Wisconsin $ Food Hacks by Ruth Paget
Short post for big nutrition on a budget:
Oatmeal - lots of protein bang for your buck and fiber
Cranberries - full of vitamin C.
Cook fresh berries with sugar and add them to oatmeal muffins.
Maple syrup - sweetens up buckwheat pancakes
Buckwheat is a good source of iron. Buckwheat pancakes have a sour taste, but maple syrup makes it less pronounced.
Food for thought for today.
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
English Writing Skills Book List by Ruth Paget
I have used books like the following to prepare for college entrance exams and to write media releases over the years:
For writing organization:
-Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide to Middle School by Ruth Culham
-Rhetorical Devices: A Handbook and Activities for Students by Prestwick House
-Cracking the AP English Language and Composition Exam by the Staff of Princeton Review
For Vocabulary Building:
-The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists by Jacqueline E. Kress and Edward B. Fry
-Gruber’s SAT Word Master by Gary R. Gruber
-1100 Words You Need to Know by Murray Bromberg and Melvin Gordon
-Word Smart: 823 Words You Need to Know by Adam Robinson
-Word Smart II by Adam Robinson
-Word Smart: Genius Edition by Michael Freedman
For Grammar and Punctuation:
-English Grammar for Dummies by Geraldine Woods
-English Grammar Workbook for Dummies by Geraldine Woods
-Complete English Punctuation Rules by Farlex International
Reward for Learning the Basics:
-A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
-The Making of a Poem: The Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland
When I was the Youth Services Library for the Monterey County Free Libraries (California), I purchased books like these for the Youth Services Nonfiction Collection. This collection is updated yearly so there are probably even more books like these now to keep tomorrow’s writers busy.
Happy Writing!
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Math Word Problems Practice Books List by Ruth Paget
Students interested in careers in careers in engineering, accounting, finance, science, and management consulting might be interested in books that allow them to strengthen their skills in:
Analysis - determining what a problem asks you to find as an answer and in what units
Strategy Development – using the data in the problem to develop a plan to solve the problem
I used books like the following when I was in high school to prepare for college entrance exams:
-Math Problems Demystified by Allan G. Berman
-How to Solve Word Problems in Arithmetic by Phyllis Pullman
-How to Solve Word Problems in Mathematics by David Wayne
-How to Solve Word Problems in Algebra by Mildred Johnson and Tim Johnson
-How to Solve Math Word Problems on Standardized Tests by David S. Wayne
-How to Solve Word Problems in Calculus by Eugene Don and Benny Don
-400 Practice Algebra Word Problems (with Help and Solutions) by Douglas N. Shillady
I purchased these books for the Young Adult Nonfiction collection when I was the Youth Services Librarian for the Monterey County Free Libraries in California. This library system also has online homework help that you can access with your library card number from a library computer or a home computer for problems that stump you despite explanations in the books.
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
U.S States and Capitals Game Created by Ruth Paget
This game might interest aspiring politicians, journalists, customer service representatives, and public servants.
For one or more players.
Goals:
1-Learn to pronounce names of U.S. states and capitals
2-Learn to spell the names of U.S. states and capitals
3-Learn the capitals of U.S. states
Method:
Make your own playing index cards to help with memorization. Write the name of the 50 U.S. states on index cards. Each state gets its own card. On the back of the card, write the name of the capital.
Use the Google pronunciation feature to find out how the states and capitals are pronounced.
Game 1: Learn State Pronunciations
Look at the state name and pronounce it. If you need help memorizing pronunciation, write out your pronunciation tip in your own language on the back of the card.
Keep playing until you know the pronunciations.
Game 2: Learn State Capital Pronunciations
Look at the capital name and pronounce it. If you need help memorizing pronunciation, write out your pronunciation tip in your own language on the back of the card.
Keep playing till you can say all state names accurately.
Game 3: Learn State Spellings
Look at the state name or say it. Try to write down state name accurately. Check how you did.
Keep playing till you can spell all state names accurately.
Game 4: Learn State Capitals Spelling
Look at the capital name or say it. Try to write down the capital name accurately. Check how you did.
Keep playing till you can spell all state capital names accurately.
Game 5: Identify State Capitals
Look at the state name on the front of an index card and try to identify the capital.
Keep playing till you can identify all state capitals with their states.
Game 6: Reverse State Capital Play
Look at the capital name on the back of the card and try to identify the state that goes with it.
Keep playing until you can identify all states by their capital city.
Games Created by Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Tennessee Treasures by Ruth Paget
Tennessee is world famous for its music (mountain music from East Tennessee, Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame, and Memphis for Beale Street Blues), its barbecue, and its Tennessee whisky, but after reading Tennessee Hometown Cookbook by Sheila Simmons and Kent Whitaker, you can see that Tennessee’s rich cuisine deserves better recognition as well.
The following appetizers and sides make resourceful use of Tennessee’s produce:
-cowpea caviar – made with green, yellow, and red peppers; onions; tomatoes; and parsley
-ham and cheese ball made with mushrooms and green onions
-lime and cilantro creamy coleslaw
-fried green tomatoes with onions and honey Dijon sauce
A calorie-rich lunch for snowed-in mountain days follows:
-sweet beer bread
-smoked sausage lentil soup
Tennessee whisky is the star of the following dishes:
-George Dinkel Tennessee whisky pork chops
-Jack Black barbecued ribs
-Jack Daniels country-style beef ribs
-Jack Daniels salmon
Wine lovers might like the following cake:
-muscadine wine coffee cake
Tennessee Hometown Cookbook by Sheila Simmons and Kent Whitaker wraps up with a monthly listing of music and food festivals, which have oral storytellers, beauty pageants, carnivals, food contests, and children’s games. The cookbook packs a lot of information into 256 pages, making it a good purchase for a home cookbook collection.
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Costco Hot Dog $ Food Hack by Ruth Paget
Hot dogs in Costco’s food court cost $1.50 today with mustard, relish, and catsup available for dressing.
There are all beef hot dogs and beef and pork hot dogs available usually.
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Oregon: Organic Food Rules State by Ruth Paget
On the West Coast of the United States, Oregon is a beacon for organic food production. Many of the delicious recipes in Dishing Up Oregon: 145 Recipes that Celebrate Farm-to-Table Flavors by Ashley Gartland, can easily be made throughout the U.S. now that the organic food movement has spread throughout the country.
The following recipes are examples of how flavorful, simple ingredients can make a superlative whole:
-chanterelle rillettes – buttery wild mushroom spread that goes well on mashed Idaho potatoes says the girl who grew up in the Midwestern U.S.
-shaved radish “carpaccio”
-Northwest black truffle butter – this is another item that should go on Idaho mashed potatoes or a steak
-shaved zucchini and basil salad with guajillo chile vinaigrette
-apple-celery root salad
-parsnip-almond soup
-sunchoke and fennel gratin
-raw beet salad with Asian pears and goat cheese
-heirloom carrot bisque
-polenta cakes with goat cheese, cured salmon, and poached eggs
-pan-seared duck breasts on wild rice pancakes
-espresso stout-braised pork shoulder
-flat-iron steaks with apple brandy sauce -molasses ginger stout cake with ginger glaze
-tomatillo-green apple sorbet
The dishes in Dishing Up Oregon: 145 Recipes that Celebrate Farm-to-Table Flavors by Ashley Gartland can be showstoppers at potlucks and hearty meals for family; I recommend it highly.
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
