Candy is Dandy

Do you have a serious sweet tooth? Do you love books by Wendy Mass? Do you go nuts for books about kids running wild in a dream world of chocolate and sugar? If you answered "yes" to any of the previous questions then look no further for a great read. This book has it all!

The plot revolves around four twelve-year-old kids vying to create the best new candy at the Life Is Sweet candy factory. Nice-guy Logan wants to follow in the footsteps of his father, the Candymaker himself. Self-conscious Miles is trying to overcome his crazy phobias (he's allergic to rowboats and the color pink). Cheerful Daisy comes across as a genuine candy lover, but is she really who she says she is? Sarcastic Phillip is full of snide remarks and only has interest in his mysterious journal. When Life is Sweet's secret ingredient is stolen these four completely different children must put their dark pasts and secrets aside to solve the mystery. 

After hearing the raving reviews of four girls in my class I decided that I had to dive in to this delicious read. One word of warning: do not read on an empty stomach. The descriptions of the candy factory will make your mouth water! I found myself reaching into the candy jar after each scrumptious chapter...

 Recipes to Read By: Homemade Candy Bars

Click HERE to make insanely delicious versions of your favorite candy bars at home.

Here is one of my all-time favorite desserts using my all-time favorite candy:  

                                                                Milky Way Cake!

 Get ready to chop some Milky Way bars, people!

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting pans

Eight  Milky Way bars (1 3/4-ounces)

3 sticks butter (mmm...butter...)

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs, well beaten

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the Incredible Icing:

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup marshmallow cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

6-ounces chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 

Grease three 9-inch cake pans and dust them with confectioners' sugar. 

To make the cake, melt the Milky Way bars with 1 stick of butter. Stick your finger in. 

Remove from the heat and let cool. 

Cream the remaining 2 sticks of butter with the granulated sugar. 

Add the beaten eggs and the cooked chocolate mixture. 

Stir the flour and the baking soda together.

Add the flour and buttermilk to the batter, blending well. Add the nuts and vanilla. 

Divide the batter equally among the prepared pans (and your mouth) and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes, remove from the pans, and place on cooling racks. While the cake cools, make the Incredible Icing. 

Combine the sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook to the soft-ball stage (234 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat and add the marshmallow cream, butter, and chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Add the pecans. When the cake has cooled completely, frost each layer, sides, and top of the Milky Way Cake.

                                                Don't you just want to lick the screen? 

                                                

A Favorite from a Favorite

It's no secret to my students that Roald Dahl is one of my very favorite authors. My Dahl obsession began in the third grade while our class read Fantastic Mr. Fox together. We each had our own copy and I ravenously devoured page after page, finishing the entire book before my teacher had begun the fourth chapter. As the years went by I created my own "Roald Reads" list and doggedly made my way through each one of his books. After I began teaching, I made a point to read aloud at least one Dahl book a year, and that book was almost always voted our classroom favorite.

One year we even celebrated "Dahl Day" by dressing up as our favorite Roald Dahl characters (I was Miss Honey), parading around the school, and feasting on delectable Dahl dishes such as spaghetti and eyeballs (from The Twits), everlasting gobstoppers (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and peach pie (from James and the Giant Peach).  There was even an appearance by Roald himself (fictional, of course--Roald died in 1990).

I pride myself on having read all of Roald's books a zillion times and sharing my love of all things Dahl to each student that steps through my doors. A couple of weeks ago I was flipping through the bins of the Goodwill bookstore and--are you ready?-- I laid my eyes on the title Boy by Roald Dahl, a book I've never read. Can you imagine the scene? The so-called Dahl "expert" coming across this book? Let me describe it for you: It was as if the roof opened up and a bright ray of sunshine lay across this one book. It shimmered. It twinkled. My hands shook.  "Could it be?" I asked myself. "A book had been left off of "Roald's Reads? Blasphemous, I tell you!" Red faced and flushed, I quickly threw $1.00 at the cashier and ran home with the book tucked under my arm.

I didn't even wait to get into the house to begin reading. I sat in my driveway and read until it got dark and was forced to either go inside or risk a dead car battery in the morning. Do I even have to tell you how much I adored this book? Of course I am partial to James and Esio and Mr. and Mrs. Twit and the Trunchbull and Danny but this was a whole new Dahl experience because everything that was written had actually happened to Roald as a boy. Some of my absolute favorite parts include the story of the dead rat in the gobstobber candy jar, the trip to the dentist, the description of Norwegian vacations, and the goat's tobacco. I must say this is the only Dahl book that will allow you to both laugh until tears soak your shirt and simultaneously rub your tush in quiet gratitude that you did not attend school in the days of paddling.

                                                                    Roald, my idol.

Recipe to Read by: Bruce Bogtrotter's Cake (from Matilda)   

Click here for the revolting recipe!

                                                             

                                                          The best cookbook ever!

I want this cake at my next birthday party.

If you could make any Roald Dahl food come to life, what would it be? Snozzcumbers? Mr. Twit's Beard Food? Candy Pencils You Can Eat in Class?

Just in time for Halloween...

Although this book was named the 2008 Newbery Medal winner, I have only just decided to read it.


Ok, I lied. I ordered it as soon as the winners were named, read the first gruesome chapter, deemed it unsuitable for my students, and placed it on the shelf only to collect dust for the next two years.


Fast forward to October 2010.

Looking for a macabre tale to set the mood for our favorite October holiday, I came across this familiar cover on my shelf and sat down and read the first chapter again. And you know what? I couldn't stop! Once I overcame my embarrassingly sissy aversion to murder and death and read into the story, I realized that this is one beautifully written book that my students would love.

We are almost to the end and I am not wanting to part with Bod, Silas, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, Liza, Miss Lupescu and the rest of his deathly, yet endearing, graveyard family...

Recipe to Read By:Ghost Cookies.

Ingredients:
Nutter Butter Cookies
White Chocolate Baking Chips
Mini-chocolate chips

Directions:
Melt the baking chips. Dip cookies in melted chips. Add mini-chocolate chips for eyes. Done!

Check out Neil Gamain's website HERE.

Someone Named Eva is Something Special

This book was recommended to me by one of my students (thanks, Grace!) and is on the Sunshine State Readers list for 2010. I thought I had read all of the best holocaust-themed children's books (after all, is there anything better than Number the Stars and The Diary of Anne Frank?) until I realized that this book tells quite a different story. 

Milada, a ten-year-old girl, lives with her mother and father, older brother, baby sister, and her beloved Babichka (grandmother) in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. Although her family is not Jewish, they are still terrorized by the brutish German soldiers who occupy their country. One fateful night the door is knocked down by two soldiers who demand they pack their things and follow them to a holding cell for all of the town citizens. Milada's father and brother are taken away and never seen or heard from again. Milada, who has blonde hair and blue eyes, is deemed of true Aryan descent (land, along with other Aryan children,  is taken away to a boarding house where she will be forced to learn the German language and customs. She is given a new name, Eva, and over time begins to forget her Czech heritage despite her Babichka's last words to "Remember who you are. Always."

The remainder of this heartbreaking and dramatically real story tells of Milada's (Eva's) adoption into a German family and her struggle to remain true to her self despite the horrendous circumstances surrounding her. Will she break free of the Nazi brainwashing? Will she ever return to her country and be reconnected with her family? Oh, dear reader, you must track down this book and read it immediately!

I would recommend reading this with a family member, as you will definitely want to talk about it!

Recipe to Read By: 

Czech This Out: Ice Cream Kolache

Traditional kolaches are a to-die-for sweet roll with a yummy filling that uses yeast and all kinds of other ingredients. Although Milada's Babichka would have probably frowned at this non-traditional recipe, it is a great deal easier than dealing with a yeast dough! Na viděnou! (That's "see you later" in Czech.)

Ingredients

• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
• 2 cups butter
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fruit preserves, any flavor (I like raspberry!)

Directions

1. Add flour to butter and crumble together using a fork. Add ice cream to crumbled mixture and, using your hands, work into dough. (This is super-fun but also super-cold! I recommend using rubber glovers!)
2. When dough is smooth, shape into ball and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Roll dough to about 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Using the rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut out circles. Place on a cookie sheet and make a thumbprint in center of each. Fill thumbprints with 1/2 teaspoon fruit filling.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar when cool.
6. Dobrou chuť. (Enjoy!)

Recipe provided by www.allrecipes.com

Gollywhopper turned Garbage!

The Most Exciting and Fun Book of the Summer Award goes to....

The Gollywhopper Games

Rainy days and book stores go together like peanut butter jelly. I love nothing more than to spend a rainy afternoon browsing all of the newest titles, picking up a few to read and settling into a comfy chair in a quiet corner. I picked up this book last week, along with The Hunger Games (noticing a games theme?), and parked my butt in my favorite spot of Borders. As the rain drizzled down the window pane, I began reading. Before I knew it I was one hundred pages into the book and had no intention of putting it down. However, the store had other ideas (shouldn't book stores be open 24 hours like Walmart?) and I hastily made my way to the front to pay for my books. On the way home, I pulled it out at every red light and jumped right into bed with it as soon as I walked in the door.

The next morning, I took the book outside to read on the swing and spent a hot, but happy hour immersed in the world of Golly. I took a break to play frisbee with Wild Girl but our play time was cut short due to fat rain droplets on our heads. Wild girl and I fixed breakfast (oatmeal for me, kibble for her) and mid-bite I realized that I had left the book on the swing! I ran outside to assess the damage. It was not good.


Not only had my new book been thoroughly soaked, but the wind had blown it in the dirt under the swing and the pages were caked with mud. But all was not lost! No siree Bob! With the speed and agility of a surgeon, I rushed the injured book inside and proceded to mend it with my hair dryer. Twenty minutes and three hundred thirty two starchy dirt-covered pages later, I was curled back up on the couch with my book.

What's so great, you ask?
This story crams edge-of-your-seat action with super rad brain puzzles that are an adventure just trying to figure them out.

Here's an example of a Golly puzzle:
Starting with one letter, can you figure out the passcode?

Hints:
*This is a maze of letters
*Figure out where to start
*Move vertically, horizontally, or diagonally
*Use each letter only once
*The letters will spell three words
*The words all can be used to modify the name of an object
*That object is your answer

O   M    I    C    S
T    I     T    K    T
A   M    E    N    I

(Start with A)

Want the answer?
You'll have to read the book!


Here are some of my hints for reading this book:
*I highly suggest you read this book when you have tons of time to devote to it because you are not going to want to put it down!
*Do not leave it outside in the middle of the summer in Florida. It will turn into a pile of soggy mush.

Recipe to Read By: Tic-Tac-Toe Cookies

Don't you think Gil Goodson (the main character and puzzle extraordinaire) would love these cookies? They also make a great rainy day activity when no one will drive you to the bookstore...

Click here for the recipe!

Cupcakes!

We spent the past week making cupcakes at camp. Surprise cupcakes, S'mores cupcakes, Giant-Sized cupcakes, Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough cupcakes, and Patriotic cupcakes. My favorite? I loved them all equally and unconditionally. What it is about cupcakes that draws children and adults out of the woodwork and brings them to their knees begging for just one? Is it the petite portion? The inevitable taste of frosting in each delicious bite? The infinite possibilities for flavors and decorations?


Whatever it is, here is a recipe for one super-fun, scrumptious cupcake:


Surprise Cupcakes
Ingredients:
One box of cake mix, any flavor
3 large eggs
1/3 cup veggie oil
1 cup water
Your favorite frosting


Possible Fillings:
Fruit Jam
Peanut Butter
Instant pudding
Miniature peanut butter cups
Hershey's kisses
Fruit pie fillings
marshmallow cream


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pans with baking cups and spray each with cooking spray.
2. Combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water in a large bowl and blend with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes.
3. Fill the muffin cups about halfway with batter. Then drop in the surprises of your choice. (Make sure the surprises are edible. That means no pennies or paperclips--ouch!) The batter will rise up around the filling.
4. Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.
5. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting them. Serve them to your friends and watch their faces light up with surprise when they find what's inside. (No shaving cream!)

While you're gathering your cupcake ingredients at the grocery store, stop at the library and check out some of these tasty books!

Super-Duper Cupcakes: Kids' Creations from the Cupcake Caboose

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake

It's Raining Cupcakes!

The Cupcake Queen

Read My Review

An UnDone Fairy Tale

Three words to describe this book: Ridiculous. Absurd. Nonsensical.

Of course we absolutely ADORED it! In fact, I couldn't keep this book on my shelf!

The premise is quite silly, yet randomly clever at the same time.

Poor Ned, the guy painting the illustrations didn't have time to finish, so he had to substitute what was on hand to finish this crazy fairy tale. Imagine a king with a donut for a crown, a strong and brave hero who wears a tutu, an army of pickles, and a princess who saves her man while riding a snail and waving a banana-sword.

Got a mental picture? Good! Now, go check out this book!

Recipe to Read By: Fairy Tale Wand Cookies

First, get yourself a cool wand cookie cutter.

Next, use your favorite sugar cookie dough to cut out magic wands. (If you don't have a cookie cutter, you can shape your cookie dough into stars, then stick a Popsicle stick in the bottom before baking.)

Allow to cool completely before frosting with your favorite flavor. (I prefer deep purples and blues with some serious sprinkles.)

Pretend to be a fairy godmother (or fairy godfather) by turning your dog into a horse, your bike into a stage coach, and your nerdy neighbor into a handsome prince (or princess).

Check out these awesome fairy tale creations: