Goal #67: Read the 50 books on "the list" to Ryan.

I found this site through Pinterest. Surprise, surprise. It's 50 books you should read to your child before Kindergarten. There are a lot of classics and some newer books. Some I'm not sure why they were even on there...

1. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
2. Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric Kimmel or Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott 
3. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer 
4. The Berenstain Bears series by Stan and Jan Berenstain
5. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
6. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
7. A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
8. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault 
9. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin
10. Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell 
11. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judy Barrett
12. Curious George by H.A. Rey
13. Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff
14. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! By Mo Willems
15. Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
16. Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel 
17. Froggy Gets Dressed or Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London 
18. George and Martha by James Marshall 
19. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss 
20. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
21. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion 
22. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? By Jane Yolen 
23. I Stink! By Kate McMullen
24. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura J. Numeroff
25. Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber 
26. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback
27. Leo, the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus 
28. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber
29. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
30. The Magic School Bus Series by Joanna Cole 
31. Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh 
32. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
33. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
34. Miss Nelson is Missing! By Harry Allard and James Marshall 
35. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
36. My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett 
37. Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat 
38. Owen by Kevin Henkes
39. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
40. Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig
41. Pierre: A Cautionary Tale by Maurice Sendak
42. Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault
43. Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky
44. Strega Nona by Tomie De Paola
45. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
46. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
47. Tough Boris by Mem Fox
48. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf, by John Scieszka
49. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
50. Yoko by Rosemary Wells

The hardest part was finding all these books at the library! Some of Ryan's favorites were Pete's a Pizza (he still asks me to make him into a pizza), Clifford, and of course, Curious George. 

Goal#53: Cook 3 things from every cookbook I own

I have a cookbook called "Best of the Best from Mississippi" that was compiled in 1987.


The three recipes I made out of this book are as follows.


Stuffed Cornish Hens


8 Cornish hens
1 cup wild rice
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
8 bacon strips


Cook and drain rice. Sauté onion in butter. Mix with rice, almonds, salt and herbs. Salt and pepper hens an stuff with rice mixture. Put stop of bacon over hens. Bake, uncovered, for 1.5 to 2 hours at 325 basting occasionally with drippings.


These were moist and flavorful. I reduced the recipe to only make 2 and omitted the bacon.


Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy


2 (1" thick) loin pork chops
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, minced
1/2 green pepper, minced
6-8 mushrooms, chopped 1 cup milk
juice of 1/2 lemon


Remove excess fat from edge of chops. Combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper; dredge chops in mixture. Set aside remaining flour mixture. Brown chops in oil and remove to shallow casserole dish. Add onion. green pepper, and mushrooms to skillet; saute until soft. Add reserved flour mixture; cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Blend in milk and cook until thickened. stirring constantly. Stir in lemon juice. Pour sauce over chops; cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Yield: 2 servings. (Bell's Best 2)


This was easy and tasty. Reminded me of home. I served it over rice.


Zucchini Bread


1 cup cooking oil
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups sugar (1 cup granulated, 1 cup brown)
2 cups finely shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans


Mix just first 4 ingredients. Add dry ingredients to flour and fold into first mixture. (Do not beat) Add vanilla and pecans. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until done. (Top Rankin Recipes)


I've had better, more healthy zucchini bread. This was ok. I didn't use pecans.


From "Southern Living 2011 Annual Recipes"


Chicken-and-Tortellini Salad
Springtime Pasta with Bacon
Grilled Sweet Potato-Poblano Salad (I am making this one this week)




From "America's Best Recipes"


Grilled Tuna with Pineapple Salsa


1/2 medium size fresh pineapple
1 small sweet red pepper, diced
3 green onions, minced
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 (1/2-inch) piece gingerroot, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt


4 (5-6 oz) tuna steaks (3/4" thick)
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
3 green onions, minced
1 (1") piece gingerroot, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro


Peel and core pineapple; dice, reserve juice. Combine pineapple, juice, and next 6 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir well. Cover salsa mixture, and let stand at room temperature at least one hour.


Place steaks in ziplock bag. Combine vinegar and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Pour marinade mixture over steaks. Seal bag securely; place in a bowl. Marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, turning occasionally.


Remove steaks from marinade, discard marinade. Grill (400-500 degrees) for 3-4 minutes per side until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove to serving platter. Mix cilantro into salsa. Top steaks with salsa and garnish with fresh cilantro. Yield: 4 servings. (Claire Furman - Cooking Up a Storm, L.Z. Aerobics class, Lawrenceville, Georgia)


Delicious and pretty dish!