The Book: John Bloom and the Victory Garden; The Bite: Buttered Noodles!

The Book!
The book, John Bloom and the Victory Garden, is a fun middle grade read that tells the story of three neighborhood friends, all aged ten, that create a 'Boys Club' in hopes of helping the wartime effort after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. You can read my full review by clicking onto the link here. John Bloom and the Victory Garden was written by indie author, chef, baker, and culinary arts instructor Leigh Shearin.

John Bloom and the Victory Garden: "John Bloom and the Victory Garden is the rollicking tale of 3 boys at the dawn of America's involvement in WWII. John Bloom, and his best friends Joe and Chewie live, play, and get into adventures in 1940's era Appleside, NJ. Because children are generally joyful and tend to put more importance on the goings-on of their own worlds than those of grown-ups, the events of the war are woven into the boy's daily lives. Along the way, a bitter and cynical old man is drawn into their hijinks, and contributes his own joy to the lives of these 3. 

Chapter One invites the reader to join John and his friends in Appleside, NJ on the afternoon of December 6th, 1941. Through newspaper headlines and radio bulletins, the boys learn about the incredible events of the war- beginning with the attack on Hawaii by the Empire of Japan. As the story moves along, John and his friends learn that everyone- not just soldiers- can make a difference. They learn that commitment leads to ultimate success and that taking a seemingly insurmountable task one step at a time will make that task simple. John, Joe and Chewie learn about where their food comes from, and how important good food is to the Allies overseas. 

John Bloom and the Victory Garden is not just a story of Homefront USA during WWII. Its about faith, endurance and sturdy values that transcend time and cultural differences. It's about accepting tough times, struggle and adversity and overcoming them anyway. It's about seeing the humor in life, and helping others to see the humor too. 

But mostly, they just have a gut-busting great time!"

Book Stats:
Genre - Middle Grade, Fiction
Page Count - 195
Target Age Group - 9 to 18
Theme(s) - Friendship, Historical, War, Food

The Bite! 

Nonna's Buttered Noodles!

I love a book that not only provides a good read, but also offers a great recipe at its conclusion; and John Bloom and the Victory Garden doesn't disappoint. The book offers a total of five recipes at its conclusion and the recipes range from main dishes to desserts. I opted to try the recipe labeled Nonna's Buttered Noodles since I had most of the ingredients on hand. The noodles were fast, flavorful, and super simple to make. My five year old and I loved them! Since I did not have fettuccine noodles in my pantry, I opted to substitute angel hair pasta instead; which I did have. Also, with the 2 tsp. black pepper, it was a tad bit on the spicy side. To cut down on the spiciness, simply reduce the amount of black pepper by half. Here is a pictorial step by step guide to making your own. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Nonna's Buttered Noodles:

1 pound Fettuccine Noodles (or pasta of your choice)

4 Tbsp Butter (1/2 stick)
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (plus more for garnish)
1 tsp Salt (plus salt for water to boil noodles)

1 to 2 tsp Black Pepper

Boil pasta as directed on package instructions in salted water.
(Note: I boiled the angel hair pasta for approximately 6 minutes.)

Drain pasta, but Do NOT rinse. The heat/steam from the pasta will help melt the butter.

Add the butter, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
(Note: To cut down on the spiciness, only add one teaspoon black pepper instead of two.)

Add the Parmesan cheese.

Mix well to incorporate. 

Add a little shredded Parmesan cheese on top, and Voila!
Buttered Noodles! 

Nonna's Buttered Noodles!

Nonna's Buttered Noodles!

Nonna's Buttered Noodles!

The Book: Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul; The Bite: Hearty Chicken Stew

Happy Veteran's Day!

The Book!
I want to give a special thanks to the countless men and women who have sacrificed and served, or still serve, in our military--THANK YOU! On behalf of Veteran's Day and in honor of our veterans, I want to highlight some of their stories as told in the book, "Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul" (2012), published by Simon & Schuster.

Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul: Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul will inspire and touch any veterans and their families, and allow others to appreciate the freedom for which they fought.

A compelling collection of the true-life experiences of extraordinary men and women in every branch of service, who changed the course of history by their acts of valor in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War. Their experiences offer a glimpse of timeless history, revealing moments of compassion, bravery, respect, and reverence. With chapters including Above and Beyond, The Home Front, The Front Lines, Coming Home, Healing, Brothers in Arms, and Honoring Those Who Served, this collection relays heroic deeds, acts of compassion and empathy, fears confronted, and victories attained.

This is a wonderful tribute to anyone who gave in service to their country, as well as to their families.

Book Stats:
Genre - Adult, Non-Fiction
Page Count - 384
Target Age Group -
Theme(s) - Military


The Bite! 

Hearty Chicken Stew

Grab a blanket, your book, and a bowl of this chicken stew! This hearty stew will surely not disappoint especially as we enter into the winter months. Your family, as well as your taste buds will thank you for it! Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you, it is really fast and simple to make. If you wish to cut down on the cooking time, you can save an hour of time by using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from your local market; otherwise, follow the instructions below for boiling the chicken before assembling the stew. Below is the pictorial step by step guide to making your own. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Boiled Chicken:

3 large Chicken Breasts (thawed or frozen)

(I would have preferred using bone-in chicken but I did not have any on hand; so I used what I had, which were boneless, skinless chicken breast)
About 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp each of: salt, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika

2 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
Water

Ingredients for the Stew:
About 4 cups cooked "boiled"Chicken (see above)

5 slices Bacon

1-1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 cup Carrots

1/4 cup Celery
3/4 to 1 cup Leeks
1/2 cup onions
4 Potatoes (I used small Russet potatoes)
4-3/4 cups Chicken Broth (I like Swanson the best)
1/2 tsp dried Basil
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp dried Parsley
1/2 tsp Celery Seed
1-2 tsp Salt (fyi...I used 2 tsp)
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Garlic Powder
6 Tbsp Flour
1/8 cup Zatarain's Dehydrated Sweet Bell Peppers
1/4 cup Half and Half

Ingredients needed to boil the chicken prior to assembling the stew.

Place 3 large chicken breasts in a stock pot.
(Note: they don't have to be thawed; you can also use straight-from-the-freezer frozen chicken)

Add enough water to the pot to cover about 1/2 inch higher than the the chicken pieces.

Add your seasonings: 2 Tbsp olive oil,
1 tsp each salt, onion and garlic powders, smoked paprika,
and 2 bouillon chicken cubes. 

Stir and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and let chicken boil for about an hour.

After about an hour, the water should be just about cooked out of the pot, and chicken is tender.
Set chicken aside.

Ingredients used to assemble the stew.

Cut 5 pieces of bacon into small parts.

Cut bacon.

Add bacon to pot with 1-1/2 Tbsp olive oil.

Cook bacon in olive oil until crispy.

Set bacon aside. DO NOT DISCARD bacon grease.

Add your chopped vegetables to the pot with the BACON GREASE:
Approx. 1 cup carrots, 3/4 to 1 cup leeks, 1/2 cup onions, and 1/4 cup celery.

Add your seasonings: 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp celery seed, 1-2 tsp salt (I used 2 tsp of salt), 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder.

Saute together until vegetables are tender; about 5 minutes.

Then add 6 Tbsp flour. Stir to incorporate and cook about a minute more.

Add 4-3/4 cups chicken broth.

Cut your potatoes.

Add potatoes to your broth.

Since I didn't have any fresh bell pepper on hand, I decided to throw in some dehydrated sweet bell pepper.
The picture shows how much I used, about 1/8 cup. 

Throw in your dehydrated bell pepper. Or if you have fresh bell pepper on hand, feel free to use it.

Chop the chicken.

The chicken was chopped into large pieces.

Just a reminder to stir your stock to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.

Add chicken.

Add 1/4 cup Half & Half.

Add the bacon back to the pot.

Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Voila!
Stew is ready!

Hearty Chicken Stew!

Hearty Chicken Stew!

Hearty Chicken Stew!

Hearty Chicken Stew!

Hearty Chicken Stew!