Readers are Leaders (Literally)

Nicole reads to Bandit at Paws for Reading at the Montville Township Public Library

We like this Montville, New Jersey reading program.

The Montville Township Public Library's first Paws for Reading session was held Wednesday evening in the Pio Costa Auditorium, with children ages 6 and up reading to therapy dogs for 10 minutes at a time.

For an hour, children took turns reading to Jersey and Bandit, two therapy dogs brought in by their owners. Montville Township residents Chelsea Ritschel and her mom, Jackie Ritschel, brought Jersey, a black lab. Township resident Marcia Lederman brought Bandit, a Tibetan terrier.

Chelsea Ritschel, a senior at Montville Township High School, and Lederman are certified to use their dogs for therapy by St. Hubert's Animal Shelter.

Library director Allan Kleiman and children's director Amy Resnikoff said the program is designed to help kids learn to read aloud in a friendly environment, boosting children's literacy and confidence.

I want someone to read to me!

Beamer's Mom is bunkycooks.com

Beamer

Yes, that's right, bunkycooks.com. I know, I've said it before, but I am going to say it again. I LOVE BUNKYCOOKS.COM. And I love Beamer too.

Well, we are usually pretty good with recipes, but Dad kinda messed up this amazing Clementine Bundt Cake from Ms. Bunkycooks. We love clementines and we love cake. How could we go wrong?

Well, the recipe called for a 6-cup mini-Bundt cake pan. Dad saw a 9-inch one at the local TJ Maxx and thought that must be a mini one. Come on Dad! Did you think a regular size Bundt pan is like 18 inches?

So we were a bit concerned when the batter only filled the bottom third of our Bundt pan, but we stuck it in the oven anyway. Luckily we checked the cake about 15 minutes before it was due to be done and found that it was ready to come out. And, guess what? It looked pretty darn good. It was just a bit more horizontal, less vertical, than the cake pictured on bunkycooks.com. It actually looked quite elegant, we thought. And it was so nice. Just like Ms. Bunkycooks said it would be. A subtly clementine-y delight. We highly recommend that you try it. We will be baking up another one real soon. We added a bit more zest and clementine juice to the cake and more juice to the icing. We love it clementine-y. Bring it on!

Grace, dressed as an Indian Maiden for Halloween, serves the Clementine Bundt.

clementine and spiced rum bundt cake

Yield: 1 6-cup bundt cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

This perfectly sized 6-cup bundt cake is great for smaller families of parties. The subtle citrus and rum flavors make it perfect for fall and winter gatherings.

ingredients:
For cake:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, organic if possible, at room temperature
1 teaspoons finely grated clementine peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons spiced rum (I used Captain Morgan)
1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup whole milk

For glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 teaspoons fresh clementine juice, maybe more until desired cocnsistency
3 teaspoons spiced rum (I used Captain Morgan), maybe more until desired consistency

directions:
For cake:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in the eggs, clementine peel, vanilla and rum. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.

2. Pour into a greased and floured 6-cup bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (* Be sure to check the cake at 40 minutes. The cake does not need to be brown to be done.) Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.

For glaze:
1. Combine the confectioners' sugar, juice and rum until smooth. (* I had to add a bit more liquid to get the desired consistency.) Drizzle over the cake.

And....guess what arrived in the mail today? A 6-cup mini-Bundt pan from Ms. Bunky. We love you Ms. Bunky and Mr. Beamer too!!

Pomodoro Cotto

So, I told you, we were going to be making a simple Pomodoro Cotto sauce to dress our 100% Whole Wheat Petit Pasta Nests from The Pasta Shoppe. First. let me say, don't be afraid of whole wheat pasta. When done right, it is delicious. The Pasta Shoppe does it right! With their whole wheat petit pasta nests you get perfect hearty, not heavy, pasta with none of the guilt that comes with consuming a typical flour pasta. Think of all that dietary fiber scrubbing the cholesterol from your system. No. Don't think about that. Pour yourself a glass of red wine and whip up this easy and molto gusto dish.

Pomodoro Cotto

Ingredients:
Salt (we like Sea Salt)
6 TBLSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Box Pomi Chopped Tomatoes
(If you haven't tried Pomi tomatoes, you must. Pure tomato package in a waxed box, not a noxious can. DELICIOUS!!)
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh basil leaves for serving.

Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add 3 tablespoons of salt.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in another large pot over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic and cook until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.

Drop the pasta nests into the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Add the pasta and about 1/4 of the reserved pasta water to the tomatoes and stir and toss over medium heat until the pasta is well coated (add a splash or two of the pasta water if necessary to loosen the sauce). Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and serve immediately, garnish with grated Parmigiano and basil.

Happy Halloween, A (Much Needed) Apology to Dogs and Cats

What's a Girl to do With a Butternut Squash?

It's butternut squash season. I love butternut squash. Dad usually gives me a bite or two when he bakes them in the oven. I always beg for more. The other night he gave in. I later threw up on the oriental carpet in the dining room. But, now that I think of it, it might have been the bowl of oatmeal he gave me earlier in the day. It did look a bit like oatmeal. I love oatmeal.

Now, this new recipe is definitely not for dogs. It is a fresh take on butternut squash and it is light and fresh and really easy to make. Except for peeling the butternut squash! Who wants to peel a butternut squash? So Dad just cut off the ends and cut it in quarters and grated it. Being careful not to grate in any of the peel.

Raw Butternut Squash Salad With Raisins and Ginger

1 butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and grated

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 to 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or to taste

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Combine the squash, raisins, oil, vinegar and ginger in a salad bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to several hours.

Yield: 4 servings.

Ryan and Grace's Boston Lettuce and Radish Salad

Ryan and Rufus

So, Ryan and Grace surprised everyone by preparing a very delicious dinner. Not that we didn't think they had it in them. We just didn't think they would want to. Moral of this story: never underestimate the capabilities of bored youngsters. They created the menu, set and decorated the table, and served the meal with flair (Sophia helped). I helped too. I licked the plates clean.

The menu consisted of a very elegant Boston lettuce and radish salad and eggs en croute (more about that soon).

The Stage Was Set

Ryan and Grace's Boston Lettuce and Radish Salad

1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3. 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5. 2 bunches radishes (about 20)—tops reserved for another use, radishes very thinly sliced
6. 3 heads Boston lettuce, outer leaves discarded and tender inner leaves torn

In a large bowl, whisk the extra-virgin olive oil with the sherry vinegar and Dijon mustard and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the sliced radishes and Boston lettuce to the bowl, toss well and serve right away.

Grace and Rose

Dogs Love Pasta

If you've been reading my blog, well then, you know that Suddie Loves Pasta. No. Make that Suddie Loves, Suddie Loves, Suddie Loves Pasta.

Well the people at The Pasta Shoppe came across my blog and decided to send me some of their Dog Lovers Pasta. It's really intended for humans, but the pasta is formed into little paw prints and bones. It's really, really cute. They also sent me a boat load of their other pasta products including both 100% Whole Wheat Petite Pasta Nests and Spinach Basil Garlic Petite Pasta Nests.

We are going to be sampling them all over the next month or so and reporting back to you. First in the pot will be the 100% Whole Wheat Petite Pasta Nests made with a simple and delicious Pomodoro Cotto sauce. Check in next week to see how it goes. In the mean time, check out The Pasta Shoppe website, pastashoppe.com. As they say, the world is full of pastabilities!!