Books and Bakes

This past week I attended a library board meeting, helped Emily with her school work, attended Cook-book Club, and finished round one of my Cookiepalooza. As two of those things involve food, I think it would be safe to call myself a foodie as well as a literary person.

For Cook-book Club Emily prepared Oreo Truffles. Since she didn't decide what she was making until late the night before, she had to use vanilla flavored melting discs instead of chocolate because I just wasn't going to the store at that hour, and I had some leftover red discs.

I made Bacon Ranch Chicken Penne which turned out beautifully. I even made my own Alfredo sauce. If you want to try it for yourself, this is what you'll need.

Bacon Chicken Ranch Penne  🥓🐔🥘

6 slices of bacon
2 cups cooked chicken
Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 pound penne
2 cups fresh mozzarella grated

Alfredo Sauce

2 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2- 8 ounce containers whipped cream cheese
1 TBS minced garlic
2 cups grated Parmesan
Fresh cracked black pepper

In a large stock pot prepare sauce by adding broth, cream, garlic, and cream cheese and cook over medium heat whisking until smooth. When smooth, reduce heat to low/medium and add Parmesan. Whisk and allow to cook about five minutes. Remove from heat and add pepper to taste. Set sauce aside.

Next, cook bacon and set aside. In a large bowl, add penne, chicken which has been shredded, 4 cups of sauce, and ranch dressing. Let mixture set at least 15 to 20 minutes. The noodles will have absorbed most of the sauce, so before you put the mixture in a 9 x 13 pan, add an additional 2 cups of sauce. Reserve the rest of the sauce which can be used when reheating leftover casserole. Top dish crumbled bacon and mozzarella and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

I can't believe after all that effort I forgot to take a picture of my casserole, but there you have it. I did however, take several of the finished cookie tray that will be accompanying my husband, Bobby, to work.

But lest you think all I did attend meetings, home-school, and bake, never fear. I managed to read two picture books this week as well. There was Dear Girl which is an encouragement of love from a mother to her daughter letting her know it's acceptable to be herself whether that means being pink and sparkly or splattered with mud. It was also an encouragement for girls to appreciate who they are and what makes them unique something I try to teach my daughter.

And there was Douglas You're a Genius. Douglas  the Dog and his faithful companion Nancy loose a ball through a hole in the fence. When the ball rolls back to their side, they wonder just who sent it back. To find out, they try all kinds of crazy ideas thought of by Nancy, Unfortunately, none of Nancy's ideas work. Finally Douglas convinces Nancy to give his idea a try and they ultimately find out who's on the other side. Full of fun and surprises, this book is sure to please almost as much as that casserole I made!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

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Creating

I have always loved to create both crafty and food items. So this week, it will come as no surprise that I was in a creative mood. I finished up a basket I've been working on for a gift exchange. I then filled it with kitchen items which I hope my Cook Book Club recipient will enjoy.

I've also continued with my cookie baking project. My goal is to bake one or two types of cookies every few days. I freeze them as I go and when Christmas is close, I'll take them all out and decorate those that need decorated. But sometimes as happens when a person is creating, an epic fail occurs. My epic fail was in the form of Coconut Macaroons. I attempted to make them and followed the directions religiously, but alas what I ended up with was a clumpy coconut pancake instead of a crispy cookie.

How Macaroons Should Look

How My Macaroons Looked

Oh well. There are so many other cookies I'm great at creating, so the "Cookiepalooza" will continue.

This weeks my book choices were also about creating. My first read, How to Knit a Monster, from 2014, led me on a merry adventure with Ms. Gretta Goat who loved to knit.

After Mean Mrs. Sheep criticizes Gretta's knitting skills her knitting begins to take on a life of it's own in the form of a wolf that eats Mrs. Sheep, a tiger that eats the wolf, and finally a monster that eats the tiger. But Gretta is a smart goat and knits her way right out of the predicament her knitting created. But be sure to pay careful attention to the last illustration which indicates he predicament might not be over.

The second book, How To Build A Hug, filled me with wonder as it was one of my favorite types of picture book, a biographical picture book. And this book was about Dr. Temple Grandin.

As a child growing up with autism in an era where little was known about the subject, Temple Grandin did her best to cope. With the support and encouragement of her family, Temple drew, painted, created, and read about inventors and their inventions. And all of that creating helped her to invent a contraption that helped her feel what a hug was like when the real thing overwhelmed her senses. This book would make a great classroom read helping classmates to understand what autistic peers might be going through.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Participation

I love a good writing contest and Susanna Leonard Hill hosts some of the best. And being that it is now December, her 8th Annual Holiday Contest is up and running. So if  you enjoy a good Christmas story, especially a brief one, check out my story titled Violet's Christmas Cookies.

The rules are simple:

Write a children’s holiday story (children here defined as age 12 and under) about A Holiday Hero! Your hero’s act of heroism can be on a grand scale or a small one – from saving Christmas to leaving a fresh-baked loaf of Challah bread for a homeless person to something like Gift Of The Magi where two people give up the thing most important to them to be sure someone they love has a good holiday.  Your hero can be obvious or unlikely.  Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 250 words  (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful  , you are welcome and encouraged to write shorter, but no more than 250!  Title not included in word count.) The field is wide open!  Have fun!  The more creative the better!  No illustration notes please. 

So without further ado, my entry.

Violet’s Christmas Cookies

Aileen Stewart

Word Count 239

Every year, Fred baked Christmas cookies for his eighty year old neighbor, Violet. And every year, he handled cookie cutters like a pro. He iced and sprinkled like a ninja. And he only nibbled a little.

So when Thanksgiving ended, Fred said, “Hey mom, I’m ready to bake.”

“Great. Go ahead,” she replied.

Like a good chef, Fred gathered the ingredients, measuring tools, and decorating supplies. Next he found his favorite recipes. And finally, he decided which type of cookie he’d make first.

“Chocolate Sugar Cookies,” he announced to his cat, Tom, who lay sprawled out in front of the refrigerator.

Next he turned on the oven to pre-heat. After a few minutes, he realized the oven wasn’t warm. “Mom,” he shouted.

Fred’s mother came running. “What’s the matter?”

Fred’s voice wobbled. “The oven is broken. Call the repair man.”

“No problem,” she said.

Unfortunately, the repairman was booked solid.

“Then we’ll have to buy a new oven,” Fred said.

Fred’s mom frowned. “I’m sorry honey; we can’t afford a new oven.”

Fred frowned too and wondered what to do. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without cookies for Violet. His mother watched as he paced the floor.

On his fifth trip across the kitchen, an idea popped into his head. “I have some no bake cookie recipes,” he told his mom. “And all I’ll need is a microwave.”

“That’s my boy,” she told him before high fiving his raised hand!

Cold Enough For A Yeti

This past week in Ohio it snowed. It pored freezing rain. And it got really cold. This of course meant lovely fires in the fireplace all weekend.

I also started baking Christmas cookies at least the ones that freeze well. I managed to bake sugar cookies in the shape of trees and chocolate sugar cookies in the shape of snow flakes both of which I will decorate later.

All this cold made Henry And The Yeti a perfect book to snag from my reading pile. Henry believe in Yetis. Henry wants to find a Yeti. So, Henry sets out on a journey to meet a Yeti. Henry has an incredible adventure but the proof of meeting a friendly Yeti was accidentally left behind. Will Henry be mocked for the rest of his life, or will he be able to prove Yetis really exist?

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018

Hey everyone. It's good to be back after a couple weeks off. December was wonderful, but tiring. Emily made a three -d star for art class and finished a short story for entry in the Association of Christian Schools International.

I made way more cookies than any one person should make.

We invited Bobby's family over for a Christmas celebration at our home, and I managed to get a stunning picture of the only grand niece amidst a passel of six grand nephews, the three youngest shown below.

We celebrated at my brother's house with my side of the family where Emily only has three first cousins.

We celebrated, just the three of us, at our house where Emily sported the french braids her cousin styled for her. She also performed a concert for us for Christmas, and I'm not sure, but I think the cat tried to knock her out! Guess he was jealous that she received all the gifts.

We visited Bobby's mother, who missed our celebration because she'd been in the hospital.

And, we had lots and lots of fires which kept us warm while we admired our backyard visitors.

The month of December also brought me an invitation from an author previously unknown to me. He asked if I would read and review his book and took care to learn a little bit about me before asking. This consideration is probably what made the difference between a yes and a no from me, and I'm really glad because his story was fantastic. His name is Edward Dron and his book, The Pillow Parade,is a story of a rabbit who wishes to help children go to sleep. The sheep don't think a rabbit is worthy or capable of helping children slumber, but he doesn't let the nay saying of others keep him from trying. Don's story is quite original and well told. The adorable illustrations also add a layer of depth to the story and the combination is sure to keep children's attention from wandering. The pillow parade is definitely a book worth checking out!

As you can see, we wrapped the year up quite nicely and are now ready to tackle whatever 2018 has to offer. We started off by ringing in the New Year quietly. Well, Bobby and I were quite, but I can't say that Emily and her New Year friend were as there was a lot of giggling going on. Emily spent some time doodling in her sketch books, and we celebrated Bobby's birthday on Sunday. Not a bad way to say hello to a brand new year. I can't wait to see what else 2018 has in store, whatever it is, I'm sure it won't be boring. Wishing you all a very not boring New Year too!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter  @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Christmas, Cookies, and an Assortment of Bear Books!

I love December and all that it entails. I love celebrating the birth of my Lord and Savior. I love watching A Charlie Brown Christmas for the upteenth time. I love wrapping presents. I love that my family gets to spend two entire weeks together with no school or work. And I love to bake cookies. Lots and Lots of cookies. 

There were my old standbys like Swedish Butter Cookies, Raspberry Cookies, and Date Nut Pinwheels also known as Railroad cookies because railroaders would take them in their lunch pails. In addition, this year I tried several new recipes. I made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cinnamon Bun Cookies, Iced Oatmeal Cookies, and Italian Ricotta Cookies. Not everything turned out quite how I expected, but it was still a fun experience. The ricotta cookies were iced with sprinkles and looked gorgeous when they dried, however, when I placed them in airtight containers, the moisture in the cookie made the glaze turn gooey like day old donuts. This of course made me fearful to glaze the oatmeal and cinnamon cookies, but thankfully they tasted divine without glaze. I do have to say though, that the chocolate cookies were the absolute best ever.

 

I had quite an assortment of cookies and so I thought I would share an assortment of bear books this week. I'm not sure why, but I do love bears. I have various bear figurines and stuffed bears, some from as far back as my childhood (I know, that is scary old) and some of my favorite childhood books are about bears. So below is my list of  really great bear books both old and new. Enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, the sequels, Return To Fern Valley,  and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.