Please Send Kitchen Fairies, S'il Vous Plait!

I must confess that I’m not the world’s greatest cook.  Actually, I can probably only make about 6 things really well and 3 of those things are chocolate chip cookies.  It’s not that I don’t want to put delicious and attractive meals on the table, because I do!  It’s just been my experience that by the time I buy the ingredients, prepare the meal, and serve it up, there is nothing really delicious or attractive about it.  And I’m left wondering if all of that money, time and effort was really, really worth it?  Especially when a bowl of freshly popped popcorn, some yummy cut-up fruit, a spoonful of smooth peanut butter and a glass of refreshing, ice cold milk would have met all four food group requirements for a fraction of the price.  Not to mention how much time a meal like that saves so you can get on to the fun stuff! 

However, when I open a cookbook, I am swept away to a world where I am a good, no make that a sensational cook!  I see the pictures of all the delectable looking meals and desserts and for a few minutes I believe I can do this.  I just need to put on a pretty calico apron and perhaps some kitten heels (like in the 1950’s) and voila, I can magically whip up these dreamy looking dishes with a smile.  But alas, I close the book and reality sets in and it’s all just an unrealized dream.  Sometimes I really wish there were kitchen fairies.

For St. Patrick’s Day my kids and I got the $12 Pizza Delight special, put the seats down in the back of the van and had a picnic in the parking lot while we were waiting for dance lessons to start.  We laughed the whole time and had the best conversation...now that’s fine dining I can do!

P.S.  -  The Dewey Decimal # for cookbooks is 641.5 and Sussex Regional Library has a fabulous assortment.  Plus, March is Nutrition Month and the theme is Simply Cook and Enjoy!  I haven't given up hope yet.  : )

Children + Book + Librarian = Fantastique Magique!

I absolutely love that reading aloud to kids still has the power to capture their imaginations and sweep them away to another time and another place.  I walked into a grade 5 classroom the other day, a class that I've visited before, and as soon as they saw me they quickly got up out of their chairs and sat on the floor, gathering around me, knowing I had come to read them a story.  As I began to read chapter one I could tell the children were completely engaged and their minds were eager and willing to enter the world and meet the characters the author had created for them. And for me, nothing else existed except those children and the words on those pages.  I was completely consumed with the experience... I loved being in the presence of such an enthralled audience and I loved the challenge of trying to tell the story with as much authenticity and passion as possible to do justice to the author and to make the exchange interesting and real for the children.  The energy in the room was the perfect mix of curiousity and thinking and listening and speaking and responding.  Chapter one turned into chapter two and chapter two turned into chapter three and then the bell was going to ring.  And we were all left wondering what was going to happen next.  I felt completely blissful.  These are the moments this librarian lives for!