Vocabulary

Picky –

Toddler –

Banana –

Oat –

Shoveled in –

A Toddler Favorite

These banana oat pancakes are great for a picky toddler. Many toddlers spit out veggies but pasta gets shoveled in. But all toddlers love these pancakes!

Ingredients

• 1 banana 
• 1 egg 
• ⅓ cup rolled or quick cooking oats
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

Optional additions:

• 1 tablespoon flax seed meal
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter, almond butter, or other nut butter 
• ¼ cup fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, chopped strawberries, or chopped mango 

InstructionsThe above version has just nut butter and flaxseed meal added.

In a medium bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Crack the egg into the bowl, and beat it together with the banana.

Stir in the oats, vanilla, and cinnamon.

At this point, you can stir in any add-ins, like flaxseed meal, nut butter, and fruit. 

The above version has just nut butter and flaxseed meal added.

And here’s a version with blueberries!

Heat a pan over medium heat, and add the oil. Put the batter into the hot pan (I like to make small pancakes), and cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Enjoy!!!!

Source – https://thewoksoflife.com/banana-oat-pancakes/

Singular and Plural Nouns with Articles

We use plural nouns when we talk about more than one item. We add an (s) to the noun.

1. I have many books..
2. I have a cat and two dogs.

We use the article a and an before a singular noun for an item that is not specific to the listener.

1. I have an old computer.
2. She has a nice house.
3. I have a big kitchen.
4. I don’t have an umbrella.

Once the listener knows about the item, we use the article the instead of a or an.

1. To make an omelet, crack an egg. Then whisk the egg.
2. Then get a pan. Cook the egg in the pan.
3. Then get a plate. Put the egg on the plate.
4. Then get a fork. Use the fork to eat the omelet.

When we talk about items in general, use the plural form, often without the article the.

1. Books are important.
2. Do you like apples?
3. Everybody needs friends.
4. I don’t like watching movies.

We use the article the before plural nouns when we refer to a specific group of items.

1. I bought the books you asked for.
2. The streets in my town are very clean.
3. I love the cookies my mother makes.
4. The students in my class like to play games.

Read the dialog and look for nouns and articles.

Aimee: So, Todd, do you like your house?

Todd: I do. It’s a nice house, but it’s an old house. It’s very old.

Aimee: How many rooms are in your house?

Todd: My house has four rooms, a living room, a bedroom, an office, and a kitchen.

Aimee: That sounds big. How about bathrooms? How many bathrooms do you have?

Todd: I have one bathroom.

Aimee: Oh, nice. Do you have a TV?

Todd: I do have a TV in the living room, and I have a couch and a table.

Aimee: Wow. What about your kitchen? Do you have a kitchen?

Todd: I do. I have a very small kitchen. The kitchen has a stove, a table, and a refrigerator. I can cook, but it’s not easy.

Aimee: Oh, how many chairs do you have in the kitchen?

Todd: We only have two chairs. It’s very, very small.

Aimee: How about books, Todd? Do you have books?

Todd: I have a rule. I only keep two books.

Aimee: What?

Todd: Yeah. If I want a new book, I must get rid of a book.

Aimee: Wow. That is so strict.

Todd: It is. It is very strict, but it reduces clutter.

Aimee: Sounds nice. Sounds like a great house.

Todd: It is. Old and small, but nice.

Source: https://www.elllo.org/english/grammar/L2-04-AimeeTodd-House-HowMuch-many.htm

(Pasta con le sarde)

Vocabulary

bucatini – a thick, spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the middle

fennel – a flowering plant species in the carrot family

sardines – a nutrient-rich, small, oily fish widely consumed by humans

pine nuts – Pine nuts, also called piñón, pinoli, or pignoli, are the edible seeds of pines

Ingredients

• 500g (1 lb) bucatini
• Salt

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 fennel bulbs, just the stems and fronds
• 4-6 anchovy filets
• 3 or 4 small (4 oz/124g) cans of sardines packed in olive oil
• A handful of raisins soaked in warm water
• A handful of pine nuts
• A few threads of saffron, soaked in warm water
• Olive oil
• Salt

For the topping (optional):

• 100g (1 cup) breadcrumbs
• Olive oil

Directions

Boil the fennel stems and fronds in a large pot of well salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the fennel out of the pot with a slotted spoon, drain in a colander and let cool. Then chop the fennel and set aside for later use. (Do not discard the cooking water!)

While the fennel is cooking, sauté the breadcrumbs in olive oil over gentle heat, stirring so the breadcrumbs are all coated in the oil, until they turn a golden brown. Turn off the heat and set aside until needed.

In a large sauté pan, sauté the onions in olive oil. Add the anchovies and let them melt into the onions. Then mix in the chopped fennel and sauté for a minute or two. Then add the saffron with its liquid, along with the raisins and pine nuts. Simmer everything for a minute or two longer to let the flavors meld. Taste and season with salt if it needs it. Finally, add the sardines and give everything a gentle stir, letting the sardine filets break up but not disintegrate. Lower the heat as far as it will go to keep this sauce warm.

Meanwhile, add the bucatini to the same pot where you had boiled the fennel. 

When the pasta has cooked, transfer it to the pan with the sauce and toss everything together gently.

Source: https://memoriediangelina.com/2022/01/22/pasta-con-le-sarde/