"Dude, This is Easy!" PB Cookies... And More!

Howdy, PBnauts! Did you have a nice weekend? Hope so! Read any great kidlit? Hope so!

I have to start with a big ol' THANK YOU to Kathy Temean, NJ SCBWI Regional Advisor, who sent me the greatest prezzie! It's Today I Will: A Year of Quotes, Notes, and Promises to Myself by Eileen & Jerry Spinelli, illustrated by Julia Rothman (Alfred A. Knopf--a MOST excellent publisher, hee hee hee!, 2009). This book is amazing! Each page represents a date, and for each date, there's a quote from a children's book, a cool illustration and conversational little paragraph describing it, and a little resolution you can make. Here, let's pick a page together, and you'll see what I mean. Get a month/day date in your head. You're thinking... September 5, aren't you? Okay, let's turn to the September 5 page and see what it says.

THE QUOTE: "When Lucy's house got too loud, she went to the library."
THE SOURCE: Lucy's Quiet Book by Angela Shelf Medearis, illustrated by Lisa Campbell Ernst.
THE PARAGRAPH: Isn't it nice to know there's a place like the library? For those times when you want mild, not wild. A place that's always the same, that welcomes you, that says "Come on in, friend--out of the cold, out of the heat, out of the noise." Think of the library as your other room.
THE "I WILL": Today I'll make myself at home in the library.

Isn't that beautiful? I love it. Thank you, Kathy! (Oh, that's a pic of a bunch of people I don't know waiting outside my library for it to open--the daily "doorbusters." I did ask permission to take and post their picture, though.)

Okie-doke, I'm (valiantly, I must say!) fighting off The Ick again, so we'll keep today's post short and sweet: just one PB review, one PB recipe, and one cool space-related thingie. Here we go!

First, the PB review! Big PB Planet applause for The Duchess of Whimsy: An Absolutely Delicious Fairy Tale by Randall de Seve, illustrated by Peter de Seve (Philomel Books, Penguin Young Readers Group, 2009). (The first "e" in "Seve" has an accent grave, but my computer's being uncooperative with accents right now.) Gorgeous illustrations (the shoe-wheels have GOT to be seen) accompany this delightfully unusual love story. The Duchess of Whimsy was the life of the party. The Earl of Norm, who loved her... was not. Desperately, he tried to win her attention and affection. But his borrowed giraffe did not impress her. His poetry did not impress her. And his fancy cape was just ridiculous. But when the Cook falls ill and the Earl makes a grilled cheese sandwich... A lovely example that people are often more than they appear when you really get to know them.

Now, the PB recipe! I finally tried that "sounds-too-good-to-be-true" three ingredient PB cookie recipe, and it's... PHENOMENAL! One seriously easy, seriously tasty cookie that looks, browns, and tastes just like the standard recipe! Here's how to make them (I'd love to credit somebody, but I've seen it everywhere, so let's just credit it to the universe!) But here's my title for them:

"DUDE, THIS IS EASY!" PB COOKIES
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of PB (smooth or crunchy)
1 egg, beaten

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the three ingredients until blended, then drop by level tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between cookies. Do the little criss-cross thing with a metal fork, smooshing them down slightly. Bake for 15-18 minutes--done when light golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Makes 2 dozen cookies, which will probably be gone in a few hours.

(I know, I know--I ALWAYS use that blue plate. MonkeyKid made it. It's special. It's... my Blue Plate Special! HA HA HA!)

Okay, the space thingie: you know her. You love her! It's INTERPLANET JANET!



That's it, PBnauts! I'm off to go wallow in icky self-pity for a day or two. Maybe another PB cookie would make me feel better... See ya Wednesday or Thursday--I hope! STAY WELL!