There WAS ONCE UPON A TIME an old woman who wanted an apple dumpling for supper. She had plenty of flour and plenty of butter, plenty of sugar and plenty of spice for a dozen dumplings, but there was one thing she did not have; and that was apples.
She had plums, a tree full of them, the roundest and reddest that you can imagine; but, though you can make butter from cream and raisins of grapes, you cannot make an apple dumpling with plums, and there is no use trying.
The more the old woman thought of the dumpling the more she wanted it, and at last she dressed herself in her finest clothes and started out to seek a basket of apples.
Before she left home, however, she filled a basket with plums from her plum-tree and covering it over with a white cloth, hung it on her arm, for she said to herself: "There may be those in the world who have apples, and need plums."
She had not gone very far when she came to a poultry yard filled with fine hens and geese and guineas. Ca-ca, quawk, quawk, poterack! What a noise they made; and in the midst of them stood a young woman who was feeding them with yellow corn. She nodded pleasantly to the old woman, and the old woman nodded to her, and soon the two were talking as if they had known each other always.
The young woman told the old woman about her fowls and the old woman told the young woman about the apple dumpling and the basket of plums for which she hoped to get apples.
"Dear me," said the young woman when she heard this, "there is nothing my husband likes better than plum jelly with goose, but unless you will take a bag of feathers for your plums he must do without, for that is the best I can offer you."
"One pleased is better than two disappointed," said the old woman. And she emptied the plums into the young woman's apron and putting the bag of feathers into her basket trudged on as merrily as before; for she said to herself: "If I am no nearer the dumpling than when I left home, I am at least no farther from it; and that feathers are lighter to carry than plums nobody can deny."
Trudge, trudge, up hill and down she went, and presently she came to a garden of sweet flowers: lilies, lilacs, violets, roses --oh, never was there a lovelier garden.
The old woman stopped at the gate to admire the flowers; and as she looked she heard a man and a woman quarreling.
"Cotton," said the woman. "Straw," said the man. "'Tis not--" "'Tis!" they cried, and so it went between them, till they spied the old woman at the gate.
"Here is one who will settle the matter," said the woman then; and she called to the old woman: "Good mother, answer me this: If you were making a cushion for your grandfather's chair would you not stuff it with cotton?"
"No," said the old woman.
"I told you so," cried the man. "Straw is the thing, and ye need to go farther than the barn for it;" but the old woman shook her hand.
"I would not stuff the cushion with straw, either," said she, and it would have been hard to tell which one was the more cast down by her answer, the man or the woman. But the old woman made haste to take the bag of feathers out of her basket, and give it to them.
"A feather cushion is fit for a king," she said, "and as for me, an apple for a dumpling, or a bouquet from your garden will serve me as well as what I give."
The man and the woman had no apples, but they were glad to exchange a bouquet from their garden of the loveliest flowers; lilies, lilacs, roses--oh! never was there a sweeter bouquet.
"A good bargain, and not all of it in the basket," said the old woman, for she was pleased to have stopped the quarrel, and when she had wished the two good fortune and a long life, she went upon her way.
Now her way was the king's highway, and as she walked there she met a young lord who was dressed in his finest clothes, for he was going to see his lady love. He would have been as handsome a young man as ever the sun shone on had it not been that his forehead was wrinkled into a terrible frown, and the corners of his mouth drawn down as if he had not a friend left in the whole world.
"A fair day and a good road," said the old woman, stopping to drop him a curtsey.
"Fair or foul, good or bad, 'tis all the same to me," said he, "when the court jeweler has forgotten to send the ring he promised, and I must go to my lady with empty hands."
"So you shall have a gift for your lady," said the old woman, "though I may never have an apple dumpling." And she took the bouquet from her basket and gave it to the young lord which pleased him so much that the frown smoothed away from his forehead, and his mouth spread itself in a smile, and he was as handsome a young man as ever the sun shone on.
"Fair exchange is no robbery," said he, and he unfastened a golden chain from round his neck and gave it to the old woman, and went away holding his bouquet with great care.
The old woman was delighted.
"With this golden chain I might buy all the apples in the king's market, and then have something to spare," she said to herself, as she hurried away toward town as fast as her feet could carry her.
But she had gone no farther than the turn of the road when she came upon a mother and children, standing in a doorway, whose faces were as sorrowful as her own was happy.
"What is the matter?" she asked as soon as she reached them.
"Matter enough," answered the mother, "when the last crust of bread is eaten and not a farthing in the house to buy more."
"Well-a-day," cried the old woman when this was told her. "Never shall it be said of me that I eat apple dumpling for supper while my neighbors lack bread," and she put the golden chain into the mother's hands and hurried on without waiting for thanks.
She was not out of sight of the house, though, when the mother and children, every one of them laughing and talking merrily, overtook her.
"Little have we to give you," said the mother who was the happiest of all, "for that you have done for us, but here is a little dog, whose barking will keep loneliness from your house, and our thanks goes with it."
The old woman did not have the heart to tell them no, so into the basket went the little dog, and very snugly he lay there.
"A bag of feathers for a basket of plums; a bouquet of flowers for a bag of feathers; a golden chain for a bouquet of flowers; a dog for a golden chain; all the world is give and take, and who knows but that I may have my apple dumpling yet," said the old woman as she hurried on.
And sure enough she had not gone a half dozen yards when, right before her, she saw an apple tree as full of apples as her plum tree was full of plums. It grew in front of a house as much like her own as if the two were peas in the same pod; and on the porch of the house sat a little old man.
"A fine tree of apples," called the old woman as soon as she was in speaking distance of him.
"Aye, but apple trees and apples are poor company when a man is growing old," said the old man, "and I would give them all if I had even so much as a little dog to bark on my door-step."
"Bow-wow," called the dog in the old woman's basket, and in less time than it takes to read this story he was barking on the old man's door-step, and the old woman was on her way home with a basket of apples on her arm.
"If you try long enough and hard enough, you can always have an apple dumpling for supper," said the old woman, and she ate the dumpling to the very last crumb. And how she enjoyed it, too!
Apple Dumplings
RECIPE INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup raisins 1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg Premade pastry for an 8- or 9-inch 2 crust pie 4 small, cored baking apples 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup water
Directions: 1. Combine the raisins, cranberries, walnuts and spices in a bowl and set aside.
2. On a lightly floured cloth-covered surface, roll out the pastry into a 14-inch square, then cut it into 4 squares.
3. Place a cored apple on top of each square and fill the center with the raisin and cranberry mix.
4. Cover each apple with its pastry square by bringing the opposite corners up over the fruit and pinching them together. Then, seal together all of the pastry edges, moistening them with water if needed.
5. Place the dumplings in a glass baking dish.
6. In a saucepan, bring the brown sugar and water to a boil, and then pour it over the dumplings (a parent's job).
7. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven, spooning the syrup over the dumplings a few times, until the crust is golden (about 40 minutes).
Long ago and far away across the wide blue sea, there lived a hard working old man and old woman. One day, the old man went up into the mountains to gatherwood. When he sat down to eat his lunch, one of his rice balls tumbled away. Down the slope of the mountain it tumbled until it finally rolled into a large hole. The old man chased after the rice ball and stopped at the hole. He bent down to look inside and from within the hole he heard a soft song.
A Rice ball tumbling suttenton A Rice ball tumbling suttenton
The old man was very excited, so he climbed back up the mountain, picked up another rice ball and rolled it away. Down it tumbled into the hole. When he crouched down near the hole he heard the song once more.
A Rice ball tumbling suttenton A Rice ball tumbling suttenton
The old man peeked into the hole, but as he did he overbalanced and tumbled right into the hole itself. As he tumbled he heard another song.
An Old man tumbling suttenton An Old man tumbling suttenton
In the hole was a mouse world, where hundreds of little mice were happily singing and making rice cakes. "Thank you for the rice balls, kind sir. We will treat you to a feast to repay your kindness. Come and join us in our song," they called. And so the old man and the mice sang,
A Rice ball tumbling suttenton A Rice ball tumbling suttenton
An Old man tumbling suttenton An Old man tumbling suttenton
Little mice tumbling suttenton Little mice tumbling suttenton
The old man had a wonderful time singing and dancing with the mice. "Thank you for the feast, but now it is time for me to go home,” he said. “Wait, old man,” said the smallest mouse, and he gave him a box. “Here is our gift to you.” When the old man returned home, he opened the box and was astounded to find it filled with money and treasure.
“There are enough riches to last us all our days,” the old man said to the old woman. And they were very happy for the rest of their lives.
However, when the old man told his story to a greedy, old neighbour, the greedy, old man thought he would do exactly the same thing, so that he too could receive a fortune from the mice world. He immediately went into the mountains and dropped two rice balls into the hole, then tumbled in himself.
A rice ball tumbling suttenton A rice ball tumbling suttenton
An old man tumbling suttenton
Hundreds of mice were happily singing and making rice cakes. After the greedy old man entered the mouse world, he decided to chase away the mice and keep all of the treasures for himself. So he pretended to be a cat and began to miaow. "Miaow,miaow." The frightened little mice scattered every which way and disappeared.
Just as the greedy, old man thought he could now take all the treasure, everything went black. He realized that the money and treasure had vanished with the mice and now he was left with nothing. Not even a rice ball. Only after a long time scrabbling around on his hands and knees in the darkness, was he able to find the entrance to the hole and leave the mouse world.
Since that time, no one has ever found the mouse world again. Although sometimes, if you are walking high up in the mountains of Japan, you may hear this song carried by the wind.
A Rice ball tumbling suttenton,suttenton,suttenton…
Rice balls are called onigiri in Japan. Rice balls are usually shaped into rounds or triangles and often wrapped in nori(edible seaweed). Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume (fruit similar to a plum or apricot), salted salmon or any other salty or sour ingredient. Onigiri is not a form of sushi. Onigiri is made with plain rice, sometimes lightly salted, while sushi is made of rice with sugar and vinegar added to it.
Warning!!! "Regular" rice will not work. You need "sushi/japanese" rice. Really!!!
I learned this song at Camp Togowoods in Wasilla, Alaska which is not very far from Anchorage. This is an echo song. First you, the leader sings, then the children repeat, echo, your words and movements. Hmm... I will have to add the movements later**smile**.
The Moose
There was a great big moose. (echo) He liked to drink a lot of juice. (echo) There was a great big moose. (echo) He liked to drink a lot of juice. (echo)
Chorus (each line is also echoed): Say waaaaay-Oh Way-oh, way-oh, way-oh, way-oh Way-oh, way-oh Way-oh, way-oh, way-oh, way-oh
The moose's name was Fred. (echo) He liked to drink his juice in bed. (echo) The moose's name was Fred. (echo) He liked to drink his juice in bed. (echo)
Chorus
He drank his juice with care. (echo) But he spilled some on his hair. (echo) He drank his juice with care. (echo) But he spilled some on his hair. (echo)
Chorus
Now he’s a sticky moose (echo) Full of juice (echo) On the looooooooooooooose (echo)
Chorus
This song can be found with different verses all over the net. It is sung by scouts and at other children's camps.
This is an "okay" version of the song although there are missing verses and the tune and movements are a little different. But you'll get the idea.
Juice Facts: Squeezed fruit is as healthy as eating a piece of raw fruit out of your hand. Unlike many people think there is not a whole lot of fruit flesh lost when you squeeze fruit. This means that your glass of orange juice does contain all the fibers you need!
Watermelon Juice Ingredients: 2 cups chopped seeded watermelon 1 cup crushed ice 2 teaspoons honey
Directions: 1) Combine watermelon, ice and honey in a blender. 2) Blend until smooth. 3) Serve chilled (Stir well before serving).
Moose Juice (they really like fruit :P )
Ingredients 2 1/2 cups grapefruit juice 1 1/2 cups orange juice 2 medium firm bananas, cut up and frozen 6 to 8 frozen unsweetened strawberries
Directions: 1)Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. 2)Pour into a pitcher. 3)Serve immediately.
INGREDIENTS 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Miracle Whip) 2 teaspoons OLD BAY® Seasoning 1/2 teaspoon dry Mustard 1 pound lump crabmeat 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Your favorite crackers or sliced french bread
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, Old Bay and dry mustard in medium bowl until well blended. Add crabmeat; toss gently.
2. Spread in shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and additional Old Bay, if desired.
Once there were three brothers who loved adventure. One day they decided to go on a journey, each one to a different country, and to meet again on a certain day ten years later. Each brother was to bring back with him an unusual gift.
The oldest brother decided to go to the East. When he arrived in a certain Eastern town, he was fascinated by what he saw there: magicians, dancing girls, jugglers, and acrobats were everywhere. As the brother was watching the entertainments, he saw one magician hold up a magic glass through which he could see to the distant corners of the kingdom.
“Ah!” thought the oldest brother, “I would like to have that glass, for that would certainly be an unusual object to share with my brothers.” He asked the magician, “Tell me, how much is that glass? I should like to buy it from you.” At first, the magician would not part with his magic glass, but after much pleading by the older brother, and some bargaining, they agreed upon a price and the magician sold the glass to the oldest brother.
The second brother traveled to a country in the West. Wherever he went, he kept his eyes open, and his mind as well. He was always on the lookout for the most unusual gift he could bring back to his brothers.
One day, he was attracted by the cries of an old carpet seller, who called out, “Carpets for sale! Beautiful! Wonderful! Carpets here!” The brother approached the carpet seller and began to examine his carpets, when suddenly he saw the carpet at the bottom of the pile begin to move. It seemed to be moving by itself! “What kind of carpet is this one?” he asked, pointing to the bottom one, which was quite visible by then.
The old merchant motioned for him to bend down and whispered in his ear, “This is a magic carpet. Buy it, and it will take you anywhere you want to go—and quickly too!” The second brother and the carpet seller finally settled upon a price, and the brother took the magic carpet with him, satisfied that he had a most unusual gift.
The youngest brother went South, and when he arrived in a certain country, he traveled far and wide to see what he could find to bring back to his brothers.
Now, this was a country noted for its many forests. One day the youngest brother was walking in a grove of trees when he noticed something strange—a tree that was of a different shape from the hundreds of other trees around it. It was covered with orange-red blossoms, and it was so beautiful!
As the younger brother came closer, he saw that there was only one red pomegranate on the tree.
“This is strange indeed,” thought the young man. “A pomegranate tree with only one pomegranate.” He approached the tree slowly, laughing to himself and thinking of the story he would tell his brothers about the pomegranate tree full of blossoms with only one fruit on it. As he reached for the pomegranate, it fell into his hand even he could pluck it from the branch. As soon as that happened, another pomegranate burst from one of the blossoms. When the brother saw this, he looked at the pomegranate in his hand and said to himself, “This must be a magic pomegranate. It was the only one on the tree, and yet as soon as it fell into my hands when I was about to reach for it, a new pomegranate appeared suddenly. But what kind of magic does it perform, I wonder?”
The youngest brother examined the pomegranate, marveling at its beauty. “The shape is so perfect,” he thought, “crowned with the crown of King Solomon.” He walked away from the tree looking at his mysterious new treasure. When he looked back to see the pomegranate tree once more, it was no longer there. It had disappeared. “Now I know this is a magic pomegranate, and so this is what I will bring to my brothers.”
Ten years passed, and when the three brothers met as they had planned, they embraced with delight. They eagerly showed each other the unusual objects they had brought back from their journeys.
The oldest brother said, “Let me look through my glass and see what I can see.” When he held up the glass, he saw, in a far-off kingdom, a young princess lying ill in bed, near death.
“Quickly, dear brothers, get on my magic carpet and we’ll fly there!” said the second brother. In what seemed like seconds, the three brothers arrived at the far-off kingdom.
In the royal palace of this kingdom, the King, whose daughter lay ill, was grief-stricken. He had sent for every doctor in the country to cure the princess; but they had all failed and there was no hope left for the princess. Finally, the King had sent a messenger throughout the country saying, “Whoever can save my daughter, the princess, will have her hand in marriage, and half the kingdom!”
As if in a dream, the youngest brother heard a voice whisper inside him, “The pomegranate!” The youngest brother approached the King and asked, “May I try to cure the princess?” The King agreed and led the young man to the princess’ chambers.
When the young man saw the princess, he approached quietly and sat by her side. Then he took the pomegranate from his pocket, cut it open with gentle care, carefully cut each kernel from its place, and then fed the juicy red kernels to the princess. In a few moments, the princess felt stronger, and the color returned to her cheeks. Soon, she sat up in her bed, fully restored to health.
The King was overjoyed. He hugged his daughter and, turning to the three young men, he announced, “The man who saved my daughter will many her.”
The three brothers began to quarrel, each one claiming to be the one who should marry the princess.
The oldest brother said, “If it were not for my magic glass, we would never have known the princess was ill in the first place. So, since I discovered this first, I deserve to marry the princess.”
“But, brothers, It was because of my magic carpet that we could arrive so quickly,” argued the second brother. “Otherwise, the princess would have died. I deserve to marry the princess.”
Then the youngest brother said, “It was my magic pomegranate that actually healed the princess. I deserve to marry her.”
Since the three brothers could not decide which one should marry the princess, the King tried to decide. He looked at the three clever young men, but he could not decide who deserved to many his daughter.
The King finally turned to the princess and asked, “Who do you think deserves to marry you, my daughter?”
The princess answered simply, “I will ask each of them a question.” She turned to the oldest brother and asked, “Has your magic glass changed in any way since you arrived in this Kingdom?”
“No,” replied the oldest brother. “My glass is the same as always, and I can look through it and see to every corner of this kingdom.”
The princess then asked the second brother, “Has your magic carpet changed in any way since you arrived in this kingdom?” And the second brother answered, “No, my carpet is the same, and I can fly anywhere on it, as always.”
Turning to the youngest brother, the princess asked, “Has your magic pomegranate changed in any way since you arrived in this Kingdom?” And the youngest brother answered, “Yes, princess, my pomegranate is no longer whole, for I gave you a portion of it”
The princess turned to the three young men and said, “I will marry the youngest brother because he performed the greatest good deed—because he gave up something of his own.
The brothers and the King all understood the wisdom of the Princess. A lavish wedding was arranged for the prin-cess and the youngest brother.
And the King appointed the princess and all three brothers to become his royal advisers.
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour About 2/3 cup sugar 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1-1/4 cups pomegranate seeds 1 cup milk 1 large egg About 1/4 cup (1/8 pound) butter or margarine, melted and cooled
Preparation: In a bowl, mix flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in crystallized ginger, lemon peel, and pomegranate seeds. Make a well in the center.
In a measuring cup, blend milk, egg, and 1/4 cup butter. Pour liquid all at once into well. Stir just until batter is moistened; it will be lumpy.
Spoon batter into 12 (2-1/2-inch-wide) or 24 (1-3/4-inch-wide) buttered muffin cups, filling each almost to the rim. Sprinkle with 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
Bake in a 425-degree F oven until lightly browned, about 16 minutes for large muffins, 13 minutes for small. Remove muffins from pan at once. Serve hot or set on a rack and serve warm or cool.
We're forty performing bananas, in bright yellow slippery skins, our features are rather appealing, though we've neither shoulders nor chins, we cha-cha, fandango, and tango, we kick and we skip and we hop, while half of us belt out a ballad, the rest of us spin like a top.
We're forty performing bananas, we mambo, we samba, we waltz, we dangle and swing from the ceiling, then turn very slick somersaults, people drive here in bunches to see us, our splits earn us worldly renown, we're forty performing bananas, come see us when you are in town. by Jack Prelutsky
Banananananana...
I thought I'd win the spelling bee And get right to the top, But I started to spell "banana", And I didn't know when to stop.
by William Cole
both poems from Laughing Out Loud Poems to Tickle Your Funnybone
BANANA SMOOTHIE
Ingredients: 1 small frozen banana, cut into chunks 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt 1/4 cup orange juice
Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. The smoothies will be fairly thick. Add more liquid if you want them thinner. Makes 2 servings. Make up your own variations using other fruits and juices.
Banana Muffins
Ingredients: 1/2 cup of butter 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 cup sour cream 3 large bananas, mashed
Directions: 1. Cream together butter and sugar. 2. When creamy, add the eggs, sour cream, mashed bananas, and vanilla. 3. Mix all dry ingredients and add to mixture. 3. Bake at 350 degrees in cup-cake pans for approximately 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
Young Peoples Poetry Week is the third week in April which is either the 12th through the 18th or the 19th through the 25th. I've decided to make it two weeks 'cause I'm confused!
The Silver Fish
While fishing in the blue lagoon I caught a lovely silver fish,
And he spoke to me, "My boy," quoth he, "Please set me free and I'll grant your wish... A kingdom of wisdom? A palace of gold? Or all the goodies your fancies can hold?"
So I said, "OK," and I threw him free, And he swam away and he laughed at me Whispering my foolish wish Into a silent sea.
Today I caught that fish again, That lovely silver prince of fishes, And once again he offered me— If I would only set him free— Any one of a number of wonderful wishes... He was delicious!
Shel Silverstein
Fish in a Bowl
Ingredients: 1 package (3 oz) of blue gelatin (berry blue) 3/4 cup boiling water 1/2 cup cold water ice cubes 1 package gummy fish
Optional: you can use small jelly beans or fruit cocktail or other sliced fruit (strawberries) for rocks at the bottom of your fish tank/bowl
Directions: Dissolve gelatin in boiling water completely. Combine cold water and ice cubes to make 1 1/4 cups ice and water. Add to gelatin, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice. If mixture is still thin, refrigerate until slightly thickened.
If using fruit or jelly beans place on the bottom of clear bowl. Pour thickened gelatin over fruit/jelly beans. Suspend gummy fish in gelatin.
Refrigerate until set, about 1 to 2 hours. Garnish with additional gummy fish, if desired.
It was summer in the land of Denmark, and though for most of the year the country looks flat and ugly, it was beautiful now. The wheat was yellow, the oats were green, the hay was dry and delicious to roll in, and from the old ruined house which nobody lived in, down to the edge of the canal, was a forest of great burdocks, so tall that a whole family of children might have dwelt in them and never have been found out.
It was under these burdocks that a duck had built herself a warm nest, and was not sitting all day on six pretty eggs. Five of them were white, but the sixth, which was larger than the others, was of an ugly grey colour. The duck was always puzzled about that egg, and how it came to be so different from the rest. Other birds might have thought that when the duck went down in the morning and evening to the water to stretch her legs in a good swim, some lazy mother might have been on the watch, and have popped her egg into the nest. But ducks are not clever at all, and are not quick at counting, so this duck did not worry herself about the matter, but just took care that the big egg should be as warm as the rest.
This was the first set of eggs that the duck had ever laid, and, to begin with, she was very pleased and proud, and laughed at the other mothers, who were always neglecting their duties to gossip with each other or to take little extra swims besides the two in the morning and evening that were necessary for health. But at length she grew tired of sitting there all day. 'Surely eggs take longer hatching than they did,' she said to herself; and she pined for a little amusement also. Still, she knew that if she left her eggs and the ducklings in them to die none of her friends would ever speak to her again; so there she stayed, only getting off the eggs several times a day to see if the shells were cracking--which may have been the very reason why they did not crack sooner.
She had looked at the eggs at least a hundred and fifty times, when, to her joy, she saw a tiny crack on two of them, and scrambling back to the nest she drew the eggs closer the one to the other, and never moved for the whole of that day. Next morning she was rewarded by noticing cracks in the whole five eggs, and by midday two little yellow heads were poking out from the shells. This encouraged her so much that, after breaking the shells with her bill, so that the little creatures could get free of them, she sat steadily for a whole night upon the nest, and before the sun arose the five white eggs were empty, and ten pairs of eyes were gazing out upon the green world.
Now the duck had been carefully brought up, and did not like dirt, and, besides, broken shells are not at all comfortable things to sit or walk upon; so she pushed the rest out over the side, and felt delighted to have some company to talk to till the big egg hatched. But day after day went on, and the big egg showed no signs of cracking, and the duck grew more and more impatient, and began to wish to consult her husband, who never came.
'I can't think what is the matter with it,' the duck grumbled to her neighbour who had called in to pay her a visit. 'Why I could have hatched two broods in the time that this one has taken!'
'Let me look at it,' said the old neighbour. 'Ah, I thought so; it is a turkey's egg. Once, when I was young, they tricked me to sitting on a brood of turkey's eggs myself, and when they were hatched the creatures were so stupid that nothing would make them learn to swim. I have no patience when I think of it.'
'Well, I will give it another chance,' sighed the duck, 'and if it does not come out of its shell in another twenty-four hours, I will just leave it alone and teach the rest of them to swim properly and to find their own food. I really can't be expected to do two things at once.' And with a fluff of her feathers she pushed the egg into the middle of the nest.
All through the next day she sat on, giving up even her morning bath for fear that a blast of cold might strike the big egg. In the evening, when she ventured to peep, she thought she saw a tiny crack in the upper part of the shell. Filled with hope, she went back to her duties, though she could hardly sleep all night for excitement. When she woke with the first steaks of light she felt something stirring under her. Yes, there it was at last; and as she moved, a big awkward bird tumbled head foremost on the ground.
There was no denying it was ugly, even the mother was forced to admit that to herself, though she only said it was 'large' and 'strong.' 'You won't need any teaching when you are once in the water,' she told him, with a glance of surprise at the dull brown which covered his back, and at his long naked neck. And indeed he did not, though he was not half so pretty to look at as the little yellow balls that followed her.
When they returned they found the old neighbour on the bank waiting for them to take them into the duckyard. 'No, it is not a young turkey, certainly,' whispered she in confidence to the mother, 'for though it is lean and skinny, and has no colour to speak of, yet there is something rather distinguished about it, and it holds its head up well.'
'It is very kind of you to say so,' answered the mother, who by this time had some secret doubts of its loveliness. 'Of course, when you see it by itself it is all right, though it is different, somehow, from the others. But one cannot expect all one's children to be beautiful!'
By this time they had reached the centre of the yard, where a very old duck was sitting, who was treated with great respect by all the fowls present.
'You must go up and bow low before her,' whispered the mother to her children, nodding her head in the direction of the old lady, 'and keep your legs well apart, as you see me do. No well-bred duckling turns in its toes. It is a sign of common parents.'
The little ducks tried hard to make their small fat bodies copy the movements of their mother, and the old lady was quite pleased with them; but the rest of the ducks looked on discontentedly, and said to each other:
'Oh, dear me, here are ever so many more! The yard is full already; and did you ever see anything quite as ugly as that great tall creature? He is a disgrace to any brood. I shall go and chase him out!' So saying she put up her feathers, and running to the big duckling bit his neck.
The duckling gave a loud quack; it was the first time he had felt any pain, and at the sound his mother turned quickly.
'Leave him alone,' she said fiercely, 'or I will send for his father. He was not troubling you.'
'No; but he is so ugly and awkward no one can put up with him,' answered the stranger. And though the duckling did not understand the meaning of the words, he felt he was being blamed, and became more uncomfortable still when the old Spanish duck who ruled the fowlyard struck in:
'It certainly is a great pity he is so different from these beautiful darlings. If he could only be hatched over again!'
The poor little fellow drooped his head, and did not know where to look, but was comforted when his mother answered:
'He may not be quite as handsome as the others, but he swims better, and is very strong; I am sure he will make his way in the world as well as anybody.'
'Well, you must feel quite at home here,' said the old duck waddling off. And so they did, all except the duckling, who was snapped at by everyone when they thought his mother was not looking. Even the turkey-cock, who was so big, never passed him without mocking words, and his brothers and sisters, who would not have noticed any difference unless it had been put into their heads, soon became as rude and unkind as the rest.
At last he could bear it no longer, and one day he fancied he saw signs of his mother turning against him too; so that night, when the ducks and hens were still asleep, he stole away through an open door, and under cover of the burdock leaves scrambled on by the bank of the canal, till he reached a wide grassy moor, full of soft marshy places where the reeds grew. Here he lay down, but he was too tired and too frightened to fall asleep, and with the earliest peep of the sun the reeds began to rustle, and he saw that he had blundered into a colony of wild ducks. But as he could not run away again he stood up and bowed politely.
'You are ugly,' said the wild ducks, when they had looked him well over; 'but, however, it is no business of ours, unless you wish to marry one of our daughters, and that we should not allow.' And the duckling answered that he had no idea of marrying anybody, and wanted nothing but to be left alone after his long journey.
So for two whole days he lay quietly among the reeds, eating such food as he could find, and drinking the water of the moorland pool, till he felt himself quite strong again. He wished he might stay were he was for ever, he was so comfortable and happy, away from everyone, with nobody to bite him and tell him how ugly he was.
He was thinking these thoughts, when two young ganders caught sight of him as they were having their evening splash among the reeds, looking for their supper.
'We are getting tired of this moor,' they said, 'and to-morrow we think of trying another, where the lakes are larger and the feeding better. Will you come with us?'
'Is it nicer than this?' asked the duckling doubtfully. And the words were hardly out of his mouth, when 'Pif! pah!' and the two new- comers were stretched dead beside him.
At the sound of the gun the wild ducks in the rushes flew into the air, and for a few minutes the firing continued.
Luckily for himself the duckling could not fly, and he floundered along through the water till he could hide himself amidst some tall ferns which grew in a hollow. But before he got there he met a huge creature on four legs, which he afterwards knew to be a dog, who stood and gazed at him with a long red tongue hanging out of his mouth. The duckling grew cold with terror, and tried to hide his head beneath his little wings; but the dog snuffed at him and passed on, and he was able to reach his place of shelter.
'I am too ugly even for a dog to eat,' said he to himself. 'Well, that is a great mercy.' And he curled himself up in the soft grass till the shots died away in the distance.
When all had been quiet for a long time, and there were only stars to see him, he crept out and looked about him.
He would never go near a pool again, never, thought he; and seeing that the moor stretched far away in the opposite direction from which he had come, he marched bravely on till he got to a small cottage, which seemed too tumbledown for the stones to hold together many hours longer. Even the door only hung upon one hinge, and as the only light in the room sprang from a tiny fire, the duckling edged himself cautiously in, and lay down under a chair close to the broken door, from which he could get out if necessary. But no one seemed to see him or smell him; so he spend the rest of the night in peace.
Now in the cottage dwelt an old woman, her cat, and a hen; and it was really they, and not she, who were masters of the house. The old woman, who passed all her days in spinning yarn, which she sold at the nearest town, loved both the cat and the hen as her own children, and never contradicted them in any way; so it was their grace, and not hers, that the duckling would have to gain.
It was only next morning, when it grew light, that they noticed their visitor, who stood trembling before them, with his eye on the door ready to escape at any moment. They did not, however, appear very fierce, and the duckling became less afraid as they approached him.
'Can you lay eggs?' asked the hen. And the duckling answered meekly:
'No; I don't know how.' Upon which the hen turned her back, and the cat came forward.
'Can you ruffle your fur when you are angry, or purr when you are pleased?' said she. And again the duckling had to admit that he could do nothing but swim, which did not seem of much use to anybody.
So the cat and the hen went straight off to the old woman, who was still in bed.
'Such a useless creature has taken refuge here,' they said. 'It calls itself a duckling; but it can neither lay eggs nor purr! What had we better do with it?'
'Keep it, to be sure!' replied the old woman briskly. 'It is all nonsense about it not laying eggs. Anyway, we will let it stay here for a bit, and see what happens.'
So the duckling remained for three weeks, and shared the food of the cat and the hen; but nothing in the way of eggs happened at all. Then the sun came out, and the air grew soft, and the duckling grew tired of being in a hut, and wanted with all his might to have a swim. And one morning he got so restless that even his friends noticed it.
'What is the matter?' asked the hen; and the duckling told her.
'I am so longing for the water again. You can't think how delicious it is to put your head under the water and dive straight to the bottom.'
'I don't think I should enjoy it,' replied the hen doubtfully. 'And I don't think the cat would like it either.' And the cat, when asked, agreed there was nothing she would hate so much.
'I can't stay here any longer, I Must get to the water,' repeated the duck. And the cat and the hen, who felt hurt and offended, answered shortly:
'Very well then, go.'
The duckling would have liked to say good- bye, and thank them for their kindness, as he was polite by nature; but they had both turned their backs on him, so he went out of the rickety door feeling rather sad. But, in spite of himself, he could not help a thrill of joy when he was out in the air and water once more, and cared little for the rude glances of the creatures he met. For a while he was quite happy and content; but soon the winter came on, and snow began to fall, and everything to grow very wet and uncomfortable. And the duckling soon found that it is one thing to enjoy being in the water, and quite another to like being damp on land.
The sun was setting one day, like a great scarlet globe, and the river, to the duckling's vast bewilderment, was getting hard and slippery, when he heard a sound of whirring wings, and high up in the air a flock of swans were flying. They were as white as snow which had fallen during the night, and their long necks with yellow bills were stretched southwards, for they were going--they did not quite know whither--but to a land where the sun shone all day. Oh, if he only could have gone with them! But that was not possible, of course; and besides, what sort of companion could an ugly thing like him be to those beautiful beings? So he walked sadly down to a sheltered pool and dived to the very bottom, and tried to think it was the greatest happiness he could dream of. But, all the same, he knew it wasn't!
And every morning it grew colder and colder, and the duckling had hard work to keep himself warm. Indeed, it would be truer to say that he never was warm at all; and at last, after one bitter night, his legs moved so slowly that the ice crept closer and closer, and when the morning light broke he was caught fast, as in a trap; and soon his senses went from him.
A few hours more and the poor duckling's life had been ended. But, by good fortune, a man was crossing the river on his way to his work, and saw in a moment what had happened. He had on thick wooden shoes, and he went and stamped so hard on the ice that it broke, and then he picked up the duckling and tucked him under his sheepskin coat, where his frozen bones began to thaw a little.
Instead of going on his work, the man turned back and took the bird to his children, who gave him a warm mess to eat and put him in a box by the fire, and when they came back from school he was much more comfortable than he had been since he had left the old woman's cottage. They were kind little children, and wanted to play with him; but, alas! the poor fellow had never played in his life, and thought they wanted to tease him, and flew straight into the milk-pan, and then into the butter-dish, and from that into the meal- barrel, and at last, terrified at the noise and confusion, right out of the door, and hid himself in the snow amongst the bushes at the back of the house.
He never could tell afterwards exactly how he had spent the rest of the winter. He only knew that he was very miserable and that he never had enough to eat. But by-and-by things grew better. The earth became softer, the sun hotter, the birds sang, and the flowers once more appeared in the grass. When he stood up, he felt different, somehow, from what he had done before he fell asleep among the reeds to which he had wandered after he had escaped from the peasant's hut. His body seemed larger, and his wings stronger. Something pink looked at him from the side of a hill. He thought he would fly towards it and see what it was.
Oh, how glorious it felt to be rushing through the air, wheeling first one way and then the other! He had never thought that flying could be like that! The duckling was almost sorry when he drew near the pink cloud and found it was made up of apple blossoms growing beside a cottage whose garden ran down to the banks of the canal. He fluttered slowly to the ground and paused for a few minutes under a thicket of syringas, and while he was gazing about him, there walked slowly past a flock of the same beautiful birds he had seen so many months ago. Fascinated, he watched them one by one step into the canal, and float quietly upon the waters as if they were part of them.
'I will follow them,' said the duckling to himself; 'ugly though I am, I would rather be killed by them than suffer all I have suffered from cold and hunger, and from the ducks and fowls who should have treated me kindly.' And flying quickly down to the water, he swam after them as fast as he could.
It did not take him long to reach them, for they had stopped to rest in a green pool shaded by a tree whose branches swept the water. And directly they saw him coming some of the younger ones swam out to meet him with cries of welcome, which again the duckling hardly understood. He approached them glad, yet trembling, and turning to one of the older birds, who by this time had left the shade of the tree, he said:
'If I am to die, I would rather you should kill me. I don't know why I was ever hatched, for I am too ugly to live.' And as he spoke, he bowed his head and looked down into the water.
Reflected in the still pool he saw many white shapes, with long necks and golden bills, and, without thinking, he looked for the dull grey body and the awkward skinny neck. But no such thing was there. Instead, he beheld beneath him a beautiful white swan!
'The new one is the best of all,' said the children when they came down to feed the swans with biscuit and cake before going to bed. 'His feathers are whiter and his beak more golden than the rest.' And when he heard that, the duckling thought that it was worth while having undergone all the persecution and loneliness that he had passed through, as otherwise he would never have known what it was to be really happy.
written by Hans Christian Andersen
I had to work hard for a recipe to go with this story but I found one!!!
Ugly Duckling Cake
1 box yellow cake mix 1 (17oz) can fruit cocktail with syrup 1 cup coconut 2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Blend above ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch cake pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
Ugly Duckling Frosting 1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup evaporated milk 1 stick margarine 1 cup coconut
In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, milk and margarine. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in coconut. Pour over cake.
Here's a bonus! A classic Disney Silly Symphony...
Once upon a time there were three old women who wanted a pancake to eat. The first one brought an egg, the second one milk, and the third one grease and flour. When the thick, fat pancake was done, it pulled itself up in the pan and ran away from the three old women. It ran and ran, steadfastly, steadfastly into the woods. There he came upon a little hare, who cried, "Thick, fat pancake, stop! I want to eat you!"
The pancake answered, "I have run away from three old women. Can I not run away from Hoppity Hare as well?" And it ran steadfastly, steadfastly into the woods.
Then a wolf came running toward him, and cried, "Thick, fat pancake, stop! I want to eat you!"
The pancake answered, "I have run away from three old women and Hoppity Hare. Can I not run away from Waddly Wolf as well?" And it ran steadfastly, steadfastly into the woods.
Then a goat came hopping by, and cried, "Thick, fat pancake, stop! I want to eat you!"
The pancake answered, "I have run away from three old women, Hoppity Hare, and Waddly Wolf. Can I not run away from Longbeard Goat as well?" And it ran steadfastly, steadfastly into the woods.
Then a horse came galloping by, and cried, "Thick, fat pancake, stop! I want to eat you!"
The pancake answered, "I have run away from three old women, Hoppity Hare, Waddly Wolf, and Longbeard Goat. Can I not run away from Flatfoot Horse as well?" And it ran steadfastly, steadfastly into the woods.
Then a sow came running up, and cried, "Thick, fat pancake, stop! I want to eat you!"
The pancake answered, "I have run away from three old women, Hoppity Hare, Waddly Wolf, Longbeard Goat, and Flatfoot Horse. Can I not run away from Oink-Oink Sow as well?" And it ran steadfastly, steadfastly into the woods.
Then three children came by. They had neither father nor mother, and they said, "Dear pancake, stop! We have had nothing to eat the entire day!" So the thick, fat pancake jumped into the children's basket and let them eat it up.
(Written by Carl and Theodor Colshorn, "Vom dicken fetten Pfannekuchen," Märchen und Sagen published in 1854....translated by D. L. Ashliman) story found at www.pitt.edu
DIRECTIONS In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Applesauce Pancakes
INGREDIENTS 2 cups dry pancake mix 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 eggs 1 cup applesauce 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 cup milk
DIRECTIONS In a large bowl, stir together pancake mix and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the pancake mix. Add the eggs, applesauce, lemon juice and milk; stir until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot
Emperor Hung-Vuong had many sons. Some pursued literary careers. Others excelled in martial arts. The youngest prince named Tiet-Lieu, however, loved neither. Instead, he and his wife and their children chose the countryside where they farmed the land.
One day, toward the end of the year, the emperor met with all his sons. He told them whoever brought him the most special and unusual food would be made the new emperor. Almost immediately, the princes left for their homes and started looking for the most delicious food to offer the emperor. Some went hunting in the forests and brought home birds and animals which they prepared into the most palatable dishes. Some others sailed out to the open sea, trying to catch fish, lobsters and other much loved sea food. Neither the rough sea nor the violent weather could stop them from looking for the best gifts to please the emperor.
In his search, Tiet-Lieu went back to the countryside. He saw that the rice in his paddy fields was ripe and ready to be harvested, Walking by a glutinous rice field, he picked some golden grains on a long stalk. He brought them close to his nose and he could smell a delicate aroma.
His entire family then set out to harvest the rice, Tiet-Lieu himself ground the glutinous rice grains into fine flour. His wife mixed it with water into a soft paste. His children helped by building a fire and wrapping the cakes with leaves. In no time, they finished, and in front of them lay two kinds of cakes: one was round and the other was square in shape.
The round cake was made with glutinous rice dough and was called "banh day" by Tiet-Lieu. He named the square shaped cake "banh chung" which he made with rice, green beans wrapped in leaves. Everybody was extremely happy with the new kind of cakes.
On the first day of Spring, the princes took the gifts of their labor and love to the emperor. One carried a delicious dish of steamed fish and mushrooms. Another brought with him a roasted peacock and some lobsters. All the food was beautifully cooked.
When it was Tiet-Lieu's turn to present his gifts, he carried the "banh chung" and his wife carried the "banh day" to the emperor. Seeing Tiet-Lieu's simple offerings, other princes sneered at them. But after tasting all the food brought to court by his sons, the emperor decided that the first prize should be awarded to Tiet-Lieu.
The emperor then said that his youngest son's gifts were not only the purest, but also the most meaningful because Tiet-Lieu had used nothing except rice which was the basic foodstuff of the people to make them. The emperor gave up the throne and make Tiet-Lieu the new emperor. All the other princes bowed to show respect and congratulated the new emperor.
Rice cake (or Banh Chung) and Banh Day are two types of delicacies which are very popular with the Vietnamese people. Banh Day is served regularly at festivals and ceremonies. It is a rounded, convex cake of glutinous or nep rice, which resembles white dough, soft and sticky. Its cupola-shaped top is said to resemble the shape of the heavenly vault. Banh Chung is served particularly at Vietnamese New Year's festival, which occurs during the first three days of the first month of the lunar calendar. It is a square cake, wrapped in banana leaves and tied with lacings of flexible bamboo slivers. It is a very rich food for the interior contains a filling of bean paste to which may be added small bits of pork meat, both fat and lean. This filling, which is amply seasoned, is pressed between layers of glutinous rice. Its square shape is considered a symbol of the thankfulness of the Vietnamese people for the great abundance of the Earth, which has supplied them with nutritious food throughout the four seasons of the year.
I've provided 2 Bahn Chung Recipes and one really wonderful Youtube vid.
Both recipes take HOURS to prepare. If using this recipe with children it would probably be best to make one recipe ahead of time to show the children the finished product.
The vid shows a woman preparing the leaves and making the rice cakes.
Very interesting vid, showing the use of leaves to make a box for the rice cake.
Banh Chung (Vietnamese New Year's cake)
Preparation time: 45 to 55 minutes (plus overnight soaking) Cooking time: 4 3/4 hours (plus 1 hour to cool)
Ingredients 2 cups sticky rice 1/4 cup dried mung beans, hulled 6 ounces boneless pork shoulder or roast, cut into 1/4-inch slices 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup water Plastic wrap Aluminum foil String
How to make vietnamese New Year's cake (banh chung) Place rice in one bowl and mung beans in another. Cover each with water and soak overnight. (*) In a large bowl, combine pork, onions, fish sauce, and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes. While pork mixture is marinating, drain rice and beans thoroughly. Add salt to rice and stir well.
In a skillet or wok, heat oil over medium heat. Add pork mixture and stir-fry until meat is cooked through but still tender, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine mung beans and about 1 cup water. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, or until soft. Remove from heat, drain, and mash beans with a potato masher or fork.
On a countertop, spread out a piece of plastic wrap about 17 inches square. On top of this, place a sheet of aluminum foil of the same size. Place almost half of the sticky rice in the middle of the foil and shape rice into a square layer. Top rice with a layer of beans, using half of them. Place pork slices on top of beans. Add remaining beans and top off with most of the remaining rice.
Wrap cake by bringing together two edges of foil and plastic wrap. Fold edges over twice and flatten against the side of the packet . Tuck remaining rice into the two open ends of the packet, covering up beans and meat. Fold the open ends as if you were wrapping a gift.
Place packet, folded side down, on another large sheet of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Tie securely with a long piece of heavy string or twine, lengthwise and crosswise. The packet should be square or rectangular.
Place packet in a large stockpot full of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 4 hours, adding water if necessary. Remove from heat and cool for 1 hour.
To serve, slice wrapped packet into 4 slices. Unwrap, arrange on a plate, and serve. Serves 4
(*) When traditional banh chung is prepared in Vietnam, the rice absorbs a slight green color from the banana leaves in which the cakes are wrapped. If youlike a little color in your dish, simply add a drop of green food coloring to the rice and water before leaving to soak. recipe found at ethnicrecipes.us
Banh Chung (Vietnamese Rice Cake) Recipe #110166 | 7 hours | 1 hour prep | Vietnamese Lunar New Year(Tet) will never be complete without this cake. It's very heavy, very filling. It takes a LONG time to cook. You read right that it takes 6 hours. And overnight soaking of rice and beans! SERVES 8 (change servings and units)
Ingredients 200 g glutinous rice, soaked overnight 100-150 g mung beans, soaked overnight 100 g pork, cut into chunks,seasoned with salt and pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions 1) You will also need: Strings and 6 phrynium leaves or aluminum foil can be used as substitute. 2) Steam or boil mung bean with half a tsp of salt until soft, may take up to 45 minutes depending on how large your steamer is. 3) Smash bean thoroughly. 4) Place 2 leaves in one direction, slightly overlapping, then 2 perpendicular, also overlapping, and the last layer like the first. 5) If use aluminum foil, place them crossing each other. 6) Place half of the rice on the leaves, topped with half of the mung beans. 7) Lay the pork on top of the beans, and then add the last of the beans followed by last of the rice. 8) Fold the leaves/foils over the cake very tightly into a square, use string to secure the cake. 9) Place in a large pot, cover with water and boil for about 6 hours. 10) Add water every hour if necessary. 11) After 6 hours or so, remove the cake, submerge it into cold water for a few minutes. 12) The cake lasts up to 10 days on a cool dry place. 13) The easiest way to cut up the cake is to open it and use the string to cut it up into 8 portions. 14) Best served with pickled onions.
written by Tom Glazer sung to the tune of "On Top of Old Smokey"
On top of spaghetti (on top of spaghetti) All covered with cheese (all covered with cheese) I lost my poor meatball (I lost my poor meatball) When somebody sneezed (when somebody sneezed)
It rolled off the table (it rolled off the table) And onto the floor (and onto the floor) And then my poor meatball (and then my poor meatball) Rolled out of the door (rolled out of the door)
It rolled in the garden (it rolled in the garden) And under a bush (and under a bush) And then my poor meatball (and then my poor meatball) Was nothing but mush (was nothing but mush)
Oh, the mush was as tasty (oh, the mush was as tasty) As tasty could be (as tasty could be) And early next summer (and early next summer) It grew into a tree (it grew into a tree)
The tree was all covered (the tree was all covered) With beautiful moss (with beautiful moss) It grew lovely meatballs (it grew lovely meatballs) And tomato sauce (and tomato sauce)
So if you eat spaghetti (so if you eat spaghetti) All covered with cheese (all covered with cheese) Hold on to your meatball (hold on to your meatball) And don't ever sneeze (and don't ever sneeze)
The history of On Top Of Spaghetti???? Tom Glazer who died at the age of 88 on February 21, 2003 is remembered as a true American Folk Song Singer and composer. One of the songs he popularized was the kid's song "On top of Spaghetti". He recorded this song along with other songs for kids on an album in 1963. Many Internet sites also credit him with writing this song.
Tom Glazer may have added verses to On Top Of Spaghetti, however it is very likely a group of kids attending a summer arts and craft camp in 1957 actually made up the original verses, 6 years before Tom Glazer recorded It. to read the rest of this article go to OnTopofSpaghetti.org
Easy Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (you may also used ground turkey) 1 1/4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs 2 cloves garlic, minced coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (optional) 1 egg, beaten
1 (28 ounce) jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce 1 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree
1 pkg of Spaghetti
DIRECTIONS In a bowl, mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, garlic, onion, and egg. Using wet hands, form mixture into meatballs.
In a slow cooker, mix the spaghetti sauce, crushed tomatoes, and tomato puree. Place the meatballs into the sauce mixture. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but firm to the bite. Drain and move onto serving platter. Spoon the sauce and meatballs over the pasta.
(this is a combination of more than one recipe...one of the original recipes can be found at allrecipes.com)
Brer Rabbit Nibbles the Butter African-American Tale
There was a time when all the animals just kept on getting more and more familiar with one another, until by and by it wasn't long before Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox and Brer Possum got to sort of bunching their provisions together in the same shanty.
After a while the roof sort of began to leak, and one day Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox and Brer Possum assembled to see if they couldn't kind of patch it up.
They had a big day's work in front of them, and they fetched their dinner with them. They lumped the vittles up in one pile, and the butter that Brer Fox brought, they went and put it in the spring-house to keep it cool, and then they went to work.
It wasn't long before Brer Rabbit's stomach began to sort of growl and pester him. Brer Fox's butter sat heavy on his mind, and his mouth watered every time he remembered it.
Presently he said to himself that he would like to have a nip at the butter. So commenced to figurin' out a plan.
First thing you know, while they were working along, Brer Rabbit raised his head quickly and flung his ears forward, and hollered out, "Here I am! What do you want with me?" and off he went, like something was after him.
After he made sure that nobody was following him, he bounced into the spring-house, and there he stayed until he got a helping of butter. Then he sauntered on back and went to work.
"Where have you been?" said Brer Fox.
"I heard my children calling me," said Brer Rabbit, "and I had to go see what they wanted. My old woman has gone and taken sick," he said.
They worked on until by and by the butter tasted so good that old Brer Rabbit wanted some more. Then he raised up his head, he did, and hollered out, "Alright! Hold on! I'm a-coming!" And off he went.
This time he stayed a good while, and when he got back, Brer Fox asked him where he'd been.
"I've been to see my old woman, and she's sinkin' ," he said.
Directly Brer Rabbit heard them calling him again, and off he went, and this time, he got the butter out so clean that he could see himself in the bottom of the bucket. He scraped it clean and licked it dry, and then he went back to work.
"How's your old woman this time?" said Brer Fox.
"I'm obliged to you, Brer Fox," said Brer Rabbit, "but I'm afraid that she's real bad off now," and that sort of made Brer Fox and Brer Possum feel bad for Brer Rabbit.
By and by, when dinnertime came, they all got out their vittles, but Brer Rabbit kept on looking lonesome, and Brer Fox and Brer Possum, they sort of rustled around to see if they couldn't make Brer Rabbit feel better.
Brer Fox and Brer Possum rustled around, they did, getting out the vittles, and by and by Brer Fox, he said, "Brer Possum, you run down to the spring and fetch the butter, and I'll set the table," he said.
Brer Possum, he loped off after the butter, and directly he came loping back with his ears a-trembling and his tongue a-hanging out.
"Brer Fox!" he hollered out.
"What's the matter now, Brer Possum?" he said.
"You all had better run, folks" said Brer Possum. "The last drop of that butter is gone."
"Where did it go?" said Brer Fox.
"It looks like it dried up," said Brer Possum.
Then Brer Rabbit, he looked sort of solemn, he did, and he up and said, "I suspect that the butter melted in somebody's mouth," he said.
Then they went down to the spring with Brer Possum, and sure enough, the butter was gone. While they were talking about the mystery, Brer rabbit said that he could see tracks all around there, and he pointed out that if they would all go to sleep, he could catch the chap that stole the butter.
They all lay down, and Brer Fox and Brer Possum, they soon dropped off to sleep, but Brer Rabbit, he stayed awake, and when the time came, he got up real quiet like, and smeared Brer Possum's mouth with the butter on his paws.
Then he ran off and nibbled up the best of the dinner that they had left lying out, and then he came back and woke up Brer Fox and showed him the butter on Brer Possum's mouth.
They woke up Brer Possum and told him about it, but of course Brer Possum denied it to the last.
Now Brer Fox, he's kind of a lawyer, and he argued this way: that Brer Possum was the first one at the butter, and the first one to miss it, and more than that, there were the signs on his mouth.
Brer Possum could see that they had him jammed up in a corner, and then he up and said that the way to catch the man that stole the butter was to build a big brush heap and set it on fire, and everyone would try to jump over it, and the one that fell in, that would be the chap that stole the butter.
Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox, they both agreed, they did, and they whirled in and built the brush heap, and they built it high, and they built it wide, and then they touched it off.
When it got to blazing up good, Brer Rabbit he took the first turn. He sort of stepped back, and looked around and giggled, and over he went, just like a bird flying.
Then came Brer Fox. He got back a little further, and spit on his hands, and lit out and made the jump, and he came so close to falling in that his tail caught fire.
(Next time you see a fox, you look right close and see if the end of his tail isn't white. To this day all foxes bear the same mark.)
Well, next came Old Brer Possum. He took a running start, he did, and he came lumbering along, and he lit -- kerblam! -- right in the middle of the fire.
Now ya know that til that day Possums used ta have nice bushy tails but that fire burned the hair right off old Brer Posssum's tail. And from that day to this, possums have hairless tails.
based on story by Joel Chandler Harris in Uncle Remus; His Songs and His Sayings...first published in 1880....retold by LLL,Storysinger
Betty Botter bought some butter, But, she said, the butter's bitter; If I put it in my batter It will make my batter bitter, But a bit of better butter Will make my batter better. So she bought a bit of butter Better than her bitter butter, And she put it in her batter And the batter was not bitter. So 'twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.
Come, butter, come, Come, butter, come; Peter stands at the gate Waiting for a butter cake. Come, butter, come.
Recipe to make Easy Homemade Butter
You will need whipping cream and a glass jar with a lid.
Place the cream in the jar. Cover with the lid.
Now, Shake, shake shake and shake!
Keep shaking till the cream turns into butter. You may want to have friends help you shake, cause this may take a while!
You can also use a food processer to make butter. It's basically the same process. Just put the cream in the processer and turn it on.
Yield: About half as much butter as the amount of cream you started with.
Butter Cookies Ingredients: 1 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted or stirred before measuring dash salt 1 teaspoon baking powder
Preparation: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture; mixing until well blended. Shape dough into small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake butter cookies at 300° for 20 minutes, or until just lightly browned. Makes 5 to 6 dozen butter cookies.
