favorite stuffed lovely. Just Bunny is perfect.
~ Francesca and her mom and sister are out playing at the park and decide to eat dinner out, enjoying a normal day.
~ This book honors firefighters who rescue others from disaster and put their lives in danger to help.
~ Fun, colorful illustrations
~ Big city New York life is on show in this picture book
~ Based on a real story
~ A portion of the proceeds will go to help burn victims
~ Fun rhyming tells the story
Amazon Blurb:
Just Bunny is Francesca’s right-hand stuffy who has been with her through thick and thin since day one.
Nothing can tear these two apart except, maybe, a fire! Thankfully, one of New York’s Bravest is on the scene to prove that selfless acts of kindness happen every day.
Book Report: The Adventures of Princess Pudding Pie by Saureen Naik Desai
The Adventures of Princess Pudding Pie
Written by Saureen Naik Desai
Illustrated by Marco Mazzarello
Mascot Books, February 2020
Doesn’t the name Princess Pudding Pie make you want to read about her adventures? I know it grabbed my attention. Thanks to Mascot Books for sending a review copy.
The Adventures of Princess Pudding Pie, written by Saureen Naik Desai, is the story of Princess Pudding Pie, a young girl who loves to travel, taste delicacies, and enjoy the different places she visits. With passport in hand, Princess Pudding Pie heads out to explore a variety of international locations.
What I Liked About This Book:
~ Princess Pudding Pie (I love that name)
~ Princess Pudding Pie has a pie (complete with pan, which frames her face) for her head. It’s not weird, but pretty cute.
~ Princess Pudding Pie tells how to say hello in the language of each place she visits (I was wishing for pronunciation on a few of them, but still loads of fun)
~ I love how Princess Pudding Pie wears a themed outfit for each country
~ Each spread for every country shows a famous landmark for that country
~ Told in rhyme, this book shares about delicious treats from international countries, but readers are encouraged to eat healthy foods first and then sample sweet desserts
Young readers will enjoy traveling with Princess Pudding Pie. I think it would be fun to choose a favorite treat and make that for the family. Yummy! Or, let’s dream big, travel to a favorite international location and taste the treats there!
Amazon Blurb:
Princess Pudding Pie is a smart, sassy, free spirited globetrotter! She loves visiting new countries and learning all about different cultures, traditions, and delicious delicacies. Princess Pudding Pie is excited to take you on an adventure around the world tasting new and interesting desserts, all while visiting symbolic landmarks, collecting neat souvenirs, and learning about traditional dress. She ll even teach you how to say hello in each country s native tongue. Join Princess Pudding Pie as she shows us how much beauty and elegance our world has to offer.
