Books With Cookies And Milk (45)

The Adventures of Titch & Mitch

The King of the Castle

Written by:  Garth Edwards

Illustrated by Max Stasyuk

     Two pixies, a magical bike, an albatross and a King of the Castle who wants to make pixie soup cause Titch and Mitch to be in trouble again. Yet they still find time to free cuckoos from cuckoo clocks, save the crab queen's crown and solve the mystery of Echo Quarry - all with a little help from their friends! This is the third wonderful 'Titch and Mitch' story from author Garth Edwards.

Latasha and Little Red Tornado

Written by:  Michael Scotto

Illustrated by:  Evette Gabriel

     LATASHA AND THE LITTLE RED TORNADO is the story of Latasha, an eight year old girl who lives with her mother and her dog. Latasha is a great new character for middle grade readers.  Now that she is 8, Latasha is starting to feel grown up.  Latasha's mother gets a new job as a nurse's assistant but her hours are long and Latasha has to be "looked after by their elderly landlady, Mrs. Okocho.  Latasha is not happy about this, especially since she is now 8.


     Latasha's dog (Ella, named after Ella Fitzgerald) is two years old and still gets into trouble. Wait till you read how she gets her nickname, the little red tornado!  Latasha is worried about this and works hard to help Ella learn to behave.  Latasha's relationship with her dog is great. You can't help but fall in love with Ella and feel Latasha's anguish when Ella gets lost.  

Turkey Monster Thanksgiving

Written by:  Anne Warren Smith

     Since her mother left home, Katie could understand this year that they were going to have a different Thanksgiving this year.  She was okay at first with the plans for pizza for dinner instead of turkey. They would be albe to wear pajamas till noon, eat popcorn and watch football. Everything would be fine even if they did not celebrate that national holiday like another family.

     Now, it was two weeks before Thanksgiving and her best friend, Claire, told her about her family's Thanksgiving plans.  Claire was beginning to think that they should also have to celebrate Thanksgiving, the way everyone else does.  Things were changing and not for the best.  Things were beginning to go horibbly wrong.

The Sweetest Thing

Written by:  Christina Mandelski

      A little after her seventh birthday, her mom walked out on her family. Each year Sheridan got a birthday card full of empty promises, but Sheridan still believed that her mom was coming back.  Sheridan also lets her relationship with her father drift apart, while he is working hard to get his own television show on a food-related television show.

     Sheridan is known as “Cake Girl,” because she makes the most incredibly decorated cakes at a bakery owned by her grandmother. Everyone wants a cake made and decorated by Sheridan.  She soon finds out that her dad is going to get the show, but that means they need to move to New York. She doesn’t want to leave – what if her mom comes back?  Things come to a head and Sheridan must make some really difficult decisions about who is important to her,  and where she should be going with her life.

Irena's Jars of Secrets

Written by:  Marcia Vaughan

Illustrated by:  Ron Mazellan

     Irena remembers as a young girl, her father's wordds - If she ever saw someone drowning, she must jump in and try to save that person, even if she could not swim.  When Irena grew up in 1940 Warsaw, she became a social worker.  She saw that the Jewish people were "drowning".  Irena joned Zegota, a secret organization that was helping Jewish people, in Poland to survive and find places of safety.

     In October 1945, Irena was betrayed to the Germans and she was arrested.  Irena was secretly let go from her capture and went into hiding, continuing her efforts to help those in need.  She kept lists in glass jars and buried them near an apple tree in a friend's garden across from the german soldier's barracks. 

     Note:  As with any book I post about on my blog, I highly recommend them either for reading yourself or as a gift to another.  I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did. 

     Now for the cookie recipe:

Caramel Apple Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. caramel flavoring
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 medium Granny Smith apple, diced {about 1 cup}
1 c. almond and pecan pieces
1 tbs. dark brown sugar
1/2 can Dulce de Leche, or about 7 ounces caramel sauce
3 sections each of dark and white almond bark

Directions:

     Cream together butter and sugars. Add the egg and flavorings and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Use one tablespoon of the flour mixture and toss with the diced apples until they are well coated. Mix in the flour until it is well incorporated, then add the apples. The dough will be sticky but firm.


     Next combine the mixed nuts with a tablespoon of brown sugar. Drop dough into the nut mixture by the tablespoon and roll until well coated with nuts.


     Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for 15-17 minutes. When you remove them from the oven use a cookie scoop or spoon to make an impression in the middle of the warm cookies.


     After cooling, use a piping bag to fill the cookies with caramel. Drizzle the cookies with white and dark chocolate.


     Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies