a book and some bubbling 'strone

For my Literacy for LD class, I am tutoring a teen who has ADHD. Mostly we are working on reading comprehension skills, which you can imagine are tough for someone who has trouble focusing. We meet twice weekly and we discuss a book we are reading: Kristin Cashore's Graceling. It has been so much fun to see her warm up to this book. At first I was only having her work on elements that she could pull straight from the text but she has been making some really thoughtful inferences. I love this book. It is a Fantasy about a young girl who has a grace or uncanny skill. I won't spoil it by telling you what it is but I will say that she is a strong, confident, intelligent, female character within an adventurous story that has some real depth to it. It's a book I want my boys to read in a few years and I would definitely foist it on any daughter of mine. Oh yeah, and it's a Harcourt book so I got a free copy from Amy.

Today I am home with two sick kids. Ezra has a tiny cough and Henry has been battling a fever and cough for a few days now (no swine flu I am pretty sure). I have a ton of work to do, but I am trying to concentrate (except for a bit of therapeutic blogging) on the kids and domestic stuff. Thus the low sugar, high fiber oatmeal cookies and minestrone soup made with a bushel of garlic, oh and laundry, a bathtub full.

Right now the boys are drinking their tea (Ezra's current fave is Twinings Chamomile -Apple, Henry prefers Twinings Lemon-Ginger), eating popcorn and watching Curious George.

The sky is gray and drippy. Soup is bubbling on the stove and for the moment, everything is peaceful.

Mark Bittman's Minestrone, from How to Cook everything Vegetarian

1/4 c. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 1/2 -2 cups hard veg. such as potato, squash, turnips diced

salt and pepper

6 cups stock

1 cup cored peeled and seeded chopped tomato or canned

1 1/2 cup soft veg, such as green beans, zuchinni, cooked dried beans, kale etc.

parmesan rind cut into tiny pieces

1/2 c. chopped parsley

saute carrots , onions, celery in oil.

add hard veg., parmesan, salt, pepper, stock and tomato bring to a boil until veg is soft.

add soft veg. and parsley, simmer until very tender

adjust seasoning

So simple, easy and special, especially when every vegetable is local, except for the enormous Quaker potatoes the in-laws brought from Dill's garden in the Finger Lakes.