Tag: Food

Love Sugar Magic

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Love Sugar Magic (2018)
by Anna Meriano

Leo is suspicious.  Her family is keeping secrets and she wants to know what’s going on.  Eleven-year-old Leo has four older sisters who spend an awful lot of time at the family bakery.  When she discovers her mama and sisters are actually brujas (witches), she’s determined to learn as much as she can about magic.

This book is a wonderful story of family, friendship, magic, and being human.  Amidst magic and spirits, Meriano has created very real and relatable characters.  And despite occasional disagreements and conflicts between the family members, I just find myself wanting to cozy in at the bakery and be a part of the Logrono family for the day.

After reading (a somewhat edited version of) the book to my seven-year old, she has a new interest in panaderias and learning Spanish.  We read the first book of this series at the perfect time this fall, as it starts right before Dia de los Muertos.  Our daughter took the initiative in setting up an ofrenda of photos and a trail of flower petals leading to our door for November 1st.   In the week since we’ve read the first and second books of the series, we’ve been to two panaderias in our town that I never even knew were there.  I’m so grateful for these wonderful stories, and we’re very much looking forward to the rest of the series!

The Watermelon Seed

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The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

What kid hasn’t imagined the awful things that might happen inside his tummy if he swallowed a watermelon seed?  In this book, a watermelon-loving crocodile does just that.  After swallowing a seed, this crocodile plays out all the scenarios that must be going on inside.

There’s no heartfelt message or sentimental tears at the end of this book; it’s purely for fun—short, colorful, and silly .  My one-and-a-half-year old can’t get enough of this book right now, and our six-year old loves hearing it over and over as well.  I’m excited to read more by Greg Pizzoli!

Thunder Cake

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Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco (1997)

This book was published way past my own picture book days, but I came across it somewhere along the way in my adult life.  It must have made an impression, because when the summer storms started rolling in when our girl was a baby, I immediately thought of it.  Thunder Cake is every bit as darling as I remember it.

The story tells of a young girl afraid of the approaching thunder.  Her grandma coaxes her out from under the bed by promising they will make “thunder cake.”  As the two gather ingredients for the cake, the girl proves her bravery by facing some of her other fears.  The book ends, of course, with some delicious cake and hot tea amidst the rumbling storm.

We’ve baked our own “thunder cake” on many occasions.  Sometimes I hide the ingredients in corners of the house or porch for us to go find, just like the girl in the book.  (There is a recipe included in the book, but I usually use this one that doesn’t have any shortening.)

Julie and Julia

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Julie and Julia (2005) by Julie Powell

In 2002, Julie Powell wrote a blog about her attempt to make all 524 recipes from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  While this book came later, it is Ms. Powell’s telling of her year-long project and what she learned along the way.

I actually saw the movie version of this first—a few times, and I really liked it.  I still do.  But, I finally decided to read the book.  Hmm—what to say?  While I didn’t always agree with Julie’s views on life, I certainly did fly through the book fast enough.  That’s a good sign, since I —A) do not read books I don’t really enjoy and B) well, I can be easily offended.  So, the fact that I did read through some of the “language” and whatnot included in the book speaks well of it.

I feel like many people can relate to Julie.  I could, at least.  She’s got a good life, but feels like something is missing for her.  And when she takes on this project, she realizes that on the surface it doesn’t seem like anything monumental, but to her it becomes something more than just cooking recipes.  It becomes a way to connect with herself, to commit to something, to give her hope.  I love that she is not a perfectionist in the kitchen and that things do go wrong for her.  I actually enjoyed hearing about her breakdowns and tear-fests.  It wasn’t that I wanted Julie to be unhappy, but I loved that she wrote about her reality.  So many of the blogs I stumble across show photos of perfectly-iced cakes for kids’ birthday parties and wonderful, happy-filled moments.  It makes sense.  Not many people want to share their moments of frustration or their failed projects.  But, it’s actually kind of comforting to read about someone experiencing some of this who keeps going anyway.

from Julie and Julia
“Maybe I needed to…be a part of something that was not easy, just simple.”  p. 25