Rapunzel’s Revenge, the new graphic novel by Shannon and Dean Hale, and illustrated by Nate Hale, is a modern retelling of the classic fairy tale.  Kidnapped as a child and raised by an evil witch, Rapunzel discovers the mystery of her own past and embarks on a quest to put it to rights and save the surrounding land from mystical tyranny.  With her quick whits and long locks, she saves the day more than once.  Set in a wizardy wild West and filled with comedy and girl power, it is a book unlike anything else.

Author Shannon Hale (Goose Girl, Princess Academy), along with her husband, reveals more facets of her vivid imagination.  Nate Hale (The Devil You Know) proves his talent as one of the most inventive illustrators of this generation.  And, he’s a friend of mine.  Hi, Nate!

This is the first time I used panko, the Japanese style breadcrumbs.  They’re light and crunchy, and do not interfere with the other flavors in the recipe.

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I have been in search for the best edition of these books for ages, and now I’ve found them!  The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set: Full-Color Collector’s Edition from Harper Trophy are paperback (c’est dommage!), but even so, the bindings are stitched, which will make the books last longer than some hardcovers out there.  I love the pictures—they’re the same Pauline Baynes illustrations I remember from childhood.  But to add pleasure to perfection—they’re full color.

The sound recording from Harper Children’s Audio is unabridged and features the voice talents of Kenneth Branagh, Lynn Redgrave, Jeremy Northam, and others (you can listen to all of The Silver Chair read by Mr. Knightley–sigh).

My son, who found the book series a bit daunting in second grade, popped in the CDs and read along.  He had them finished in about a week, and probably enjoyed them more being lulled into the world of Narnia by the sound of British voices.

I always like to read them in the order they were written. Some people (like the publishers) say that Lewis intended them to be read starting with the Magician’s Nephew, but I think it’s more exciting to start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  (Incidentally, the producers of the movies seem to think so, too.)

If anyone’s interested, here’s the order they were written:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Prince Caspian

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Silver Chair

The Horse and His Boy

The Magician’s Nephew

The Last Battle

These were so easy, I had my kids do most of the work.  To make both, you begin with the same basic steps, and then simply create the turtles or the peanut butter squares, or both.  It looks like a lot of steps, but really, it’s so intuitive, you probably won’t even need to read all of them.  Just have fun!

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This sandwich will impress guests for lunch or for a casual dinner gathering, but is as easy to make as a regular grilled cheese sandwich.  My family loves it, as long as I leave off the basil leaves in the kids’ panini. (No green stuff!)

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I decided it was time to stop ogling at the Rainier cherries and just buy them already, no matter what they cost.  I filled the bottom of the bowl with ice to keep the cherries cold while I photographed (also to make my measly pound of cherries stick up over the top of the bowl!).  My kids kept nagging me—when can we eat them?  When the pictures were done, we helped ourselves to the best cherries we’ve had in years, and made sure to eat them slowly.

Lime is the perfect complement to mango.  An overripe mango, which can taste a bit vegetably, is easily remedied with a splash of lime juice.  I made this sorbet with that in mind.  It’s very easy to make and extremely good for you.  Just look!  There’s barely any sugar!

This is best enjoyed a little soft.  Twenty seconds in the microwave will get it the right consistency if it has been in the freezer for longer than five hours.

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I’m about to leave for the Breaking Dawn (Stephenie Meyer’s 4th book in the Twilight series) release party.  Hanging around with a bunch of high school kids dressed as vampires at a prom at midnight would not be my first choice for a Friday night, but I cannot wait any longer for that book.  I’ve been dreaming about it for weeks, and if I get the book in 3 hours instead of twelve hours, then I will know nine hours earlier if Bella and Edward get married, if Jacob finds someone else to love, and if anyone (let’s hope not!) dies.  I’m just about beside myself.  So, if you’ll please excuse me, I have a party to attend.