More Books - More Readers

Continuing with our initiative to provide welcoming gifts to babies and toddlers in order to help build readers throughout our community.
For a couple of toddlers Green Frog Gifts created a themed bag to hold a new book and a stuffed animal.

 and then it's spring by Julie Fogilano and illustrated by Erin E. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2012). 

Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead, and illustrated by Erin E. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2012)

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel Books, 2013)

A sequel created by Daywalt and Jeffers could also be paired with this crayon themed package.  The Day the Crayons Came Home (Philomel Books, 2015).









Check out our other book packages for young readers at http://greenfroggifts.blogspot.com/2015/05/building-readers-one-baby-at-time.html -- Green Frog Gifts helps to build readers -- one baby/toddler at a time.

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Do you have a book package that you'd like to order -- suggest something special just for you...  Visit Greenfroggifts on Etsy for the latest choices. 

Order cookie cutters, aprons, and baker's cloths from Green Frog Gifts -- unique gifts -- many $10.00 or under.

Creating a Hat for a Proper Tea

I needed a hat for a proper tea.  I wanted one with some deep red - perhaps a touch of pink.  My tea party attire would be black palazzo pants, a white lace top, pink lace scarf, pearls -- and my hat.  Finding a hat proved problematic -- sooo...
I found a hat the color that I needed.

And removed the beige -- that would not do.

Got some flowers in the shades / colors that I wanted.

A hot glue gun ... but when I took the flowers off the stem I had to glue the layers of petals to one another to keep some of  them from coming apart.  

Added layers of flowers onto the right side of the hat, and trailed them around to the front.

When this hat was worn the left brim was tilted up.

I ended up liking it a lot.
And then I went in search of an appropriate hostess gift ... a tea cup filled with carnations and other color appropriate flowers was what I wanted.  

Now to plan another tea party and begin searching for other vintage tea cups to create more flower arrangements.

Want to plan a tea party -- check out some of the book recommendations at McBookwords' A Proper Tea Party post.

Order fun gifts from Green Frog Gifts -- unique gifts -- many $10.00 or under.

Tuffles for Valentine's Day

I love chocolate truffles -- here is a friend's basic recipe.  Use the basic and experiment with white chocolate chips, white or dark chocolate almond bark, crushed nuts, or coconut.

Jean's Truffles 

• 6 cups semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Ghirardelli baking cups)
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 Tablespoon sweet red wine 
• 16 ounce bar of almond bark (or more if you want white and brown chocolate)
• coconut, chopped nuts, or whatever you might wish to garnish the truffles with.

Directions:

1. Step 1: In a very large mixing bowl, beat the 16 ounces of cream cheese with an electric mixer until soft an fluffy.  Gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar until completely incorporated.
2. Step 2: (Melting the chocolate) Melt semisweet chocolate in a double boiler (or if you don't have a double boiler set a heat proof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.  Make sure no water gets into the chocolate or the chocolate will seize).  Stir occasionally until the chips are melted and smooth.  Remove from heat.
3. Step 3: Add the wine, and stir the melted chocolate into the cheese/sugar mixture.  Once all is stirred together into a dough like mixture.  Cover and refrigerate the dough for one hour or until firm.
4. Step 4: Shape the mixture into 3/4 inch balls and place on a baking tray lined with parchment / waxed paper.  
5. Step 5: Melt the almond bark.  Dip the individual truffles in the almond bark to coat the outside, or simply drizzle almond bark in a decorative design over the truffles.  Use you imagination.

For Valentines day -- Use white chocolate chips, make the truffles, dip into the almond bark, and coat the truffles with the white almond bark, and then drizzle white almond bark tinted pink.

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Order cookie cutters, aprons, and baker's cloths from Green Frog Gifts -- unique gifts -- many $10.00 or under.

Cabbage - Cole Slaw

Sweet Cole Slaw

The season of fresh produce from local farmer's markets is here.  Fresh cabbage is plentiful - or will be in a few days.  This is a very simple recipe for a delicious cole slaw.

1 head of cabbage
1 small can of crushed pineapple
1 granny smith apple
1 pint jar of Jimmy's Cole Slaw dressing
Poppy Seed- a tablespoon or so.

Chop the cabbage - I use the slicing disk on my food processor, but otherwise just slice very thinly with a sharp kitchen knife. Chop the granny smith apple into small chunks, then add in a small can of crushed pineapple (drain), shake on some poppy seed, and stir the Jimmy's Cole Slaw dressing on the cabbage mixture.

Simple, fast, tasty -- very good.



Very young cooks will be able to make this cole slaw with just a little help with the food processor and with the chopping of the apple.  Makes a great side dish for meat loaf, spaghetti and meat balls, lemon baked chicken, actually any main dish that requires a salad of some sort.
Good food and good books go together -- Order cookie cutters, aprons, and baker's cloths and some unique "bookish" gifts from Green Frog Gifts -- many $10.00 or under.

Rhubarb - 'Tis the Season

rhu·barb  

/ˈro͞oˌbärb/

Noun The thick leaf stalks of a cultivated plant of the dock family, which are reddish or green and eaten as a fruit after cooking. The large-leaved Eurasian plant (Rheum rhaponticum) that produces these stems.

Synonyms --pieplant

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Rhubarb makes a delicious Rhubarb pie — whether alone or combined with strawberries. Rhubarb Pie is a staple in the restaurants in the Amana Colonies - a historical area in the middle of Iowa.  Making a good crust is a talent -- and if making it fresh, time-consuming.  Much quicker and just as delicious is a good rhubarb crisp.  It takes only minutes to put together and then into the oven while you are preparing for guests or making the rest of the meal.  Serve it warm with ice cream (we like using a butter crunch) or with whipped cream.

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Cite this article:

McElmeel, Sharron. (2014, April 2). Rhubarb -'Tis the Season. Green Frog Gifts (Blog). http://bit.ly/rhubarbtime2

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Celebrate Dr. Seuss

Celebrate Dr. Seuss TODAY

March 2, 2014 is the 110th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Seuss.  Celebrate with green eggs and ham

Or if you just can't deal with "green eggs" create your own version of Scrambled Eggs Super.



or party with some of the ideas at http://www.pinterest.com/mcelmeel2002/dr-seuss/ (thanks Christina)

Or sew a quilt or two, make some cookies, wear a red and white shirt --For some unique autographed books and book related gifts visit http://greenfrog-gifts.com

This week's Favorites - BOOKS

This week we have two new favorite books -- both are by Chris Raschka --
Pryor reads them over and over (well he looks, someone else reads the words but I have not doubt but what he is reading in his mind as he knows every page.)

He's already learned that crabs have two claws, eight feet, and only walk sideways. And then he might like to try the Gluten-free Oatmeal raisin cookies (bet they are better tasting than chewing grass like cowy cow has to do).

 

These two books, Crabby Crab and Cowy Cow (both Abrams Appleseed, 2014) are new titles brought out to accompany  Lamby Lamb and Whaley Whale. In September 2014, new titles Buggy Bug and Clammy Clam will be published alongside refreshed editions of Moosey Moose, and Doggy Dog.   

For some unique autographed books and book related gifts visit http://greenfrog-gifts.com