Dandelions Are Awesome

So, did you know I live in Canada?!  hehehehe

I found this really wicked awesome dandelion cookbook on Amazon that I wanted badly, but turns out the publishers don't like us Canadians so I couldn't buy it!!

Not cool at all.

So I had to make my own versions of the recipes in there.  :)

I found I had a surplus of these in my lawn:

WHAT??!

Yes, that is just a teeny tiny portion of the millions of yellow dandelions that populate my grassy fields.

So, no joke, I sent my kids out to pick me a 5 gal bucket of them.

Then I froze them.

Yup I did.

I stuck those little babies in my freezer for later so I can pull them out and use them for tea in the winter.  (and yes, my Mom already mocked me for the fact that I felt I had to preserve dandelions!)

Then the next day I realized I froze all of them!

Ooops.

Sent the kids back out again.

Filled another 5 gal bucket.  This time I kept them out of the freezer, and not to miss the mocking, but because I wanted to make a few things.

First I put a bunch in oil so I could have dandelion infused oil to make salves and soap out of.

Then, I took my handsome helper boy out and did this:

Seperate the yellow from the green.

Dig your finger in so the green splits in half.

Gently pull the yellow parts apart.

You should end up with yellow in one hand (if you teased it right out of the green) and a green part in the other.

Then you get a lovely bowl of yellow fluff.

We needed this for a couple things.  My boy wants me to make some cupcakes with them and he really wanted me to make pancakes:

They were interesting.

Dandelion flowers have a sort of peppery, flower taste to them.  It added a little chew as well to the pancakes.

All I did was added a couple of handfuls of the beautiful yellow to my regular pancake batter and mixed it in well.  Cooked the same and everything.

Kids all thought I was fancy gourmet!

Speaking of gourmet...

This may look a little nasty, but it was so good!

This is dandelion pasta!

Here is a simple pasta to make that will surprise your kids and make you feel super fancy.

Dandelion Pasta

5 C Flour
pinch of salt

Pour onto clean counter and make a well in center of it.  Add:

3 Eggs
6 C Dandelion greens blended with a tiny bit of water (I just did this in my blender)

Mix until well incorporated.

Roll as thin as you can (if you have a pasta maker use it, but if not, do your best with a rolling pin), add to water that is at a rolling boil.  Boil until tender (about 5 min).  Serve with butter, salt and pepper or your favorite sauce.

Try it, you will like it!

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Kindle Freebies

This book talk today is not so much a review as a small heads up.

My friend Kate has some great links on her facebook.  She posted these three frieebies and I thought I would pass them on. 

You can read them on any device that has the free kindle app. 

Enjoy!

Jesus the Christ A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern - James E. Talmage

Forget Me Not - Deiter F Uchtdorf

Your Happily Ever After - Deiter F Uchdorf

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Eragon

Am I the only person in the world that hadn't read these till recently?!

My oldest son started them a few years ago...like 7 or so and put it down and declared it "stupid".  I gave away my copies and forgot about them.  Then last year at a book sale I picked up a paperback copy for 5 cents!  Score.

This weekend I read the first one.

I am sad that I waited this long to finally read them. 

I watched the movie many years ago and thought I didn't want to read the book.  Mistake. 

I should know better that the movies are almost always crap compared to the book...but sometimes I have to be reminded.

I have a dragon/fantasy lover in my house.  This book is right up his ally.  In case you have one as well, here is a brief overview.

Eragon is out hunting one day when he is startled by an explosion near him.  In the center of the burnt section there was a beautiful blue stone.  Knowing that his family needed some sort of food, he took it with him in hopes of selling it for some meat.

A few days later when a dragon hatches out of that egg, he learns that he must choose to serve an evil man or fight for the freedom of his people from that man.

This is the story of that adventure.

I enjoyed the play of evil vs good.  The distinctions are made very clear and as he makes each decision you see how if he had made a different one, he would be serving that dark master he is fighting against. 

There are some fight scenes.  There is some blood, but it is not dwelt on.  If this is bothersome, skip the book.

My boys also enjoyed the small fact that the author was homeschooled and started writing this book when he was only 15.  He published it when he was just 19.  Great motivation for my boy who already wants to write something. 

I think this would interest boys the most, but I think a girl who enjoys adventure would also like the series.  Now because my son did try it before, I am sure that it is better for older readers.  My 11 yo is enjoying it now, so I would wait until they are a bit older.  It is a long read and rather detailed. 

This review is only for the first book as that is all I have read.

Book Talk Tuesday - Rosetta Stone

While not a traditional "book", I thought it was a valid thing to feature on Book Talk Tuesday.

We have used this for a while now and I thought I would pass on a little review.

I have heard many different things about many different language programs.  I have even used a few. 

Rosetta Stone has been the best by far! 

It is pretty pricey (when compared to things like the Usborne Books language programs and what have you) but so worth the price you pay.

You learn by immersion.  There is a word you learn associated with a situation or photo.  There are no explanations.  You learn that when you see a photo of a boy, it means a certain word.  This is supposed to re-enforce the learning.

There is a lesson.  You do it on the computer, then there are CD's you can take with you (or use on the computer) to review the lesson you learned before. 

There are also online games and a community you can access.

Finally, there is a headset you hook up to your computer that assess the way you speak.  You hear a word, and you say it in the head set.  It tells you when you are saying it wrong and you repeat until you say it correctly.

I have really enjoyed using this.  We are doing a language as a family and all of us (hubby all the way down to my 7yo) have learned the lessons and can use it in our daily life.  I like how child friendly it is as well.  No one is too young to use the lessons.

I am in no way being compensated for this, I just thought I would pass on something that our family has enjoyed using.

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Week-By-Week Vegetable Gardener and Hunting Guide

Ok.  I promise that the two books actually complement each other in my mind!

Here goes...

While walking through WalMart the other day (don't judge!)  I found this awesome little book from Field & Stream.  It was only $8 so we grabbed it. 

I am enjoying flipping through the pages.  Remember yesterday when I talked about guns, bows and ammo for both?  This is part of my preparedness.  I don't keep them for protection (although IF I ever had to, I could) I keep them as part of my food storage.  If (heaven forbid) I ran out of food, and had to feed my family by killing animals, I would love to know how to do so and how to preserve it.

This little book is full of excellent tips if you are like me and want to know how to hunt, but have a basic knowledge already.

There are 100 hints and tips on various things like how to know what ammo to use for each animal, how to shoot and effective positions to do so, how to field dress your animals, and there are even some recipes in there!

I am really enjoying flipping through the pages and learning a few little things as I go.  (And, DH who I actually bought it for, is also enjoying it!)

I have had this book on my wish list for a long time.  I picked it up the other day and am so glad I did. 

The whole premise behind the book is that you write in it.  I like that idea...heck I do it already in the ones that we are "not supposed to" anyway, but a book made just for me to write in?!  Done and done!

First thing you do is write in your average date of last frost, and from there it tells you week-by-week what you will be doing in your garden!  It is full of little tidbits to help you do each things as well.

No matter how experienced you are, you will find something new I promise. 

I garden to feed my family. 

Not because it is cheaper (it usually isn't with costs of water, etc), or because it is fun to weed (but the harvest certainly is!), or because I love to get dirty (except I do so this is moot!).

I garden because it is a very healthy option for us to eat right out of my garden, it is a way to teach my children about work, it is extremely satisfying, I want the skills for IF someday this was the only way to eat, and the prophet has counseled us to plant one.

This book is an invaluable resource.

If you want to have a journal of you own without buying the book, I found these pages for free.  If you know what to do and don't want to spend the $18 on this book, this is a great option.

How about you?  What are some of your favorite food storage related books?  Maybe you have one I really NEED to read?!

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Magyk, Flyte, Physik

By Angie Sage

One dark and wintry night, a woman goes into labor.  When her baby is born dead, her husband finds a baby in the snow at the same time.  The family raises her as their own but always feels as if they are missing that baby that died.  He was a seventh son of a seventh son.  Septimus is deeply missed.

I have only read two of the six so far available, but am hooked.  It is a great series. 

My second son (who was previously a very reluctant reader) has been devouring these books!  He has loved every single word and flies through them.  That right there has me picking up another each time I make it to the book store!  (and at only $10 for the paperback...it is a rather inexpensive book to buy)

There is a slightly different take on magic, and the words are spelled a little different also.  I am enjoying the fact that they are very explicit about the difference between good and evil.  They mention several times in each book how very damaging and soul stealing even the tiniest foray into the dark side could be and to stay very far away from such things.  I love the parallels between our lives and the things in our lives that can be drawn here.

I think that with the smaller words, and the non stop action in these books, it would captivate even the younger readers, so I am going to go with about Grade 3 (if they are strong readers) and up.  I also think that both girls and boys would enjoy this series.  There are strong leads in both sexes so there is someone to relate to for both.

I have seen that they are compared to an easier read than Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, so if you enjoyed these two series, and want something similar, this might be a good one to try.  (not having read HP and not finished LOTR yet, I am not a good judge, this is just what "they" say.)

And, if you like your kids to explore the online sites of games and maps and etc, the website is here.

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - The Hobbit, A Wrinkle in Time and The Giver

This past summer (as all summers since we started homeschooling) I have been busy reading for school.  I really like to pre-read the books I am going to have my boys read as school assignments, so that means reading many books over the summer to find those ones that we will be using. 

 

Here are three such books.  I still don't have a definite on all the books we will be using, but the Hobbit is one that is for sure. 

 

From the flap:

"Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling any further than his pantry or his cellar.  But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure.  They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.  Bilbo is most reluctant to take part in this quest, but he surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and his skill as a burglar!"

I figured it was high time for me to read a book that was considered a "classic".  With the movie coming out, I wanted my boys to read it, then we would let them see it in December....maybe, provided it was rated appropriately to our family standards.

I struggled the whole way through this book.

I don't read books like this often, and when I do, I take a long time to read them as the language is not at all the type I am used to.  This excited me.  I want to stretch my brain and gather books like this and read them all.

I love the descriptive way Tolkien writes.  He describes things so vividly and totally different than normal so you have a whole new take on the thing he is describing.

I think, with the difficult language in the book, that this would be more appropriate for older readers.  (Grade 6 or so?) There are some rather large words, and if your child is used to reading today's literature, some difficult passages.  I think that both girls and boys would enjoy the adventure though.

From the back of the book:

"It was a dark and story night.  Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure-one that will threaten their lives and our universe."

Again, this book is written in a different style that I am not used to.  I loved it.

The thing I loved the most about the book is the blatant reference to Jesus, God, and Satan.  The "good" things are attributed to God and the "bad, black" things are Satan's. 

I even found reference to the war in heaven.  Satan wants to take away the agency of the world he occupies and will make a perfect world where everyone is totally free of making choices.  He says they are all happy. 

I thought that it was interesting for an author to so blatantly add her religious views in a book.  That happens rarely and it was exciting for me to find.

The writing style is a bit more difficult than regular books, but a little easier than the Hobbit above.  I would say this would be for an experienced reader and older.  (Grade 4 and up?)   I think that both boys and girls would enjoy this adventure.

From the back of the book:

"Jonas's world is perfect.  Everything is under control.  There is not war or fear or pain.  There are not choices.  Every person is assigned a role in the Community. 
When Jonas turns twelve, he is singles out to receive special training from The Giver.  The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life.  Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth.  There is no turning back."

This was an interesting read. 

I found that many of the more popular distopian novels that are cropping out seemed to have taken many of their ideals for their new societies from this book, but that is where the similarity ends.  While things are different here, the violence in today's books is lacking in this one.  That made me happy.

I have been trying to find a book like this for a while that I can let my children read, that produces discussion such as this, and I think I may have found it. 

I was also thankful that I didn't have to read so much of the garbage that is in today's novels. 

I think that because of the issues in this short novel, you would want a more mature reader.  I am thinking around Grade 6 for age appropriateness.  I also think that although the main character is male, both boys and girls would enjoy this book.

I would love to hear about your opinions.  Have you read any of these books?  What did you think of them.  Apparently they are rather controversial and are on some lists of books not to read.  What did you think of them?

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - The Humming Room

Roo hides.  When her parents are killed, Roo is hiding and she thinks that is what saved her.

Roo hears the earth.  During the quiet of her hiding she puts her ear to the earth and can hear the life inside.

Roo is friendless.  Being the kind of girl she is, she does not attract friends.

Roo finds out that she has a wealthy uncle who lives on an island in the middle of nowhere.  That is when her life changes for the better.

This book is inspired by The Secret Garden.  I could see shades of it inside but those who haven't, won't.

Being a really short book, it only took me a couple hours to read.  (and my oldest read it in almost the same amount of time)  It is a really easy read too.  It is very well written for the younger crowd, but still appeals to the older pre-teen/early young adults.

There is a cute little romantic side story, a thread of loving your difficult relations, a finding yourself through hard work and coming out of your shell, and a finding your joy and life.  So many different issues are addressed and worked into the story.

Although by the middle of the book, the story lines of the two books seem to be pretty much the same, this is a great book.  If you have read both, you will probably find this one to be rather predictable, but if you are starting off your children on a book with language a little easier to read and working your way up to The Secret Garden, this is a great place to start.  (although, I think it is great either way)

I think it would appeal to both boys and girls and probably Grade 4 to about Grade 8. (at the top end of the spectrum)  ...or even their mothers!

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - DIY Projects for the Self-Sufficient Homeowner

I was so excited for this book.  I couldn't borrow it from my library so wasn't quite sure what to expect. 

I want to have a piece of land and be as self-sufficient as I can possibly be.  You know that right?! 

This book seemed right up my alley.

It is a great starting place for the very basic beginner. 

There are projects in there to get you started on some simple things.  For example:

• You can build a cold frame to help extend your growing season.
• You can build a basic chicken tractor for about 6 chickens.
• You can build a basic raised bed frame for square foot gardening, or raised bed gardening.

And more.

I liked the details in the book.  You really can do all the stuff in there if you just follow the instructions.  BUT it is so very basic.

All the stuff in there I already have plans for, or know how to do already.

If you are looking for a book to start, or one that you have some basic projects to start with, this is a perfect book for beginners.  It is an excellent resource for the beginner.

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Lessons from a Beehive (giveaway)

I was in a few stores the other day and realized it is ALMOST BACK TO SCHOOL!!!  Where did the summer go? 

Seriously, where did it go?!

I know for some this is not a big surprise, but for me it was a little bit.  I was so happily going along, and then all of a sudden it was time to start gearing up for school again.

Then I saw that Carol had a new book out.

Lessons from a Beehive is awesome.

I have always wanted bees. 

The honey alone is a huge draw for me, but the rest of the benefits are great too.

You don't have to OWN bees though or even homeschool to enjoy this great new book.

Carol has broken it into subjects and given you enhancements and age appropriate things to do for each subject.  Here are a couple examples:

Science

• Research what makes honey crystallize. You might try this experiment found at Education.com to enhance your study.

• Compare the characteristics of honey with other liquids. Pour a small amount of honey, corn syrup, and pancake or maple syrup in individual bowls. Blindfold the child. Have him smell, taste, and feel each liquid to determine what it is.

Geography

• Put some powdered sugar in a shaker container. Wait by the flowers until a honeybee lands. Shake some sugar on her. Now you will be able to see her better. See how far you can follow her.
• A bee will travel up to two miles from its hive. Using a map, place a red X where your house is. Then using the map’s scale and compass, draw a circle with a two mile radius around your house. Your bees will travel inside that circle.

Math

• The daily death rate in a colony of 50,000 bees is about 500. What percentage is that? If your colony only had 30,000 bees, what would the daily death rate be?
• A honeybee beats its wings about 11,500 times a minute. A fly beats over 62,000 times a minute. How many times a minute does a fly beat more than a bee?

Art

• Have your older student do a research assignment on the symbolism of the honeybee and include where the bee was pictured in ancient artwork.
• Do you have hives? Have your children paint or draw on them.

Language Arts

• "Busy as a bee" and "You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar" are both proverbs that speak of either bees or honey. Define "proverb." Research other proverbs that mention bees or honey. Have your younger children copy them for handwriting practice. Have your older ones write a paper discussing a meaning of their favorite bee proverb.
• Find five scripture references to honey or honeycomb. Use them for copy work for your younger child. Have the children memorize the Proverbs that mention honey. Have the older ones write a paragraph to explain the meaning of the Proverbs.

Home Economics

• After washing a cut or scrape with soap and water, apply raw honey with the bandage. Record its progress and healing time. Treat a second wound with an over-the-counter preparation. Record its progress and healing time. Which wound healed faster? Which one healed without scarring?

And so much more.  This book is a treasure trove of excellent ideas if you have bees or not. 

Want to win your own copy?

This is open to anyone, anywhere.  It comes as a digital download and is so very worth it! 

Here's how to enter:  (Separate comment for each please!)

1. "Like" Lessons From the Homestead on Facebook
2. "Like" Welcome to the Madness on Facebook
3. Check out Lessons from the Homestead and tell me which one of her lesson books looks most interesting to you.
4. Leave a comment telling me about your favorite school curriculum or what you love most about school.

I also need a way to contact you, so please make sure you leave an email.  You can even leave it spelled out.  (eg.  kgm3boys (AT) gmail (DOT) com) 

The contest will end on Monday (August the 13th) at 8am Mountain standard time, and the winner will be contacted by email.  Good luck.

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Leven Thumps

By: Obert Skye

Leven is a geek.  He lives with is mother's half sister and her husband, but is forced to sleep out on the covered deck.  He is friendless and is picked on and bullied on a regular basis.

One day he discovers that he is special, he has powers.  He gets a new friend, he meets a girl, and finds out that a place called Foo is real.

There are five books in this series.  Each one builds on the other so I would not start in the middle.  :)  Lucky all books are out though so you will not be waiting for one to come out forever.  (sorry, pet peeve!)

I really enjoyed this series.  The parallels between good and evil, God and Satan, real life and pretend are there and pronounced.  I love the chance inside to discuss a huge variety of topics inside these books.

Through the whole series it is quite humorous, with funny little parts interspersed in the serious. 

The chapters start with the author giving examples of what the chapter is going to be talking about, some are profound, some really funny.  I enjoyed reading them.

I also really enjoyed the small romance that develops through the five books. 

I think that children from about ages 12 and up would enjoy the books.  So far my 13 yo son, my DH and I have all read and enjoyed these books.  I think that boys and girls would enjoy them as there is a really strong female (Winter) that helps Leven out.

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Shadow

When walking through the library the other day, we saw this book and it helped me remember doing an exercise once when I was a young girl in school.

The book is full of illustrations and you make up the story.  On one side of the book is an illustration of what this little girl is doing, and on the other is a wonderful shadow world. 

Eventually that shadow world ends up leaking into her real world and she even changes places to go play in the made up world.

I thought it would be fun to make our own shadow world things.

First we needed a blank piece of paper folded length wise.

Then we wrote our name on the fold (if you do it in cursive it is even more fun...but my baby only knows how to print so we did printing) and traced an outline around our letters.

Then cut out along that outline and open your shape up.

Inside you draw a creature of some sort.  Be creative.

After you are done, admire your creativity and go play with your shadow creatures.

I love how fun this was and how perfectly it went along with the shadow book.

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - King Bidgood's in the Bathtub

One of my very favorite books growing up was King Bidgood's in the Bathtub.

I probably drove my Mom nuts listening to it over and over and over and over...

I found out that I had done a really large disservice to my poor baby and hadn't read this treasure to him.  I had to rectify that immediately.  We discovered a mutual love all over again.

You can get just the book, but if you get the chance grab the CD.



The story goes that the king is in the bathtub and he will not get out.

A few people try some great ideas (the queen wants to lunch, the duke wants to fish, etc) but he just will not get out of the tub.

The poor page has to keep up with all the stuff the king keeps doing and finally gets fed up and pulls the plug.

Glub,
Glub,
Glub.

The songs are super catchy and fun.  The story is very cleverly illustrated and really enjoyable to read.  We love the book here.

Cheers

Book Talk Tuseday - Can It!

This is how I know DH loves me.  He lets me buy new books.  Not just any books, ones that indulge my love for things foodie! 

I found this book the other day while shopping at the grocery store.

Inside it has the most glorious canning and preserving recipes!

The photography is beautiful and looks delish!

The recipes are inventive and adventuresome but not so much that the regular person would see them and wonder about your sanity making such a dish.

Here are a couple examples of what I mean:

• Blueberry-Maple-Pecan Conserve
• Pickled Pear Tomatoes with Rosemary
• Grapefruit Curd
• Berry-Rhubarb Salsa
• Raspberry White Chocolate Jam
• Pineapple-Coconut Sauce

And so very many more totally yummy looking things to put up in a jar.

This year looks totally tasty here!

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Summer Reading 2012

A couple days ago I had a reader request to supply a suggested reading list for her children.  (for the summer reading challenge) 

I figured if she wanted a list, then you might as well.  I do have all my reviews posted of books that I read, but I read WAY more than what I actually post, so I will try to put some on here that I haven't had a chance to post about.

I also enlisted the help of my friend Shauna.  She reads some similar books, but she had some suggestions from a children's lit class she took.  I was so glad she was willing to help me round out the list.  I asked my boys what their favorite books and series were, and then I added a bunch of my own.  So, I hope it is a good mix of a few different types of books so that everyone can find something to read on here.

Summer Reading List 2012

Young kids:

Are You My Mother
Mr Brown Can Moo
Berenstein Bears books
Original Curious George Books
Frog and Toad Books
The Monster at the End of the Book
Little Critter Books
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Fancy Nancy books
Bill Peet Books

A little past early Readers:

The Bobbsey Twins
The BFG, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)
The Hundred Dresses
The Princess & the Goblin (George MacDonald)
A Walk in Wolf Woods (Mary Stewart)
The Wind in the Willows
Laura Ingalls Wilder Series
Little House on the Prairie
Rudyard Kipling Just so stories
100 Cupboards
Geronimo Stilton books
Boxcar Children books
The Magic Treehouse books
The Secrets of Droon books
Jack Stalwart books
The Thirteenth Princess (Zahler)
The Clockwork Three (Kirby)
The Eyewitness Books (DK Publishing)
Shel Silverstein Books

Established Readers:

The Island of the Blue Dolphin
White Fang
Swiss Family Robinson
Narnia Series
Anne of Green Gables Series
Beautiful Stories of Shakespeare (Edith Nesbit)
The Sword in the Stone
Just David
The Wizard of Oz
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (Howard Pyle)
Five Children and It (Edith Nesbit)
A Wrinkle in Time Series
The Secret Garden (Frances Hodges Burnett)
Heidi (Johanna Spyri)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
The Hardy Boys books (older versions)
The Beyonders (Mull)
Adventures Wanted  Series (Forman)
Rangers Apprentice (Flannagan)
Immortal Nicholas Flammel (Scott)
The Lorian Legacy
Percy Jackson Series (Riordan)
How to train your dragon series
39 Clues Series
Kane Chronicles (Riordan)
Leven Thumps (Skye)
Mrs Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Riggs)
Skeleton Creek books
The Dragon Seer (McNaughton)

I hope that this will help you find some new books to read this summer.  Or just remind you of some of your favorite things to read.  Enjoy!

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Cornerstone Cooking

By Nick Evans

I follow a blog called Macheesmo.  Have you noticed as you click my links on my menus that I use a lot of his recipes?!  He is pretty inventive in the kitchen and he makes some pretty tasty dishes.

When he finally wrote a cookbook I wanted it.

I entered a couple contests to win one and didn't think I would get one, but I did!  Hooray! 

It came just before we left on vacation and I took it with me so I could read it.  (yes, I read cookbooks for fun)  It didn't disappoint.  He has an amazing selection of recipes in it.

The deal about the book is that you make one cornerstone thing.  For example, baked potatoes, and you can make all these yummy dishes from one simple thing.  You eat stuffed potatoes one night but make extra so you could make gnocchi the next night or loaded potato skins. 

All the recipes are in the book.  Even how to bake potatoes so they are perfect.  It is simply the best laid out book I have seen for beginning cookers ever.  I think the part I liked the most is that it encompasses so many things that the beginner can love it, the person who has basics down can love it, and the adventuresome cooker can also love it.  THAT makes a pretty darn good book in my opinion!

If you want to buy it, this is a site that he has set up for information with a link to buy.  It is $13 on Amazon.  If you just want to check out his blog (and I totally would if I were you) it is here, and here is his alphabetical page of ingredients.  I remember when he got his rhubarb recipe, he was so excited that he finally had one.

I love to play in the kitchen so this book was right up my alley.  If you eat, and want to make your eating experience a little better, this book is just for you. 

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Cinder and Ella

By Melissa Lemon

From the dust cover:  "If you drink water and breathe air, then you have heard the story of Cinderella.  And, if you drink water and breathe air, you have heard it...wrong."

I picked this book up on vacation.  I have always wanted to visit a Deseret Books and got to go to two!  I am a big fan of fairy tales being re-told.  Something about the way an author sees things differently really gets to me.  (same with fairy tales into movies...sucker I am!)

I was super excited about the premise of this book.  The author splits the character into two different sisters, Cinder and Ella.  The mother is alive, but forgets that she has two daughters and blends them into one, Cinderella.  The father is presumed dead, the prince is not kind but evil, and there are trees...lots of trees.  One for each person in fact.  Their life is intertwined with that of a tree.

There is some very blatant religious references.  You can tell that the King is God, the Prince is Satan, the Knight is Jesus and the girls are us. 

I enjoyed the idea of the story, but the story (and characters) left much to be desired.  It was a book that is very juvenile in the writing style, almost childish.  The idea though was wonderful.

There is absolutely nothing at all in it that is sexual, explicit or language problems.  This is great.

The book was a good little read.  If you can find it in the library for free, grab it.  It is worth reading.  If you have to pay...I would wait until it is really cheap.

I think that the story itself would appeal to young (around 8 to 11 year old) girls, and if I had girls I would hand it over in a second.

Have you read it?  What do you think?

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency used by the Mormon Pioneers

By Caleb Warnock

My son knows me well.  For my birthday in April, he bought me a book!  Not just any book, a book on self-sufficiency!  He is a good boy.  :)

I read this in a couple days and have a few impressions about it that I would like to share.

The book is very well made.  The paper is very thick and is great for marking up, turning down pages and otherwise taking it everywhere. 

There is a great overview of lots of topics in the book.  I enjoyed reading a little about different topic like gardening in the winter, root cellaring, saving seed, and even keeping chickens. 

I did enjoy the information contained, but I was quite disappointed in how much information was contained in the book.  It is lacking in the "to do" part of the information.  For example, he mentions growing a garden all year, even in the cold winter months, but does not tell us HOW he does it.  What does he grow?  How does he grow it?  Where does he grow it?  How cold does it get there?  What is the climate like in his growing area?  Great, you grow in the winter, but for those of us who would LOVE to try it, how do we do it? 

All of the topics contained in the book are like this.  We get a glimpse, but then we need to find a different book or place to find information to get a deeper understanding of the topic.

I loved this book though, don't get me wrong.  I really did enjoy each minute spent reading it, and learned so very many valuable things.

This book is definitely a great investment if you are looking to build your preparedness library.  It gives you a wonderful starting point for reading then finding out what knowledge you lack and going on to find more of that knowledge. 

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - The Kane Chronicles

By Rick Riordan

Carter Kane is in England with his Dad.  While in England they are picking up Carter's sister.  They are siblings but live apart.  When Carter's Dad is caught in an explosion while examining the Rosetta Stone, the siblings are left to fend for themselves in learning about their heritage and their magic.

When my second son was reading this series, I was checking around to find my review.  Imagine my surprise when I could not find it!  I read the series starting as the first book came out!  So here it is, to make up for my lack of one before!

Much like Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson" series, this one is also loosely based in history.  Instead of Greek/Roman history though, this one is Egyptian.  There are several God's and Goddesses introduced in this book as well. 

So far this series has three books in it. 

I really enjoyed the series so far.  I enjoy reading a rollicking adventure while learning a little about the history of Ancient Egypt and the things that they believed in.

There are a couple things about the book that you should know though.  Sadie, being from England, uses English slang, some even being swearing in England.  Also, like the Percy Jackson series, some of the people use the term Gods when talking and using it as a slang/swear.  If alternate swearing is something you avoid, avoid this series.

Magic is used extensively through the book.  It is a presence.  If you avoid magic books, again, it is there.

So far myself, my hubby and my second son have all read this book series and we have all enjoyed it (some more than others) so I think that the appeal for all ages (starting at about Grade Four or so) is there.  I also think that both girls and boys would like it.  The two main characters, Sadie and Carter, each take a chapter.  You have both boys and girls perspective and the banter/sibling rivalry is quite amusing as well.

Cheers

Book Talk Tuesday - Painting Cards

I didn't know what to call these, so now they are "painting cards"!  I went to an Usborn party knowing I still had a good chunk of my funding for this year. We haven't done a lot of art type study yet so I was specifically looking for something a little arty.

I was a bit worried because sometimes Usborne has some goofy drawing thing to represent the historical or educational thing that the book is about so I bought these a little wary.

The whole package is beautifully done.  The front of the card has the painting discussed, and the card on the back has all the information.  Things like the name of the painting, who painted it, what years they were active, some fun facts and tidbits, etc.

There are some of the trademark cartoon-y type things, but they are all on the back so it is not a big deal.

I loved how professional they were.  They are on a nice thick card stock and very well done.

I also checked through both stacks to make sure that there are no repeats (because some "Famous Paintings" are "Impressionist") but there are no doubles which pleased me greatly.

I also love Usborne because they are English and all the words are spelled the same as us Canadians.  I love that my boys can see how English is spelled in their own tongue!  If you are in the States, be aware that Usborne is from England and some of the spelling is a bit different than yours.  (we add "U"'s where you don't.) 

I think that it would work all the way up to high school but the box says up to Grade 4.  I am using them for Grades 7, 5 and 1.  They seem to work for all of mine.

Overall I was pleased and thought that it might make a nice addition if you are studying some of the historically significant paintings.  For just over $5 each I think they are a great resource.

Cheers