There’s a special joy in reading to kids. It literally brings
you closer.
There’s a special joy in reading to kids. It literally brings you closer.
If you’re on the couch or in a cozy bed, they like to snuggle in, as tight as they can. If you’re in a classroom, they like to move in close to your knees, to see better, to hear better, to get inside the story. There may be a few wandering eyes, but only until the book reaches out and grabs them.
Books have done that to me for decades. I remember sneaking a flashlight under the covers, so I could read just one more chapter of “Nancy Drew.”
Those books got inside me and rattled through my head at night. By day, they made me into a detective who spied on our neighbors with binoculars and hid behind trees to get a better look at their suspicious activities, which I dutifully recorded in a small notebook.
This year alone, books have allowed me to be the Queen of England, dripping with jewels while writing daily letters to my daughters, and Filippo Brunelleschi, the arrogant and brilliant architect who built the Duomo at Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.
Besides “Brunelleschi’s Dome,” a pile of books leans next to my bed: “If You Want To Write,” written in 1938 and still wise today, “Monet and the Impressionists for Kids,” a teaching aid, “How to Get Into College,” because I have a 14-year-old, “Rap A Tap Tap,” a children’s book that I will read to a class this week, and my college textbook, “Living with Art,” which I have been reading continuously since about 1998.
Because I am reading all of these at once, I have not finished a book in more than two months. But I am working on it. In fact, I plan to finish at least one of them tonight, during Love of Literacy Week’s “Turn Off the TV Tuesday.” I hope to have some silent reading time to myself, my feet tucked under a blanket near my husband on the couch, and some snuggly reading in a big bed with my girls, as close as we can get. How could it get any better than that?
• If you want to help during “Love of Literacy Week”:
1. Read to a classroom. Contact your local school or call Jacqueline Horejs at 847-2700.
2. Turn off the TV tonight and read.
3. Drop Everything and Read: Stop whatever you’re doing on Friday between 1 and 2 p.m. and read for an hour as part of a community-wide show of support for reading.
4. Donate a prize for the Mount Madonna/Community Day Essay Contest on “The Importance of Literacy in My Life.” Contact Shirley Nunes at 847-2700. More information is available on the GUSD website: www.gusd.k12.ca.us.
• Plenty of peppers: While writing this column, I made some fabulously easy marinated roasted red bell peppers. While it’s possible to find some good jarred ones, and LJB Farms roasts them beautifully, nothing can compare to making your own. Make sure they get dark brown or black on the outside, otherwise the skins are too hard to get off. Fresh herbs at the end are a nice touch. Use this as a winter bruschetta topper. You can’t beat it. To an experienced Italian cook, this recipe might seem unnecessary because everyone should know how to do this. But not everyone is Italian, and some of us are always learning, so here it is.
Marinated Roasted Peppers
8 red or yellow bell peppers, rinsed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Minced fresh basil, oregano or parsley leaves
To roast peppers, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Put the peppers in a roasting pan and place in the oven, with the rack set near the top. Roast, shaking pan every 15 minutes, until the peppers shrivel and collapse with charred skins. This will take 40 to 50 minutes.
Place hot peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, then peel, discarding skins, seeds and stems.
Combine oil, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper and marinate the peppers in this mixture in the refrigerator, from 1 to 24 hours. Serve at room temperature, garnished with minced herbs.
Note: This makes about 2 cups marinated peppers. However, you will not be able to resist having a few test bites, so you may end up with less.
• For the grandkids: Eva Kampen wrote to ask for an oatmeal cookie recipe that makes big cookies; her grandchildren love the ones in the “Grandma” package at the grocery store. This recipe will fit the bill and convert them from store bought to homemade. You can make them small or big, just remember that the edges should be brown, but the rest of the cookie should be light in color. It’s from Christopher Kimball, the genius behind Cooks’ Illustrated.
Big Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still firm
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)
Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees.
With an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.
Mix flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg together, then stir them into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon. Stir in oats and raisins.
Form dough into 16 to 20 2-inch balls and place onto cookie pans lined with parchment paper or greased. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Halfway through baking, switch cookie sheets from top to bottom. Let cool 2 minutes on pans before removing to cooling racks. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
Note: You can also use 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips in place of the raisins.
• Quick chicken: This chicken recipe is perfect for a busy night. It’s from the people at McCormick Spices. Serve with steamed rice and some tender asparagus.
Chicken Marsala with Basil & Mushroom
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 T. olive oil, divided
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. onion powder
Place chicken between two sheets of wax paper and pound to approximately 1/4-inch thick. In a large bowl or plastic bag, combine flour with next 3 ingredients. Add chicken to flour mixture, toss to coat.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken 3-5 minutes per side or until done. Remove from skillet.
Add mushrooms and remaining oil, if needed. Sauté 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine and remaining 3 ingredients. Stir to loosen any browned particles; bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet. Simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes.
• End notes: “A more loved child can never be, for I had a mother who read to me.” ~ Anonymous
Tip of the Week:
Tip of the week
For easier removal of turkey stuffing, wrap the stuffing in cheesecloth before putting it into the turkey. The juices will still seep in but you’ll be able to get all the stuffing out with one pull.
It’s time to pledge a pie
It’s time for our annual Pledge-a-Pie event. On Wednesday, November 27, I will again be collecting pies for two organizations that are cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless and anyone who needs a good meal. St. Joseph’s Family Center will need about 80 pies (any kind) and the Salvation Army needs 25 (pumpkin only).
In the past four years, Dispatch readers have donated about 350 pies at Thanksgiving. Your generosity has been overwhelming, and I’m hoping you will find it in your heart to help our less fortunate neighbors again this year.
Please call 842-9028 or e-mail jd****@****ic.com to pledge one or more pies. Next week, I’ll give delivery instructions. Thank you! My readers are the best.
