Recommended Reading: 4 winners

As I mentioned on Monday, I spent most of last week in the hospital with baby S.  That created some more reading time than I usually have. Plus, I missed a week of reporting on my books - so I have 4 for today!

1. Alice in Wonderland - this is a quick read, very sweet and fluffy, like the day dream that it is about.

2. Treasure Island - For some reason I have always thought of this as a story for adolescent boys.  I can see why they would like it, but I really enjoyed it too. Better than Alice in Wonderland or Peter Pan by far. It was not too scary for me, but it kept me on the edge of my seat, anxious to see what happened next.  Also, I finally get a lot of pop culture references to treasure maps, Long John Silver, "pieces of eight", etc.  The only thing that I did not like was they did not go into much detail about what happened to them after the adventure.

3. No Time to Lose - I have been reading this for a couple weeks. I can't recommend it for everyone. It is about the epidemiology and discovery of Ebola and HIV/AIDS from the perspective of someone who was there - Peter Piot.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I have been working on or HIV/AIDS related projects since my undergrad research in 2002. It was interesting to hear how everything unfolded prior to that time and also the events of the last 10 years from a much higher vantage point (UNAIDS directorate).

4. Aglow in the Dark - I am only about 2/3 of the way into this book. It is not at all what I expected  when I ordered it from the library.  On our honeymoon, we went to Vieques, off the coast of Puerto Rico.  It is one of the few places in the world where the concentration of dinoflagelates in the sea is bright enough that you feel like you are swimming in a glowing pool. It was awesome!  Ever since then I have wondered about bioluminescence and how it works.  This little book tells about scientists discovering how creatures glow as well as the modern medical/biological uses of this "cold" light.  Pretty cool stuff.

Reuse Recipe: Lard or Bacon grease

Continuing on with last weeks oily theme -- Lard.  The "evil food" ingredient of the 90s.  And I would never suggest that anyone eat it regularly, but on the other hand you do love bacon, right?  Especially, the nitrate-free kind - like they sell at Trader Joe's.

And the end result of cooking the bacon that you paid at least 3$ a pound for is about... 2/3 cup of lard.  Not sure how much that weighs, but probably about a dollar worth of liquid.  It can be kept in the fridge for at least a week with no ill effects.  See my little ramekin of it below. What should we do with that lard?

 Tortillas are a favorite around here. I like this recipe since it makes 15-20 medium size tortillas, but there are many other good tortilla recipes out there.  I used part lard and part shortening in this batch, since I did not have enough lard for a big batch.

Other options?  Lard is the poor man's bacon - fry eggs in a bit for a bacon-y flavor, or cook spinach in it for the same reason.  I also hear that it is good for making biscuits and pie crust, although I have not tried either of those yet.

Vintage Finds

Some fun new fabrics going into my shop. 

Blue and gold upholstery weight cloth with a tribal pattern

Light-weight pink cotton with raised polka-dots

Sew Special - Cowboy Quilt 2

Quilter's block surmounted.  After a week in the hospital helping baby S recover from RSV, I'm back to sewing! Yay!

Home Schooling Summary for the Last Week

We have all been sick this week, including baby S. A little epidemic is going around. The pediatrician's office was extremely busy.  Still, we managed to do a few things. Lots of reading.

Exploration and Conquest is another history book that was a bit advanced for my daughter, but we looked at the pictures and I summarized the text.  She was just telling little brother M about a trip to South America -- I think that means some of it is sinking in!

American History Picture Book for a 4 year old

This Benjamin Franklin book is by the same author as Christopher Columbus from 2 weeks ago.  The illustrations are great, but again, I have to summarize the text or else it is too long for a 4 year old attention span.

I should note that I realize the chronology of our history lessons is a little off at this point. Anywhere from 1500's-1700's.  I think chronology is a little to advanced for a 4 year old.  At this point we are just familiarizing ourselves with the stories, names, etc.

Week of Feb 15, 2012

Not Recommended Reading: Peter Pan

I know that Peter Pan is a classic, but I have to say that I did not really enjoy this book.  It is one of the rare times when I can say the Disney movie was better, much more magical.  The narrator's comments and sarcasm were frequently annoying and unnecessary.

Skip the book and watch one of the many film versions!

Reuse Recipe: cooking oil

Knotted buns

We have been eating fried plantains about once a week lately. They are cheap and everyone loves them. The only trouble with them (and anything else fried) is the leftover oil - what to do with it?  I am always afraid it will start a fire if I reuse it for frying or get rancid by the time I fry something again.  Oil is used in so many recipes.  It can be put away in the fridge (to prevent the rancidness) until you figure out what to do with it.

Here is one idea - Quick Rolls / Cinnamon Buns.  My family has been using this recipe for years.  It makes a HUGE batch of buns and uses a whole cup of oil. I like to include white (7 c.) and wheat (3 c.) - especially when  covering it with butter, cinnamon, and sugar! Feels a little healthier at least.  If you are not feeding an army, I suggest making half the dough into rolls and half into cinnamon buns.

Cinnamon Rolls

Quick Rolls

3 1/3 C. warm water
1 C. oil
½ C. sugar or honey
4 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt

Mix and rest 10 minutes

Add:
3 eggs
10 ½ C. flour

Dinner Rolls: Shape into rolls. To make the knotted kind- roll out a snake and tie a knot. Let rise 10 minutes. Bake 10 minutes at 425 F.
Cinnamon rolls: Roll out a large rectangle. Top with a stick of melted butter and lots of cinnamon and sugar. Roll up the dough into a long cylinder. Cut slices 1 inch thick and lay out on cookie sheet (line with parchment paper if you have it). Let rise 10 minutes. Bake 10-12 minutes at 425F. Top with cream cheese or butter frosting.