Post by Mark T. Locker.

Last week, I got a twinge of nostalgia for my favorite Saturday morning TV shows and decided, using my son as an excuse, to get my hands on some episodes of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, courtesy of my neighborhood library. (Support libraries!) The show is far weirder than I recalled it being, but my boy loves it. I actually love it (well parts of it, at least) but it got me thinking about Pee-Wee’s chef d’oeuvre, the immortal Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.

Now, if you haven’t seen this movie, let us all take a moment in silence for your sad, sad soul. If you have seen it and dislike it, the same goes for you. The premise of this very silly movie is that Pee-Wee Herman, eternal child, has the awesomest bike you have ever seen. When it is stolen in broad daylight, he goes on a crazy mission to find his bike. From scary truckers to ex-cons to spoiled children, Pee-Wee has an incredible, and incredibly absurd, adventure. It’s got comedy! It’s got action! It’s got a cameo by Twisted Sister! Seriously, what more could you ask for in a Friday night family movie?

Tags: bed, bedroom, Charles P. Rogers, Children, family, Movie Reviews, movies in bed, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Post by Alison Hein.

So far this year, I’ve made no gym or diet resolutions, and I’ve done plenty of eating. Sooner or later that has to change. In the meantime, I’m enjoying some good old-fashioned comfort food on these dreary January mornings. Waffles! Nothing warms the heart like biting into a crunchy-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside batter cake, its little grids filled to the brim with melted butter and maple syrup.

Not surprisingly, waffles originated in what is now Belgium (Think freshly whipped cream and ruby ripe berries!) in the form of wafers. Unleavened batter was poured onto wafer irons – two metal plates hinged together and attached to a long handle – then held over the fire to cook. Today, delicious variations of this simple theme abound across the globe.

Waffles are easy to make, but you will need a waffle iron and a little practice. Every iron differs and requires somewhere between ½ cup and ¾ cup of batter per waffle (mine uses ⅔ cup). You may create a few skinny waffles, or spillovers, until you get it just right. Try experimenting with different types of flour (wheat, rice, chestnut), or add some chopped fruit or nuts to the batter for variety. Kids, of course, love waffles. Any extras can be wrapped and frozen for a special weekday breakfast.

If you’re like me, and have no diet resolutions, or perhaps have given up already, try these waffles for a good old comforting breakfast in bed.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup vegetable oil, or butter, melted and slightly cooled
½ cup sour cream
Cooking spray

Preparation
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, add milk, eggs and vanilla and beat until frothy. Pour oil or melted butter into liquid mixture and stir well. Using a wooden spoon or hand mixer, gradually add liquid mixture to dry ingredients until batter is smooth. Stir in sour cream.

Spray waffle iron with cooking spray and heat to high. Pour ½ cup to ¾ cup batter into center of iron, making sure you have enough batter to evenly spread across the surface of your waffle iron. Cook until golden brown and crisp and waffle pulls away easily from iron, about 5 minutes. Serve warm with melted butter and maple syrup. Top with fruit, if you like.

Makes 4 to 5 waffles.

Tags: Breakfast in Bed, Charles P. Rogers, Children, family, Recipes, Waffles

Post by Mark T. Locker.

  The Arrival by Shaun Tan.

I have some terrible news: I cannot find my copy of The Arrival by Shaun Tan. If you have not     experienced this book, you might not understand my implacable sorrow. This is a book I give others as   often as possible. It’s no good to read aloud (there are no words) and the subject matter may be a bit   mature for kids but that’s no excuse not to run out and get this book right now.

Despite the fact that there is no written text, the images tell a rich story and you really can read them as one would a story with words.

The tale told in the pictures is that of an immigrant, fleeing a land of danger and war and striving to find  his way in a new land which is wholly alien to him. What I love about this book is that it highlights how language is not the only barrier to overcome in a new culture; there are new ways of acting, strange new foods, some of which you may not even know how to eat, and a host of other experiences to muddle through.

The Arrival is an intense, sweet, and touching story about one man’s journey to a new life in a new world. I like it. You will like it too.

Tags: bed, bedroom, bedtime stories, Charles P. Rogers, Children, family, Shaun Tan, The Arrival

Post by Alison Hein.

Sorry everyone, I’m a little short on photos this week. What I do have is a good story, a great recipe, and some words of wisdom for the new year.

We just got back from a trip to Texas, where my sister-in-law Suzanne and her husband Randy hosted a family holiday at their beautiful ranch. There were about 20 of us – from toddlers to grandparents – spending a few days visiting, playing, and eating.

I was happy to jump into Suzanne’s gorgeous kitchen to make dinner, which would end with a sweet, creamy flan. Another sister-in-law, Lindsay, offered to help. The two of us had pots cooking, beaters beating, and timers timing. Suddenly, more guests arrived, youngsters reached across the counter for gummy bears, teens searched for afternoon snacks, a bottle fell out of the refrigerator and crashed into pieces, and then, I put my fingertips into a dish containing the caramelized sugar I had just removed from the stove!

Later, reflecting on my bandaged hand and wondering how I had managed to do such a dumb thing, I realized I had lost my focus. I may have become so comfortable with flames and knives, and so confident in my cooking skills, that I was skimming across the common sense rules of basic kitchen safety:

• Never leave a cooking pot untended
• Wear an apron
• Put away potentially dangerous cooking tools immediately after use, and above all:
• Stay focused and present at all times while cooking

My husband swore he could see my fingerprints embedded in the sugary top of the flan. We all enjoyed it anyway, and I vowed to add “be focused and present” to the top of my New Year’s Resolutions.

Flan, a sweet crème caramel popular in Latin countries, is just as delicious for breakfast as it is for dessert, and there are many variations. This recipe is an easy Puerto Rican-style custard with just the right number of eggs for a smooth, sturdy texture, and enough vanilla to add a rich, aromatic flavor. If you try it, remember to be present while preparing, and later while enjoying, your sweet, creamy breakfast in bed.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Fresh mixed berries for garnish (optional)

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small heavy saucepan, cook the sugar over medium heat until caramel forms, stirring constantly until sugar caramelizes and becomes syrupy and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Pour the caramelized sugar into an 8-inch round mold. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla. Mix well with the eggs.

Pour the mixture into the caramelized mold and cover with foil. Place in a water bath on a strong cookie sheet and bake for about 1 hour, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let the flan cool at room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

To serve, invert the flan onto a platter. Garnish top with fresh berries.

Photography courtesy of Suzanne Birdwell.

Tags: bed, Breakfast in Bed, Charles P, Children, family, Recipes

Post by Mark T. Locker.

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen.

If you trust my opinion, don’t even bother reading the following review. Just walk outside, go to your LOCAL bookstore and buy a copy of this book. I don’t know if Jon Klassen has written or illustrated other books but this is his first children’s book, for sure. Deceptively simple in its text and beautifully illustrated on a plain white background I Want My Hat Back, which was published just a few months ago, follows a bear as he very politely asks all the woodland animals if they have seen his hat. Despite the straightforward language, this is a surprisingly funny story with a wickedly hilarious ending. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Life-Size Zoo: From Tiny Rodents to Gigantic Elephants, An Actual Size Animal Encyclopedia by Toyofumi Fukuda

I like this book for two reasons: One, it has gigantic color photographs of a bunch of different animals from sloths to zebras and in this life-size images you can see all sorts of intricate details that you don’t normally get to see. The second reason I like this book is for all the interesting and sometimes off-beat facts that you learn reading this book. For instance, did you know sloths can hang for days from a branch without ever—er—using the men’s room? Amazing! I can’t stop looking at this book and the giraffe’s lovely long eyelashes.

Tags: bed, bedtime stories, Charles P. Rogers, Children, Children's book reviews, family