Snickerdoodles, the Shirley Temple King & a Duck

It’s a rainy, dreary day as I write this post. Days like this, for me, are perfect for baking. I’ve been trying very hard to not overeat as we shelter in place right now. Especially, because I’m recovering from foot surgery, and I’m not as active as I normally would be. But I’ve been pretty good, and I feel like baking! So, today I’m going to make my go-to cookie, the one that I turn to when I spontaneously bake and need a recipe I know I’ll have all the ingredients on hand for.

That cookie, is the Snickerdoodle. A simple, but tasty cookie. A cookie with a fun name. 😊 Back in the day, as a teenager, I would even make these cookies for the kids I was babysitting. Because as long as you have cream of tartar in the cupboard, you most likely have all the ingredients you’ll need. Quite frankly, it’s because of this recipe that I keep cream of tartar on my spice rack.

OK, let’s start with the recipe. I got this recipe years ago from my Mom, but I’m not sure of the original source.

SNICKERDOODLES 1 cup shortening

1 1/3 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 ¾ cups flour 2 t. cream of tartar 1 t. baking soda ¼ t. salt 2 T. sugar 2 t. cinnamon

Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, and eggs. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt till the dough is well mixed together.

Preheat oven to 400°. Stir together the 2 T. of sugar and 2 t. of cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Roll out dough balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Twelve balls per cookie sheet will give them plenty of room to bake. When you’ve rolled out a pan of dough balls, take each one and roll one side of it in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place it on the cookie sheet, cinnamon sugar side up.

Bake about 9-10 minutes per pan, depending whether you like your cookie chewy or crisp. This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

Moving on, who or what is a Shirley Temple King? Actually, on Instagram he is known at The Shirley Temple King. He’s a young man named Leo Kelly who lives in Fairfield, Connecticut. He’s six years old, and he loves Shirley Temples! The non-alcohol drink, that is.

The King visits local restaurants and gives adorable, short reviews of their Shirley Temple offerings. He’s pretty honest in his reviews, where he ranks on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best score. Per People Magazine, he can dissect a drink, “with a brutal honesty you can only get from a 6-year-old.” No matter the score, he always gives a cute smile and two thumbs up at the end of each clip.

So, what criteria does Leo base his reviews on? For starters, he always judges the type of straw in the cup. Leo is concerned about the damage plastic straws can do to the environment, so he doesn’t like them. He prefers paper straws or one that can be reused. For the same environmental concern, he prefers glass to plastic for the cups. He likes three to four ice cubes per drink, lots of ginger ale, just enough grenadine and a least three cherries. He then tastes the Shirley Temple; of course, it must taste good as well as look good! Then comes his review. And, always, the two thumbs up at the end.

His Mom started his Instagram account for him just last August. But, one thing led to another, he made an appearance on the Ellen Show in February, and he now has over 280,000 followers on Instagram. I will say he’s gotten a little commercially for me recently though. He’s staying at home like we all are these days, which keeps him from going out to restaurants and reviewing Shirley Temples.

So, companies jumped on board and started sending him other things to review. He’s reviewed cupcakes, donuts, potato chips, etc. While these recent clips seem a lot like product placements to me, he still gives funny, honest reviews. And, anybody who sends their products to him to review must understand he will tell it how he sees it, good or bad.

He’s just a sweet kid, who loves a good Shirley Temple, and gives me a minute or two of joy every time I watch one of his posts. Please check him out on Instagram if you have access. In case you don't have access, I've posted a link just below. The Shirley Temple King will make you smile. 😊

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fZ8qmltuC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

And, in case watching the Shirley Temple King made you thirsty for the drink yourself, here’s a recipe I found online from Bon Appetit. Here'a the link to it:

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/shirley-temple

There are a lot of recipes out there, but I chose one that uses ginger ale because that’s what the Shirley Temple King likes in his. Plus, it's super simple!

INGREDIENTS

Splash of grenadine Ginger ale 1 maraschino cherry

RECIPE PREPARATION

Place grenadine in a Collins glass, fill with ice, and add ginger ale to fill glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

I’m going to tell you one maraschino cherry is not enough! You need at least three.

Right? 😉

Before I go, I want to share with you this picture of a duck who made its way up on my porch today. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move in one of the pots you see right there. I figured it was a squirrel. They often come onto the deck and dig in my pots, the little scamps! Imagine my surprise when I looked up and saw instead this duck sitting in a pot! It jumped down before I could take a picture of it in the pot. But I snapped a few shots before it flew away. Yes, I’m happy to report it flew away. I was worried it was hurt and that’s why it was up on the porch. It looked healthy, and it flew away, so I’m hoping all’s well that ends well.

Stay home and stay safe! Take care.

Let's Make a Sock Bunny!

Hi everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are maintaining your sanity as you shelter in place. Are you feeling creative today? I sure hope so, because here we go…

I’ve been toying with the idea of trying to make a sock monkey and sharing it with you all. It’s very much a throwback toy from when I was a youngster. But, judging from the number of DIY how tos on Pinterest I found for them, I feel like sock monkeys might be making a comeback. Or, maybe we are all just feeling a bit nostalgic these days.

Anyway, the ones I found on Pinterest all seemed kind of complicated to me; and I also worried I wouldn’t find the right kind of socks in my home to make them with. And, so I kept looking for just the right sock toy to make with you. There were some cute sock dolls that I almost went with. But then I saw these sweet little bunnies and knew I had my next project.

I found the bunny at a website called We are Scout. The crafter’s name is Lisa Tilse, and she lives in Sidney, Australia. Her pictures and directions for making the bunny are easy to follow and understand, so I’m going to use them to explain to you how to make your own bunny. I’ve tweaked them just a bit to accommodate the materials I had to work with and/or things I learned while making my sample. But I want to give full credit to Lisa for her fun project and well-written instructions. You will find her website here:

http://www.we-are-scout.com/2014/04/tutorial-make-the-cutest-easter-bunny-softies-from-socks.html

Keeping with the overall pandemic theme of this blog, most of the supplies needed are basic craft supplies, and I’m hopeful you’ll have them on hand.

Supply List:

Cotton socks, newborn or baby size – one sock per rabbit (I didn’t have any baby socks available, so I used the smallest pair of socks I could find. I kind of liked the fact that the socks I used were gray as I thought it made for a natural looking bunny. With a ribbon. 😊)

Scissors Sewing thread to match the sock A sewing needle Black embroidery thread A soft pink marker (I used blush instead) Mini pom-poms, ribbons or other embellishments Toy stuffing

LET’S MAKE A SOCK BUNNY!

Turn the sock inside-out and lay it flat with the heel facing you.

To make the ears cut down the center of the sock, finishing just before the heel. Then cut a triangle out of the top of the toe by making two diagonal cuts, as shown below. (Because I used an adult size sock instead of a child’s sock, and I didn’t want the ears to be too long, I cut about two inches off the toe of the sock. If you do the same, you will need to cut the ears into a point by cutting a small triangle on each side of the top of the toe as well. See my grey sock illustration on how I cut the toe off and made my ears pointed.)

Sew the seam together. (I pinned the two pieces together so they didn’t slip.) Start at the top point of one ear and sew along the cut edge, finishing at the top point of the other ear. Sew with small firm stitches. Reinforce the ‘V’ where the two ears meet near the sock heal by sewing a few double stitches there. (If you cut off the end of your sock as I did, you’ll start sewing at the side of one ear and then continue on.)

Now turn the sock the right way out and massage the ear seams between your thumb and fingers to flatten them out.

Use small pieces of toy stuffing to stuff the body, leaving the ears unfilled. Continue to add small pieces of stuffing until the bunny is nice and round. Mold the body into an oval shape so the bottom is wider than the top. The ears should be at the back of the head, with the heal of the sock filled out to make the rabbit’s face. The body should be firmly stuffed and round rather than elongated. (What to do if you don’t have toy stuffing? You could use cotton balls, tissue paper, Kleenex, paper towel, etc. I think anything soft and flexible would work. Get creative!)

Cut off the ribbed section of the sock. Cut the sock short enough so that it has to be stretched to meet at the bottom. This way your sock bunny will be firm and round.

Now you’ll sew the opening closed with small neat stitches. Refer to the photos below.

Sew across the center of the opening, to bring the two opposite sides together with a single stitch. Repeat a few times. Now sew the opposite two sides together in the same way.

Fold in the raw edges and top stitch across and through the folds to close the holes. Finish with a double stitch. To hide the end of the thread, pass the needle up through the body and out. Pull the thread and cut it close to the sock. The end will then disappear within the bunny’s body.

Now we'll arrange the ears. Sew a row of running stitches across the bottom of one ear where it meets the head. The stitches should go through both the front and back of the ear. Gather the ear by pulling the thread, then secure the gather with a double stitch where the two ears meet in the center. Don’t cut the thread – stitch along the base of the second ear and gather it in the same way.

Stretch the center of each ear out to the sides, to create a nice shape, keeping the tips pointy.

You’ll create the bunny’s face by embroidering the eyes and nose and drawing on the cheeks.

Thread the needle with black embroidery thread and tie a knot in the end. Insert the needle at the base of an ear and bring it out on the face where you want to embroider the first eye. Create the eye with a cluster of small stitches to form a circle.

Pass the needle through the face and bring it out in position to stitch the second eye. Next pass the needle through the face again, exiting where mouth will be. Sew a cross for the mouth, then take the needle back up to the starting point at the base of the ear. Tie a knot and trim the end of the thread off. We will be covering the ends of the embroidery thread with embellishments.

Add some rosy cheeks with a marker. Use light strokes to build the color up – don’t be too heavy handed. (I didn’t want to use marker to add my bunny’s cheeks; I wanted something softer. So, I actually used blush make-up that I applied with a Q-tip.)

We’re almost done! All there is left to do is to add a tail and some embellishments by your bunny’s ears. If you happen to have a store-bought pom-pom to use for a tail, that’s great. You can sew or hot glue it onto the back of your bunny. I did not have a pom-pom to use, so I made one using leftover white yarn I had on hand. If you need instructions for making a pom-pom, try these from The Spruce Crafts website:

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-make-pom-poms-2116513

Add some pom-poms, felt flowers or ribbons to the base of the ears and your super cute sock bunny is complete! I’ve been crafting with the patrons of CIDL for long enough to know how good you are at putting your own touch on projects we’ve made together. And, I’m sure your bunnies will be adorable. Here's my bunny sample, front and back.

E-mail me a photo of the bunny you make, and I’ll post it here on a future blog. For that matter, send me a picture of any project you’ve made from Beth’s Blog, and I’ll share it with all. Send your pictures to me at graib@cidlibrary.org. I'd love to hear from you!

Till next time. Stay safe and stay home.

National Library Week and Grandma's Chicken Casserole!

Happy National Library Week! This year’s celebration runs from April 19-25. Per the American Library Association website, “National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.” As a librarian, I’ve always worked hard to prove the value of our library to you. I love my job, and if I’ve transformed any lives along the way, it’s been my honor to do so.

The original theme for National Library Week this year was, “Find your place at the library.” But as libraries closed to help flatten the curve, that theme was tweaked and became, “Find the library at your place.” We are here for you to find us! We are a creative bunch and have come up with awesome alternative programs for patrons of all ages. Additionally, we are taking calls, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., to answer your reference and circulation questions. From our places, to your place, your library is still here for you.

That brings us to my first offering to you this week: the recipe for Grandma’s Chicken Casserole. Another family favorite, it’s an easy to prepare recipe, with just eight basic ingredients which I hope you’ll have on hand. Before I share the recipe though, a little back story for you.

This recipe came from my late Grandmother. That’s why I call it Grandma’s Chicken Casserole; it was just chicken casserole to her. She was a great cook and a fabulous baker. And a truly wonderful grandmother who I’m proud to say I was named after. She lived up North, but rode the bus down often to visit, visits that we cherished.

She is the grandma who I previously mentioned taught me to crochet, and she taught me a lot of what I know about cooking and baking. She taught me how to crack hard boil eggs, how to measure out ingredients, and how to organize your kitchen so that it was most efficient; among other things. When we ate at Grandma’s, we always had to at least try what she served us. If we didn’t like something, we didn’t have to eat it. But we had to at least give it a try. I love cucumbers, especially those she used to pick fresh from her garden, but not when they're floating in sour cream as she served them. Sorry, Grandma. That is one dish I refused to eat as I don't like sour cream and never have. (The picture is of Grandma, my baby brother Patrick, and myself. Circa 1965.)

We often asked Grandma for her recipes of our favorite dishes she served up. And with 28 grandchildren all together, she was frequently asked for said recipes. At some point, she decided the best thing to do was to compile her tried-and-true recipes in a homemade cookbook and give one to each of us. She got one of the grands to type it up. My cousin Cami drew beautiful illustrations for the cover and each chapter. Grandma then had copies made and bound together. She titled it, Gram's Pets.

She lovingly signed one for each child and grandchild and gave them to us for Christmas one year. It was a great present that I cherish and continue to use to this day. And, I’m happy to say, I was able to get a second copy from Grandma, so that I can pass one on to each of my two daughters someday.

Are you ready to give it a try? Here's the recipe.

Grandma’s Chicken Casserole

2 cups chicken (cooked and cut up)

1 cup diced celery

2 T. diced onion

1 cream of chicken condensed soup

1 ½ cups cooked rice

¾ cups mayonnaise

1 cup cornflakes, crushed

2 T. butter

Mix together all ingredients and pour into a greased casserole dish. Crush the cornflakes and sprinkle on top. Dot the top with butter. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.

Notes: I always use boneless chicken breasts. I cut the fat and skin off of them, cut each breast into 3 or 4 pieces, and cook by boiling them all together in a pot of water till cooked through.

I use instant rice for convenience.

I love Miracle Whip and that is what I always use in place of the mayonnaise. Your choice.

I use whatever flake cereal I have on hand. I’ve used corn flakes, Special-K, Wheaties, and even Rice Krispies one time when that was the only cereal I had available.

That’s all there is to preparing Grandma’s Chicken Casserole. I hope you get a chance to make this recipe and that it works out for you. Let me know what you think of it.

And remember, as we all stay home and stay safe the best we can, the librarians and library workers of CIDL are doing our best to be here for you. You’ve found my blog, so I know you’ve been to our CIDL website, Facebook page or Instagram account. Please go back and check out the variety of online programs we have scheduled for our children, teens, and adults. Find the library at your place as we work to fill the gap until we are able to open the doors to our library once again.

#Stay home and stay safe.