Cooking Party Recap

After school on Tuesday we had two of T's fifth-grade classmates and his speech therapist over for a cooking party. Credit for the idea goes to Mrs. N, T's brilliant speech therapist. She has been working with him on getting ready for middle school, and part of being ready is being able to have real (aka non-scripted) conversations with his peers. This activity was an opportunity to do that in a relaxed situation, and to have some fun together. I was really impressed at how well the boys worked together. Mrs. N. worked with them beforehand to pick the menu and she was nice enough to provide the ingredients as well. How nice is that? We are so lucky.

We made Not-Spicy Tangerine Beef (see previous post for the recipe), rice, steamed broccoli, and lava cake for dessert. Everything tasted great, though we probably need to follow the cake recipe a little more closely next time (some of the chocolate didn't make it into the batter, and we might have baked them a little too long). But overall the party was a success!

 D measuring hoisin sauce.

Hoisin sauce plus sherry in the bowl.

H adds the honey.

T shows the guys how to use the citrus press to juice tangerines.

Meat goes in to the very hot pan to cook. T keeps it moving around.

D measures the rice.

D posing. Mrs. N. in the background.

Everyone sitting down to dinner.

The finished product!

Dessert! Chocolate lava cake, which turned out gooey but not like lava. We need to perfect our technique! It was tasty even though it didn't come out perfectly. 

Not-Spicy Tangerine Beef

recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri, as doctored up by three fifth-graders at our cooking party Tuesday:

We served it with rice and steamed broccoli. Delicious!!!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound flank steak or tri-tip, cut in thin strips on the bias
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chili sauce (We used 2 tablespoons (accidentally) and used American style chili sauce, from the condiment aisle, not Asian-style spicy chili sauce, usually found in the ethnic foods section.)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 tangerine, zested
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
In a resealable plastic bag combine the soy sauce and cornstarchand mix well. Add beef, cover, and let marinate for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

Whisk together the sherry, hoisin, honey, chili sauce, soy sauce, and tangerine juice until completely combined.

In large pan or wok, heat oil on high. Add the ginger and beef and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add sauce mixture and cook for another 2 minutes on medium heat until sauce thickens. Serve on warm platter, garnish with scallions, tangerine zest and sesame seeds.

Thanks for the Summer Reading with Kids Recommendations! Part 3!

My CWRU Alpha Chi Omega twitter friend Audrey was nice enough to ask her children for their favorite books. See her tweet here (because seriously I am in love with her background!!). Her daughter chose Peter and the Starcatchers

and her son recommends Redwall (Redwall, Book 1)

I love having a big list of great books ready - so when we're ready for our next book, we have lots of options!

Thanks for the Summer Reading with Kids Recommendations! Part 2!!

I'm so grateful to everyone for their suggestions! Love this message Jennifer forwarded me from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP):

TALLAHASSEE – Summer has arrived and the Florida Department of Education (DOE) and DEP are encouraging students to head outdoors with a book from DOE’s 2010 recommended summer reading list. The annual reading list, part of DOE’s Just Read, Florida! mission, is designed to promote nature-based literature while fostering in students an appreciation for the both reading and the outdoors.

“Reading outdoors is a great way to foster environmental stewardship in Florida’s students,” said DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole. “By promoting literature focused on Florida’s diverse natural resources, we hope to harness students’ interest in academic success as well as environmental protection.”

One of the suggested summer reads for 2010 is Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ Pulitzer prize-winning novel, The Yearling. The Yearling (Aladdin Classics) This story takes readers back in time to Rawlings 1930s farm life. A visit to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park offers a glimpse into the setting that inspired the book. Florida’s 160 state parks, which cover more than 700,000 acres of Florida’s natural environment, also make a perfect backdrop for reading.

Other examples of Florida State Parks and nature-based selections on the 2010 summer reading list include:

• Grades K-3: Pancakes for Breakfast, Tommie DePaola. Pancakes for Breakfast Visit De Leon Springs State Park in De Leon Springs where you can make your own pancakes at the table.
• Grades 4-5: The Birchbark House, Louise Erdrich. The Birchbark House Visit Collier-Seminole State Park in Naples on the edge of the Everglades rich with Native American history.  
• Grades 6-8: Forever Forest, Kristin Joy-Pratt Serafini. The Forever Forest: Kids Save a Tropical Treasure (Sharing Nature with Children Books) Visit Homossassa Springs Wildlife State Park to learn about protection and conservation of Florida wildlife.
• Grades 9-12: Southern Comforts: Rooted in a Florida Place, Sudye Cauthen. Southern Comforts: Rooted in a Florida Place (Center for American Places) (Center Books on the American South) Visit Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Florida´s first state preserve and a National Natural Landmark.

“Promoting summer reading to students has always been a primary mission of ours, but now the opportunities are right at their fingertips,” said Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith. “Our recently launched book search offers ease and accessibility in finding that perfect read for a beautiful summer day.”

Research shows that children who continue to read during the summer months are more likely to retain progress made throughout the school year. In addition to theJust Read, Florida! summer reading list, DOE also recently partnered with the Department of State (DOS) and MetaMetrics, Inc. to launch ‘Find a Book,’ a search tool that identifies the appropriate books for each student’s reading level. This technology allows students and their families to personalize their book list according to preference and reading level.

To view all of DOE’s summer reading suggestions, visitwww.justreadfamilies.org/SummerReadingList.pdf. To learn more about ’Find a Book,’ visit www.lexile.com/findabook. For more about Florida State Parks, go towww.FloridaStateParks.org or follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FLStateParks.

Thanks for the Summer Reading with Kids Recommendations!

A shout out to Audrey and Leslie for their suggestions for our summer reading:

Where the Red Fern Grows

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

The City of Ember (Books of Ember)

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (this is a favorite of mine, too!)

What books would you recommend for a young almost-12-year-old and his book-addicted mom? 

Summer Reading

Every summer, T and I pick out a set of books to read together. We haven't made our list for this year yet because we have a tradition of starting the summer with E.B. White's The Trumpet of the Swan. This is the fourth year we're reading it aloud together, and it's still a favorite. I'll keep you posted on our other selections as the summer progresses!