"Sofia dumped the little pear-shaped figs into a bowl on the table. She dished out more helpings of gelato, each with three scoops and a fig. " - Three Scoops and a Fig, Sara Laux Akin
I grew up in a town that was once covered in fig orchards (now many of those orchards have become housing developments and shopping malls), but I have to be honest, I don't think I'd actually eaten a fresh fig until sometime last year. I feel embarrassed to even admit this but its true. I wasn't sure what to do with them so I sliced them and put them in yogurt for the kids. That seemed about right.
presents a similar but tastier option for those looking to use up a fig surplus. Sofia, Akins' young protagonist, comes from a family of cooks. Her family owns an Italian restaurant and her older siblings contribute their own specialties to the family dinner table. On the occasion of her grandparents' anniversary, Sofia just wants to help her family as their prepare a special dinner but she keeps getting in the way. Unnoticed by her busy family, Sofia decides to slip away with a bowl of gelato for breakfast. When an errant fig from the fig tree drops into Sofia's bowl she discovers a new treat--and a way to contribute to the family dinner. Illustrator Susan Kathleen Hartung's muted colors and depiction of a close knit, multi-generational family infuse the story with warmth.
includes extras--a recipe for an "Italian Flag Sundae" and a glossary of Italian words and phrases used in the story. Although the Italian Flag Sundae sounded delicious, I decided to stick with Sofia's original recipe.
1. Scoop ice cream into bowls. In order to stay true to the book I used three (small) scoops in each child's bowl.
The theme for Illustration Friday this week was dessert, so of course I thought, “Ice Cream!” Then I remembered that I did a series of images with cows and ice cream a while back for Project Cow (I drew a cow a day for a year; it was leap year, so there were 366 cows) and also for my cafepress shop. Feast your eyes on the ice cream cows!
Mint and Chocolate Cow
The mint chocolate cow is my favorite of the series. The cow is chocolate with mint spots and the ice cream is mint with chocolate chips.
Sherbet Cows
It seems like you can’t get just plain orange sherbet these days but everyone has rainbow sherbet. I broke out the flavors in this drawing of sherbet cows.
Neapolitan Cow
Funny story about the Neapolitan cow: when I put the drawing on t-shirts in my shop, I didn’t realize that I’d made a typo. In fact, I didn’t realize it until I my mom ordered a t-shirt and I saw her wearing it. Ack! Luckily, nobody else ordered the misspelled version and it has since been corrected.
Marble Swirl
I had so much fun making the Neapolitan cow that I flipped it and added a swirl of chocolate and caramel!
Ice Cream Sandwich Cow
How can you have ice cream cows without having an ice cream sandwich cow? You can’t. Therefore I made this drawing. This cow has a fraternal twin with cookies and cream instead of ice cream.
Raspberry Parfait
Last, but not least is the raspberry parfait cow. I have to admit that whenever I hear Prince’s song, Raspberry Beret, this is what I think of. The lyrics are changed in my head to: “She ate a raspberry parfait, the kind you’d find in an ice cram store. Raspberry parfait …” Sorry Prince!
I hope my ice cream cows made you scream for ice cream! Well not
A week ago, Ryan at POM Wonderful offered to send me a case of pomegranate juice to welcome me back to blogging; how could I say no?
After receiving the shipment, I immediately began to think of ways to incorporate those antioxidant filled juices into my diet. Aside from the obvious option of drinking the pom juice, I wanted to create something that I knew my family would enjoy.
I went to something foolproof: I made ice cream. And it’s okay, that I’m feeding my family ice cream, because it’s got antioxidants, right?
Pomegranate Ice Cream
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 1/4 cups cream
- Combined pomegranate juice and lemon juice.
- Add sugar to liquids and whisk until dissolved.
- Add cream.
- Whisk until soft peaks form.
- Freeze for at least for hours (or overnight).
Enjoy.
"'There are lemonade licks
And syrupy sticks,
Raspberry rockets
And pineapple pockets.
And my special flavor for today
Is Fun Valley Smash:
Raspberry-strawberry-marshmallow mash.'
Oh, my they did taste good." - The Good Humor Man, Kathleen N. Daly
When I was pregnant with my oldest son a co-worker gave me a set of reissued classic Little Golden Books as part of a shower gift. One of the books in the set was
The Good Humor Man, a book I had overlooked (or perhaps it had been out of print) during my own childhood of reading and collecting Little Golden Books (perhaps someday I will write a post about the profound influence these books had on my life as a reader). I have very vivid memories of sitting on the floor in the nursery reading aloud to my infant son while he did tummy time on a blanket beside me. Later, this ended up being the book we would throw in a backpack or carryon to take on airplanes or day trips into the city. Simply put, this book with its sweet story and 60s era charm is a family favorite.
Kathleen N. Daly's story about a neighborhood ice cream man who brings treats to families in a typical 60s suburban neighborhood seems almost outdated. When is the last time you saw an ice cream man? I am pretty sure that my kids know about ice cream men only from this book, although the ice cream truck was a fixture in the California neighborhood
I grew up in. In the book we see the Good Humor man make his rounds in his white truck, selling "raspberry rockets" and "pineapple pockets" to the families on his route. One of his customers is a lonely boy named Johnny. Another customer, who lives way up on a hill outside of town, is an older woman who has a visiting grandson, Dick: he's also lonely. The next day, when the Good Humor man notices Johnny is without his puppy, he learns the dog is lost. But hooray! Dick and Granny have found the puppy! This inspires the Good Humor man to play matchmaker--Johnny gets his puppy back and, in the process, he and Dick become friends.
Tibor Gergeley's original illustrations are perfectly paired with Daly's text, perhaps more now than when the book was published in 1964. The retro look (which is, of course, "retro" only by present day 2010's standards) perfectly complements this story of a bygone era--when the highlight of a family's summer day might well have been the ice cream man's visit.
Drawing inspiration from the Good Humor man's flavors, we made some ice pops on this first weekend in June.
Fun Valley Smash
"Fun Valley Smash" is the Good Humor man's special flavor of the day. He describes it as being "raspberry-strawberry-marshmallow mash."
Ingredients:
- raspberries
- strawberries
- marshmallow creme
- vanilla yogurt
Additional equipment: Stick blender, ice pop mold (mine was $2.00 at Target)
1. Wash fruit. Chop stems off strawberries and cut into smaller pieces. Place in blender cup.
2. Use stick blender to puree fruit. Children should be supervised during this process.
"When you are quiet, what do you hear?" - When I am Quiet on Maui, Judi Riley
It's been an unseasonably cool spring in the Bay Area. I am a warm weather kind of girl. I long for the warm sun. We can't control the weather but we can escape to a warmer place via our books.
A few years ago, when my boys were very young (not-quite-three and seven months), we spent a week in Maui. Although I don't necessarily recommend taking kids that young to Maui if you're expecting a restful and relaxing vacation, it is a favorite family memory of that time in our lives. When we want to remind the boys of our trip we watch videos and look at pictures or we read When I am Quiet on Maui, a book my husband and I brought back from a solo Maui trip a couple of years later.
Judi Riley's When I am Quiet on Maui is a peaceful book, a perfect reflection of the laid back island lifestyle. The first two pages, in fact, are just two questions (one per page) on a white background: "When you are quiet, what do you hear? When you are still, what do you feel?" With this we are brought into the book, which takes us through a child's day on the island of Maui. We learn about the island through sights and sounds. Each spread shows an illustration on the left with a single statement on the opposite page--a painting of koi and plumeria flowers in a pond is accompanied by, "When I am quiet in Wailea long before lunch, I hear the plumeria cascade into the koi pond." This is not a book to turn to if you're looking for excitement or a story where something happens. It is more like poetry, calm meditations just right for settling into a calm state of mind (perhaps right before naptime). It reminds us of the beauty of nature (found in a specific place) and the importance of slowing down and taking note of the world around us. It also introduces Hawaiian vocabulary, with proper pronunciations and definitions in footnotes at the bottom of the pages. (Crucial for parents who stumble over the word humuhumunukunukuapua'a.)
We made two different treats to get us into the Hawaiian spirit (they also went well with our
Lost series finale viewing after the boys were in bed).
Lava Flow Smoothies
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. coconut cream
- 2 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice
- 4 large strawberries (or handful of frozen strawberries)
- 1 small, ripe banana
- ice
Additional equipment: Blender, paper umbrella (optional)
1. Puree the strawberries in blender.
2. Pour strawberry puree in glass.
3. Puree pineapple juice, coconut cream and banana in blender with crushed ice. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour pineapple/coconut/banana mixture into glass. The strawberry puree should rise to the top, like a lava flow.
Sketching today after a wonderful Ice cream!
I left The Duke of Duckworth, the Ship Inn (and me buddy Alan) and walked up to (and I do mean UP; the incline of these hills are steep!) Bishop Feild elementary on Bond Street and Kings Road. My in-laws were there attending a “skit night” as part of the school reunion. But since I [...]
Posted on 8/4/2009
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Time Machine, Three Trips: Where Would You Go?
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A bucket list is a list some people put together of things they want to do before they die. A bucket list, in my opinion is really dumb, because once you have completed it, there is nothing of value left for you to do, except die. With that said, I have put together my own bucket list, a list of buckets.
Metal Buckets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudor/3255427501/
Metal buckets are always nice when they get wet, bashed around a bit, and become rusty. Here we see some lovely buckets containing railroad spikes, all good and rusty. Presumably the other buckets have rusted out the bottom thus can not hold water any longer. Pity, after all a bottomless bucket is not nearly as useful.
Beach Buckets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinkerroll21/2684563098/
These beauties have the advantage in that they can come in many colors and can be filled with wet sand, and flipped over, to create wonderful sand castles. Every year hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of beach buckets are swept away from their owners. Many wash ashore a short time later but some are pulled out into the ocean and are swept to foreign sands. Perhaps some are floating in the giant sea of garbage that has been reported in the Pacific Ocean.
Hydraulic Buckets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lori_greig/2034382703/
Buckets that can lift people up are pretty cool too. I wonder how much they charge for a ride in one of those things? These buckets have to be made out of hard fiberglass and usually have holes in the bottom to let rain water out. Attached to a hydraulic lift they can be controlled by the people in them or at the bottom of the device.
Water Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/garydenness/1500856927/
When in need of a drink, or putting out a fire, nothing beats a water bucket. As we have learned earlier, a plastic bucket is probably the best for the job. This mans life would not be the same if not for his water bucket. It might be all he owns.
Bucket Seats
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmic_spanner/2706706837/
Individual seats in a car, which separate the driver from the other front seat passenger are called bucket seats, especially so when they are form fitted. While they do not allow for cuddling as the bench seat does, they are certainly more popular. As always, be sure to buckle up.
Head Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mugley/511939333/
When out with somebody more pretty than yourself, a head bucket might come in handy. Not too common, but possibly they are a relatively new thing in the bucket industry, look for them to gain popularity in the next few years. Perhaps we shall see them in new colors. I would stay away from metal head buckets as they would probably be hot.
Feed Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/charliebrewer/78335363/
Probably a favorite of many, the feed bucket is certainly preferred by other animals. I would have to say it is one of my favorites too, I love taking food out to my critters. If you personally do not like feed buckets you might like the bucket next on the list.
Ice Cream Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brettlider/67051314/
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream buckets. No matter how old we get, most of us still love ice cream. Nowadays we can buy ice cream by the bucket full, but it use to be we made it in wooden buckets. My favorites are licorice, Butter Pecan, Maple Walnut, and most recently Ginger ice cream.
Garbage Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/devnull/140485451/
Don’t ever throw away ice cream, eat it all. Use the garbage bucket only for things you cannot eat, or recycle. Garbage buckets tend to get smelly and are not often a favorite bucket of anyones. They are usually plastic, which is not really a good choice, because plastic is porous, meaning it can contain odors and bacteria. Even my garbage bucket is plastic, I’m tough and a few million bacteria do not scare me.
Really Big Buckets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cindy47452/55239683/
Usually the front end loader part of a tractor is called the bucket, but they get even bigger than that on earth movers. This bucket is not even as big as they come, it has been neglected for some time. In quarries and mines up north they have huge buckets.
Feel free to make your own Bucket list. I am tired.
Posted on 8/4/2009
Blog:
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A bucket list is a list some people put together of things they want to do before they die. A bucket list, in my opinion is really dumb, because once you have completed it, there is nothing of value left for you to do, except die. With that said, I have put together my own bucket list, a list of buckets.
Metal Buckets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudor/3255427501/
Metal buckets are always nice when they get wet, bashed around a bit, and become rusty. Here we see some lovely buckets containing railroad spikes, all good and rusty. Presumably the other buckets have rusted out the bottom thus can not hold water any longer. Pity, after all a bottomless bucket is not nearly as useful.
Beach Buckets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinkerroll21/2684563098/
These beauties have the advantage in that they can come in many colors and can be filled with wet sand, and flipped over, to create wonderful sand castles. Every year hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of beach buckets are swept away from their owners. Many wash ashore a short time later but some are pulled out into the ocean and are swept to foreign sands. Perhaps some are floating in the giant sea of garbage that has been reported in the Pacific Ocean.
Hydraulic Buckets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lori_greig/2034382703/
Buckets that can lift people up are pretty cool too. I wonder how much they charge for a ride in one of those things? These buckets have to be made out of hard fiberglass and usually have holes in the bottom to let rain water out. Attached to a hydraulic lift they can be controlled by the people in them or at the bottom of the device.
Water Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/garydenness/1500856927/
When in need of a drink, or putting out a fire, nothing beats a water bucket. As we have learned earlier, a plastic bucket is probably the best for the job. This mans life would not be the same if not for his water bucket. It might be all he owns.
Bucket Seats
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmic_spanner/2706706837/
Individual seats in a car, which separate the driver from the other front seat passenger are called bucket seats, especially so when they are form fitted. While they do not allow for cuddling as the bench seat does, they are certainly more popular. As always, be sure to buckle up.
Head Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mugley/511939333/
When out with somebody more pretty than yourself, a head bucket might come in handy. Not too common, but possibly they are a relatively new thing in the bucket industry, look for them to gain popularity in the next few years. Perhaps we shall see them in new colors. I would stay away from metal head buckets as they would probably be hot.
Feed Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/charliebrewer/78335363/
Probably a favorite of many, the feed bucket is certainly preferred by other animals. I would have to say it is one of my favorites too, I love taking food out to my critters. If you personally do not like feed buckets you might like the bucket next on the list.
Ice Cream Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brettlider/67051314/
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream buckets. No matter how old we get, most of us still love ice cream. Nowadays we can buy ice cream by the bucket full, but it use to be we made it in wooden buckets. My favorites are licorice, Butter Pecan, Maple Walnut, and most recently Ginger ice cream.
Garbage Bucket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/devnull/140485451/
Don’t ever throw away ice cream, eat it all. Use the garbage bucket only for things you cannot eat, or recycle. Garbage buckets tend to get smelly and are not often a favorite bucket of anyones. They are usually plastic, which is not really a good choice, because plastic is porous, meaning it can contain odors and bacteria. Even my garbage bucket is plastic, I’m tough and a few million bacteria do not scare me.
Really Big Buckets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cindy47452/55239683/
Usually the front end loader part of a tractor is called the bucket, but they get even bigger than that on earth movers. This bucket is not even as big as they come, it has been neglected for some time. In quarries and mines up north they have huge buckets.
Feel free to make your own Bucket list. I am tired.
Posted on 7/22/2009
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Time Machine, Three Trips: Where Would You Go?
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- Eat a pickle
- Call 9-1-1
- Scream at your cat/dog
- Strangle a teddy bear
- Run after the ice-cream man NUDE
- Put a potato in his exhaust pipe
- Look at the ice-cream sales person and yell/scream
- While eating a pickle call 9-1-1 and tell them, that the ice-cream man is yelling at a Teddy bear while in the nude
- Buy some ice-cream
Posted on 7/22/2009
Blog:
Time Machine, Three Trips: Where Would You Go?
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fun,
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10,
here,
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- Eat a pickle
- Call 9-1-1
- Scream at your cat/dog
- Strangle a teddy bear
- Run after the ice-cream man NUDE
- Put a potato in his exhaust pipe
- Look at the ice-cream sales person and yell/scream
- While eating a pickle call 9-1-1 and tell them, that the ice-cream man is yelling at a Teddy bear while in the nude
- Buy some ice-cream
What a messy looking page of notes and images, eh? I took a break from work and went into the Pointe Claire Village (PCV) to sketch. A new shop opened up July 1–Le Bilboquet Cafe/Glacier. Yes, a second ice cream shop has opened in the PCV. This one is only a 60 second walk from [...]
New in paperback and just in time for those hot summer days is Marilyn Powell's Ice Cream: The Delicious History. In this informative and entertaining volume, we are taken on an exotic journey from the old world to the new, from ice harvesting in ancient China to birthday celebrations in the age of Louis XIV to ice cream cones painted by Andy Warhol in the twentieth century. It’s a story filled with history, adventure, myth, and intriguing facts about ice cream. Containing illustrations, anecdotes, and famous recipes, Ice Cream will delight ice cream lovers around the world.
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You might as well know my weakness. It’s ice cream. Any flavour, most kinds, regardless of country of origin. I am extremely ice cream tolerant and I wonder if Bob Graham had similar thoughts when he penned his latest picture book masterpiece, Vanilla Icecream.
Graham’s dramatic narration of the little sparrow’s epic journey stuns you with its beautiful brevity and makes you want to follow the courageous new immigrant and know if Edie’s and his paths will ever cross again. This is a largely self-indulgent desire on my part as I get quite caught up in Graham’s snapshots of life, wanting them to never end. Nonetheless, end they must and this one’s delicious denouement is as immeasurably satisfying as a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
There are numerous wordless pages in this picture book as Graham shapes much of the narration visually with his splendid, slightly sassy, culturally sensitive illustrations. Graham has the unique, unaffected knack of suffusing modern day nuances with old-fashioned appeal into his pictures that draw the eye of young and old alike deep into the story in spite of the apparent simplicity on shown on the page.
presents a similar but tastier option for those looking to use up a fig surplus. Sofia, Akins' young protagonist, comes from a family of cooks. Her family owns an Italian restaurant and her older siblings contribute their own specialties to the family dinner table. On the occasion of her grandparents' anniversary, Sofia just wants to help her family as their prepare a special dinner but she keeps getting in the way. Unnoticed by her busy family, Sofia decides to slip away with a bowl of gelato for breakfast. When an errant fig from the fig tree drops into Sofia's bowl she discovers a new treat--and a way to contribute to the family dinner. Illustrator Susan Kathleen Hartung's muted colors and depiction of a close knit, multi-generational family infuse the story with warmth.
1 Comments on When I am Quiet on Maui - Lava Flow Smoothies and Roasted Pineapple with Ice Cream, last added: 5/25/2010.jpg?picon=811)
Glad to see you are taking time to relax and enjoy the summer!! It's always fun to be propelled off the roadblock of writing.
DL Larson
Well done:)
Thanks for info
great info ! thanks!
Every details in this blog is very educating and easy to understand. keep it up. I love it.