Category Archives: Books

A Walk in the Park with Dr. Seuss in Abilene

In Abilene, Texas, next to the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau you will find a land of magic, imagination and rhymes. Everman Park is the place of wonder and the beginning of the Storybook Sculpture Project which holds major characters from Dr. Seuss.

As the story goes, the mayor of Abilene enjoyed reading “Santa Calls” by William Joyce to a group of children every year. This was a particular favorite as the book took place in Abilene. One year, Mr. Joyce was invited to visit and an idea was born. The following year, the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature (NCCIL) was established and a sculpture with children from “Santa Calls” was created. As time moved on, another sculpture was created and children continued to ask for more characters.

The Children’s Art & Literacy Festival (C.A.L.F.) was created in 2012. This first event was a celebration honoring Dr. Seuss. Six sculptures came which now rest in Everman Park.

In 2013, Walter Wick was honored at the C.A.L.F.. His “Can You See What I See” books expanded the sculptures hidden in town. To keep the wonderment alive, his six sculptures can be found in throughout town (including the Abilene Zoo, The Grace Museum and the Public Library). The mystery is for children to find them using hints from the Seymour Passport.

Over the years, the sculptures have expanded throughout town to include characters such as Santa, The Easter Bunny and Sandman. Currently, there are a total of 14 sculptures throughout Abilene. It’s really something to drive around downtown Abilene and see random sculptures from our childhood favorites and imagination. They’ve come to life.

For more information, including a map of the sculptures found throughout the area, see the below link to the Storybook Sculpture Project. What an incredible opportunity to explore Abilene with children, lots of imagination and your favorite books!

What is your favorite children’s book?

For more information:
Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau
Storybook Sculpture Project
Everman Park Admission: FreeChildren’s Art & Literacy Festival

Homemade Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Maker

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Georgia Pellegrini, Modern Pioneering, Recipe

Ice cream is one of my favorite foods. It doesn’t matter if it’s -10 or 110 degrees, I won’t turn it down. Making ice cream is an entirely new story until I came across a recipe on how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker in Georgia Pellegrini’s Modern Pioneering. This recipe is delicious and you’ll just be asking for more!

Georgia Pellegrini, Modern Pioneering, Recipe

Georgia Pellegrini's Homemade Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker. Makes 1 Quart

Author: Georgia Pellegrini

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
¾ cup sugar

Directions

Put a 2-quart bown (plastic/stainless steel) in freezer.
Heat milk, cream and salt in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring gently so it doesn't scorch. Bring it to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 20 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until they are light in color. Temper the yolks by gradually adding a bit of the warm milk to the yolk mixture. Keep stirring continually, scraping down the sides to avoid scrambled eggs.
Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan and stir the mixture continually with a wooden spoon over low heat until it thickens to the point where you can leave a track with your finger on the back of the spoon. (About 10 minutes.) Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Pour the liquid into the chilled bow and set back into the freezer for 45 minutes. Remove the bowl from the freezer and use a spatula/whisk to mix the frozen edge of the custard, then return to the freezer. Repeat this process every 30 minutes until the custard is uniformly frozen and creamy.
Transfer the mixture to a sealable container and store it for up to five days.

Georgia Pellegrini’s Modern Pioneering

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Disclaimer: I was not paid for this blog post, however I did receive a free copy of Modern Pioneering in exchange for this post. As always, all opinions are my own.

Modern-Pioneering

I LOVE being able to create things myself. Whether it’s crafts, attempting to garden or cooking. I like to think it comes from my upbringing. In an age where there’s always someone that we can pay to do something for us, where did the satisfaction go of just doing it ourselves? Modern Pioneering brings it all back for us and reminds us of our roots.

When I was growing up, my mom and grandmother showed me that there’s nothing wrong with doing things yourself, actually it’s the way things should be done. We picked our own berries and grew our own gardens – all organic of course (perks of growing up in the country). We had beef cows (terrible idea to let your children name cows by the way). I watched my mom and grandmother can vegetables and jams, make homemade dandelion wine and the smell of fresh maple syrup in a sugar house is still one of the greatest smells of all time. My dad made some of the furniture in our home and we all took part in building and expanding our home (even if it was just getting in the way as kids).

As an adult and living in the “big city”, things don’t come as easily. I can’t walk outside and just start planting a garden in an apartment complex – I resort to potted plants. It’s not so easy finding sugar houses and fresh maple syrup in Texas and I don’t see beef cows (or any cows really) on a regular basis (when I do you bet I get excited). It’s hard sticking to your roots!

Georgia Pellegrini brings together all of those things and more. She is a modern day pioneer teaching us that we can still do all of those things. A chef, hunter, crafter, and a woman. In her latest book, Modern Pioneering, she sticks to her roots and shares it with others. It’s skills for being self sufficient in a world where we forget it’s ok to rely on ourselves.

For starters, it’s the handy tips that has been passed down for generations:

Stick a toothpick between your teeth when cutting onions and you won’t cry!

It’s gardening tips, reusing everyday products, sprucing up a space and how to prepare food (with little waste).

How to reuse products to make amazing things – such as cutting glass bottles to make glasses, making paper or making wreaths from vines.

The recipes – amazing. Many of the recipes intertwine in the book so no part of the product is left over. Case in point – almond milk and almond flour.

Best of all there’s tips on how to negotiate at a farmers market, how to pick the best fish at the market and many more tips on how to become proficient on becoming your own pioneer!

The book is amazing!

It’s the perfect time of year to work on your pioneering skills!
Have you picked up Modern Pioneering?

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