jacksgap: tea for two, or maybe three million

January 15, 2014February 23, 2014 ~ jama ~ 8 Comments

You know, it’s that dang British accent that gets ’em every time.

Add boyish charm, a dash of cheek, a thirst for adventure, comedy sketches, travel documentaries, entrepreneurial genes, video production chops, a boatload of high octane go-for-the-gusto, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for the YouTube vlogging sensation Jacksgap.

It also doesn’t hurt that the 20-year-old Harries twins are very easy on the eyes. The camera loves them, as do millions of teenage girls all over the world who just can’t get enough of their rickshaw-running, ball-bouncing, mail-opening, Maoam-chewing, bungee-jumping, unicycling shenanigans.

Jacksgap! Five minutes of your life that you won’t get back!

Dial back to July 2011, when younger-by-two-minutes Jack decided to document his gap year by starting his own YouTube channel. He attracted a fair number of followers in the first 6 months, but it wasn’t until Finn joined the fun that things went viral.

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lemon teacake from emma block’s tea and cake

January 14, 2014August 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 51 Comments

I’ve long been a big fan of illustrated cookbooks, often adding them to my collection without ever intending to make any of the recipes. I’m content to ooh and ahh over the beautiful art, happily satisfying my visual cravings.

But since we’re all about tea and England this winter, I thought it would be nice to try something from Tea and Cake: Recipes for the Perfect Afternoon Tea (Hardie Grant, 2011), which features the lovely watercolor and paper collage work of London-based illustrator Emma Block.

Emma was actually commissioned by the publisher to do the illustrations while in her last year at university; the recipes themselves were created by a team of recipe writers whose names, oddly enough, do not appear on the cover of the book. But Emma’s name is there, front and center, and she definitely deserves the spotlight, because it is her work that really makes this book shine.

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a winter tea for you and me

January 7, 2014February 23, 2014 ~ jama ~ 57 Comments

“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?” ~ Muriel Barbery (The Elegance of the Hedgehog)

Brrrrrrrr!

Hello, Cutie Pies. Happy New Year!

Baby, it’s cold outside. This winter’s shaping up to be a real cracker. It’s so cold around here we have to open the refrigerator to heat the house. So cold, a cake I just baked and set out to cool frosted itself. 🙂

Mr. Cornelius has taken to sleeping in oven mitts,

and is mad for fuzzy scarves (nice fashion statement, eh?).

But where are my manners? Please make yourself comfortable and have a nice spot of tea. There now, better?

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we have 2 winners (bearly)!

May 9, 2008 ~ jama ~ 18 Comments

Big thanks to all of you who commented on the Grace Lin interview!

I’m happy to report we’ve picked the winners of two signed, personalized copies of The Year of the Rat!

Friends, I want you to know this was not an easy task.

For one thing, some of the kitchen helpers grew overly fond of the prize:

Julius cherished it.

Mr. Bear slept with it.

Buddy and Brogan tried to hijack it.

And, when I looked around for help, everyone was too busy.

Becky was scarfing down candied ginger.

So was Pudding.

Who let Skippy into the kitchen?

Others were obsessed with reading beautifully illustrated books:

So I took matters into my own hands.

First, I assigned a number to all 33 commenters.

Then, I wrote the numbers inside foil baking cups:

Next, I folded them up like little dumplings, tossed them into a bamboo steamer, and waited until they were perfectly done:

Just then, our official alphabet soup impartial volunteer returned from Whole Foods just in time to fish out the winners:

And they are:

IMG_0359-1.jpg picture by jamesmargaret3rd IMG_0358-1.jpg picture by jamesmargaret3rd
#17 – Jeannie C. #4 – Kristi Valiant

CONGRATULATIONS!! YAY!! WOOHOO!!
Jeannie and Kristi, please email me with your mailing addresses and personalization info: readermail *at* jamakimrattigan *dot com*!

Thanks again, everyone!!

SOUP’S ON: Grace Lin in the Kitchen Interview!

April 30, 2008November 13, 2017 ~ jama ~ 68 Comments

“Your work is to discover the world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” ~ Buddha

Last year, children’s author/illustrator Grace Lin was asked in an Edge of the Forest interview what she would say if she had the complete attention of everyone in the United States for thirty seconds. Grace quoted Buddha, and if the body of work she’s produced during the last 10 years is any indication, she has definitely lived by those words.

Talented, prolific, critically acclaimed and beloved by her readers, Grace has illustrated ten picture books and written and illustrated a dozen more. Her use of bold colors, intricate patterns, swirls, and charming details mark a distinctive style that engages, delights, and invites the reader to look closer.

In 2006, Grace’s first middle grade novel, The Year of the Dog, received tons of accolades, including Kirkus Best Early Chapter Book, ALA Notable Book for Children, and a National Parenting Publication Gold Award. The Year of the Dog is autobiographical, picking up where her picture books, The Ugly Vegetables, Dim Sum for Everyone, Fortune Cookie Fortunes, and Kite Flying leave off. Readers everywhere have fallen in love with Pacy Lin, her best friend, Melody, and her sisters, Lissy and Ki-Ki.

This year, a much-anticipated sequel, The Year of the Rat, was released along with yet another gorgeous picture book, Bringing in the New Year. In The Year of the Rat, we are treated to more of Pacy’s joyous, funny, and poignant experiences. Much like the classic Little House or Ramona books, these stories leave us craving more about this family and Pacy’s world, so full are they of heart and universal truth. Bringing in the New Year focuses on the preparations for Lunar New Year, complete with homemade dumplings and a dragon dance, with pictures that pull us right into the action.

I couldn’t think of a better way to top off Tea Party Month, than with Grace as my special guest of honor. I’m sure you’ve noticed how often she writes about food, using it as both subject and metaphor. She’s definitely my kind of girl — and she’s even brought cupcakes!

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