Book Review: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

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This Is What Happy Looks Like cover imageWhat Graham believes is a simple email to his pet sitter is actually the beginning of a relationship with Ellie, who gets it by mistake. The teens live on opposite sides of the country, he’s in California she’s in Maine, and they believe they will never meet. But Graham happens to be a popular teen movie star, and when he chooses Ellie’s small town in Maine as the location for his next film, the two finally come face to face. The trouble is, photographers are always following Graham, capturing every person he’s interested in. And Ellie has a reason not to be in the limelight.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith takes a familiar storyline, celebrity meets regular person who they can really be themselves with, and turns it into something fresh, interesting and fun to read. Graham’s rise to stardom is recent, and he finds that living the celebrity life can be lonely. Ellie lives alone with her mother in the small town they fled to when a scandal drove them away form her father. When they meet, they feel as though they know each other well, yet, they also feel like strangers.

There aren’t a lot of surprises as their relationship unfolds, and they hit a few rough spots along the way, but its fun to go on the journey with them. Mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up who choose This is What Happy Looks Like will find several issues to talk about: online safety, keeping secrets, relationships between parents and children, and more.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Book Club Recipe: Rice Bowl with Meat and Vegetables

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As more and more people cut gluten from their diets, it gets to be more difficult for book club hosts to figure out what to serve their guests. One answer: rice. Rice is naturally gluten free, and it’s easy to add vegetables and meat to it to make a tasty, easy dish to prepare. Here’s a recipe I frequently make at home:

Rice Bowl with Meat and Vegetables

Serves 5 to 6

  • 4 eggs, boiled and cut into ¼” slices
  • 2 cups medium-grain rice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 lb. ground pork or turkey
  • 2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce, divided
  • 1 piece fresh ginger, about 4 inches long, peeled and grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 6 green onions, chopped
  • 1 lb. fresh asparagus, with woody ends trimmed off and cut into 3” pieces
  • 2 tbsp, vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

In a medium saucepan, bring rice, salt and three cups of water to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit.

In a large bowl, mix pork or turkey, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. ginger and ¼ cup water. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium high heat. Cook meat mixture about 5 minutes, or until meat is well done. Transfer to a serving bowl and cover to keep warm.

Return saucepan to heat and add 1 tbsp. oil. Sauté remaining ginger, garlic and green onions for 3 minutes. Add asparagus, 1 tsp. soy sauce, and broth. Stir to combine. Cover and cook about 3 minutes so asparagus stays crisp to the bite.

To serve, ladle rice into the bowl. Top with meat mixture, asparagus and boiled eggs. Ladle pan juices from asparagus on top.

Other vegetables you can substitute for asparagus include green beans, broccoli, baby bok choy and spinach.

Book Review: Ellie’s Log by Judith L. Li, illustrations by M. L. Herring

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Ellie's Log cover imageEleven-year-old Ellie lives in a Pacific Northwest forest with her dad, who is the forest manager, and her mom, who is a researcher at the local university. Together with her new friend Ricky, she explores the forest around her and learns about the plant and animal life that can be found there if you just spend time looking for it.

Ellie’s Log: Exploring the Forest Where the Great Tree Fell is a great introduction to kids about life in the forest. Author Judith L. Li is a stream ecologist and retired Associate Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University, so she knows a thing or two about forest exploration. M. L. Herring, who created the illustrations, is a science writer who also heads the communications department at OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Her colorful illustrations beautifully depict animals, birds, trees, moss, and other things that can be found in the forest.

The pages showing Ellie’s field journal are the highlight of the book: through drawings and what looks like hand-written notes they capture the essence of what Ellie and Ricky discovered on each of their trips into the woods.

While conversation between the two children doesn’t seem to realistically portray how 11-year-olds would talk to each other, I believe there are many interesting things to discover in the book. I think parents and kids would have fun reading and talking about it together and letting the book inspire them to go on forest adventures of their own.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Book Review: Flight 1-2-3 by Maria van Lieshout

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Flight 1, 2, 3 cover imageFlight 1-2-3 by Maria van Lieshout is a great picture book to give to kids before going on a trip that involves an airplane. Each page covers some part of the trip plus a number. At the beginning it asks the question, “When taking a flight, what do you see?” The answers go from 1 to 10 for things like the airport, the escalators, check-in desks and airplane gates. It also goes to higher numbers that engage the imagination of young children, like “100 fastened seat belts” and “a million places to explore.” It all ends with a happy reunion with friends or relatives once the family gets to its destinations.

Van Lieshout’s illustrations are sparse and colorful, reminiscent of signs you see in airports with symbols for food and drink, restrooms and trash cans. With its sturdy, easy-to-wipe-off cover, Flight 1-2-3 can be easily taken along on a trip and referred to often as families go through each stage of travel.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Under Shifting Glass by Nicky Singer

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Under Shifting Glass cover imageJess is exploring a bureau she received after her Aunt Edie died when she discovers a mysterious bottle that seems to hold a life force of some kind. She’s mesmerized by the swirling colors and the way the bottle sometimes feels warm and glowing while other times it is dark and cold. When her twin brothers are born conjoined and struggling for life, she begins to sense that whatever is in the bottle may hold the key to their survival.

Under Shifting Glass by Nicky Singer is mystical, heartfelt, and a bit haunting. Along with Jess’s worry over her brothers, she suffers from the loss of her Aunt Edie, her grandmother’s sister, who taught her to make music. She’s also worried that her best friend, Zoe, is growing away from her and that she can’t share her fears with Zoe the way she always has. In her search for understanding, Jess turns to her Catholic church and a Buddhist temple for solace. In the end, a discovery about Edie helps her know what she has to do.

Jess’s story is sure to resonate with readers in mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 12 and up. Jess’s family situation is complicated: her father died when she was young, she was raised by her stepfather, and the grandmother she sees regularly is her father’s mother. She doesn’t think it’s right to call her new siblings half-brothers. She’s not sure where she fits in with her stepfather’s affections now that he has biological children of his own. Jess feels fiercely protective of her brothers, so she overreacts when Zoe and her other friends don’t understand her fears.

Life is complicated for Jess, much the way it is for many young teens who are experiencing emotional and physical changes of their own. Her journey of self-discovery is thoughtful, and author Singer does an excellent job of keeping all the threads working together to knit a story that will linger with you long after you read the last page. I highly recommend Under Shifting Glass. It’s a book that is sure to strike a chord with the moms as well as the daughters.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Book Club Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup

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I love Chicken Tortilla Soup, and I order it in restaurants every chance I get. But it’s not to difficult to make at home, and it’s fun to serve at book clubs because everyone can add the toppings that they love. Here’s a recipe that’s sure to be a hit.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 8

Serve this satisfying soup with sweet cornbread (see previously published recipe) and a green salad.

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 jalapenos, finely diced
  • 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 14.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup fresh, frozen or canned whole corn kernels, cooked
  • 1 cup canned white hominy
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 3 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless and cooked and cut into cubes
  • freshly squeezed juice from 2 limes
  • 2 whole limes cut into wedges
  • thin, crispy tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
  • 2 avocados, sliced
  • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • ½ cup green onions, chopped
  • Salt and pepper as needed

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add jalapenos and cook for another minute. Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, water and beans.

Bring soup to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add corn, hominy, cilantro, lime juice, and chicken. Let simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste soup and add salt and pepper as desired.

Ladle soup in bowls. Sprinkle avocado slices, tortilla strips, cheese and green onions on top as desired. Garnish with a lime wedge on the top.

Book Review: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

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Relish cover imageLucy Knisley is a graphic artist who also writes about food, travel and life in general. She grew up with parents who not only loved to eat good food, but who gave it to their daughter from the beginning. Knisley combines her artistic ability with the story of her childhood and early adult adventures with eating and cooking in her graphic novel, Relish: My Life in the Kitchen.

Knisley’s stories of her early life in Manhattan and her days spent on a farm in upstate New York are interesting. She’s got a sense of humor and a down to earth writing style that’s endearing. For instance, she talks about the gourmet food her parents cooked for her, but she also talks about her cravings for junk foods and McDonald’s fries. Her story of being on her own in Mexico with her good friend while their moms were sick is really funny, and so is her story of trying to make the perfect croissants like the ones she remembers eating in Venice.

Each chapter ends with a recipe relevant to the story that came before it. My favorite was “Tough Cookie,” where Knisley tells of learning how to bake chocolate chip cookies as a way to make friends every time she moved to a new school. The recipe that follows is called, “The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies,” and since I tried it out myself I can say that’s no exaggeration. There are a couple of “secret ingredients” that deviate from my normal cookie recipe, and that made the finished product so yummy.

There are other recipes I plan to try, like those for sautéed mushrooms, huevos rancheros and spaghetti carbonara. I can recommend Relish as a light-hearted, interesting memoir that’s fun to read and keep for the recipes.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Apples, Bean Dip, & Carrot Cake by Anne and Freya Dinshah

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Apples, Bean Dip & Carrot Cake cover imageWhen family life is busy it can be easy for parents to do everything to keep things running smoothly, even if that means completing tasks that their kids could competently take on. Preparing meals often falls into that category, especially when the kids are young. Yet there are many benefits to including everyone in the family in meal preparation: kids gain confidence and they may be more interested in eating the food they help prepare, while parents get the benefit of having helping hands to lighten the work. Even so, it’s often difficult for moms and dads to know exactly which tasks are age appropriate and figure out how to enlist their children’s help.

That where Anne and Freya Dinshah come in. With their cookbook, Apples, Bean Dip, and Carrot Cake: Kids! Teach Yourself to Cook, the two have authored a guide with everything from teaching kids how to make healthy snacks and meals, to teaching them how to safely use knives, the stove, oven and blender. And they even have tips on easy cleanup techniques.

Designed for children ages four through 12, the cookbook is loaded with photos of nearly 20 kid chefs completing each of the tasks outlined, so it’s easy for them to catch on even if they are not able to read. The recipes and tips are also divided into levels, one through four, with skills taught going up in difficulty as your child grows older and more competent.

In level one you’ll find simple things like mixing trail mix, ripping lettuce and making treats with fresh fruit and yogurt. Level two has kids making their own sandwiches, mincing herbs and grating foods. Level three has recipes for dishes like lentil vegetable stew, chili and pie, and level four gets a little more complicated with recipes made with the help of a blender.

It all comes together in an easy to hold book that lays flat when open on a kitchen counter. Once you and your child get familiar with it, it can easily become your go-to book when your kids are asking for a snack or when you would like a little help in the kitchen.

The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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