May is National Salsa Month, really, so I thought a book about salsa would be appropriate this Tuesday. Chicks and Salsa written by Aaron Reynolds is a fun, colorful book that makes you laugh and makes you hungry.
According to the School Journal:
"Farmer Nuthatcher's chickens are tired of their regular feed, and it just so happens that the rooster has been watching cooking shows over the farmer's wife's shoulder. He has some ideas, beginning with chips and salsa. Soon the ducks are inspired and give up fish for guacamole, and the pigs go for beans and chiles. With all of this southwestern cuisine, it's time for a fiesta. It turns out, though, that Mrs. Nuthatcher is making tamales, and all of the ingredients the animals need are gone, so it's time for a new cuisine–from a French cookbook."
The book is even more fun than it sounds and the pictures are wonderful. There are also three recipes at the end of the book...Hog Wild Nachos, Quackamole and Rooster's Roasted Salsa. All three sound delicious.
Here's a Super Simple Salsa Recipe for you to start cooking right now:
you'll need...
1 clove garlic
2 green onions
28 oz can chopped tomatoes, drained (reserve 1 Tbsp of the juice)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (or squeeze 1/2 a fresh lemon)
chopped fresh cilantro leaves (the amount depends on you taste)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Mince together by hand or in a food processor , the garlic and the onions.
Add the tomatoes, the Tbsp of tomato juice, the Tbsp of fresh lemon juice, the cilantro leaves and the salt and pepper to taste.
Mix together or pulse lightly in the food processor. Do not over process.
Honey Cookies is a cute book about a boy named Ben whose grandmother teaches him to make his favorite honey biscuits. He also discovers where all the ingredients in the recipe come from. The book includes a simple recipe at the end.
This song by the Wiggles is lots of fun to sing!
Here's the best part of the blog! Lots of yummy Honey Cookie recipes.
HONEY CRUNCH COOKIES
1 c. granulated sugar 1 c. brown sugar 1 c. butter/butter, softened 1 tsp. vanilla 2 eggs 4 c. Honey Nut Cheerios 2 c. flour 1 c. regular quick cooking oats 1/2 c. walnuts (optional) 1/2 c. coconut (optional) 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 c. chocolate chips or raisins (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop teaspoons of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten. Bake 6 minutes, rotate cookie sheet and bake 6 more minutes.
HONEY OATMEAL COOKIES
1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. honey 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 c. flour 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1 c. wheat germ 1 1/2 c. oats 3/4 c. raisins 1/2 c. nuts Sesame seeds (optional) Coconut (optional) Carob chips (optional)
Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients in 2 separate bowls. Then mix wet and dry ingredients together. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes about 3 dozen.
Honey Crunch Cookies
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup honey 2 eggs 1 cup flaked coconut 1 cup butterscotch chips 4 cups crisp rice cereal Directions: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large , cream butter until light and fluffy. Add honey, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mixture will appear curdled. Gradually add dry ingredients; beat until moistened. Fold in the coconut, chips and cereal. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Yield: about 5 dozen.
Yes! There really is a Pancake Day! Exciting, isn't it?! In honor of this day, which falls on Tuesday February 24th in 2009, I have collected bits of information on the history of Pancake Day and lots of links and a few fun pancake poems. (Oh!and checkout my Pancake folktale and Recipe at StorytellingCookingAndKids.blogspot.com )
Pancake Day is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday which is the day before Lent. Lent is a Christian holiday that was established in the 4th century as 40 days and is generally a period of fasting or other forms of self-denial. People generally eat a lot and have fun the day before Lent begins. Shrove Tuesday is often referred to as Pancake Day because fats, which were generally prohibited during Lent, had to be used up. People would take all the eggs and dairy products that they had left in their kitchens and use them to make delicious pancakes.
In the United Kingdom of Great Britian, Northern Ireland and several other countries around the world, Pancake Day is celebrated with fun, games, and of course a lot of eating. However, the most well known activity on this day is the Pancake Day race at Olney in Buckinghamshire, England which has been held since 1445. It all began when a woman was cooking pancakes on Shrove Tuesday to use up all of her perishables before Lent. While she was still cooking she heard the chiming of the bells summoning her to church. Not wanting to be late, the woman ran to church with her apron on and the frying pan still in her hand. Little did she know that this would start a tradition that would be around for over 500 years!
Only women are allowed to participate in this race. They must run a designated path with a frying pan and end up at the church. They must have a hot pancake in the frying pan which they must flip at least three times before they complete the race. The first woman to complete the race and arrive at church with the pancake is declared the winner. She then serves the pancake to the bellringer and is rewarded with a kiss from the bellringer called the “Kiss of peace”. This race still occurs in England and in several other cities. Info foundhere
Here are a few poems about pancakes:
The Pancake Collector by Jack Prelutsky
Come visit my pancake collection It’s unique in the civilized world I have pancakes in every description, Pancakes flaky and fluffy and curled
I have pancakes of various sizes Pancakes regular, heavy and light Underdone pancakes and overdone pancakes And pancakes so perfectly right
I have pancakes locked up in the closets have pancakes on hangers and hooks There are bags in boxes and bureaus And pressed in the pages of books
There are pretty ones sewn to the cushions And tastefully pinned to the drapes. The ceilings are coated with pancakes And pressed in the pages with crepes.
I have pancakes in most of my pockets And concealed in the lining of suites There are tiny ones stuffed in my mittens And large one packed in my boots
I have extra of most of my pancakes, I maintain them in rows on these shelves And if you say nice things about them You may take a few home for yourself
I see that you’ve got to be going Won’t you let yourselves out by the door? It is time that I pour out he batter And bake up a few hundred more
Pancake Song by Christina Rossetti
Mix a pancake, Stir a pancake, Pop it in the pan. Fry the pancake, Toss the pancake, Catch it if you can.
Pancake Poem by Shel Silverstein
Who wants a pancake, Sweet and piping hot? Good little Grace looks up and says, "I'll take the one on top." Who else wants a pancake, Fresh off the griddle? Terrible Teresa smiles and says, "I'll take the one in the middle."
Of course, I found a vid on Youtube! This one is odd but kinda fun. Enjoy!!
....and FYI, here's some information on the Different Types of Pancakes
BAO BING, PO-PING: The thin Mandarin pancakes served with Peking duck and moo shu pork. The cakes are made of fine wheat flour and boiling water, rolled thin and cooked two at a time.
BIN-JA TUK: Korean pancakes made from soaked mung beans. While the pancakes cook, strips of pork and kimchi are placed on top, then the cake is flipped.
BLINI: The savory, ultra-light pancake of Russia made traditionally with buckwheat flour and cooked in a small cast-iron pan. Blini are eaten hot with butter, herring, smoked salmon, chopped egg or caviar and sour cream. They date back to the Middle Ages
BLINTZ: The traditional pancake of Jewish cuisine is fried and rolled with sweet or savory fillings, such as lox or cinnamon and sugar and sour cream.
CREIER DE RITEL PANE: A Romanian dish of pancakes filled with mashed calves brains, onion, parsley and eggs. Once filled, the pancake is dipped in eggs and breadcrumbs and deep fried.
CREPE: The French pancake is, of course, the thinnest of them all. Sweet or savory, crepes can be street food or served in a five-star restaurant. Crepes Suzette, once the epitome of luxury desserts, is doused with liqueur and set afire.
DADAR GUTUNG: This Indonesian pancake is wrapped around coconut meat cooked in water with brown sugar and flavored with lemon juice and cinnamon, with a little salt.
EIERKUCKAS: A rich pancake from the Alsace Lorraine region of Northeastern France. The batter is mixed with red currant jelly and cream.
FLENSJES: A thick Dutch pancake served for dessert with sugar, ginger, jam or marmalade.
FLAESKPANNKAKA: This Swedish pancake is cooked until nearly set, then pork or bacon is laid on top and cooked until completed.
INJERA: This spongy, yeasted pancake-like bread made from millet flour doubles as food and utensil in Ethiopia. One or two injera are placed on a large tray and then covered with various stews. Diners scoop the stew with torn pieces of extra injera. Lastly, the injera bread that lines the tray, soaked through with stew juices, is eaten.
LATKE: In Jewish cuisines, the crisp potato pancake is eaten with sour cream or applesauce.
PALASCINTA: A thin Hungarian pancake similar to and used like a French crepe. Also popular in Austria.
PANNEKOEKE: The basic Dutch pancake might be small, filled with custard and served as dessert, or large with bacon cooked into it and dressed with molasses as an entree.
PIKELETS: A yeasted pancake with a holey surface in England. In New Zealand and Australia, the term refers to tiny pancakes that are served cold with preserves, whipped cream or lemon butter.
PLOYES: French Canadian sweet or savory buckwheat pancakes cooked on one side only.
POH PIA: In Singapore, these pancakes are served with a variety of filling, such as chicken or fried garlic, and sauces for diners to choose from.
QATA-EF: In Egypt and Syria, these pancakes are cooked on one side, folded over a sweetened cheese or nut filling, then deep fried. Medieval Arabic cookbooks mention this dish.
TORTILLA: A thin pancake-like flatbread made of cornmeal or flour and water that dates back thousands of years in Mexico and Latin American cooking.
Finally, in case you need/want more information, here are a few good links:
