Post by Alison Hein.

It’s about this time of year when I begin to yearn for summer. I want to be outside, soaking up sunshine and enjoying long, sultry days that stretch into evenings. I want to be firing up my grill, dining al fresco and lingering on the patio with a cold, crisp glass of Sancerre. Sigh. Failing all that, I do the next best thing – treat myself to a sweet, colorful, summery breakfast – like oranges.

Did you know that the orange is the most commonly grown fruit tree in the world? Little wonder with its fruits’ succulent citrus flavor and sweet tangy juices. It’s versatile too, with uses stemming well beyond dining – from perfume-making to producing manicurists’ orangewood sticks.

I like to make this recipe using sweet, seedless navel oranges. Delicious and readily available right now (with a peak growing season of January through March), their thick, vibrant skins make a beautiful presentation and perfect single serving-sized bowl. Mix the sweet chopped oranges with some fresh pineapple and unsweetened coconut, and you’ve got a delicious tropical filler. A word of caution – the sweet juice of these oranges can turn sour relatively quickly, so the orange cups should be eaten within a few hours of assembly.

So, instead of pining away for a season yet to come, bring some sunshine to a loved one with a sweet, colorful breakfast in bed.

Ingredients
1 navel orange
3 tablespoons fresh pineapple*, chopped fine
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons non-fat vanilla yogurt
3 tablespoons granola
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Preparation
Slice orange in half. Using a grapefruit knife, cut all the way around one orange half between the skin and fruit. Slice along fruit segments remaining in orange. Scoop out gently with a spoon. Chop orange pieces finely and place in medium bowl. Gently scrape any remaining white inner rind from orange peel and discard. Repeat with second orange half, and set scooped-out peels aside.

Add finely chopped pineapple, coconut and yogurt to the orange pieces and mix well. Choose one of the following two options:

Option 1 (if eating immediately): Stir granola into fruit mixture. Fill each orange peel half with fruit mixture. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve immediately.

Option 2 (if preparing in advance): Fill each orange peel half with fruit mixture. Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. Remove from refrigerator, and sprinkle tops with granola. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve immediately.

∗Many stores sell small portions of fresh fruit if you don’t want to purchase a whole pineapple. Canned pineapple will work in a pinch.

Makes 2 servings.

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

Post by Mark T. Locker.

If you are looking for a movie that Angry Birds has built a game theme around, look no further than Rio, the most recent (I think) release from the creators of Ice Age.

So, it’s probably pretty obvious I’m a parent, isn’t it? I am yammering about the creators of Ice Age, for crying out loud! However, as a parent, I’m not crazy about movies featuring lots of fighting and explosions like superhero movies, and the more saccharine and meaningful message-y a movie gets, the more I want to gag. Rio is neither of those. It’s about birds and propogation of a species (but not in a dirty way) and it’s got Tracy Morgan as a bulldog. And Will.i.am as a rapping bird. As far as kids’ movies go, this one is pretty fun. Mind you there is a bad guy (or bad cockatoo, in this case) but it’s not scary, not violent, not dumb. If I want family movie night to be bearable, I need a movie we can ALL tolerate. My boy laughs at the stupid parts, I laugh at the actually funny parts and everyone is happy.

Tags: Charles P. Rogers, Children, family, Movie Reviews, Movies, Rio

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