7QT Lent is Halfway Over!

1. Everyone hits bumps in the road, and oftentimes married couples hit financial bumps.  

Today, I'd like to tell you about Fred and Kelly.  They are a nice, young, Catholic couple with six children.  Fred is an electrician who is currently unemployed, so Kelly went back to work part-time.  Fred, in addition to managing the homeschool, has also written over 70 children's  poems.

Let me repeat that part.  Fred is a part-time poet and has self-published an eBook of over 70 whimsical children's poems THAT HE WROTE.

I just love the idea that this dad, who is an electrician, writes children's poetry.  HOW COOL IS THAT?

Witty and wacky, and silly and sweet, there's something for everyone is the huge collection of verses.  The illustrations are simple and bright and as the mother of a dyslexic, I just love all of the white space on the pages.    This can be YOURS on Kindle or iPad or Nook or even iPhone for the low, low price of $2.99!  

So, please check out his website at cloudhopperpub.kairosenterprisesllc.com  and if you like what you see, consider supporting his art and his family. The website is pretty neat.  Kids can contact the poet and ask questions TO the characters in the book, for no extra charge!  It's a win-win situation!  Go!  Click!  Buy!  

2.  Here's a preview of a somewhat irreverent verse from One Size Fits All.  Here is The Problem with Having a Worm for a Friend:

Lest you get all huffy and puffy, the humor in One Size Fits All is not all biological.  But let's be honest, biological humor is pretty darn funny at times.

3.  Remember Wednesday when instead of a list of book reviews, I posted all kinds of double-duty dinner ideas?  Well I said I'd try this and share it with you.  The italicized comments are my own.  No, Shamrock Shakes are not a vital part of the creation of this meal.

Southwestern Pot Roast (adapted from Cook's Country Feb/Mar 2005 which was the charter issue.  Yes, I own them all.)
Serves 6

Corn tortillas are used to thicken the gravy for this pot roast. Vary the heat by adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper. Serve with rice or egg noodles. In most markets, you will have to order a large 5 1/2- to 6-pound chuck roast. Alternatively, use two 3-pound roasts (which are common in most markets). Or use 2 nearly 4 lb. roasts because that's what's available at Costco and no one will say, "Ummm, it's just a little too meaty."

• 1 boneless beef chuck roast (5 1/2 - 6 pounds), tied  (I needed mine to cook more quickly, so I didn't tie it.  It was done after 4 hours in the slow cooker instead of 6.)

• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil

• 2 medium onion, chopped

• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

• 4 medium jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced

• 8 medium cloves garlic, minced

• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

• 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 3 tablespoons chili powder

• 2 tablespoons ground cumin

• 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (except we're out, or I couldn't find it.  No loss.)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 6 corn tortillas (6-inch)

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS1. Season roast liberally with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown roast thoroughly on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer browned roast to slow-cooker insert. If you didn't tie it, brown each roast separately. More sides = more time on this step.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to empty skillet, along with onions, bell pepper, chiles, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer vegetables to slow-cooker insert.

3. Increase heat to high. Add tomatoes and 2 cups broth to empty skillet, scraping up any brown bits with wooden spoon. Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and oregano and bring to boil. Transfer to slow-cooker insert.

4. Tear tortillas into small pieces and combine in medium microwave-safe bowl with remaining 3/4 cup broth. Heat on high power until softened, about 2 minutes. Puree in food processor until smooth. Transfer to slow-cooker insert.  I did this step about and hour and a half later, because I had to pick up my kids from school, and then we had to pick up shamrock shakes, and then I had to get corn tortillas. You know, life. I left everything else in the slow cooker on high, covered while I ran around like a crazy person.

5. Set slow cooker to high, cover, and cook until tender, 6 to 7 hours. (Alternatively, cook on low for 9 to 10 hours.) Transfer roast to carving board; loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Allow liquid in pot to settle about 5 minutes, then use wide spoon to skim fat off surface. Puree liquid and solids in batches in blender or food processor. (Alternatively, use immersion blender and process until smooth.) Stir in cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.  By the time I got to this point, I realized I hadn't made any sides and forgot all about cilantro, salt, and pepper.  So you might want to put a pot of water on to boil about 40 minutes before the end and boil some pasta, or rice, or egg noodles.  

6. Remove strings from roast and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer meat to warmed serving platter. Pour about 1 cup gravy over meat. Serve, passing more gravy separately. Don't forget to save 4.5 cups of gravy and 4 cups of meat for Part Deux.

 4. And here is the extra recipe you make with the leftovers.  It's Friday, so we won't be having this until tomorrow.

Beef Tortilla Casserole (also adapted from Cook's Country Feb/Mar 2005)
serves 8
1 1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 1/2 c leftover gravy from Southwestern Pot Roast
2 (14 1/2 oz cans) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
4 c meat from Southwestern Pot Roast, torn into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 c lime juice from 2 limes (Note to self: buy bag of limes and 12 pk Corona.)
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and Pepper
18 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 c sour cream
1/2 c chopped scallions

1.  Adjust oven racks to upper and lower positions and heat oven to 300 degrees.  Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Mix cheeses together and set aside.

2.  Bring gravy to boil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in pinto beans and meat and warm through.  Remove pan from heat, add lime juice, and cilantro, and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

3.  Place tortillas on tow baking sheet (some overlapping is fine) and spray both sides or tortillas lightly with cooking spray.  Bake until tortillas are very soft and pliable, about 5 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

4.  Spread one-third of beef mixture in greased baking dish.  Layer 6 tortillas on top, overlapping as needed.  Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.  Repeat to form second layer.

5.  Cut remaining 6 tortillas into quarters.  Spread remaining beef mixture in baking dish and cover with tortilla pieces.  Cover with remaining 1 cup cheese. 

6.  Bake on bottom oven rack until cheese is golden brown and casserole is bubbling, about 15 minutes.  Let rest 5 minutes.  Cut casserole into individual portions and transfer to plates. Dollop a heaping tablesppon sour cream in center of each portion and sprinkle with scallions.  Serve immediately.

5.  If I had a vote in the Conclave, I'd vote for this guy...

6.

Today is a good day!  The tiny crepe place in town does take-out and I conned invited a good friend to pick some up and bring it to my house, because Jill cannot be contained in small spaces.  Not much of a Lenten sacrifice to give up meat when you're having Crepes Lox aux Capres for lunch.  Anyone else who wants to bring us take-out in exhange for at least 90 minutes of frequently interrupted adult conversation is welcome to sign-up in the comments.

7. 

Today's Quick Takes have been brought to you by Disney's Lady and the Tramp on DVD, the letter F, the number 7, and Jen at Conversion Diary.

Last Year's Advent Post Recycled

Last year, I wrote a lengthy post about our Christmas books, secular and religious.

Rather than re-write that bad boy, I'm just going to link to it, again and again, and add a little post-script.

That's Not My Donkey by Fiona Watts never went in the tub or to the basement.  It stayed in action the whole year through.  Ask Baby J, "What does the donkey say?"  and she will reply, "Who-Hee."  It's a work in progress, but she looooves that book.

Also, I wrote about this book in my poetry post here, but I cannot say enough about Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers.  If you add one book to your winter library, this is the one to get.

In other news, my dear friends at the public library are probably muttering my name under the breath with other words that are not very nice because I went requested nearly every book that the other Jessica, at Shower of Roses has in her sidebar and in her St. Nicholas post that I didn't already own.  All or nothing.  The War Game book looks very promising.  I have to go clean off the holds shelf now or they may revoke my card.

It's What We're Reading Wednesday

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech took me completely by surprise.  I haven't read any of her other books, but if they are anything like this one, I will.  Love That Dog is short,  but oh, so powerful.

It's the story of Jack who is studying poetry, and has to write poems.  The poems he writes actually tell the story.  (You knew that if it was told in free verse I would love it, didn't you Sharon?)  Unlike myself, Jack doesn't love poetry, at first.  His teacher, Miss Stretchberry, sees real talent in Jack and frequently posts Jack's poems on the school bulletin board for all to see, with Jack's permission, of course, and only anonymously.

With poetry, Jack cautiously reveals his love for his dog and the tragic story of his dog's passing.

The best part of the book is when Jack's class is introduced to the poetry of Mr. Walter Dean Myers.  I am only familiar with his novels, not his poems,  an error I will soon correct.  Jack is so moved by Mr. Walter Dean Myers' poetic work, that he writes a poem for him and sends it to Mr. Walter Dean Myer's publisher, asking Mr. Walter Dean Myers to visit the class.  Mr. Walter Dean Myers is never referred to as Myers or Mr. Myers, so Mr. Walter Dean Myers he will forever be in my mind.

I would love to hear this beautiful and brief story, done really well in audio, perhaps narrated by Mr. Walter Dean Myers. 

My sister, Mary, the one we're all praying for, recommended Uglies by Scott Westerfeld to me.  She actually recommended it to me years ago, but something about the description on the back of the book frightened me.  Well, I'd do anything for her now, so I read it.

It's much, much less frightening than Hunger Games or even Matched.

The setting is about 300 years in the future.  Everything recycles instantly.  Humans use no consumable energy sources, just solar power and magnets.  They ride hoverboards, which I'm guessing are like Luke Skywalker's landspeeder but shrunk down to skateboard size.  Buried metal throughout the cities, under hoverpaths, and in river beds provide the magnetic power for the hoverboards.

Everyone has an operation when they turn sixteen to make them pretty.  Well, not just pretty, but  biologically desirable.  Big eyes to project neediness will cause feelings of protection.  Fat removal, height adjustments, chin and cheek implants, fuller lips, longer necks, indestructible ceramic teeth, disease resistance, and more create desirability, confidence and more. 

Children are known as "littlies,"  tweens from ages 12 to 16 are "uglies," and once the operation has been done, age 16 to maybe 30 are the "pretties."  Pretties get to live in New Pretty Town and party all the time.  There are even "Pleasure Parks" where the reader will pass a few tangles of arms and legs, but that's as graphic as it gets.  After 30 or so, there is another operation for Middle Pretties, and a third one later in life for Late Pretties.

But what happens if an Ugly doesn't want the operation?

Tally Youngblood has waited her whole life for the operation, planning and re-planning her features.  Tally loses her best friend to New Pretty Town a few months before her own birthday, and befriends another Ugly named Shay.  To Tally's horror, she learns that some Uglies never get the operation.  They have banded together outside city limits and created a settlement called the Smoke, where they eat animals, wear animal skins, and even cut down trees.

When Shay runs away to join the Smoke, Tally is taken into Special Circumstances.  There, some surgically modified cop-like humans known as "Specials" give Tally an ultimatum.  If she wants the Pretty operation, she will have to find Shay and betray the Smoke community.

The first book in this four-part series was a real nail-biter.  Literally.  I have no nails left.  I read it in the car on the way home from St. Louis this weekend, even though reading in the car makes me nauseous and gives me a headache.  It was too good to put down.

It's also a great commentary on the issue of physical beauty.  Who determines what is beautiful and what is not?   Can a person be so surgically altered that he ceases to be himself?  Very intriguing stuff. 

And...according to the interweb...it's being made into a movie.   Dare I get excited? 

Random Roundup: Pop-ups and Poems

My eight year old son is home from school today: low grade fever, tummy ache. He feels too bad to go to school, but not too bad to eat like a horse and play in the backyard and talk incessantly. He had to show me all of his favorite pop-ups in this amazing book, Star Wars: A Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy. I've gifted this book many times, but only to children who are old enough to respect the pop-up genre. You know, "Flip. Look. But don't mess with it." This is probably the coolest book we own. Edmund's favorite page is the one where Luke battles Darth, and their lightsabers LIGHT UP! I like the one where Leia takes her hood off. Poetry in motion.

Speaking of poetry, our resident seventh grader has to memorize a poem for her drama club. I did not have to go to the library for this, because once upon a time, I read a really good article about poetry for children and bought every book on the recommended reading list. Turns out, I would only recommend three of their choices. Lucy loves her fancy, illustrated by Tasha Tudor, copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. (But has she actually read any of it? I suspect not.) My favorite is Robert Frost's Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening illustrated by Susan Jeffers. I keep it with our other Christmas books. It will appear during Advent, linger through the winter, and disappear around spring. Keeps it fresh and new every year.

But we found her poem in Poetry Speaks to Children, complete with audio recordings. Did you ever wonder what it's like to hear Langston Hughes recite one of his own poems? Or Roald Dahl? Or Robert Frost? Maybe it's just the English major in me, but I get worked up every time I hear the scratchy old recording of James Berry reciting his "Okay, Brown Girl, Okay." And it gets even better, because before he reads the poem, he talks about the letter he got from a girl who was teased about her skin color. It can be very moving. And good to listen to in the car. But please, don't try to listen to the whole book in one sitting. That will kill anybody's love of poetry.


Which poem did she choose? "About the Teeth of Sharks" by John Ciardi.