Just Like The Number

King Arthur Flour Lemon Squares

I had a few lemons hanging around my produce drawer for the last couple of weeks.  For some reason, Eli was quite taken with them.  Like a cat hearing a can of tuna being opened, every time I opened the fridge he came running.  He'd make a beeline for the produce drawer and pull out the lemons.  Only to him, they're not lemons, they're "lemonades." He would then commence lemonade playtime: rolling the lemons, "cooking" the lemons, trying to smash the lemons in the potato ricer.  The lemons were hanging on for dear life, and it was high time I put them out of their misery.

I pulled out my brand-spankin' new cookbook The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.  It's a hefty book: 500 pages of cookie recipes along with tips, hints and troubleshooting advice for nearly every cookie imaginable.  I won the cookbook through a contest on one of my favorite food blogs, Serious Eats.  One of their recurring features is a series called "Cook the Book," where they choose a popular cookbook and cook several recipes from the book.  I love how it gives you a peek into a cookbook along with real experiences of using the cookbook.  Raise your hand if you've ever purchased a cookbook and then realized the recipes were impossible to execute or terribly impractical.  You too?  Anyhow, whenever they feature a cookbook, they also giveaway a few copies of the book.  Lucky me, I was the winner-winner-chicken-dinner.  

There's an entire chapter dedicated to Bars & Squares.  I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of bars and squares.  Sometimes I want to make something cookie-like, but I lack the motivation to go the extra mile and actually, like, roll out the dough or drop it onto a cookie sheet.  Sometimes the option to throw the dough into a bar pan is the only thing that prevents me from just whipping up a batch of dough and eating it raw.  So let's pause and give thanks for Bars & Squares.

By now I imagine you'd like me to just shut up already and tell you what I made with the pitiful lemons.  Behold the Lemon Squares:

Please make these.  They were wonderful, like biting into sunshine in the middle of winter, and came together in less than 45 minutes.  And that's 45 minutes with a toddler helping me, which means you could probably whip them out all by yourself in no time flat.  My helper is a disaster in the kitchen, but he sure is cute.

I hate to be a snob about these kind of things, but this is a recipe where you'll only want to use actual lemons.  The lemons are the star here, so bottled lemon juice just won't do the trick.  Don't worry about using the prettiest or freshest lemons - my old, abused lemons were more than fine.  The recipe also calls for lemon zest, for which there is no substitute as far as I'm concerned.  If you don't have one of these handy Microplane zesters, please go get one now.  They're cheap and fabulous and everyone will think you're the next Iron Chef when you whip one out.  I've had mine for five years now, and just the other day I came across Pioneer Woman's tip to run the Microplane upside down over whatever you're grating or zesting.  That's life-changing advice right there.

Lemon Squares 

Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion

Makes 16 squares

These can be served immediately after cooling.  Any leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.  If you can summon enough willpower, these taste even better the next day.  And probably even better the day after that, but I wouldn't know.  They were long gone by then.

Crust

    1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

    1/4 cup (1 ounce) confectioners' sugar

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Topping

    4 large eggs

    1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar

    1 1/4 cups (4 ounces) lemon juice

    1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached, all-purpose flour

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    2 tablespoons grated lemon rind (zest)

    Confectioners' sugar

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Lightly grease a 9 x 9-inch, 11 x 7-inch, or similar-sized pan (I used an 8 x 8-inch pan and it worked just fine)
• To assemble the crust:  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Using a pastry blender, your fingers (or a toddler's fingers), or a mixer, cut in the butter, mixing to form coarse crumbs.  Press the crumbs into the prepared pan.  Bake the crust for 20 minutes, or until it's light brown.
• To make the topping:  In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon juice until smooth.  Stir in the flour, salt, and lemon zest.
• Pour the topping over the hot crust, return the pan to the oven, and continue baking for about 25 minutes, or until the top of the squares appears set.  Remove from oven and cool in the pan.  Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before cutting and serving.

I Prefer Chimpanzees Over Horny Toads

Normally I'm a big fan of seeing my kids relate something we've read in a book to everyday life.  

I wasn't prepared for Eli to pull this gem out of the book What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?  The book goes through the varied noses, ears, tails, eyes, mouths and feet of different animals, with brief explanations of how each animal uses that body part.  

For example, the book asks: "What do you do with a tail like this?" A lovely picture of a giraffe follows, explaining that if you're a giraffe you use your tail to "brush off pesky flies."

So there we are the other day, having a nice snack of pretzels, when Eli remembers his personal favorite.

"What do you do with feet like these?  If you're a chimpanzee, you feed yourself with your feet."

I guess it could have been worse.  He could have taken a shining to the horny toad.  You know, the one that squirts blood out of its eyes.  For reals.

I'll take a pretzel between the toes over that any day.

Brazo de Gitano

I posted this picture of the birthday cake my  mother made for me the other day on 3(six)5, and as a result, several people asked me for the recipe.  My mother is from southern Spain, and it's always a treat when she whips out her Spanish recipes.  This cake is called Brazo de Gitano, which translates into "arm of a gypsy."  Let's just call it by its prettier name from here on out, shall we?  Otherwise it makes me think of something your mob boss uncle would bring for your birthday.  It's fairly easy to make, even easier if you go my mother's route and use a box of lemon pudding (the kind you cook, not instant) in place of making the filling from scratch.  I've included the instructions for making the filling as well, in case you like to make things more difficult for yourself as I do.  Either way, you'll be happy with the end result!

If you're at all interested in cooking more Spanish food, I highly recommend the cookbook The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas.  It's filled with very traditional recipes and gives you lots of background on the foods and wines of the vastly different regions of Spain.  

Brazo de Gitano (Custard-Filled Cake Roll)

CAKE:

6 eggs, separated

6 tablespoons  sugar

pinch of cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

6 tablespoons sifted flour

Powdered sugar and cinnamon, or cocoa,  for dusting (my mother dusted hers with cocoa)

FILLING: (If you opt to use a boxed pudding mix instead, you'll still want to fold in the whipped cream before filling the cake.  It just helps to lighten the filling a bit.)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 1/2 cups milk

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons lemon zest

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup of whipped cream

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 10 x 15 rimmed cookie sheet (also known as a jelly roll pan) with parchment paper, then grease parchment with cooking spray.

To make the cake, beat egg whites with an electric or stand mixer until foamy.  Add the cream of tartar and sugar and beat until whites form soft peaks.  In a separate small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks with a fork.  Fold egg yolks and  lemon zest into egg white mixture.  Lightly fold in flour.  Pour batter into prepared pan, distributing evenly.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cake is done, but only lightly golden on the bottom.  If you over-bake the cake, it will be difficult to roll.

While the cake is baking, slightly dampen a kitchen towel.  When cake is done, invert the cake onto the cloth while still warm.  Peel off the parchment paper and roll the cake in the cloth.  Cool and leave wrapped until ready to fill.

While the cake is cooling, make the filling.  Place sugar and cornstarch in a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan.  Whisk to combine.  Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth.  Add egg yolks, lemon zest and salt.  Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat, until thickened and pudding coats the back of a spoon.  Remove pan from heat and stir in lemon juice and butter.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  Just before spreading filling onto the cake, fold in the whipped cream.

When the filling is ready, unroll the cake, leaving it on the cloth.  Spread with filling.  Re-roll, using the cloth to aid in rolling.  Transfer to a serving dish.  Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon, or cocoa.  Serves 8.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Our Six Best Elementary Read-Alouds

With all these "Best of 2009" posts flying around, I realized that I never followed up on my promise to share the best books we read with our reader this year.  So without further adieu, here are the six (sorry, I couldn't resist the tie-in) best elementary level books we read aloud this year.

In no particular order:

1. The Harry Potter series.  This series has been a part of Mike and Elena's read-aloud time for over a year now.  They're currently on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  There's nothing I can add to attest to the magic of Harry Potter on young (and old!) readers other than thank you, J.K. Rowling!
2. Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.  I've yet to read a book by Ms. DiCamillo that I didn't love, but this is my favorite.  I have a soft spot for stories set in the South.  Elena has a soft spot for stories with animals.  Ms. DiCamillo creates realistic characters with human flaws, dealing with difficult situations, that manage to be perfectly age-appropriate.
3. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.  Don't be put off by the size of this book (It's like the War and Peace of the juvenile fiction section).  This already evocative story is filled with page after page of breath-taking pencil sketches.  Elena and I couldn't wait to pick up the book every evening because we had no clue how the story would end.  And then it did and we were sad, because it was that good.
4. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall.  This is the first of a two book series.  I was drawn to the book by its cover (I'm a sucker for silhouettes), but the story stands all on its own.  The summer adventures of "four sisters, two rabbits and a very interesting boy" are thoroughly entertaining.  It's a relatively new book, but it has the look and feel of an old classic.  The audio books in this series are equally fabulous, and perfect for long car trips or days when a mom needs a little quiet time from a certain non-napping child.
5. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.  How did I miss this book as a child?  A classic that hasn't lost one ounce of charm.  Elena was enthralled with the idea of running away and living in a museum - the adventure! the trickery! the freedom!  I was enthralled with the charming, vintage sketches.  It's one of those books whose illustrations you hope are never updated.
6. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.  We are in the middle of the second book of this series.  Another example of a book with a great cover whose story doesn't disappoint.  It feels a bit like "Lost" for the elementary set.  You know it's a good story when you're bummed that it isn't your turn to read, because you just need to know what happens next.

Now it's your turn!  What were your favorite books you read aloud this year (any book, any reading level)?  In the meantime, snuggle up and read!

Why We Still Read to Our Reader

We're big fans of books around here.  I'm an avid reader, and it's not unusual for me to be in the middle of 2 or 3 books at the same time.  Mike was never big reader, but in the last few years he's gradually changed his habits.  If it weren't for him, I may have never delved into the awesomeness that is the Twilight series.

I find that most new parents know how important it is to read to their kids.  The message is being sent pretty clearly: read to your children early and often.  Reading stories is a ubiquitous part of the bedtime routine for most parents of toddlers and preschoolers I know.

Something interesting happens once our kids move from listeners to readers, though: the once cherished read-alouds tend to give way to silent reading time.  I mentioned in an earlier post that one of the books that really changed my perspective on the importance of reading aloud to all ages is The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.  He provides great information on why it's important to read to all ages of children, along with book suggestions for each age and stage.  His reasons for continuing to read to older children are quite compelling, though.  In his own words,

"Children can hear and understand stories that are more complicated and more interesting than anything they could read on their own."

We've found this to be true with Elena.  When she was just beginning to read on her own, we were able to supplement that reading with chapter books such as Charlotte's Web and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  She could never tackle those books on her own, but she loved hearing them.

By reading books that are written for a higher grade level than your child's reading level, "you're feeding those higher vocabulary words through the ear; eventually they'll reach the brain and register in the child-reader's eyes."

We use our read-aloud times to highlight words that Elena might not be familiar with.  It's a great opportunity to find out what words they know, what words they think they know(!), and to explain the meaning of words they don't know.  We keep a dictionary in Elena's room and have her look up the words she doesn't know the meaning of - a great skill to have in and of itself.

"When you get to the "heavy stuff" in books, it usually brings to the surface of the child some of his or her own "heavy stuff" - their deepest hopes and fears.  And when that happens . . . children will tell you their secrets."

I respect all the educational implications reading to your children offers, but this is the most important reason to me.  As Elena gets older, I find it increasingly difficult to get those snuggly, one-one-moments with her.  For one, she's just busier and more independent.  At the same time, though, she's approaching that tween age, where conversations and attempts to cuddle are sometimes met with stubbornness.  It's comforting to know that, no matter how busy or difficult our day, we can look forward to 20 or 30 minutes in the evening when it's just us, snuggled in her bed.  She's willing to open up at those times in ways we could never accomplish in the course of the day.

I highly recommend Jim's book.  Along the same lines, I also recommend What to Read When by Pam Allyn.  It has much of the same wonderful information as Jim's book, along with an excellent section on the best books to read according to 50 different themes.   If you're just starting out with a baby or toddler and are bewildered by all the different choices in the bookstore or library, Reading with Babies, Toddlers and Twos  by Susan Straub and KJ Dell-Antonia is a great resource.

I'll finish this series up in the next week with some of our favorite books we've read to Elena in the last year.  I'll just say this:  we've been wowed more than once!

10 Books That Fundamentally Changed My Perspective

In an effort to procrastinate from doing something more productive, but ultimately less fun, I found myself rearranging the books on my living room shelves.  I read somewhere that it's visually pleasing to arrange your books by color, so that's what I did.  For the record, no one has noticed the change, not even my very own husband.  So if you're looking for something to do in your home that will WOW you?  That's probably not it.

On the up side, though, I was rewarded with a very enjoyable hour or so of sitting on my living room floor and leafing through some of my most beloved books.  I'm not a keeper of things in general, nor a book-buyer, so if a book is purchased and continues to live on my bookshelf?  It's a really good one. 

So many of these books were responsible for some really big light bulb moments in my life, so I thought I would share them with you.

10 Books That Fundamentally Changed the Way I . . .

Feel About Motherhood:  Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott.  Before reading this book I had all these conflicting feelings about how I thought I was supposed to feel about motherhood and how I actually felt.  Anne's essays on her first year of being a mother were honest, raw and freaking hilarious.  I laughed, I cried, I pumped my fist in the air.  I love everything by her, but this book will always be special to me.

Managed my Kid's Illnesses:   Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child.  Written about in further detail here.

Handled Birth Control and Geting Pregnant:  Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler.  After years of being on the pill, I turned to this book for a more natural method.  I know more than I ever thought I could know about my cycle and certain, um, fluids.  I'll have you know that both of my pregnancies were planned and conceived using the methods I learned here.  No surprise babies here.

Handle Money:  Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey.  The more recent Total Money Makeover is also excellent.  Live like no one else so one day you can live like no one else.

Educate My Children:  You Are Your Child's First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin Dancy.  I first read this when Elena was just a baby.  It opened my eyes to a different way of interacting with your child.  The author is a strong advocate of Waldorf  education, but her philosophies on education eventually led me to Montessori.  For that I am very thankful.

Thought About How My Kids Play:  Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv.  This book can be bit dry at times, but it's drastically changed the priority I put on getting my kids outside.  The light bulbs went off a lot while reading this one.

Read To and Choose Books For My Kids:  The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.  This book warrants an entirely separate post in the near future.  We've always been big on reading aloud to our kids, but this book helped me to see why it's so important - not just for little ones, but for big kids, too.  Great suggestions of books for different age groups, as well as tips for how to make the most out of your reading sessions.

Eat:  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  I dare you to read this book and not want to start your own garden.  And raise chickens.  Mike is thanking his lucky stars I've only made it as far as the garden.

Discipline My Kids:  How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.  I re-read this one over and over.  What can I say, I'm a slow learner and my kids misbehave A LOT.

Cook:  The Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated.  This book was my gateway drug into the world of America's Test Kitchen.  I've never made anything from their vast collection of recipes that wasn't awesome.  Each recipe is preceded by an essay which explains the process involved in coming up with the best recipe.  It satisfies the nerd and chowhound in me like nothing else can.  When I grow up I want to be a cook in the Test Kitchen.

What about you?  Is there a book that opened up your mind to a new way of thinking?  I'd love to hear about it in the comment section. 

Unwritten Travels Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Heather from Inexpensively !  She's the winner, winner, chicken dinner!  I love this nugget from her entry of how she would spend a day to herself:

". . . eating lunch and dinner without hearing someone whine about what they don't like or eating cold food because I was too busy filling kid plates first would be absolute bliss."

Amen on the whining part.  Thanks for all your comments!  I hope each of you gets a little time to yourself to do some of those very things you love.  I know you deserve it!

Unwritten Travels Book Review and Giveaway

Comments to this post are now closed. Congratulations to the winner of the giveaway, Heather S.! 

A few months ago I received an e-mail from a friend in Nashville that mentioned the book Unwritten Travels by Jenny Black and Jenny Watson.  

Do you need help navigating your way through your own story?

Are you in an unwritten season?

Did you expect to be HERE at this time in your life?

Are you second guessing yourself?

I read those words written by the authors and I said, "Yes, yes, yes and YES!"  In a very uncharacteristic move for me, I contacted the authors and asked them if they would be willing to provide me with a copy of the book to review here.  I fully expected them to say thanks, but no thanks.  I was happy to learn that they felt the same way I did - that this book had the potential to resonate with my very own readers.

The authors are close friends who spent 3 years working together on this book in hopes that they could create an interactive journal that would  "remind women why they need to take care of themselves, what they are created for, and how they can become bold life learners in the midst of transition."

There are lots of books out there to help nudge you along toward finding your true purpose or passions.  I've never seen one like this, though.  It's more like a whimsically illustrated journal.  And while there are definitely passages for you to read and reflect upon, the bulk of the book is recording your thoughts and reflections.  It's a guide, for sure, but you are in charge every step of the way.

It's one of the reasons it took me so long to review the book.  Some of the pages were easy to fill out, such as listing some of your favorite things or putting to paper what you would do with a day to yourself.  Others, though, required a lot of introspection.  I'd find that I would have to put the journal down and really turn the thoughts over in my head for a few days before coming back and putting my feelings on paper.

The book is divided into six chapters that are designed to guide you through your journey:  The Honeymoon, Sightseeing, Soul-Searching, Your Travel Guide, A Walk Down Memory Lane, and Coming Home.  Each chapter has a series of questions and exercises to lead you toward learning and discovering different aspects of yourself. 

There were many sections in the book where I felt as if the authors were speaking directly to me, as if they knew what I was struggling with in this season of my life.  For example, in the first chapter, as they encouraged you to think of your heart's desires, I read these words:

We move through our days aware of ourselves only in relation to others. We can lose an appreciation for our uniqueness, and we may even be ashamed of our needs and desires.

At times I feel pulled in so many directions. Pulled to be a good wife, a good mother, to look good, to have a home that is organized and beautiful.  Working through this book helped me to take a good look at where I fit in that puzzle.  I became more aware of what's important in my life and what isn't, more accepting of what is realistic during this season of motherhood and what isn't.  In short, it changed my perspective of the good mother and good wife putting herself after everyone else.  I love how it encouraged me to let go of that notion, not by blaming everyone and everything around me, but by taking full responsibility to discover who I am and what I need to feel fulfilled.

I truly enjoyed reading and working through this book.  It felt good to either cart the book to my favorite coffee shop or curl up in my reading chair at home and allow myself to sit and reflect on me.  If you're interested in taking a little journey yourself, check out Un.writ.ten Tra.vel(s). You can learn more about the book and the authors, as well as purchase the book online.  Happy travels!

The authors of the book have graciously offered to give away a copy of the book to one of my readers!  To be entered in the giveaway simply comment on this post by answering the following question:  If you had a whole day to yourself, what is one thing you would do?

To earn a second entry, subscribe to Just Like The Number and leave an additional comment telling me that you are a new subscriber.

Lastly, to earn a third entry, Twitter about this giveaway and let me know about it!

This giveaway ends Wednesday, November 4 at midnight EST.  Good luck and I hope you win!

The Love Dare: Kindness

Have you heard of this book, The Love Dare?  A friend of mine at playgroup was passing it around, and I was intrigued.  It's essentially a devotional book for couples, written as a 40-day challenge to love your spouse unconditionally.

In May Mike and I will be married 12 years.  We dated for another 3 years before that.  I know that in the grand scheme of things that isn't a long time ( my parents will be married 50 years in October!), but it's long enough in marriage years for things to get a bit rusty at times.  Add kids, working together under the same roof, and unpredictable income to the mix and you have the potential for some fireworks in your marriage.  Not the good kind of fireworks, no . . . the kind that blow up in your face.

We've been at this long enough to know that if you don't expressly work on loving each other and communicating well, it doesn't take long for those 4th of July fireworks to turn into the kind that earn you a trip to the emergency room.  So I bought the book, showed it to Mike, and we're giving it a go.

I won't bore you with details on every day's dare, but if something really stands out to me I plan on sharing it here.  Maybe it will inspire someone else to do something kind for someone they love as well.

Today's dare was about kindness.  The challenge today was to do something unexpectedly kind for your spouse.  We had our van in the shop today, and the plan was for Mike to go pick it up and then pick up Elena from school.  Eli was down for his nap.  You know how much I crave my alone time, and I had a million ideas for how I was going to spend that hour while Eli was napping and I had the house to myself.  Just as Mike was getting ready to leave, we heard Eli crying upstairs.  An hour and 15 minutes would be a sufficient nap today, he'd decided.  Mike left, I got Eli up, and I tried not to think about the long afternoon I had ahead of me.  A few minutes later Mike calls.

"Get Eli changed and ready.  I'm going to swing by and pick him up on my way to get Elena."

Sweeter words were never spoken.

My whole attitude about the afternoon has changed, all because my husband did something kind and thoughtful.  It cost nothing, but meant everything - mostly because it says to me that he's paying attention.  He knows how I need my quiet time, and he respects me enough to make sure I get it.

And now I'm going to use that time to think of something extra kind for him.

Move Over Harry Potter, Here's Something Furrier

 

It was a beautiful day here on Friday, so I shooed the kids outside.  If it gets above 40 degrees in Indiana in March you best get your heiny outside and enjoy it.  Chances are in another day or two you'll be freezing that very same heiny off. 

It also happened to be the day that Grandpa Paul came to visit.  We hadn't seen him since Eli's birthday in  August, so naturally we celebrated Christmas.  And Christmas for Elena came in the form of the next two books in the Warriors series that she's fanatical about.  So she obediently went outside, but there was no frolicking in the warm air.  It's a good thing we have this swing set available to prop her up.

She's getting to the age and the reading level now where I can't possible pre-read everything she gets her hands on anymore.  I try to rely on suggestions from school and peers to keep her challenged, but not in over her head as far as the maturity of the topics in the books.  This Warrior stuff threw me for a loop, though.

First of all, I'd never heard of it.  It doesn't help that it's about cats (not a big fan) and it's in the fantasy genre (also, not a big fan).  But she came home from school talking incessantly about Shadow Clan and Rain Paw and hairballs and such, and so I thought I would nice and take her to the library so she could get her own copy of the book.  I'm having no luck finding it anywhere in the children's section, so I ask the librarian.  Yes, she knows of the series, but no, it's not in the children's section . . . it's in young adult! I had visions of Elena checking out Warriors along with Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. 

But we went with it, and she loves them, and as far as I can tell they're just fine.  I count my blessings that I have to worry about what she's reading instead of if she's reading. 

I do hope the obsession with cats passes sooner rather than later.  All this meowing and walking around on all fours is a bit tiresome.  I think I preferred it when she was in her pioneer phase, parading around the neighborhood in her long dress and bonnet.  There was that one awkward moment when the neighbor thought we were fundamentalists, but other than that it was just fine.