Hat magic

I have often wished for a fairy or an elf, some useful little magical creature who would come while I was sleeping and take care of laundry, or bathroom cleaning, or any other mundane task that needed to be done. I am still waiting for this kind of help to show up, however, the other night I did discover we have an elf among us who leaves us hats!

A few evenings ago, Noah was reading after dinner and in his book, he came across some instructions for making a hat out of an 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of paper. Intrigued, he took a sheet from his doodle pad, followed the instructions, and was delighted to see that indeed, he had a funny little hat to perch upon his head. Because he's been very interested in all of the election talk of late, he decided to make it his "Prime Minister" hat, and I couldn't stop laughing when he showed up in the kitchen wearing it, with a "prime minister-ish" look on his face.


Deciding he could take this fun further, Noah then made himself another hat, this one bearing the name of his newly invented political organization: "The Kid Rights Party". (I was afraid to ask him exactly what "rights" he felt he needed to campaign for on behalf of the children....) After posing for me as the hat-wearing leader of this very important party, Noah headed upstairs to get ready for bed and I didn't think anything more about his hilarious homemade headwear.

A few hours later, when Matt and I went upstairs to turn in, we were both surprised and touched to see a unique little paper hat for each of us perched carefully on our respective nighttables. Matt's was decorated in a baseball theme (his favourite sport), and mine proclaimed my status as "a Deresti chef", announcing that I "make and bake Italia, the best food around"!



I hadn't heard Noah up and about at all after I tucked him in; he must have worked so quietly at his desk and then tiptoed around to make his deliveries. When I went in to check on a sleeping Will, he too had a special homemade hat -- it was decorated with a Super Mario theme and was waiting for him at the end of his bed so he'd see it as soon as he woke in the morning.


Noah's thoughtful gesture to all of us sent me to bed with a smile.

You know, I may be waiting forever for the cleaning and cooking fairies to show up at my house, but my sweet, funny hat elf more than makes up for their absence.


If you have a little elf who might enjoy making hats out of paper, simply follow these directions outlined in The Dangerous Book for Boys, Canadian Edition, by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden.

1. Fold a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper in half, as shown.


2. Fold a central ine in the half-page and open out again.


3. Turn down the corners to that central line.


4. Fold one long strip up.


5. Fold over the corners as shown.


6. Flip paper over and fold up the other edge.


You now have a paper hat!

A bookworm's breakfast - 4

One of the things I love about watching the boys play is catching a glimpse of their vivid imaginations and their keen sense of adventure. In their minds they can dream up incredible escapades; they get to be anything, travel anywhere, and overcome any obstacle, free from the limits that their regular everyday life imposes on them. Some of the best children's books, I think, are the ones that appeal to this wonderful aspect of childhood. The three books highlighted in today's edition of A bookworm's breakfast are well-loved at our house for their imaginative content.

3-5 year olds: The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers


This beautiful picture book tells the tale of a young boy who sets off on an impromptu aeroplane adventure. When his plane runs out of petrol and he is stranded on the moon in the dark, he strikes up an unexpected and enduring friendship with a Martian who has also run into trouble. Jeffers' moving text appeals to every young child's desire to feel safe and loved, and his imaginative illustrations complement the story perfectly. Readers who delight in this book will also enjoy Jeffers' other tales about the young boy, including How to Catch a Star and Lost and Found.

6-8 year olds: Book of Big Brothers by Cary Fagan


Brothers make perfect partners when it comes to having adventures. In this text-rich picture book suitable for children in the primary grades, Fagan realistically portrays the ups and downs of brotherhood from the perspective of a boy who is the youngest brother of three. Readers will be enthralled with the comical antics and wild schemes of the the boys in the story, and they will also be touched by the affection and loyalty the brothers show to each other in their own ways. The Book of Big Brothers is sure to bring laughter and good feelings to any boy who knows from his own life what it's like to be a brother.

9-12 year olds: Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce


(Noah has been inundated with writing projects for school this week, so he's letting me write this edition's 9-12 year old book recommendation. He did, however, give an enthusiastic thumbs up to this book and suggested it as this week's choice!)

Having a chance to travel to outer space is surely an adventure many imaginative children dream of, and in Cosmic, Cottrell Boyce spins a captivating tale about what that experience could be like. Liam Digby is an unusually tall twelve year old boy who sees an opportunity in a contest for grown-ups that offers space travel as its prize; all he has to do to win it is convince people he is the greatest dad ever. Readers will cheer for Liam as he fibs his way to a place on the secret rocket mission, and will be riveted by the book's exciting, suspenseful, comical and sometimes moving scenes. For 9-12 year olds who are interested in technology, Cottrell Boyce's descriptions of futuristic amusement park rides, giant television walls, and a journey through space will certainly have great appeal.

When your children are ready to wind down from their own thrilling daytime adventures, I hope they'll enjoy curling up with one of these wonderfully creative books.

Remembering Emilee

Today I am fondly remembering Emilee, a dear sister-in-law and friend who would have been turning 33 today. Emilee passed away last June after a courageous journey with brain cancer, and since losing her, our whole family has so often missed her vibrant personality, her kindness and love, her creativity and wonderful ideas, her bright smile and laughter. My heart feels such sorrow for Emilee's husband, her parents, her siblings, and her close-knit extended family, who must feel Emilee's absence so keenly because of the very special place she held in all of their lives.

I only had the pleasure of knowing Emilee for a few short years, but in that time, I felt like we were old, good friends. She and I were on the same page when it came to being organized in life; we liked to talk about our "lists" and the satisfaction we felt at crossing things off them. She was full of imaginative ideas for projects and thoughtful gifts, and I loved chatting with her about both of our latest creative endeavours. Emilee was a wonderful auntie to the boys, spending time sprawled on the floor with them drawing designs for buildings and fashioning structures out of Lego. Hours spent with Emilee were always happy and warm; she radiated an energy and love that made us all feel very much at home around her.

Last June, in the final week of Emilee's life with us, I vividly remember lying on the trampoline in our backyard with Will, gazing up at a brilliant, perfectly clear blue sky and trying to answer Will's questions about what it would be like to go to Heaven. It seemed to me then that early summer was such a sad, unfair time to die, when the world was just bursting with new beauty and promise. Like the flower blossoms that were just then opening up in the warm sunshine, Emilee's life was young and lovely, and there were so many things she should have been able to live to experience. It was hard not to feel utter despair for the sad, sad loss of such a wonderful woman.

As a small comfort, I try now to think about how Emilee's short presence in our lives touched us in the same way that those early summer blossoms do. We appreciate so dearly their cheerful hues and the happiness they bring to our hearts in their season. It's true that their beautiful lives are fleeting, but when we struggle through the darkness of winter, or sorrow, we can remember that someday, we will delight in their presence once again.

On Emilee's birthday and always, I feel so grateful to have had the chance to know such an inspiring woman. Today, Emilee, we all celebrate your life and the enthusiastic, honourable, and loving way you lived it. We sure miss you.

Healthy Banana Oat Cookies (gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free)

The March Break has flown by all too quickly, and after a week filled with fun activities and a good dose of relaxation, it's back to the regular routine tomorrow morning for all of us. That means I'm back to packing school lunches and snacks for the boys this evening, a task that's been made a little easier by the multiple batches of baking I did during the week when I had some extra time. The boys always love getting a special little homemade something in their lunch bags, and I like knowing exactly what went into the snacks they're eating, as it's important to me that their bodies and minds are fuelled by healthy foods during their day at school.

This recipe for banana oat cookies is a slightly modified version of one I got from a like-minded friend I was chatting with recently about nutritious, kid-friendly foods for school. (Thanks, Joanne!)

Healthy Banana Oat Cookies

2 cups whole rolled oats (I use certified pure gluten-free ones)
3 cups rolled oats, ground in a food processor
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder

 4 large, overripe bananas
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp grapeseed oil

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine the whole oats, ground oats, sea salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. 

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the bananas, maple syrup, vanilla, and grapeseed oil and process on high speed until smooth. 

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.

Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden.

(These cookies are also very good with frozen blueberries added into the mixture at the end.  Or, the boys really enjoy them with a few squares of finely chopped dark chocolate sprinkled and stirred into the batter before baking.)


The wonderful thing about these snacks for our family is that they don't contain any wheat flour, eggs, or butter like so many other baking recipes do, and so they're safe for both Noah and Will to take to school.  My boys and I are really happy to have found out about these easy-to-make little bundles of goodness. I hope you will be, too!

The picky eater problem

I am about to go out of my mind at mealtimes, thanks to a couple of particularly picky eaters I am responsible for feeding. Other parents of kids who repeatedly turn their noses up at food will understand exactly how frustrating it is to spend an hour preparing a delicious and healthy meal, only to have it received with grimaces, moans, and other Oscar-worthy dramatic performances as soon as it arrives at the table. Family food experts say that children may need to be exposed to a new food 10 to 20 times before they'll accept it. Those experts obviously have never met Noah and Will, who, after 100 to 200 exposures to some foods are still quite certain that they don't like them!

I'm pretty sure I ate almost everything as a kid, so I really don't understand how two little people can have such strong opinions against so many foods. (To be fair, I think there wasn't quite the same extensive variety available in grocery stores when I was younger, but my two guys balk even at some of the most ordinary meals.) Noah painstakingly picks invisible "seeds" out of seedless cucumbers, and complains that the blueberry fruit spread on his toast has blueberries in it. He'll eat orange melon but green melon "isn't good", and he carefully inspects all red pepper slices put before him, pleading for a pardon from eating any he thinks have "pustules" (?!), "white bits", or "wonky ends". Will sits for an hour staring blankly ahead, hoping if he doesn't move, people won't notice him and ask him to actually eat what's on his plate. When that fails, he tries other forms of food trickery, like discreetly dropping bits of food under the table, or partially covering his plate with his napkin to make us think it's empty. (Remember his most ingenious plan for dealing with peas?) I dread nights when I'm serving dishes where food groups are mixed together (such as chili, stir-fries, or shepherd's pie) because while the components of those meals are usually fine on their own, combining them apparently changes them so drastically that, in the boys' minds, they're rendered inedible. Perhaps most shocking and difficult to accept is the fact that I've got two boys with Italian blood in them who actually don't enjoy pasta with homemade tomato sauce!! (Shh -- don't tell my Grandma D.!)

Mealtimes around our family table are plagued with echoes of the "terrible toos" -- they're full of complaints that something is too mushy, too hot, too seedy, too bitter, too stringy, too crunchy, too brown, too bumpy, too strong, too much, or too disgusting to eat. The fact that I'm passionate about healthy cooking and eating makes their closed-mindedness about food especially hard for me to swallow. Throw in the little detail that Will has food sensitivites to eggs, dairy, gluten, and peanuts and you can see how it's a challenge for me not to want to throw in the kitchen towel and feed them nothing but apple slices and toast five times a day!

Unfortunately for the boys, though, it's going to take a lot more than their antics and complaining to derail my efforts to feed them well. I want the boys to recognize (and hopefully, someday, enjoy) many different foods that are good for them, so that when they are responsible for taking care of themselves, they'll do so wisely. While I may have to hear for the umpteenth time that they don't like something, I will continue to offer the boys a wide variety of healthy foods, expecting them to try a little bit of everything, because one time they might be pleasantly surprised. I keep reminding myself that what doesn't kill me in this daily food fiasco will, in the long run, make them stronger.

A bookworm's breakfast - 3

It's March Break here this week, and among all of the other activities we're enjoying with our free time together, the boys and I are glad for some extra opportunities to relax with a few great new books. When I peeked in on them this morning, Noah and Will were passing the hour before we left for our favourite indoor playground hanging out on Noah's bed. Will sat completely mesmerized while Noah read aloud one of Geronimo Stilton's recent adventures to him. I really love catching them in these moments of quiet comradery.

If you're looking to expand your children's library, this week is a great time to do so. Indigo/Chapters/Coles bookstores are offering 20% off all children's books in-store during the March Break (and they're also hosting some fun activities for kids at many of their locations). Perhaps your family will find a new book to love in one of today's recommendations.

3-5 year olds: Duck & Goose by Tad Hills


When Duck and Goose simultaneously discover a big, spotted "egg", each of them tries to claim ownership and gain control over what to do with it, initially resulting in scuffles and squabbles between them. However, while they are both determinedly sitting on the egg and waiting for it to hatch, the two birds realize that they have some important things in common. Duck and Goose may not get what they expected from trying to hatch the egg, but in sharing a special, selfless act together, each of them gains a wonderful new friend. Tad Hills' engaging text and expressive, colourful illustrations make this a truly appealing spring read for younger children.

6-8 year olds: Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee


This absolutely delightful book describes the escapades and enduring friendship of two unique girls through three different adventures. Bink is a dishevelled, enthusiastic young lover of outrageous socks, pancakes, and pet goldfish, while Gollie is a more reserved, well-spoken adventurer and a quick-thinking problem solver. Their personalities and ways of seeing the world differ, but these two girls are truly "marvelous companions" and always figure out a way to compromise. Primary grade readers will find DiCamillo and McGhee's portrayal of Bink and Gollie's relationship both incredibly funny and tender, and Tony Fucile's brightly coloured illustrations set among black and white ones are as vivid and intriguing as the two girls' adventures.

9-12 year olds: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick


This week's 9-12 year old book recommendation was once again written by my 9 year old son, Noah, who is extremely happy about all of the uninterrupted hours of reading time he has over March Break!

Hugo Cabret, an orphan, clock keeper, and a thief, has found an automaton, a machine that's identical to a human. Before he was dead, Hugo's father had told him the automaton could write, so Hugo is desperate to continue his father's work and discover the automaton's message. This book has beautiful illustrations and has even won the Caldecott Medal. The drawings were amazing and I was stunned when I first saw them because of how realistic they looked. The pictures tell the story almost as well as the words do. Out of 533 pages, 284 of them are drawings, but I still knew exactly what was happening. If readers are looking for a cross between a picture book and a novel, this book is perfect. (Thanks, Noah!)

As always, I'd love to hear what you love about these and other great children's books in the comments section below. Have a wonderful March Break!

Delicious roast chicken dinner

There are few more inviting aromas than that of a delicious dinner roasting in the oven on a Sunday afternoon. The combination of the oven gently warming the house over several hours and the wafting scent of roasting meat, herbs and vegetables gets everyone happily anticipating a relaxing, enjoyable evening meal together.

In recent months, my favourite Sunday family dinner has been lemon and herb roasted chicken, prepared according to the directions in Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution cookbook. I never used to make a habit of roasting whole chickens, as my aversion to excessively handling raw poultry led me to avoid that activity unless absolutely necessary. (My brother Frank feels the same way about whole raw chickens or turkeys. We're not sure why, but we suspect it might have something to do with the time(s?) my mom jokingly chased us through the kitchen when we were kids, holding a 25 pound turkey by the legs and gobbling at us!! But I digress.) I had to get over my whole-fowl-handling-phobia when Matt and I decided last fall to order several roasting chickens from an organic farm, and after trying Jamie Oliver's recipe, I decided the end result was definitely worth a few moments of squeamishness while prepping the bird for the oven.


To make scrumptious roast chicken the way Jamie does, you will need:

1 x approximately 3 1/2 pound chicken
2 medium onions
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 bulb of garlic
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
a small bunch of fresh thyme, rosemary, bay, or sage, or a mixture

Preheat oven to 475 F. Wash vegetables (leave the skins on) and roughly chop them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled as well. Pile all of the vegetables and garlic into the middle of a large roasting pan and drizzle them with olive oil.
Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the bird. Carefully prick the lemon all over with the tip of a sharp knife. Put the lemon inside the chicken's cavity, with the bunch of herbs.
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan and put it into the preheated oven. Turn the oven down immediately to 400 F and cook the chicken for one hour and 20 minutes. Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the vegetables in the roast pan look dry, add a splash of water to keep them from burning.
When the chicken is cooked, take the pan out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest for 15 minutes or so, covered with a layer of aluminum foil and a kitchen towel.
Carve chicken and serve. (We love to enjoy our chicken with roasted potatoes, carrots, and parsnips, as well as brussel sprouts that have been steamed and then sauteed with olive oil and garlic. Fantastic!)




I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but if you've never roasted a chicken stuffed with a lemon and fresh herbs, you really want to try it! The flavour of the chicken once it's roasted this way is absolutely incredible, and the carcass makes a delicious pot of soup for a later meal. (See here for a healthy homemade chicken noodle soup recipe.)

Soon barbecue season will be here, and we'll be trading in our Sunday roast dinners for grilled meats and outdoor dining. (Ahhh, spring and summer!) In the meantime, we'll share a few more lovely roasted chickens at our cozy kitchen table, enjoying good times spent together over savoury comfort food.