The Switch Witch and the Magic of Switchcraft is actually a beautiful gift set that includes a Switch Witch doll and a storybook centered on the Switch Witch character.
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This past August, I was privileged to take part in one of my sister-in-law’s (SIL) revered family traditions: making tomato sauce. Oh the carnage, the mess, the bloodbath! Of course, I’m talking about all the prep work that goes into making my SIL’s secret family tomato sauce. No worries, SIL. I won’t divulge your mother’s sacred recipe—only what I’ve learned from participating in such a fun, family ritual.
Third, once the pot is full (four fingers from the top—believe me this is a science), the burner is lit, and the tomato juice has to come to a rapid boil.
The whole tomato sauce ordeal takes about twelve hours (not counting prep time) and is a hell of a lot of work. So the question I pose to you is, was this family tradition worth the time, energy, and effort? YOU BET IT WAS! Not only did we make enough tomato sauce to carry three to four households over the year, but we were TOGETHER the entire day. Other then holidays and celebrations, how often does that happen in this day and age?
By: Aline Pereira,
on 11/25/2009
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Eventful World, Thanksgiving books, Reading the World, Jacqueline Jules, family traditions, Colorin Colorado, inclusiveness, holiday traditions, Duck for Turkey Day, Kathryn Mitter, Multicultural Meals, Add a tag
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By: Bianca Schulze,
on 10/19/2015
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Health, Halloween, Ages 4-8, Food and Drink, Tradition, Dolls, Gift Books, featured, Family Traditions, Activity Books, Halloween Books, Books About Witches, Candy Books, Holiday Gift Guide Kids Books, Healthy Eating Books for Kids, Audrey R. Kinsman, Milena Kirkova, Add a tag
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Health, Halloween, Ages 4-8, Food and Drink, Tradition, Dolls, Gift Books, featured, Family Traditions, Activity Books, Halloween Books, Books About Witches, Candy Books, Holiday Gift Guide Kids Books, Healthy Eating Books for Kids, Audrey R. Kinsman, Milena Kirkova, Add a tag
By: Sharon Ledwith,
on 10/13/2014
Blog: Sharon Ledwith: I came. I saw. I wrote. (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Thanksgiving, Family Traditions, Family Ties, Family Rituals, Tomato Sauce, Family Matters, Add a tag
Blog: Sharon Ledwith: I came. I saw. I wrote. (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Thanksgiving, Family Traditions, Family Ties, Family Rituals, Tomato Sauce, Family Matters, Add a tag
This past August, I was privileged to take part in one of my sister-in-law’s (SIL) revered family traditions: making tomato sauce. Oh the carnage, the mess, the bloodbath! Of course, I’m talking about all the prep work that goes into making my SIL’s secret family tomato sauce. No worries, SIL. I won’t divulge your mother’s sacred recipe—only what I’ve learned from participating in such a fun, family ritual.First, like writing a book, making tomato sauce requires a whole lot of preparation! There are the tomato bushels to order and pick up. Get the equipment out. Setting up the equipment and tables. Scheduling family members. Buying tomato paste and spices. I tell you it’s a first-class production!
Second, delegation is the key. I looked at this entire operation through the eyes of an author and thought how genius my SIL is. She stationed certain family members for washing the tomatoes (as a newbie, I got to help my nephew with that job). Other family and drop-by neighbors (poor buggers) were commissioned to cut up the tomatoes into quarters. Then, once a few bushels were filled up with severed tomatoes (I know, sounds horrific), they’re placed in a grinder that separates the skins and seeds from the juice, which flows into a large pot set on a propane burner.
Third, once the pot is full (four fingers from the top—believe me this is a science), the burner is lit, and the tomato juice has to come to a rapid boil.Fourth, once the juice boils, the secret ingredients must be added. This is my niece’s specialty, and she has this down to an art. And if I spill the beans here, she will hunt me down, and squish me like one of those poor tomatoes. Yikes! After the said ‘secret ingredients’ are in the pot, the tomato juice must be set to boil for 45 minutes.
Fifth, a small pot of tomato juice is scooped out of the large pot after the 45 minutes has expired, then placed into another pot with about two large scoops of tomato paste. This concoction is mixed together and placed back into the large, boiling pot. This is akin to editing, rewriting, editing, and rewriting until the author is happy with the story. It’s the process that solidifies the sauce (or in my case, story).
Sixth, finally comes the jarring. Honestly, it’s like being on a production line. SIL stands ready with a jar while my brother pours the sauce into a one liter jar. She quickly puts a lid on it, turns the jar upside down, and goes on to the next jar until the whole pot is emptied. They usually make about 4 pots which fills 50 jars per pot. Wow, that’s a whole lotta sauce!
The whole tomato sauce ordeal takes about twelve hours (not counting prep time) and is a hell of a lot of work. So the question I pose to you is, was this family tradition worth the time, energy, and effort? YOU BET IT WAS! Not only did we make enough tomato sauce to carry three to four households over the year, but we were TOGETHER the entire day. Other then holidays and celebrations, how often does that happen in this day and age? Family traditions, no matter what they are comprised of, keep the bloodline going long after the older generation have gone. Part of what has been passed along flows to the next generation, and hopefully the next one, and the next. And that is one of the reasons why I write books—to pass on what I’ve learned and experienced from my family and from my life.
Do you have any long-standing family traditions you participate in? Or have you started a new one? Love to hear your comments. Cheers and thanks for reading my blog!
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By: Bianca Schulze,
on 6/26/2014
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Poetry & Rhyme, Candy Books, Katherine James, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Food and Drink, Tradition, Author Interviews, Bedtime, Gift Books, featured, Author Showcase, Family Traditions, Jan Dolby, Add a tag
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Poetry & Rhyme, Candy Books, Katherine James, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Food and Drink, Tradition, Author Interviews, Bedtime, Gift Books, featured, Author Showcase, Family Traditions, Jan Dolby, Add a tag
On special occasions the girls’ parents told them of THE SUGAR PLUM TREE and they awoke to small candy treats or TREASURE waiting under their beds. It’s this TRADITION, of POETRY IN ACTION, the girls now hope to pass on to your family.
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By: Bianca Schulze,
on 6/26/2014
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Poetry & Rhyme, Candy Books, Katherine James, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Food and Drink, Tradition, Bedtime, Gift Books, Author Showcase, Family Traditions, Jan Dolby, Add a tag
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Poetry & Rhyme, Candy Books, Katherine James, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Food and Drink, Tradition, Bedtime, Gift Books, Author Showcase, Family Traditions, Jan Dolby, Add a tag
Inspired by Eugene Field’s (1850-1895) original The Sugar Plum Tree poem, here is a deliciously sweet bedtime book from Katherine James that takes young readers across the Lollipop Sea to the Garden of Shut Eye Town where the Sugar Plum Tree grows.
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By: Aline Pereira,
on 11/25/2009
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Eventful World, Thanksgiving books, Reading the World, Jacqueline Jules, family traditions, Colorin Colorado, inclusiveness, holiday traditions, Duck for Turkey Day, Kathryn Mitter, Multicultural Meals, Add a tag
As our world gets smaller and people from different cultures find themselves sharing one same country, traditions once thought to belong to a particular group are bound to mix with others and acquire new flavors. Sometimes quite literally, as it happens in Duck for Turkey Day.
Written by Jacqueline Jules and illustrated by Kathryn Mitter, Duck for Turkey Day is about Tuyet, a young girl who wants to celebrate Thanksgiving the “right way.” Her excitement about making turkey crafts and singing turkey songs at school is damped when grandma reminds her that they will be having duck, not turkey, for Thanksgiving because “Our family likes duck better.”
When mealtime comes, the wonderful smells of grandma’s special duck recipe fill the house. At the table they take turns expressing their gratitude: for their home, their food, the country where they live… The main menu? Not duck, but family love.
A good time was had by all, but the idea of “sharing time” at school the following Monday has Tuyet worried. “What will Mrs. Cook say about eating duck on Turkey Day?”. When the day comes and she finally tells her classmates about her Thanksgiving meal, they join in with menus of their own: from enchiladas to lamb to tofu turkey to chicken with noddles. Their non-turkey meals remind Tuyet that, even though Turkey Day revolves around food, it’s having a thankful heart and sharing a meal together with those you love that matter the most.
You can watch the book trailer of Duck for Turkey Day here, and for more books on the various aspects of Thanksgiving, check out Colorin Colorado’s reading list.
PaperTigers wishes a Happy Thanksgiving to all who may be celebrating the day!
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