Ken Albala: Beans: A History
nonfiction
Linda Cockburn: Living the Good Life: How One Family Changed Their World from Their Own Backyard
5/12/08; nonfiction
Holly Black: The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set): The Field Guide; The Seeing Stone; Lucinda's Secret; The Ironwood Tree; The Wrath of Mulgrath
5/5/08-5/7/08; fiction
Jhumpa Lahiri: Unaccustomed Earth
5/5/08; fiction
Michael Pollan: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
4/23/08; nonfiction
Charles de Lint: The Onion Girl (Newford)
4/7/08; fiction
Emile Zola: The Belly of Paris
fiction; 4/4/06
Leonie Swann: Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story
fiction; 3/4/08
Richard Louv: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
nonfiction; 3/2/08
John Marks: Fangland
2/19/08; fiction
Shauna James Ahern: Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back...And How You Can Too
2/15/08; nonfiction
Victoria Hislop: The Island
2/5/08; fiction
Banana Yoshimoto: Hardboiled and Hard Luck
1/28/08; fiction
Charles Dickens: Bleak House
1/24/08; fiction
KnitLit the Third: We Spin More Yarns
1/19/08; nonfiction
Both cast iron corn stick pans were found at local thrift shops on different days. The darker one was found today. My mom had one of these that she used when I was growing up. I remember loving to eat the hot crispy corn sticks slathered with melting butter. Now to season them and make some corn sticks for my kiddos! Yum!
I love knitting hats as my children can attest to! Over the weekend I read on a nearby knitting friend's blog about the 300 hats project. Please go over and check it out! The short and sweet is that Kristy is going to Ukraine in September to work in some orphanages and wants to take some hats for the children there. I'm in! Are you?
Lukas just went down for his nap...did you hear me sigh? Yes, he is quite a handful these days. He'll be 2 in July so these are the days of his ability to be everywhere in the house and into everything in the blink of an eye. He hasn't figured out how to get out of his crib yet though. ;) This morning we were at the grocery store and he decided it would be fun to scream over and over again while I tried to shop. Great. I tried to ignore him at first but that didn't last long (ouch, my ears). So next I tried the stern approach which yielded giggles and more shrieking. There was another toddler somewhere in the store answering him back too which further egged him on. So in my state of toddler-overload, I hastily made my way to the one thing I was certain would convince him to stop: a baguette. Yes, the long slender loaf was the perfect thing to quiet my boy. He contently munched on bread for the remainder of our shopping trip. Ahhh...
My Mother's Day lunch was delicious! I was taken to Victory and enjoyed every minute (seriously). If there is one place to take children around here this it it! This is the first weekend that the restaurant was open after their renovation. I have missed it! Their beer is sooooo wonderful on tap and the food is always fantastic. We are lucky enough to live nearby but for those of you in PA that are not close I would say that it is worth the trip!
...reading...Lydia and I have individually been reading through The Spiderwick Chronicles.
We already owned volume one, and she has been vigilantly stalking the school library for the remainder of the series. Monday afternoon her first (triumphant) words to me when she got off the bus were about how she got to the library early that day and found the next two volumes. She had even finished one at school and brought it home for me to read next. Awhh. Interesting series. I know children love books in a series, but I think they could have easily made it one book. Hmm... but then they wouldn't have made as much money selling them, would they have?
...knitting...I am knitting some secret projects right now. Shhh....
...listening...to the screams of my boys chasing each other over and over again. Lukas loves this game and sings his version of "nanny nanny boo boo" while fleeing from his big brother! I have relished the quickness of naptime after this game. ;)
...eating...Anelletti Pasta with Sausage and Greens. Yum yum yum. The little pasta rings are from Trader Joe's and oh so fun to eat. I read somewhere that there is a cookbook using Trader Joe's products (L.L., are you reading this?!) and lo and behold it's being processed for my library. Can't wait to get my hands on that one! I'm posting the recipe here too in case it ever disappears from the other site. Go over and look at their delicious photo though!
Anelletti Pasta with Sausage and Greens
(recipe from here)
1 pound anelletti pasta from Trader Joe's
Olive oil
1/4 pound Italian or spicy sausage, crumbled
4 cloves garlic, minced
Four big handfuls of seasonal greens like baby spinach or arugula
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook the pasta in salted water. It should cook for just 12-13 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In the same big pot you cooked the pasta in, heat a little olive oil and add the crumbled sausage and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the sausage is cooked through.
Add the greens and cook until barely wilted, then add the pasta and cheese and stir until all is combined and gooey - about two minutes. Serve with extra cheese.
Also eating some wonderful homemade whole wheat bread. The recipe is from my new favorite bread cookbook that I originally checked out of the library. I loved it so much that I had to buy it. What a treasure. 
My first batch this past week was recipe #1 which I made with all whole wheat flour. Dh finished off the second loaf this morning by making french toast. I have the next two loaves rising in their loaf pans as I write (oatmeal bread this time with white whole wheat-can't wait to try it!).
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Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends out there! I am looking forward to a fun meal out at one of my favorite restaurants tomorrow!
Thank you again for all the kind comments on the last post!
Yesterday was rainy and dark and the perfect day to stay inside and make FOOD. I made banana- oatmeal bread, Boston baked beans (from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything cookbook-I love this cookbook!), and Quick Whole Wheat Molasses Bread (also a Bittman recipe featured on his NY Times blog). What a delicious day it turned out to be! The Molasses bread was a HUGE hit with the kiddos and went perfectly with the beans. I used mild molasses and King Arthur's white whole wheat which gave my loaf a lighter color than the one in the photo on Bittman's blog. Next time I want to try regular whole wheat flour. This recipe is a keeper and so easy to throw together. I can see it gracing our table for many years to come.
I recently read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. What an interesting and thought-provoking book! It was a quick enjoyable read and yet Pollan made me seriously contemplate my own food paradigm. I love his main message: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. I want to cross stitch or embroider that and hang it up in my kitchen. Much to think about still.
Taking a bloggy break to enjoy SPRING with the kiddos! Back next week...
What's up with the knitting bloggers ring? It's totally changed. I thought I had been booted (maybe I have though) cause it doesn't go smoothly to the next site but takes you back to the main ring page. huh? anyone, anyone? Bueller?
update:Okay, I totally get it now. I actually like it better since the blog browsing buttons are up top and you don't have to go searching for them on each person's site. I will have to start browsing the ring more frequently now. :)
