Cooking With Faith

 I'm not an avid viewer of The Food Network and I don't subscribe to Gourmet Magazine. I think Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals is sophisticated enough for me. I have a few staple meals that I make over and over. These dinners have been tested by the family and approved for long term use. My son's favorite dish is homemade twin turkey tacos, appropriately named because everyone wants two! Tacos are very quick and simple to make. I use a taco seasoning packet and add a little extra cumin and chili powder to make it feel as though I'm creating an authentic mouthwatering Mexican meal. My husband's favorite dinner has always been my succulent shrimp scampi. I found this recipe on Red Lobster's website and tweaked it a bit to make it my own. However, last week I attempted to make something I've never made before, BBQ pulled pork. The hardest part of making pulled pork was removing the skin from the meat. I admit I had to call in my mother-in-law for backup. I  have issues with touching dead animal flesh, it really creeps me out. Once the dirty work was done I was back on course toward making a delightfully, delicious new dinner. I had no expectations for this meal because I'm known to destroy a meal on my first attempt, or any subsequent attempt if we're being honest. This time, however, was different. The pulled pork was perfect, as good as any that we've had from a BBQ joint! It was so great my husband named it his new favorite dinner dish. Here's the problem, the kids didn't like it. The benefit of the kids not eating it was it lasted an extra day or two and turned into yummy sandwiches for lunch. I typically don't make a dish that the kids have voted down but Dan and I vetoed the kids on this one. BBQ pulled pork is officially on the Tripp dinner menu. If you want to try it out, and I strongly suggest you do, click on the link I provided below and join us in pulled pork paradise!

Deliciously Easy Pulled Pork Recipe


Vocabulary:
avid- (adj) dedicated, enthusiastic, eager
sophisticated- (adj) having refined or cultured tastes and habits; complex and refined
staple- (noun) a basic or principal item, thing, feature, element, or part
authentic- (adj) not false or copied; genuine; real 
succulent- (adj) full of juice, juicy; rich  in desirable qualities 
tweaked- (verb) to make a minor adjustment to

expectation- (noun) the act or state of a looking forward to, anticipating
subsequent- (adj) following in order; occurring or coming later or after
vetoed- (verb) to reject
paradise- (noun) a state or place of extreme happiness, delight or bliss

Word Scramble: 
Can you unscramble the letters below to find each vocabulary word?

kdewate ____________
darsiepa ___________
diva ____________
hopissittaced ____________
plates _____________
cluesucnt ____________
deovet _____________
esentqbusu ___________
nextptaceio ___________
utentachi ___________

Grammar Point: Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of  beginning consonant sounds. We use alliteration to draw attention to certain words or phrases and to make our writing more fun to read. Can you find the examples of alliteration in the post above? Here's a clue: 'pulled pork paradise.' Can you create three original examples of alliteration to describe your favorite meal, sport or hobby? 

For more original examples of alliteration visit the BBC's website link below:

Totally Terrific Alliteration Examples 

Exciting Times in the Tripp House

My son Sean is in first grade. He's been 'writing' for a few years and especially loves writing notes to people. The other day I went to get a glass of water from a pitcher I keep in the refrigerator, I like my water ice cold, and I found a note taped to the side of the built-in water dispenser. This note had a purpose; my husband finally got around to replacing the old water filter with a new one. I was so accustomed to drinking water from my pitcher that even though the 'fridge' water was now drinkable I still avoided it. My son noticed that I wasn't using the water dispenser and decided I needed some motivation to return to drinking from it. I love that the note is in three parts because he was attempting to make three distinct points. "yoz it" "its god" "it wrx" My husband and I were very impressed with his attempt at spelling. Use it. It's good. It works. Now I know this may seem silly to most but I was nearly moved to tears. My little boy is growing up and pushing himself to become literate. It's difficult to put into words how much pride a parent feels when their child begins to read and write. We do everything in our power to encourage Sean to write often. He keeps a journal with writing and illustrations that highlight important events in his life. These events include birthday parties, play dates, soccer practice and games he plays with his little sister, Grace. We read to him every night and now he's started reading to us! I know how important it is to instill a love of reading and writing in your children. I hope that these practices remain fun for Sean and that as Grace grows she will be inspired by him to develop her own appreciation for literacy. The best way to ensure that this fondness for reading and writing continues to grow is to model it myself. Actions speak louder than words!

VOCABULARY:

dispenser- (noun) a container, package, device, or vending machine for holding and dispensing something in small amounts
replacing- (verb) to restore; return; make good
accustomed- (adj) customary; usual; habitual
motivation- (noun) desire to do; interest or drive
distinct- (adj) recognizable; definite; sharp;clear
literate- (adj) able to read or write
illustrations- (noun) the act of clarifying or explaining; a picture in a book or magazine
instill- (verb)to infuse slowly or gradually into the mind or feelings; insinuate; inject
ensure- (verb) to make sure or certain


Grammar Point:
Contractions
Contractions are formed when two words are squished together to form one word and in the process lose a few letters and gain an apostrophe. Can you find all the contractions in the passage above? Break down each contraction into its original words and reread the sentence. Does the meaning change? Why or why not? Do you want to learn more about common contractions and practice forming them? If so, visit the link below and you'll be sure to have fun!

Everything you need to know about contractions!


Fun with vocabulary

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ACROSS 1   To restore; return; make good 3   To infuse slowly or gradually into the mind or feelings; insinuate; inject 8   Customary; usual; habitual 9   To make sure or certain

DOWN 2   The act of clarifying or explaining; a picture in a book or magazine 4   Recognizable; definite; sharp;clear 5   A container, package, device, or vending machine for holding and dispensing something in small amounts 6   Desire to do; interest or drive 7   Able to read or write